Chapter 42: The Trials
The Trials
"Mister Fujimaru, good morning."
Shirou entered the office of Lady Barthomeloi at eight o'clock on the dot. Inside, he found Lady Montmorency, who greeted him warmly, but as he looked around, he found that there was no sign of the office's owner.
"You are exactly on time." Lady Montmorency continued, getting up from her chair in the corner of the room. "Please have a seat. Lorelei will join us in a few minutes, she had a final matter to take care of."
"A final matter? Is there a problem?"
"No, not at all." She assured him with a dismissive hand motion. "Merely a few last details that unexpectedly turned out not quite right in the end. Lorelei will straighten it out before long. Would you like a cup of tea while we wait?"
"Oh, please, allow me." Shirou stopped her before she could trod off to the tea-can and cups, and then poured three cups himself.
"Do you pour tea often, boy? Your technique is excellent." Lady Montmorency asked as he handed her one of the cups.
"I do it all the time at home, though I normally also add a few snacks." Shirou smiled, thinking back on the hours spent with Sakura and Ayako, drinking tea together as they talked and played games and watched television.
"For any people in particular?"
"My girlfriends."
"Was that a plural?"
"Yes, I have two girlfriends." Shirou admitted it freely, as he was not going to be ashamed of being together with Sakura and Ayako. "They both like my tea, and my cooking as well."
"I see." Lady Montmorency mused, rubbing her chin slowly. "I had heard the rumours of course, but it's good to have it confirmed by you yourself. I think I can still work with that."
"Work with what, my lady?"
"Nothing you need to worry about." She blithely waved his confused question away, before changing the subject. "You know, I really should go and see what is keeping little Lorelei. She should have been here by now."
"There is no need." Shirou shook his head, before motioning to a door in a sidewall of the room. "She's coming now."
Indeed. Less than a minute later, Lady Barthomeloi entered the office from the side-door, and Shirou breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she was no longer wearing the shirt and the skirt that had given him so much trouble during the purge. Instead, she was clad in a formal suit, with black gloves, her hair styled in waves, high heels on her feet, and, for some reason, her jacket carried over her arm, leaving her in only the undershirt.
She was far more covered than she had been during the purge though, especially since she wore trousers instead of a skirt. That helped a lot already.
"Fujimaru." She greeted him shortly, before giving Lady Montmorency a nod, which was returned immediately. "Do you know why you are here?"
"I am supposed to sit with you during the trials and behave in a way appropriate of a man of my position." Shirou replied as well as he could as he offered her a cup of tea. "For that purpose, you had some instructions to give me."
"Correct." The brunette nodded, accepting the cup. "Rest assured, the instructions are not difficult to follow. First, I want you to say as little as possible, and if you do have something to say, to first discuss it with me or Lady Montmorency."
"I can do that." Shirou nodded. Staying silent the entire time was absolutely no problem for him. The less he involved himself in political matters from now on, the better. He did want to extricate himself from the Magus Association at some point after all.
"Second, you will move as little as possible. Your expression must be completely neutral too." Lady Barthomeloi continued. "Even when particularly reprehensible individuals are convicted, you will not smile or smirk. When criminals get lighter sentences than you expected, you will not frown. Your face must give nothing away."
"I will stay as silent as a statue." Shirou promised. It wasn't in his nature at all to be still for a long time, but it was doable if he really tried.
"Then, I must also give you a warning." Lady Barthomeloi looked at Lady Montmorency for a moment, in a surprisingly hesitant gesture, before turning back to him. "During our first meeting, we argued about the fate of Vincent Balefor. I informed you that he was being tortured for his crimes, and you protested vehemently, making it clear that you are decidedly against torture and other such forms of punishment."
"Yes." Shirou was indeed very much against torture. "And I stand by what I said back then."
"Nevertheless, the punishments meted out to traitors usually do involve torture." Lady Barthomeloi's tone was exceedingly careful as she said this, and Lady Montmorency's eyes, previously closed in a wide smile, opened slightly to study Shirou's reaction. "Are you completely unwilling to bend on your opinion of it?"
"…I am aware I have little say in how the Clocktower punishes its criminals." Shirou began, just as carefully as Lady Barthomeloi. It was one thing to condemn torturing a single, little-known criminal who barely mattered in the grand scheme of things, but it was another thing entirely to condemn the whole justice system of the Magus Association itself right before a once-in-a-lifetime trial. Still, Shirou had to speak up, or he could never call himself a hero again. "But I must repeat that I do heavily dislike torture, especially since I see no use whatsoever in it. Is there nothing I can do to keep such punishments to an absolute minimum?"
Shirou wasn't quite willing to openly rebel against Lady Barthomeloi over this matter, nor was he about to argue in favour of letting the criminal Magi go, but there were quite a lot of options between a dreadfully slow and painful execution on one side and clemency on the other.
A prison sentence for instance, or heavy labour, or even a quick, clean execution if there was no other alternative.
"You see no use in torture?" Lady Barthomeloi seemed to get side-tracked slightly by a remark of his however, giving him a look of mild confusion. "Torture serves as a punishment and as a warning."
"If you wish to punish them, it would be better to kill them and be done with it." Shirou repeated his thoughts out loud. Of course, he'd prefer imprisoning them, but that would probably be too much to ask. "As for the warning-function, it does not do anything to prevent future crimes. Extensive research has shown time and again that torture and brutal executions do nothing to lower crime-rates."
"What?! They don't?!" This time it was Lady Montmorency who reacted in surprise, and her surprise became even greater when Shirou nodded in confirmation. "Really?"
"Decades of widespread research has proven quite decisively that harsher punishments have no preventive effects at all." Shirou repeated. Kiritsugu had told him that, after the man had read about it in scientific papers. "Criminals never assume they'll get caught, and it doesn't matter how harsh the sentence is if no one thinks they'll ever be subjected to it. As such, they practically ignore it."
"That can't be true." Lady Montmorency spluttered, while Lady Barthomeloi looked on with narrowed eyes.
"Lady Montmorency, do you have any evidence that torture and harsh sentences prevent future crimes from being committed?" Shirou asked her directly, in an almost challenging tone. "Have you ever observed a causal link between the number of crimes and the brutality of the punishments you inflict?"
"...I have not." The elderly lady admitted after a solid minute of thinking, looking as if her world had been turned sideways. "I will have to look into this as soon as I can."
"Please do." Shirou nodded, before turning to Lady Barthomeloi again. "In the meantime though, would it be possible that none of the punishments today involve torture? Since it's not effective and all?"
"The effectiveness of torture is not relevant at this point in time." Lady Barthomeloi swiftly denied him however. "Our current laws state that treason must be punished by brutality. At such short notice, I cannot do anything about it."
"Can't you?" Shirou had detected a hint of a lie in those words, and he didn't hesitate to call her out on it. "Really?"
"…" The brunette held his gaze for several moments, before a sigh of resignation escaped her lips. "Because of recent events, my influence and authority are greater than ever. Very well, mister Fujimaru, I admit that I lied, there is in fact something I can do."
"And will you?" Shirou pushed. He was aware he was being rude, but this was not something he could just budge on.
"I will ensure that no one will be sentenced to torture. If that is the reward you ask in exchange for the extraordinary services wrought during the purge, neither I nor the Aristocratic Faction as a whole can refuse you."
"Thank you." Well aware she was yet again doing him a massive favour, and that she was going to have to do a lot of politicking in a very short time, Shirou gave her a grateful smile, mentally swearing he would definitely repay her for the trouble he was causing her with his hero complex.
"I will not, however, be able to prevent death sentences from being handed out. Will that be a problem?" Lady Barthomeloi then continued, lifting an eyebrow in challenge.
