“25 Keikoku Road...25 Keikoku Road...”
Yae took one more look at the back of the photograph to make sure she really was mumbling the correct address. Sure enough, her sister’s words confirmed her thought, and she went back to walking slowly down the street and looking at the white numbers painted next to the curtained doors.
“Hmm, let’s see...21...23...Ah, here we go, 25.” Her heart racing, she entered the building labeled as such, the smallest by far that she had seen on this street, and the closest to dilapidation.
---
“Welcome! Can we interest you in a dog? A cat? A monkey?”
After blinking
“This time...It really is all over, isn't it.” Voicing what was surely on the minds of every single person in the courtroom, the Judge closed his eyes and stroked his gray beard. With a sigh, he addressed one of the people present. “Defendant.”
A girl in her mid twenties with long black hair and wearing a purple robe over her thin figure looked up at him. “Yes, Your Honor,” she said in a voice that matched the strength in her eyes. She may not have looked like it, but she was more than capable of incredible conviction, which showed at this very moment.
