Sonetto: As witness?
Z: Yes. Your report means a lot to him.
Sonetto: I ... I can provide the report, but I have no experience in court hearings ...
Sonetto: If I say something wrong, will it affect the special prosecutor's decision?
That's an unexpected question. Madam Z's voice turns gentle and soft after a moment of speechlessness.
Z: Sonetto, testifying is not taking exams. The court doesn't need a skillful witness.
Z: Just honestly tell them what you saw. Focus on the point and don't distort the facts.
Z: The Supreme Court ... they value the sense of justice of the youth.
Sonetto: Sense of justice ...
Z: And that's a noble quality you have.
Sonetto: I will do my best, Madam Z.
Special Prosecutor: Call the witness.
Entangled by the crowd, Sonetto walks into the court.
In front of her, the special prosecutor has an almost godlike solemn look on her face.
Sonetto: Greetings. May the peace be with us.
Special Prosecutor: May the peace be with us.
Special Prosecutor: Sonetto, as informed by the subpoena, you have been called forth by the accuser, Bernard Wilson, to testify as the witness in court. Could you specify the relationship between you and the accuser?
Sonetto: We did not know each other. I heard of him at work, but we rarely worked together.
Special Prosecutor: Then why did he call you?
Sonetto: I was one of the parties involved in the 1929 "Storm" incident. I submitted a detailed report of that. He searched the database and found the report, so he made a request for access to my supervisor, Madam Z.
Sonetto: Then, Madam Z asked if I would be willing to provide the report and attend court as witness.
Special Prosecutor: Could you tell me the reason why you agreed to testify?
Sonetto: I ... My immediate supervisor is having a long-term treatment, and there are more time slots available on my schedule.
Sonetto: I am happy to be able to make a difference during the time, and defend the established facts.
Sonetto: More importantly ...
Sonetto musters her courage and presents a box of files on the desk.
Sonetto: I, personally, believe that there is still much room for improvement for the Foundation's office in Chicago in the United States.
The special prosecutor seems slightly surprised.
Special Prosecutor: What is this? Ms. Sonetto.
Sonetto: This is a record of all my travels from the time I received the promotion order in the research center to go to the office in Chicago in the United States, to the time I went back to the headquarters of the Foundation when the "Storm" came.
Sonetto: This is the field report and diary I wrote about the "Storm" in 1929.
Special Prosecutor: What point do you make?
Sonetto: I would like to prove that the Foundation's office in Chicago in the United States violated the declaration "Fight for the Peace and Order of Mankind" and the rights of some humans and arcanists.
???: You are tarnishing our reputation!
Someone leaps to his feet on the other side of the table.
He is the assigned director of this constituency, the defendant of this court.
The Defendant: I request a debate duel. I won't allow her to distort the truth like this.
Special Prosecutor: Mr. Seth, I haven't checked these files yet.
Special Prosecutor: Silence, please.
The Defendant: Your Honor, you can examine the files one by one while we're having the debate duel.
The Defendant: I can't bear to see the long history of our office slandered in this way by a newcomer. I demand a duel with her.
Sonetto: ...
Special Prosecutor: Sonetto is an investigator with rich combat experience. There is no good dueling with her.
The special prosecutor turns to Sonetto.
Special Prosecutor: Do you accept the debate duel?
Sonetto: I have no objection, madam.
The defendant's neck has turned scarlet out of anger.
The special prosecutor stands up and raises both of her arms.
Special Prosecutor: Please, to the stage, duelists.
Special Prosecutor: The debate during your duel will be faithfully recorded.
Special Prosecutor: Three defeats in the debate of one side will end the duel.
Special Prosecutor: You have the floor now.
COMBAT
Sonetto: Schneider ... a friend we met in Chicago.
Sonetto: She once chose to join the Foundation under the pressure of both the "Storm" and Manus Vindictae.
Sonetto: But instead of offering any solution or help, you just gave her a rejection letter.
Sonetto: I found this letter in her suit pocket.
Sonetto: It had a small line written on it, "Paupers f**k off."
The Defendant: I-I had completely no idea what this was about ...
The Defendant: Not to mention the fact that no one at the office had ever heard of the "Storm" ... What help could they offer?
Sonetto: In this particular case, you should have reported to the headquarters or to the investigators out there, instead of doing nothing but leaving an insult.
Sonetto: I do not understand ... why there was such wording on it.
Sonetto: Was it because she did not pay enough "shelter fee" to qualify for sheltering?
Sonetto: Or was it because the wand she used was transformed by arcanum, which made you think she was an arcanist?
Sonetto: Does not the Declaration of Peace say "Everyone, strong or weak, rich or poor, of any race, deserves a helping hand so that the existing peace and order shall be maintained"?
The Defendant: ...
Sonetto: They were humans. If only they had made it to the headquarters sooner ... maybe … they …
Sonetto: ...
Special Prosecutor: In the particular circumstance at present, it's impossible for the headquarters to take in humans from all over the world.
Special Prosecutor: But you bring out a possibility, a possibility better than anything that happened.
Special Prosecutor: Thank you very much for your testimony, Ms. Sonetto.
Special Prosecutor: And also for the debate, Mr. Seth.
The special prosecutor and the jury get up, gathering the papers on the desk.
Sonetto's ears are gradually cooling off.
Sonetto: I seemed to be ... too emotional just now ...
She passes the hallway, feeling completely lost.
She feels the court session is not over, and she is still in the middle of the storm.
Special Prosecutor: Ms. Sonetto.
The special prosecutor stops her from behind.
Special Prosecutor: You brought us a great debate.
In the bright daylight in the hallway, Sonetto finally takes a good look at the special prosecutor.
This is quite an extraordinary face.
White, hard, and of a skin texture different from any creature's.
Special Prosecutor: Have you heard of the Supreme Court?
Special Prosecutor: You should come when you are free.