"…I can't say I like it, but I can live with it." Shirou eventually replied, pursing his lips, as the words left a bad taste in his mouth. He was practical enough though to acknowledge that there wasn't anything he could do about the executions aside from rebelling, and that would only bring more misery in the end.
"Other punishments that will be handed out today are the stripping of assets, money, and land, forced labour, and custodial sentences." Apparently, Lady Barthomeloi had decided to clear it all with him, to make sure there would be no problems during the trial itself. "Are those punishments agreeable?"
"They certainly are." Shirou declared immediately. He was in favour of imprisonment of those who were an undeniable danger to society, and he could always get behind criminal Magi being stripped of everything they owned.
"Good." She nodded sharply. "Then let us leave the matter of punishments behind for now. On the subject of the upcoming trials, do you have any questions about the instructions we have given you a moment ago?"
"No questions, your instructions were pretty straightforward."
"Do you have questions about anything else?"
"Yes, who will be in attendance during the trial?" Shirou had been wondering about that for some time now. "Can everyone who wants to see it just walk in or…?"
"Those who must be present for the trials are the three of us, the judges who will give the verdict, the prosecutors, and the attorneys. Other than that, every Magus in the Association is allowed to attend, though it is not required of them."
"So it will be busy?" Shirou didn't think there would be a shortage of Magi who wanted to gloat at a Ruling Family's demise, who wanted to collect information, or who would attend out of a sense of duty if nothing else. Lord El-Melloi for instance would undoubtedly fall into the latter category, while Reines would fall into the first and a bit into the second.
"It will be very busy indeed." Lady Barthomeloi nodded, before giving him a warning glance. "I strongly suggest you avoid talking to anyone except me, Lady Montmorency, other Policy-personnel, and Lord El-Melloi and his followers. Assume everyone whom you are not familiar with is there to trick you to further their own goals."
"I understand." Shirou nodded. It sounded like the courtroom was just like every other place in the Clocktower.
"Then I will leave you now to speak to the judges. I must communicate to them the new limits on the punishments they are allowed to give." Already, she was turning around, elegantly donning her jacket as she did so. "I will reconvene with you in the courtroom. Be well until then."
"Ah, yes, be well." Shirou nodded back, and then she was gone.
"Oh, I see." Lady Montmorency suddenly grumbled, so quietly Shirou was sure that he wasn't supposed to hear it, though he still did. "You can't be bothered to move a finger when I ask you to do something, but if a young heartthrob asks, you rush to comply. I should have expected that, really, it's so typical of young women who have no experience in matters of the heart. One handsome lad and you go all gaga-"
"Shall we depart as well, Lady Montmorency?" Shirou asked loudly, interrupting her mumblings while doing his very best to push down a blush. "We shouldn't be late for this."
"Quite right, we shouldn't." She replied, blinking as if she'd forgotten he was there for a moment. "Ah, follow me, boy. We are going to court."
And with that, she left the office, and Shirou followed quickly behind.
Back in Fuyuki-City, Sakura and Ayako had just launched their investigation into Koyama Junko, the judge who'd come to a fundraiser several years before with Carlton Paris as her date. By pure coincidence, the Mitsuzuri-family had also been present at that same fundraiser, and that marked the only time that Ayako had ever encountered Paris, and thus the only lead that the girls had in their investigation into the man's tragic murder.
After Ayako had managed to remember that little fact, she and Sakura had immediately gone to the brunette's parents, to ask if they remembered more details about the fundraiser. Fortunately, both Chiaki and Ryozo remembered that specific event quite well, and they had been able to tell the girls that the fundraiser had taken place two years ago and that judge Koyama had indeed been accompanied by a black man with a foreign name. And for the cherry on top, they had even managed to dig up Judge Koyama's address.
Neither Chiaki nor Ryozo had asked for the reason that the girls were so interested in a random judge, and though Ayako wasn't sure whether that was because they already understood what she and Sakura were up to or because they didn't want to pry, she was grateful for the discretion all the same.
Two bus rides and a short walk later, the girls arrived at the judge's residence. However, when Ayako approached the door and reached out to press the doorbell, she hesitated.
"I know I was the one who proposed that we visit judge Koyama to ask her about Paris-san, but is it really such a good idea?" She asked Sakura, who was standing next to her. "I mean, she probably doesn't remember me, and for us to suddenly barge in and question her about her hiring a gigolo probably won't go over well."
"No, it probably won't." Sakura acknowledged, before smiling resignedly. "But she is our only lead, so we must proceed anyway."
"This will get messy, you know."
"Investigations tend to get messy no matter how hard you try to thread carefully. Just look at Senpai when he tried to be Rakurai."
"I suppose." Ayako sighed, slightly envying her girlfriend's relaxed demeanour, wishing she could remain so calm. "Still, I would like not to be thrown out of the house on my butt if judge Koyama doesn't like our questions."
"Just follow the plan and it will all be fine." Sakura assured her. "I'm sure she will be glad to help us solve Paris-san's murder, as long as we stay polite during the questioning."
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes, I do." Sakura nodded confidently, before placing an arm around Ayako's shoulders. "I mean, didn't you tell me that you got along well with her?"
"I did." Ayako immediately confirmed, still able to remember that much from the night of the fundraiser. "From what I recall, I actually spoke with her a lot, and we indeed got along pretty well. Like I said yesterday, I remember her because she was so impressive."
"Then we may be able to build on that. When she hears about Paris-san's murder, she might be grateful for any kind face she can find." Sakura smiled, and Ayako deadpanned at the plum-haired girl's blatant admission that she was about to emotionally manipulate someone. "If necessary, you can pretend to be interested in her line of work and stroke her ego a bit."
"Me? Becoming a judge?" Ayako said those words in an incredulous tone, but as she thought about Sakura's suggestion some more, she had to admit that didn't sound bad at all. "Well… Why not?"
"Then stop worrying and press that doorbell!" Sakura encouraged her, pumping her fist into the air.
And so she did. Ayako rang the doorbell.
The ringing sound audibly made its way through the house, and before long, a figure, rendered hazy by the unclear windows in the door, appeared in the hallway, rapidly becoming bigger as they approached.
Then the door was opened, and a woman stood before them, a woman whom Ayako immediately recognised as Judge Koyama. It might have been two years since they had met, and they'd only interacted for one evening, but judge Koyama was… easily recognisable, to put it mildly.
For one, Koyama Junko was small for a grown woman. She was barely any taller than Sakura, and thus slightly shorter than Ayako herself. Furthermore, she was positively adorable, with large eyes, a button nose, and lips that were set in a slightly mischievous grin. She did have the curves of a grown woman, but it was undeniable that she was extremely cute nevertheless.
Her cute appearance was completely contradicted however by her sharp suit, her no-nonsense haircut, her muscle-definition beneath the suit, and the fiery look in her eyes. Though adorable, this woman was not to be messed with, that was clear immediately.
Her face, so full of contradictions, was set in a look of curiosity, which intensified when she glanced at Sakura, whom she was completely unfamiliar with, but the confusion was quickly replaced by happy surprise when she laid eyes on Ayako herself.
"Ayako, dear!" Judge Koyama cried happily, stepping forward to grab the brunette's cheeks, pull her down slightly, and press a kiss to her forehead. "It's amazing to see you again!"
"Ah, yes, it is." Ayako tried her best to smile, even as she was taken by surprise by the incredibly warm welcome from a woman she barely even knew. "It's been some time, Koyama-sama."
"Two years." Judge Koyama nodded, before putting a finger to her chin. "Perhaps even more than that. Well, however long it has been, I am very glad you have come to meet me again. Oh, and please, call me Junko."
"O-Of course." Ayako nodded, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Sakura looked a bit confused, though that didn't stop her from giggling at Ayako's predicament. "Let me introduce my friend, Matou Sakura."
"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, madam." Sakura quickly changed her smirk of amusement into a polite smile to kindly greet the older woman.
