Courtroom Lobby[edit]
The game begins in the Courtroom Lobby, where Ryunosuke Naruhodo, the player, is waiting. One of the bailiffs catches sight of you, who proceeds to shout and call you a crazed murderer. Another man shows up, who counters the bailiff, stating that he has no right to declare the defendant a murderer. He is later revealed to be Kazuma Asogi, your defense lawyer and your close friend. Telling you to keep your chin held high, Kazuma declares his faith in you. Kazuma and you think back to before the incident, where they had a chat. Kazuma had been awarded with the chance to study abroad in Great Britain.
Another man shows up with a young woman, who informs Kazuma that the Judge has been looking for him. The young woman accompanies him, and the man stays behind to talk with you. The man introduces himself as Yujin Mikotoba, a professor at Yumei University. He says that if Kazuma loses the case, he will never get the chance to study abroad again. To add more pressure, he says that today's case is different from the rest. "Special" he describes it. He then asks you to carry out an oddly specific task: when the Judge asks the first question, respond with "I do" before everyone else. The bailiff calls you into the courtroom and the trial begins.
Trial begins[edit]
This case is a special one, as it is held in the Supreme Court, and the entirety of it is being kept in secret. Due to Kazuma's sudden request to defend Ryunosuke, the Judge will ask for confirmation on who advocates for the defence. This is the first question that Yujin was hinting to. You have the option to say "I do" or wait and see. Answer 'I do'. Kazuma is about to announce that he will defend, but you interrupt him to declare that you will defend yourself. Kazuma is shocked and flustered, but he leaves it be. The reason being that you had a chat with Mikotoba earlier.
The Judge will now ask you some questions to test your qualifications. Veterans might get a sense of deja vu from the first case of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. First, the Judge asks you for the name of the victim. Your nervousness messes with your memory, but Kazuma advises you to check the Court Record for details on the case. Present John H. Wilson's Profile. Next, the judge will ask for the cause of death. Present the Post-Mortem Report. The questions will end. Auchi then calls a witness to summarize the crime.
Satoru Hosonaga, a waiter from La Carneval, appears. He begins to describe what he saw, first stating that there were only three groups of customers present. He then testifies to hearing a gunshot, and when he ran over to investigate the cause, he saw the defendant, Ryunosuke, holding a pistol next to the dead body. You interject, claiming that you only picked up the pistol, and did not fire it. Auchi asks the witness if the defendant was the only one present, to which he confirms. This strikes you as odd, due to the fact that you remember seeing a young woman sitting across from the victim. However, you been warned once not to interrupt. When prompted with the choice to interject or to stay silent, interject. Hosonaga counters your claim, however, with an illustration of Wilson's seating arrangement that he drew. According to the drawing, Wilson was sitting at a table alone. The Waiter's Business Card is filed in the Court Record, but Hosonaga seems flustered for some reason when handing it over.
The Judge and Prosecutor Auchi are both well convinced that the outcome is clear: Ryunosuke is guilty. However, the Judge is willing to give you a choice. If you plead guilty now, your punishment will be reduced. At first, you plan on pleading guilty, but Kazuma expresses his faith in you and instead declares that they won't be stopped now. Prosecutor Auchi will now call two witnesses to the stand, both of which were present at the time of the murder. One of the witnesses, Korekuta is a regular at the restaurant, often going there to bargain with customers on purchasing antique items. They will now testify as to what they saw.
Nosa and Korekuta's Testimony: What the Witnesses Saw[edit]
- Nosa: I was ingesting a regulation beef steak at the restaurant while having a tactical discussion with the old man.
- Korekuta: Myself, I was extolling the virtues of a particularly fine golden curio to the military gentleman.
- Nosa: At that precise moment, a firearm was discharged! I observed the enemy's actions with my own eyes!
- Nosa: The black-uniformed varsity cadet fired on the English civilian! And from the back, the cowardly little weasel!
- Korekuta: I was on my hands and knees, investigating the where-abouts of my mysteriously absconded precious curio.
The Judge and Prosecutor Auchi are about to hand down the guilty verdict on you, but after taking the advice from Kazuma, since you're new to the court process, you interject, claiming your right to cross-examine the witnesses. Prosecutor Auchi dismisses it as a way to prolong the trial and waste time, but Kazuma counters it with the fact that the defence still has a right to cross-examine. The Judge will grant your request and you will begin the cross-examination.
Tutorial: In all cross examinations, it's important to press the witnesses to give out information that you need while cross checking the evidence at the same time. Normally, you present evidence to a contradictory statement but later on, the statements will come in different varieties. Keep yourself on your toes, even if the testimonies from certain witnesses might come out as flawless at first.
What the Witnesses Saw: Cross Examination[edit]
Present the Post-Mortem Report or the Photograph of Victim on the 4th statement. Sergeant Nosa claims to have seen Ryunosuke shoot Wilson from behind, when the photograph clearly shows a gunshot wound located in the front of his chest. At first Ryunosuke has trouble getting his words out, but Kazuma helps point out the problem with Nosa's statement. The Judge questions Nosa's contradictory words, and it is revealed that when the gunshot was heard, his eyes weren't fixated on the killer, but rather his food. The Judge then asks Korekuta if he had seen anything, but he was searching under the table for a lost item when the gun was shot. He had lost a koban, a valuable coin, after showing it to Nosa. Perhaps there was some thievery involved? Prosecutor Auchi declares that the witnesses still have more testimony to share as they re-take the stand.
