T̢H̢҉̴E̢͝ ̡S͝E҉̡C̡̢O̵N̡̕͠D̵͡ ̕͠T̀͢R͞IAL

[strangerpeople]

T͝HE͘ S̴̸E҉̶̀C͜Ơ̷̢N͏D̡͟ T҉̧R͘I͟A̧͟͠L̢

Heyyyyyyyyy, Strangers! How's Valentine's Day going? Unfortunately we have to start the trial soon if you want to get any dinner dates in before midnight!

I know some of you have a very special day near today, too! So let’s get a move on, shall we? You know the drill! Though you know… since we saw one of those clues, you can bring your pets in today.

[And so it is. Just like last week, the elevator shoots everyone down to the trial room. Lala's podium, now, is Xed out in red. And like last week, five of the podiums' dot matrix name plates suddenly flash with a red border.]

THE BRITTLE	THE CIRCUIT	THE ENEMY	THE NOODLES
				THE UNKNOWN

[And clashing with the borders whether red or not, on each Stranger’s podium is a little piece of candy: A gray heart, printed with a message in nearly black capitals. These candies are similar to the pills in that they taste like nothing at all rather than sand; while a pill is meant to serve as a full meal, one candy is about as filling as a single apple.

The messages are as follows.]

KING: BEST FRIEND	ARTHUR: LOOKING GOOD	OSOMATSU: ONE OF A KIND	ESTELLE: BRIGHT SPARK	MCBURN: NEVER MEANDER	JONATHAN: DOUBLE THE FUN
AMBROSINE: QUEEN OF MY HEART	CALEB: HOT	KARMA: YOU’RE A DOLL	VITA: TRUE BLUE BEAUTY	KURAMA: FOXY	ERIC: SEW NICE

I'd call what you had to look at "inhumane", but Lala Hagoromo wasn't human, was she?

Now, now, Hiyori. I’m not human, either.

Doesn't change how sad it is that she lost her chance to be happy... Oh, why don't you give them a good look at what you have there, Link?

[Link holds up the heart labeled "OUT OF / THIS WORLD". The hosts are visible behind the glass of their sterile observation room this time by the way.]

We made too many because we hoped all of you would finally join in on the fun by today... So, if you retire, culprit, you can eat this one!

[...Well, maybe the evidence will cause the Hosts to eat their words. BOOM. Burn........or...well, it doesn't matter. The clock is ticking.


The trial for the murder of Lala Hagoromo, The Chance, has begun.]

Comments

[byanyother_name]

...if she had still chosen it when she knew how much she was risking, I would have. I didn't expect to get rid of Kyuubey for long.

Just for long enough to explain how dangerous this place is for magical girls.

[mermaidkin]

Who cares about that? She still could have gotten a wish out of the end of her ordinary life! You're not even letting a world get any protection!

[byanyother_name]

She might have cared, knowing she'd be endangering all of us if she turned here.

[mermaidkin]

For someone who picks so many fights, you're really afraid of one measly little hypothetical witch.

[byanyother_name]

It wasn't about me.

[This is possibly the fakest smile anyone has ever or will ever see.]

Informed consent is the basis of ethical practice, Hiyori-kun.

[mermaidkin]

She knew she was going to end her ordinary life, so I don't see how you can decide she needed a couple more days, but okay.

Explain just one thing to me, then. If this entire painful trial wasn't about you. And you also weren't interested in the motive.

Why not explain yourself to the others right away? They said last week, they would have completely understood if you tortured to death the man who killed your boyfriend. Estelle Bright even said she most deeply hates killers who lie. Why force Karma Akabane to drag it out of you?

[byanyother_name]

Asking me what I was thinking? Almost surprising.

[Kurama's eyes go distant for a long moment. It might almost seem like he doesn't intend to answer. But eventually, he speaks, voice quiet. He's not concerned with Hiyori while he's a puppet of IT, but there are other people who deserve to know.]

At first, I was not entirely... engaged with events. I have done many terrible things but the death of a genuine innocent by my hands is not something the person I am today can simply shrug off.

After I began to recover myself...

[A small shrug and an empty, rueful smile.]

No. That was about me. It was selfish and truthfully, I owe Karma an apology. The more they figured out on their own from the evidence, the more I could simply confirm instead of explaining. Instead of reliving it all.