"Another strong, beautiful girl! I can see why you are Ayako's friend." Sakura also got a kiss on her forehead, though since she was a bit shorter than the judge, her cheeks weren't grabbed. "Come in, come in. I'll make you some tea, and then you can tell me why the two of you are here."
"Thank you." The two girls stepped into the hall, where they removed their shoes, before following the lady judge into the house.
As they walked, Ayako shared a look with Sakura, who smiled back at her, gesturing at judge Koyama's back in a sign that the brunette should keep talking.
"I must admit though that I am surprised you remember me, Koya- ah, that is, Junko-sama." Ayako decided to say, figuring it was a safe option.
"Are you joking? Of course I remember you." The judge beamed. "You are the only teenage girl I ever met who not only showed great respect for me and my profession, but also had nothing but good things to say about my date, Carlton, even though he was a foreigner, and a black one at that. I saw immediately that you were a woman of great character, and I tend to remember such people."
"I can't have been the only one to show you respect." Ayako protested, feeling a blush come up at the woman's blatant praise.
"You were." Judge Koyama was adamant. "I don't meet all that many teenage girls in my line of work, so I can say with certainty that you are the only one who ever treated me with nothing but reverence."
"I cannot believe that the profession of judge would get no respect." Sakura protested, accurately giving voice to Ayako's own thoughts. "It is a very esteemed position, is it not?"
It was indeed. Judges were very honoured in the extremely hierarchical Japanese society, as much as headmasters, university professors, and factory directors. They were pretty much guaranteed respect wherever they went.
The idea that judge Koyama, who, according to Chiaki, was a very experienced and skilled judge, would get no respect was ridiculous. Teenagers in particular should practically fall to their knees whenever she walked past.
"I am a judge, yes, but before that, I am a woman, am I not?" Judge Koyama asked wryly, and in a flash, everything made sense again.
That was the ugly facet of Japanese culture. Yes, it was a hierarchical society, in which the winners were treated extremely well, but that only went for men. Women weren't supposed to attain high positions, at all. Headmasters, university professors, factory directors, and indeed judges were supposed to be male, as women had to take care of the family at home.
It was commonplace for women to stop working once they got married, and even before then, the glass ceiling was tough and ever-present.
The sexism was disappearing of course, even in Japan –the twenty-first century was unstoppable– but it was still present enough for teenage girls to look at a female judge with wariness and confusion instead of respect. That was simply how they were raised.
Naturally, they were also rebellious girls, who were more than willing to defy the male dominated culture, but those girls would never look positively on an authority figure like a judge, which meant Koyama Junko was fresh out of luck on that front as well.
"Oof." Ayako grumbled as she realised what judge Koyama was getting at, and Sakura's smile turned pained. "I suppose I understand what you mean. That really sucks."
"The fact that you can say that so openly gives me good hopes for your future career." Judge Koyama grinned, before directing them to the dining table. "Sit down, I'll make us some tea, and then you can tell me why the two of you have decided to visit me today."
"Thank you, ma'am." Ayako nodded, and she and Sakura sat in comfortable silence until the judge returned a minute later with three cups of tea.
"Are you here to ask me about my career-path?" Judge Koyama asked after she'd sat down, her adorable eyes glittering with hope and anticipation. "My male colleagues always get asked by schools and students to come talk about their careers, but I always seem to be forgotten during such events."
"O-Oh?"
"Yes, I don't even seem to be on their radar, which is a pity, since I do want to help and guide the next generation. So if you and your friend want to become judges, I'll be more than happy to support you. I have plenty of advice that you can learn from, if I do say so myself."
"Oh, thank you." Ayako sat up a bit straighter. She had not yet decided her path in life, but as she'd said to Sakura, becoming a judge didn't sound bad at all. "I might take you up on that offer, though it is not why we are here."
"Oh?" Cocking her head to the side like that only made the woman even cuter. "Then why?"
"We are here because of Carlton Paris." Sakura said bluntly, as the girls had agreed before coming to the Koyama-estate that there was no appropriate way of bringing it gently. "He was your date for the fundraiser at which you met Ayako, right?"
"For the fundraiser and many other events." Judge Koyama admitted without an ounce of shame. "He is a gigolo, and a really good one too."
"Are you sure you should be telling us that?!" Ayako spluttered, utterly flummoxed by the judge's frankness.
"Eh, I'm quite sure I'm not telling you anything new." Judge Koyama shrugged carelessly. "Besides, I haven't seen him in more than six months, when he suddenly disappeared."
"Ah…" Ayako opened her mouth to tell judge Koyama the bad news, but she was too slow, and the small woman continued.
"I mean, I understand that our relationship was supposed to be pure business, and that he was with me for the money only, but I thought we had grown at least somewhat close, especially since I'd been hiring him for years. I'm not saying he was mine or anything, but I saw him as a good friend, someone I could rely on. Frankly, I am hurt that he didn't see me as a friend in turn, or at least not close enough a friend to warn before he vanished-"
"Junko-sama, I am sorry, but Carlton Paris was murdered six months ago!" Ayako spat the sentence out before the judge could continue, her heart feeling a thousand times heavier now that the case had become far more personal.
"…Murdered?" Judge Koyama needed a few moments to let that sink in, and then her expression turned horrified. "Are… Are you sure?"
"His body was found buried close to the Ryuudou-temple. The police are absolutely positive it was him." Sakura nodded, giving the woman a pitying look.
"Carlton? Murdered…?"
"He didn't abandon you, at least not willingly." Sakura said gently. "Perhaps there is some comfort in that-"
"That is no comfort!" This time, it was judge Koyama who was blunt, gritting her teeth as she spat her answer out. "I would much rather have that he had disappeared than that he was murdered!"
"Of course." Sakura bowed her head in apology. "I am sorry. My words were in poor taste."
"They were indeed!" Judge Koyama hissed, her expression still thunderous, and Sakura hung her head even lower.
"The police probably aren't going to solve his murder." Ayako stated, partially to inform the judge of the current situation and partially to distract her so she would stop glaring at Sakura. "In fact, they likely won't even investigate it properly."
"I know. In fact, I am more aware of that than most. The police don't like foreigners, or gigolos for that matter" The woman replied, her thunderous expression turning almost hateful. "They'll likely just grab the nearest convenient scapegoat and throw him in prison, if they indeed bother to arrest anyone at all."
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Ayako tried, since the woman was a judge and all. "Can't you twist a few arms and force them to take the matter seriously?"
"I have no influence over the police. They are part of the executive power, while I am part of the judicial power." Judge Koyama clearly didn't like having to say that, if her frustrated tone was anything to go by, but she was sensible enough to acknowledge the truth, and her anger subsided as she was forced to think rationally. "Nor can I make waves and create spectacles to force them to investigate properly. If I pressed for an investigation, it would inevitably get out that I hired Carlton, a gigolo, and not only would the case get thrown out again, but my detractors and enemies would have another avenue to attack me by."
"Another avenue?" Sakura asked in surprise.
"Oh, you know, the usual. 'Women can't be judges', 'when are you going to get married instead of obsessing over your career?', 'isn't it selfish to not have any children at your age?', 'why does your husband allow you to act so presumptuous?'. Stuff like that." Judge Koyama grumbled with a biting sarcasm in her voice, before she shook her head firmly. "But never mind that. I shouldn't complain about my own circumstances at a time like this. I need to pray for Carlton's soul to find peace."
"Of course." Ayako nodded. "I'm sure the Ryuudou-temple would gladly welcome you. The monks there were also very shocked by the discovery of his body."
"I will visit there as soon as I can." Judge Koyama mumbled, before she frowned as she seemingly realised something. "Ayako-chan, did you come to visit me because you wanted to inform me about Carlton's death?"