Nosa and Korekuta's Testimony: The True Culprit[edit]
- Nosa: Even if what I saw wasn't the precise moment the firearm was discharged, it's almost the same thing!
- Korekuta: Yes, pointing his gun at the foreign man, he was, that young lad in black. That much I myself did see.
- Nosa: Furthermore! A visual search of the premises at the time confirmed that we were the only personnel present.
- Korekuta: Indeed. Alone, he was, the Englishman. Dining all by himself.
- Nosa: Therefore! No one other than the black-uniformed cadet could have dispatched the Englishman. Over and out!
You interrupt, stating that once again, you saw a young woman sitting with Wilson. But Prosecutor Auchi reveals a photo of the crime scene that clearly shows only one plate of food sitting on Wilson's table, a beef steak. The Crime Scene Photograph is filed in the Court Record. It seems that all hope is lost, but Kazuma says that everything will be fine.
The True Culprit: Cross-Examination[edit]
Press the 3rd statement. You will continue to assert the presence of the lady with Wilson, but are easily shut down. The Judge will question if the victim had a reason to dine at La Carneval, and Prosecutor Auchi presents a medical report that was found in Wilson's breast pocket. Apparently, he had gone to the doctor beforehand from noon (12:00 PM) to 1:00 PM. After the checkup, he had decided to enjoy a meal at La Carneval. You will be presented with a choice to request for the medical report card to be submitted as evidence or refrain. Ask for it to be submitted. Prosecutor Auchi sees no need, but Kazuma announces his right to explore all possible avenues, so the Judge approves of your request. The Medical Report Card is filed in the Court Record.
Cycle through the statements until you reach the end of the testimony. You will express your inability to find any contradiction, but Kazuma seems to have an idea. He will advise you to take a closer look at the medical report. What follows is a small tutorial on how to examine evidence. Examine the top-left corner of the back of the medical report. Next, examine the writing. One of the doctor's notes is from the day of the incident. It says that Wilson was given a tooth extraction and that any consumption excluding water is prohibited for 3 hours. This is key information that changes the testimony. The Medical Report Card is updated in the court record.
Present the Medical Report Card on the 4th statement. It is impossible for Wilson to have been eating a meal due his tooth extraction that happened only an hour prior. He was unable to consume anything except water for up to 3 hours due to lingering anesthesia. Prosecutor Auchi will bring up the photo that shows the plate of beef steak on Wilson's table. The Judge will then pose a question: If Wilson didn't eat the beef steak, who did? You will be presented with four options. Choose "An as-yet-unknown third party". If Wilson was unable to eat, then it had to have been someone else's. Kazuma begins to accuse the witnesses of committing perjury due to not testifying about the lady.
Korekuta accidentally confesses that they were ordered not to bring up any sort of information about the woman. Prosecutor Auchi had no idea about the silencing of the witnesses, so who had enough power to control Nosa and Korekuta? Present Satoru Hosonaga's Profile. Prosecutor Auchi will question your logic as how could a mere waiter have enough power over the witnesses? Examine the Waiter's Business Card, then examine the back of the business card. It is revealed that Hosonaga is not just a waiter, but the lead detective. This is why he was so reluctant in handing in the business card as evidence, as it revealed his true occupation. The Waiter's Business Card is updated in the Court Record. The Judge will now ask you for proof of Hosonaga's real job. Present the Waiter's Business Card. After you comically mix the front and back of the "business card", Kazuma corrects it for the Judge, confirming that he is indeed a detective but his job is to go undercover to catch crooks in this very restaurant in question.
Hosonaga's Confession[edit]
Hosonaga himself appears at the stand when you question if the witnesses were sworn to silence by him. He reveals that he was conducting an undercover investigation as a string of incidents were happening at La Carneval. The Judge confronts Hosonaga, stating that not only did he leave out crucial information, but also use his power over the witnesses. Hosonaga does not deny any of his actions. He reveals that when he ran out upon hearing the gunshot, he did in fact see a young British lady sitting across from Wilson. Afterwards, he received a set of special orders to immediately release the woman from the scene. He was also to leave out any sort of indication of her existence. All because Japan wants to maintain friendly ties with Britain. Wilson, a British man, was murdered, and now you are suspecting the unknown lady, who is also British. The accusation is going to be incredibly risky on your side.
Kazuma then remembers something. There was a British lady attending Imperial Yumei University in the medical field. Hosonaga then reveals the identity of the lady: Jezaille Brett. She was an exchange student who was also part of Wilson's research lab. The Judge will now give his opinion on the current state the trial is in. Due to the fact that the assumption that Wilson was alone has been disproven, it is not possible for a verdict to be announced. Although clearly defying the special orders given, Hosonaga agrees to bring out Miss Brett. The Judge will now issue a recess to let Brett get prepared.