"Ah, well, that is… Yes." Ayako hesitated, before nodding. "I remembered that he was your date at the fundraiser, and I figured you didn't know about his death. That's why Sakura and I came here to tell you, because you deserve to know."
"That is very kind of you." Judge Koyama cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowing, not quite in suspicion yet, but certainly in confusion. "In fact, it's almost unnaturally kind. Why would you go through all that effort for me? Although I like to think we got along well that evening, we barely know each other."
"Well, that's kind of a long story." Ayako laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Like we said, we were the ones who found Paris-san's body, and after he was identified and the police questioned us about him, I had this nagging feeling that I knew the name, though I'd forgotten where from. It wasn't until yesterday that I remembered meeting Paris-san and you at the fundraiser. I guess I just wanted to help."
"We just wanted to do something, anything at all." Sakura clarified, looking guilty. "This visit is just as much for our own sake as yours, Junko-sama."
"I see. I suppose I can understand such a motive." The woman nodded slowly, before looking at Ayako again. "I am most grateful. The police have no knowledge of my relation with Carlton, so they won't contact me about his death, and it is likely he'll get no mention in the news either. I suppose I am lucky that you remembered me."
"Well, you were an extremely impressive woman, while Paris-san was… eh, well…"
"He was black-skinned." Judge Koyama finished for her, smiling a tiny bit. "You can say that, dear. Carlton himself never had a problem with being referred to as black. It was the colour of his skin after all. He far more disliked being called African-American, as he was neither African nor American."
"I see." Ayako, not sure what to say in response, nodded slowly. "He sounds like a nice man."
"He was. He really was nice and kind, as well as patient, good-natured, and calm. Even when people would look strangely at him or call him names, he never lost his temper. Only when they insulted me did he get angry." Judge Koyama had kept her composure so far, but when she began describing Carlton, her façade began to crumble quickly, and tears started building up in her eyes. "He was so elegant, so sophisticated. He was a true gentleman, who had knowledge about almost every subject you can think of. And he was so kind, so f-friendly and gentle. I-I have never met any man l-like h-him."
By now, the woman was openly crying, and Sakura reached out to place a hand on the woman's shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly.
"He sounds like an amazing person." The plum-haired girl said gently. "And I am sure he liked you very much too. Not just for the money I mean, but for you."
"I can only hope so." Judge Koyama sniffed, before she smiled through her tears. "Though I like to think that I would have seen through him at some point if he was faking it completely. Me, or perhaps one of the others."
"The others?"
"I wasn't his only client. His job wouldn't have been very profitable if I was." Judge Koyama now laughed out loud, a tiny bit, though it was mostly just an attempt to make herself feel better by faking it. "No, there were many other women as well."
"And that didn't bother you?" Ayako was aware she was being hypocritical, what with her three-way relationship and all, but she still had to ask.
"Not really. Like I said, we had a business-relationship. He wasn't my husband or my partner, so I could hardly place any limits on him. Seeing other women was his job." The woman sighed, before shrugging. "Would I have preferred to have Carlton all to myself? Of course I would, but that wasn't possible, so I didn't worry about it. I just appreciated what I could get."
"I suppose he did his best to keep you all out of each other's sight?" Sakura asked, smiling sheepishly. "To prevent any awkward situations?"
"He did his best, but since most of his clients came from the same societal class, it was inevitable I'd sometimes run into him while he was entertaining another woman." Judge Koyama sounded fairly neutral about it.
"What did you do in such situations?"
"Me? Well, I usually did my best to ignore it." The woman rubbed her cheek slowly. "But I believe I heard Kaneshiro Yoko and Sumida Gina ask for a threesome with him once."
"But you never did such a thing?" Sakura asked as both she and Ayako committed the names to memory.
"I respect my fellow women, but I have no desire to share my bed with them."
"Of course." Ayako didn't agree at all, but each to their own.
"Junko-sama, do you have any idea who could have killed Paris-san?" Sakura suddenly asked, apparently having decided the time was ripe for an intrusive question.
"Huh? Well, no, I do not." After a moment of confusion at the unexpected inquiry, judge Koyama shook her head. "I knew very little about him or his other acquaintances, but I can tell you that he was not the type to get involved in unsavoury matters, nor did the other women I know of seem capable of committing murder. I do not know them well though, so I might be wrong."
"I see." Sakura mused. "He had no enemies then?"
"He did have people who disliked him, as does everyone with strong opinions, but I don't think there's anyone who hated him enough to murder him." Judge Koyama professed. "I don't understand at all why anyone would do such a thing!"
"Could it not have been a jealous husband?" Ayako suggested.
"Carlton was always exceedingly careful to ensure he didn't date women who were married or in a steady relationship, but I suppose it is possible." Judge Koyama replied after some thought. "If there was a woman who lied to him about being married, I can see it happening."
"Then what about…"
The conversation continued like that for a while, with the girls asking short, focused questions to gently encourage judge Koyama to talk about Paris-san some more. The woman didn't need much encouragement, and by the end of the talk, the girls knew a lot about what she and Paris-san had gotten up to.
Not the bedroom-parts of course, judge Koyama knew better than that, but Sakura and Ayako now had a good idea of what parts of town Paris-san would frequently visit, what his hobbies were, and they even had the names of several other women who'd hired the man.
Some might say that judge Koyama was a bit too free with that information, but she was clearly a woman starved for positive attention and companionship, and neither Sakura nor Ayako had a demeanour or appearance that was in any way suspicious. Those factors resulted in the judge freely giving out the information that they asked for.
Naturally, the girls carefully avoided giving the woman any form of hint or clue that they were planning to investigate the murder themselves. Koyama Junko was still a judge, someone who held the law in high regard, and she would not look kindly on vigilantism.
That much was made very clear when the topic suddenly switched to Rakurai.
"I do not want that man to investigate Carlton's murder." Judge Toyama's voice was stern and unbending as she said this. "Not even if he could solve it quickly and efficiently. I severely disapprove of vigilantism, and I am not so hypocritical that I would make exceptions when matters get personal for me."
"I suppose it is only logical for a judge to dislike a vigilante." Sakura smiled brightly, acting every bit the innocent girl.
"Well, yes, of course I disapprove of him in a professional capacity, but I also dislike him personally." Judge Koyama professed. "Not in the way of a personal hate, mind you, but more along the lines of really hating it when people break the law to catch criminals. I really, really hate that, especially if they do it consciously and continuously."
"That is completely understandable." Ayako said diplomatically, with Sakura nodding along. Neither girl gave any sign of being upset by the woman's words, as they knew Shirou would not get upset over them either. Shirou had been breaking laws as Rakurai, that was a simple fact, and judge Koyama was fully entitled to disapprove of that.
"Really? You have no problem with what I said?" Judge Koyama looked surprised at their easy acceptance, before she smiled. "How nice! Teenagers normally love someone like Rakurai, but if you are able to look at it objectively, you might have even more potential to be judges than I thought."
It seemed they were back at her recruitment drive. It might seem an odd thing to talk about after just receiving the news that her long time… friend? Gigolo? Business partner? Had died, but Ayako was rather sure that the woman was talking so much to distract herself from the grim news.
"Is there anything we can do now to prepare ourselves for becoming judges?" The brunette thus decided to ask, humouring the older woman for a bit. "Mind you, we'll be in our first year at high school next year."
"Only in your first year?" Judge Koyama appeared taken aback by that. "Really? I thought…"
"Yes?"
"Never mind." She shook her head once, before composing herself again. "Okay, you are a bit younger than I thought, but you can't start early enough with preparing. Get high grades, follow the news so you know what is going on in the world, and maintain a spotless record. Then, after you've finished high school, you can pursue an education in law, and branch out into the judicial corner."
"So it's all a bit far off then." Sakura mused.
"Ha! Don't overestimate how long it will take." Judge Koyama gave a short bark of laughter. "Those years will have gone by before you know it. My high school years certainly were over in a flash, now that I think back on them."
"Yes, yes, we'll make sure to treasure our youth." Ayako said with a small roll of her eyes, smiling brightly to show she meant no disrespect, and the judge laughed again.
"Well, once you finish high school and you find yourself in need of an internship at university, do not hesitate to ask me!" The woman jabbed her thumb at herself, smiling proudly. "Us girls need to stick together after all."
"If we decide to become judges, we certainly will." Sakura nodded happily. "We might not wish to pursue such a career however."
"Of course, I do not wish to pressure you into doing something you don't even like." Judge Koyama promptly assured them. "You need to choose your own path, and I will understand no matter what decisions you make. Except if you become criminals of course, haha!"
"Naturally." Ayako nodded, again with a bright smile, trying to look like the picture of innocence.
"Oh, and one more piece of advice. If you ever decide to get involved with any boys, make sure it's one who won't mind you pursuing your own careers." Judge Koyama then added, her mood falling as she no doubt thought of Paris-san again. "I went through a lot of men before meeting Carlton, and most of them had… difficulty, accepting that I was a working woman, and that I had no intention of abandoning my career for them."
"We'll keep that in mind." Sakura nodded, before she and Ayako exchanged conspiratorial winks, having already cleared that hurdle months ago.
"See that you do." Judge Koyama nodded, before sighing deeply. "But honestly, men are so much trouble. Just when you think you have finally found a decent one, something awful happens. Either they aren't so decent after all, they suddenly dump you for some reason, or they…"
The woman had to choke back a sob at that point, making it clear what the third point was.
Ayako genuinely felt horrible for her, but she didn't speak up, as she had no idea what to say. She wasn't close with the judge, and neither was she an expert on grief. She had nothing of value to add here.
"Oh my, look at the time!" Judge Koyama suddenly jumped up from her seat, her voice peppy and good-natured again, though Ayako could easily see the unshed tears building up in her eyes. "It's been lovely talking to you girls, but I have a full-time job, so I don't have all day to chat."
It was a jarring dismissal, but it seemed Judge Koyama, after close to an hour of keeping her composure, was only seconds away from breaking down. As such, the girls went along with her excuse.
"You have already indulged us quite a lot." Sakura smiled, rising from the couch.
"We wouldn't want to take up any more of your time." Ayako nodded, also getting up from her seat.
"I'm glad you understand. Not to be rude, but I have a lot of work to do." The woman explained further as she gently worked the girls out of the door. "It's been lovely chatting with you, but there are deadlines fast approaching, and I need to get back to work."
"Of course." Ayako said, though she couldn't help but find herself worrying about the woman. "Will you be okay?"
"Yes, I will." Judge Koyama answered quickly, a bit too quickly actually. "Just need to distract myself a bit, process the news, and then eat ice cream."
"It was a pleasure talking to you, Junko-sama." Sakura bowed politely "Once more, I give you my condolences."
"What she said." Ayako agreed, also bowing.
"It was a pleasure for me too, girls." Judge Toyama smiled, giving a bow herself. "Thank you again for coming all the way to tell me about what happened to Carlton."
"It was no problem at all." Ayako said. "You deserved to know."
"Even so, thank you." Judge Toyama's smile could not be called happy by any definition of the word, but she did her best to make it kind at least. Then, without saying another word, she went back inside. Just because the door closed, a sob was audible from inside.
"Poor woman." Sakura sighed as they walked back to the bus stop in the light of the setting sun. "Do you think she's all alone now?"
"She has been alone ever since Paris-san died." Ayako mumbled, feeling terrible for her. "You heard her, she doesn't have anyone else. Parents dead, no siblings, no friends, no children, no one."
"We should visit her again soon. I think she'd like that." Sakura decided, before giving the brunette a sly smile. "Maybe she can even help you with your career. She sure was eager to offer to aid you in becoming a judge yourself."
"That doesn't sound too bad." Ayako laughed softly, though she wasn't really in the mood to laugh. "I suppose it's good to have the option open at least."
"I couldn't agree more." Sakura smiled, before lifting a finger. "But, disregarding for now what happened with Junko-sama herself, she gave us a lot of information."
"She sure did." Ayako agreed. "We have several names of other women, we have Paris-san's favourite places to visit, we have his hobbies, and more."
"Though we should be careful about what we believe." Sakura cautioned her. "The names of the other women are probably correct, but his favourite places and hobbies might very well have been lies to appeal more to Junko-sama."
"Would she really have fallen for that?"
"Yes. She was clearly smitten with Paris-san. She would have been eager to believe everything he said, especially if what he said was something they had in common."
"You make him sound rather mercenary." Ayako rubbed the back of her head, her face taking on a complicated expression. "Not at all like the kind man Junko-sama described."
"I'm not saying I am definitely right." Sakura quickly assured her, holding up a hand. "I am merely saying we need to account for the possibility."
"Yes, of course." Ayako could get behind that at least. "So what now? Do we visit those other women and try to question them as well?"
"Naturally, but before we do that, let's ask Nee-san if she wants to help with our case."
"Do you really think she would?" Ayako herself wasn't so sure that Rin would spare some of her valuable time to help with what was basically vigilantism. The black-haired girl already had her magical stuff, which was eating into her time, and she had no shortage of admirers eager to claim her free hours as well. Ayako had heard enough of Rin's complaining to know that much.
"I admit the chance is small, but we can always try." Sakura grinned. "Worst case, we get a lecture about how Magi, and Magi's spouses, are supposed to be above minor things like mundane murders and stuff."
"Haha! Right you are!" Now Ayako did laugh out loud, and the mood, which had previously been rather down, livened up again. "I'm already looking forward to it. Do you think she'll stutter?"
"She might, though we'll likely have to push her a bit." Sakura grinned, before pointing forwards. "There's the bus stop."
"I see it." Ayako nodded, smiling when Sakura walked ahead a bit, giving her the opportunity to study the plum-haired girl's rear some more. She'd seen it a thousand times already, yet it remained as interesting a sight as ever.
A sight that gave her an idea.
"I have always wanted to try this." She grinned as she caught up with Sakura, though she stayed slightly behind her, lifting up her hand.
"Try what-?"
"Good work today!" Ayako shouted exuberantly, before giving Sakura's butt a resounding slap.
"KIYA?!"
"So this is the Clocktower's courtroom." Shirou mumbled as he sat down in the chair on Lady Barthomeloi's left side, on the balcony that had been reserved for the Barthomeloi. The lady herself wasn't present yet, but the chair, or rather throne, to Shirou's right was so beautiful and well-crafted it could only have been hers.
"It sure is." Lady Montmorency, who'd sat down on the chair to Lady Barthomeloi's right, nodded, having heard his remark. "Quite a sight, isn't it? This courtroom of ours?"
"It is." Shirou agreed, looking around the place.
The courtroom was roughly shaped like a theatre, in a half-circle, though it was far bigger than any theatre Shirou had ever seen. There were numerous rows of seats for the audience, each row a bit higher than the previous one. Many balconies for the really important guests had been built high on the walls, and standing places had been left open along the edges of the hall for those who only wanted to take a quick look.
At the place where the stage would normally be in a theatre, there was a fairly standard courtroom setup, with three seats for three judges, a bench and a table for the prosecutors, a bench and a table for the defendants and attorneys, and a single chair to the left of the judges in which witnesses could take place.
Of course, since this was the Clocktower, everything was lavishly decorated to the point of absurdity. The walls had been painted in various shades of red, periodically adorned by tapestries, paintings, and wall-carvings that were all, without exception, more than a thousand years old. The chairs were made of ebony wood and had been covered by satin padding. From the ceiling hung several silver chandeliers, providing a soft light that soothed the mind. The floor was inlaid with mosaics, forming beautiful pictures that would make any mundane artist weep with jealousy.
The courtroom was simply beautiful, and what made it even more impressive was its sheer age. It had existed for as long as the Magus Association itself, and though it had obviously been refurbished, repaired, and restructured several times, it had lost none of its ancient atmosphere.
Furthermore, every single inch of the gigantic room was covered in spells, Wards, Bounded Fields, and other defences. From what Shirou could see, they didn't belong to a single person or group, but served only to keep the peace in court. They had been created over the course of more than a thousand years, with some of them having been cast during the time of King Arthur herself. Every generation since had added their own Magecraft, and by now, it was a nigh-unbreakable bastion.
Even Lady Barthomeloi would have to spend quite some time fighting these defences before she would be able to perform any kind of violent act inside. She could do it, certainly, but it would take her a good while and she would have to be exceedingly careful all the way.
As for Shirou himself, he'd long since managed to rework the defences so they would ignore him, even if he used violence. He was very much the exception though.
The courtroom really was the perfect place to safely trial dangerous Magi without having to worry about attacks or uprisings, and that safety was clearly reflected in the massive number of people milling through the stands, looking for good seats to behold the upcoming spectacle, none of them appearing at all worried they were going to be attacked.
"For all that Magi like to tell everyone that they are a private people, they sure do love their spectacles." Lady Montmorency muttered, looking out over the slowly-filling hall as well. "Look at that, boy. The trial hasn't even started yet, but there are still almost no seats left anymore. It seems everyone and their mother has decided to attend today."
"Well, I guess that something like this doesn't happen every other week." Shirou rubbed the back of his head, trying to count the people present but quickly giving up.
"It doesn't." Lady Montmorency's response was immediate and carried a trace of relief. "It isn't often that anyone is judged here, let alone as many people from as many different factions as today. The records of the Clocktower's past aren't anywhere near complete, because of natural disasters, wars, the Church, and other causes, but even so, I dare say today's situation is utterly unprecedented. I suppose that is why there are so many spectators, because they want to be present when history is written."
"And here I was, thinking that all these people just wish to gloat and laugh at other people's misery." Shirou laughed, half-joking but also half not. "Have fun at the gallows, so to speak."
"Oh, that too!" Lady Montmorency laughed with him, apparently not realising it was a joke. "It is only to be expected. Our society is harsh and creates many losers. Naturally, any opportunity to have some fun at the expense of those who have been winners from the moment of their birth is welcome to the losers or even to the lesser winners. I dare say most people here have come primarily to enjoy seeing the Meluastea brought low."
"Wait, so they are here to have fun at the gallows?" Shirou's good mood disappeared quickly at the elderly lady's response, and his mouth twisted in distaste.
Frankly, he held nothing but contempt for the kind of people that attended public executions merely to salivate over seeing someone meet a grisly end.
It was one thing if people felt righteous anger and vindication if they saw a monstrous criminal receive justice, but those who derived pleasure from the executions themselves were scum, plain and simple.
For some reason, it felt really personal to him.
"Yes, they are here to have fun at the gallows." Lady Montmorency's voice had turned mostly neutral, though there was an undertone of distaste as well. "I assure you though that if it had been an average Magus put on trial today, most Magi would have avoided it. A large part of the fun of this particular trial is to see the mighty brought low. It is no fun to pick on the weak."
"…?" Shirou was pretty sure there were many, many Magi who would have absolutely no problems picking on the weak, and he reflexively deadpanned at the elderly woman.
"Okay, I get what that look is trying to say. Yes, we do have a large number of sadists in the Clocktower who take pleasure in tormenting the weak." Lady Montmorency admitted, before holding up a finger. "But that number does not come close to the number of people present in the courtroom today."
"If you say so."
"I do say so. Oh, look, boy, it's Lord El-Melloi over there." Rapidly changing the subject, Lady Montmorency pointed at another balcony, and indeed, the grumpy-looking lord and his followers had just made their way inside. "Every Ruling Family of the Clocktower has a private balcony in the courtroom, though I suppose Lord El-Melloi has two or three for himself now."
"I did notice the thirteen balconies." Shirou nodded. Thirteen balconies for thirteen Ruling Families. "Most of them are empty though."
"It seems the Neutrals are boycotting the trials, and the Democratic families have collectively decided to be late, to show that they still dare defy the Aristocratic Faction." Lady Montmorency explained. "It is nothing but grandstanding of course, but better that they do something like this than that they resort to violence."
"They will not resort to violence."
With a great sense of timing, Lady Barthomeloi stepped onto the balcony, giving her reply to her second in command. "No one has anything to gain from violence today, and both the Neutrals and the Democrats are smart enough to know this."
"Precisely." Lady Montmorency nodded in agreement, seamlessly accepting her boss into the conversation. "That is why they have resorted to boycotting and showing blatant disrespect. It shows that they are not completely defeated, but it is too little for the Aristocratic Faction to react to without seeming petty and small minded. I expect that the Democrats will continue these passive-aggressive actions for a while, at least until things stabilise again in our Association."
Lady Barthomeloi turned up her nose at the elderly woman's words but didn't contradict her. Then, she sat down in her throne with decidedly less grace than might have been expected of her. In fact, compared to her normal way of sitting down, it seemed more like she threw herself backwards into her seat and then sat sprawled across it, an air of exhaustion hanging over her.
It was enough to make Shirou and Lady Montmorency exchange shocked looks, and after some silent back-and-forth between them, it was the redhead who eventually addressed the Vice-Director again.
"Did you manage to convince the judges not to give out any sentences involving torture?" Shirou ventured carefully, figuring he might as well ask about it now. He was quite sure that at least a part of Lady Barthomeloi's sudden exhaustion had been caused by his request, so he wanted to get that matter over with as soon as possible.
"I did, for the most part." She nodded tiredly, and the inflection of her tone showed it had not been easy. "The manners of execution will still be brutal, but there shall be no torture for torture's sake. I argued that it would take too much time and resources and that this matter is better resolved quickly instead of over the course of months."
"And that was enough?"
"Not quite. I had to make clear that it was a request from you before the judges eventually agreed."
"I see. Thank you." Shirou smiled at her, sufficiently grateful for all her efforts to not make a problem of the fact she'd used him to threaten people.
"Hm." Lady Barthomeloi didn't react to his words of gratitude, aside from a quiet hum, and she turned away again, looking out over the hall, making it clear their conversation was over.
For a few minutes, nothing of import happened, and the three of them sat in comfortable silence. When the clock struck nine however, everyone in the hall, including both ladies whom Shirou was with, rose from their chairs, as the judges arrived in the courtroom.
There were three of them, two women and one man, all wearing identical black robes, white wigs, and dark glasses. They were accompanied by a dozen Enforcers, who had spread out around them to intercept any possible attacks.
When the judges were seated, six prosecutors entered as well, quickly followed by six attorneys. They were a varied bunch of people, with very little in common between them, but the thing that drew Shirou's attention was the complete lack of maps, papers, or suitcases they carried with them. They had come unarmed, and the redhead wondered what they would use to make their case with.
Then again, he really shouldn't be applying mundane logic to the Moonlit World. These people might be referred to as prosecutors and attorneys, but they were nothing like their mundane counterparts.
The prosecutors were actually just Magi without any sort of formal training or education. They were members of Policies who had been appointed by Lady Montmorency to present the evidence of the defendants' crimes. They had been selected for their oration-skills, and could do nothing more than presenting. They could not press charges or make deals, only talk and argue.
The attorneys on the other hand had been selected by the defendants, to try and disprove the evidence or otherwise lessen the eventual punishments. They too had been selected for their skill at oration and persuasion, and they too could only present and talk.
Neither the prosecutors nor the attorneys had ever been to Magical law school –which didn't even exist– nor did they have certificates. They were individuals who had essentially trained themselves or learned from their teachers. It was very unofficial, and there were no rules or limits that prevented anyone from declaring themselves either a prosecutor or an attorney.
Similarly, there was a distinct lack of rules too about what prosecutors and attorneys were allowed to do in the courtroom and even outside of it. It wasn't uncommon for the prosecutors and attorneys to go around bribing witnesses, to try and destroy the other party's evidence, to arrange for backroom deals, and to find good blackmail-material that would either get the defendant out of trouble or far deeper into it. Even assassination-attempts on particularly skilled prosecutors or attorneys were commonplace.
In other words, the judicial processes of the Clocktower were just as chaotic and cutthroat as every other aspect of Magus-society. It was just another game they played, albeit one that was slightly more regulated than most.
That was how things were, and it was accepted by everyone. On the way to the courtroom, Lady Montmorency had frankly admitted to Shirou that she had already rigged things in such a way that all defendants would be found guilty. She had even gone as far as to 'get rid' of attorneys that could become troublesome, and had bribed the rest.
To put it bluntly, these trials were not about justice. They were a grand show to display the victory of the Aristocratic Faction over the Neutral Faction. Everything that followed from here on had been meticulously scripted, and everyone knew it. All that was left now was to see the script unfold.
Once the judges, prosecutors, and attorneys were all seated, the most senior judge rose from his seat. Immediately after, the bailiff struck his staff against the ground, producing a sound like thunder, instantly ending all chatter in the hall.
"I declare that the trials shall commence!" The senior judge declared formally, with a voice that had to be magically amplified, as it easily reached all corners of the hall. "Bring in the first accused! Bring in Stanley Meluastea!"
"So we are actually going to break into his house?" Ayako asked incredulously as she followed Rin and Sakura on the road leading to Carlton Paris' estate. "Just like that?"
"Indeed we are." Rin answered sharply, not breaking her stride for a moment. "If we really want to hunt down this man's killer, we need more information, and I suspect that information can be found in his house."
"If the police haven't already taken everything." Sakura pointed out, easily keeping pace with her sister, and looking just as confident. "I would be very surprised if they haven't already searched his house from top to bottom."
"We can always try. We might get lucky, or perhaps I can learn something through Structural Analysis. I have gotten much better at that spell lately." Rin rebutted. "A person's house says much about them, even if the police have taken some things."
"As you say, Nee-san." Sakura nodded.
"You two are way too comfortable with this." Ayako grumbled softly, lagging behind a bit. "You are talking about committing a crime, you know? A serious crime."
"Yes, we know, and we also don't care." Rin countered, before turning around to frown at the brunette. "And please, Ayako, pull yourself together. You won't be of any use if you keep hesitating like this."
Sakura didn't say anything, but she did fall back a little to tenderly take Ayako's hand in her own, giving her a beautiful smile of encouragement.
"Ah, right." Ayako rubbed her cheek, unable to stay grumpy in the face of her lovely girlfriend and an adorable tsundere. "Yes, right, I got it. My head's in the game. Let's do some burglary."
"Good." Rin nodded approvingly, before focusing forwards again. "Then let us continue. We have no time to waste."
"We still have hours before sunrise."
Rin didn't deign Ayako's remark with a reply, walking on instead.
The brunette was correct though. It was only one o'clock at night, meaning they still had quite some time to carry out their plan, especially since they were almost at their destination.
As it was the middle of the night, it was very dark outside. It was a waxing moon, and the stars gave no light to speak of, so Ayako found herself grateful that Paris-san's house was located in a rich neighbourhood, where the streetlights were all functional.
The presence of those street lights also meant that they had to be careful to stick to the shadows and stay out of sight, aided a bit by some improvised Magecraft from Rin. If they got careless, a resident of one of the houses along the way might spot them and call the police, and that would be the end of their mission.
After all, the three of them looked downright suspicious. They were clad in dark, baggy clothes that completely covered and concealed their forms, coupled with hoods over their heads and scarves over the lower part of their faces. They really looked like a stereotypical trio of thieves.
Now, did the brunette feel a tiny pinch of regret at not being able to see Sakura and Rin in tight-fitting cat-burglar outfits? Yes, certainly. However, she was practical enough to acknowledge that cat burglar outfits only worked in manga and comics. If you really wanted to stay anonymous, which they did, baggy clothes were the way to go.
There was always next time though. Perhaps then Ayako would succeed at convincing the other two they had to wear the sexy suits-
"Ouch!"
A hand suddenly shot out and pinched Ayako's thigh, making the brunette let out a pained noise, before she glared at the perpetrator.
"What was that for, Rin?"
"You looked like you were thinking nonsense." The black-haired girl replied mercilessly, before pointing down the street. "And we have arrived at Paris-san's house."
"Did you really have to pinch my thigh because of that though?" Ayako hissed, rubbing the place Rin had pinched.
"Yes. Now be quiet." Rin's voice was still entirely merciless as she turned away and studied their target for a moment. "Hm, it seems no one is standing guard, not even a single officer. This will be a breeze."
"We should still be careful." Sakura admonished her elder sister as she gently massaged Ayako's thigh, doing wonders for the brunette's mood. "Don't get overconfident."
"Naturally." Rin agreed, and though Ayako couldn't see her mouth, she was sure the black-haired girl was smiling confidently right now. Perhaps even over-confidently. "But we'll get nowhere if we keep standing around here. Let's get to it."
The black-haired girl promptly marched away, and Ayako and Sakura quickly followed, both privately marvelling at how motivated Rin turned out to be.
When the girls had asked Rin for her help at solving the murder of Carlton Paris, they had fully expected her to say no, and they had expected a lecture on top of that.
Ultimately, they'd indeed gotten that lecture, about how they should stay out of police matters, how they should stay away from murderers, and how the whole case was none of their business.
But then things had taken an unexpected turn.
"Of all the idiotic-"
"Nee-san."
"Hair-brained-"
"Rin?"
"Utterly inane-"
"Nee-san, please."
"Ill-advised-"
"Uhm…"
"Foolish ideas I have ever heard, this has to be the absolutely dumbest!" Rin finished her sentence at last, her eyes spitting fire as she looked at Sakura and Ayako. "Meddling in police-business when it has nothing to do with you was not something I expected from you two. From Emiya-kun, yes, it seems like something he'd do, but I'd thought you were smarter than that!"
"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, Rin, but Shirou isn't here right now." Ayako countered when Rin had to take a breath to recover some oxygen. "As such, it falls to us to pick up the slack until he has returned."
"No, I am absolutely positive that Emiya-kun would never ask something like that from you." Rin shook her head in denial, appearing completely confident of herself. "From himself, definitely, but not from you, or me, or anyone else."
"…You appear to have figured Senpai out quite well, Nee-san." Sakura's lips twisted into a wry smile. "Normally, I'd be happy about that, but this really is an inopportune moment."
"So you agree." Rin concluded, crossing her arms. "Emiya-kun would never approve of you doing this. Please cease at once."
"Yeah, no, not going to happen." Ayako shook her head. "Shirou has no right to disapprove. I mean, he did similar things himself."
"Ha? Emiya-kun did?" Rin seemed confused, and that confused Ayako and Sakura in turn.
"Yes, Nee-san, he is Rakurai." Sakura clarified, before cocking her head to the side. "Didn't we tell you that already?"
"You know, I don't think we did." Ayako suddenly realised, digging into her memory. "No, we actually didn't."
"Oh, how sloppy." Sakura mumbled in self-recrimination, before making an apologetic motion towards Rin. "I'm sorry, Nee-san, I forgot to tell you. Senpai is in fact Rakurai."
"Who is Rakurai?"
"Hah?" Sakura blinked in surprise.
"Hm?" Rin blinked back, before she frowned, placing a finger on her chin. "Am I supposed to know? The name does sound familiar. I think some of my friends were talking about a Rakurai, quite a lot, over the past months, but I didn't really pay attention to what they were talking about."
"Rin, you really need to follow the news more." Ayako deadpanned. "Rakurai, or rather Shirou, is a vigilante of national renown. He is very famous for capturing thousands of criminals, some of them very infamous themselves. He was literally all people could talk about for a few months. Did you really miss that?"
"I-I just don't pay much attention to such things." Rin replied, her eyes flitting away for a split-second. "It had nothing to do with me, so I didn't bother learning about it. I had other things on my mind."
"So it was wilful ignorance?"
"If you want to call it that." Rin crossed her arms in defiance. "I had no idea it was Emiya-kun, so why would I care about some vigilante? I never cared about things that don't impact me and that I can't do anything about anyway."
"…Well, at least you're principled." Ayako mumbled after a moment, before sighing. "No matter. The important thing is that Shirou has no right to stop us, as he has done similar things, very often."
"Exactly." Sakura nodded, lifting her chin with pride. "We are going to solve this murder in his stead."
"And does Emiya-kun know about that?"
"…"
"Your sudden silence tells me he doesn't." Rin concluded, before her lips twisted into a smirk. "Oh, I see. You want to solve this case yourselves so you can brag to Emiya-kun about your achievements? How adorable."
"That is very much the pot calling the kettle black." Ayako refuted. "Who was it again who invited Shirou over to their house every week to brag about their findings in Magecraft? It certainly wasn't Sakura or me."
"Touche." Rin's smirk made place for an amused smile, before she frowned again. "Nevertheless, I still don't approve of your investigation. You could get hurt, or get into trouble with the law."
"Those are risks we are willing to take, Nee-san." Sakura replied steadfastly, not backing down in the slightest.
"…" Rin studied first Sakura and then Ayako for a few seconds, before letting out a deep sigh. "Fine, I'll help you then."
"You will?!" Ayako had not expected Rin to agree so easily, or in fact to agree at all, and she couldn't stop the shocked exclamation from leaving her mouth.
"I can hardly let you go about this on your own. It might be dangerous. Also, having a Magus around will make things easier." Rin scoffed in response. She didn't look at all happy about it, but her mind was clearly made up. "Not to mention it will be a way of repaying Emiya-kun for everything he's done for me."
"Nee-san!" Sakura beamed in delight, and Rin jerked in place as if she'd been struck, before stumbling backwards when the plum-haired girl flew at her for a hug. "Thank you!"
"It's fine!" She hissed, trying to escape the embrace, though without any success. "Stop hugging me!"
But Sakura didn't, and to make matters worse for poor Rin, Ayako joined the hug as well.
Happiness all around!
That was how Rin had joined the investigation, and so far, she'd been a valuable member of the team.
Not that they had done anything together yet –this break-in was their first action since Rin had joined– but the black-haired girl's decisiveness was very promising.
After thoroughly scanning the surrounding area for any cameras, guards, or unsuspecting bystanders, Rin stepped towards the gate of Paris' estate, followed quickly behind by the other two.
The gate was sealed however, both by its own lock and by a chain that had clearly been put there by the police. It seemed the way was shut.
"Should we climb over the wall?" Ayako asked, but Rin immediately shook her head.
"There is no need for such inelegant actions." She said, before retrieving a gem from her pocket, which she then held in front of the gate. "Schloss, offen Sich."
Ayako didn't know what she said, but as Rin had already told her that she used German for her spells, the brunette assumed that was the language she had used.
Barely a second later, two soft clicks were audible, and when Rin tried to open the gate again, it opened without issue.
"Lock, open yourself." The black-haired girl explained without being prompted, and Ayako could hear the grin in her voice. "Quite a useful spell for situations like this."
"Very impressive." The brunette praised her. "Do you have more spells?"
"I do. Like this one."
'This one' being a spell that created three small orbs of light, one for each of the girls, that obediently followed them wherever they went.
"Definitely useful." Sakura agreed happily, making Rin preen slightly.
The trio walked across the garden, and after Rin had used her lock-opening spell again, they stepped into the house itself.
"It's really tidy in here." Sakura immediately remarked, looking at the spotless floors and walls with keen interest. "I wonder how he did that."
"Not important." Rin dismissed the topic however. "Ayako and I will take the ground floor. Sakura, you go up the stairs and see what you can find."
"Right away, Nee-san." Sakura nodded, before climbing the steps to the first floor, while Ayako and Rin went to investigate the living room and the dining room.
"This is giving me the creeps." Ayako mumbled after a few minutes of searching, studying the books that had clearly never been touched, let alone read. "Did he really entertain women in here?"
"Apparently so." Rin nodded, having been informed already that Carlton Paris was a gigolo, while she went through the kitchen drawers. "And from what you told me, he was very effective too."
"Which I really don't understand anymore. I mean, each to their own and all that, but I would get the creeps if a man took me here." Ayako huffed in response. "No way I'd want to have sex in a place like this."
".." Rin didn't respond, but her ears did get ever so slightly red after Ayako said the word 'sex' out loud.
"I don't think we're going to find anything here." Ayako ultimately concluded after another few minutes of searching. "Paris-san clearly didn't use the ground floor for anything except entertaining clients."
"Let's go upstairs then." Rin immediately suggested, eager to leave the ground floor behind. "Maybe it will be a bit more welcoming there."
"I sure hope so." Ayako agreed, looking around once more at the utterly lifeless living room. "This place is really freaking me out. It's way too impersonal."
Carlton Paris truly had spared no effort to make the ground floor of his house as bland and non-descript as possible. It was as if he'd wanted to remove the very concept of a 'human presence', and the girls, both of them sensitive to such matters, clearly felt that effort.
So when they arrived in his bedroom, where he had lived, the two of them let out identical breaths of relief.
"A-Are you okay?" Sakura asked, her expression concerned as she rose from where she'd been studying the lowest plank of a bookcase.
"Yes, we're fine, it was merely a bit unpleasant downstairs." Rin grumbled, before shaking it off. "Let's look around again."
Following her suggestion, the trio poured over the room, examining every inch, nook, and cranny of the small space. They didn't find anything interesting though, until Rin did a 'Structural Analysis' and discovered a hidden secret.
"Really? A secret hiding place in the wall?" Ayako asked dryly after Rin told them about the door hidden behind a painting. "How original."
"The police must have missed this during their search." The black-haired girl grinned as she opened the secret compartment with her lock-opening spell, before fishing out a pack of documents.
No, not documents, Ayako realised when Rin showed them to her, but letters.
"He was keeping his correspondence in a safe?" Rin appeared puzzled as she placed the bundle of papers on the desk so the other two could inspect them as well. "Why would he do that?"
"So no one would find out who his clients were, even if something happened to him." Sakura suggested. "Considering something did indeed happen, I'd say it was wise of him."
"I guess so." Rin allowed, before looking at Ayako, who was already going through the letters. "And? Anything interesting?"
"It's a lot of romantic and perverted stuff, though there are some wholesome parts as well." Ayako summarised what she'd read so far, keenly aware of the blush on her cheeks as she read, in fine detail, what the many women had been planning to do to Paris-san once they got their hands on him.
"Nothing useful then." Rin sighed, frowning in disappointment.
"I wouldn't say that. The names are very valuable." Ayako grinned. "Every woman here is a potential witness or culprit after all."
"Is that so? Then we better take the letters with us." Rin said, looking at the pieces of paper with renewed interest.
"Is it really alright for us to read someone else's mail though?" Sakura asked suddenly, looking rather bashful. "I know it's a bit late for me to say this now, but…"