"Pearls, I love you."

Pearl's heart skipped a beat. Her face turned red and she held her head in her hands as she shook nervously. "W-What are you saying? Silly…"

Trucy took Pearl's hands in her own, pulling them away so that she could gaze into Pearl's eyes. She closed her own and moved her face closer.

"Ah…" Pearl closed her eyes, too, and moved to meet her lips with Trucy's…

BEEP-BEEP – BEEP-BEEP – BEEP-

Pearl gasped as her eyes shot open. She stretched her hand out to her side, feeling the phone that was vibrating and making so much noise beside her futon. She disabled the alarm, and silence returned.

Groaning, Pearl returned her hand to her face and rubbed her tired eyes. "And I was just at the good part…" After taking a moment to let the morning sun soak in, Pearl sat up and stretched her arms.

"Pearl, breakfast will be ready soon," a voice called from outside her room.

"Oh, thank you!" Pearl replied, hurriedly gathering herself together and scrambling out of her bed. As she rose to her feet, Pearl blushed. She could feel the remnants of her dream between her legs. She reached a hand down and cautiously turned to her bedroom's door.

"I won't have enough time," Pearl muttered to herself, before making her way over to her robes, which had been laid out the night before. Beside it was a box of tissues. As she grabbed a few, she sighed. "This is bad. How much longer can I keep this a secret? If everyone found out…"

Tears began to form as Pearl imagined what consequences would await if her friends and her family had found out the truth. That she was having such indecent thoughts, and that they were directed towards another girl, to boot.

"Fey-sama, Cykes-dono is on the phone for you," a new voice called outside of Pearl's room.

"Ah, thank you. Please tell her I'll be right out." With that, Pearl finished getting dressed quickly and then left her room.

Later that morning, after having finished her breakfast and performed her morning meditations, Pearl arrived at the Wright Anything Agency. In her hands was a thin gift, wrapped in pink paper that was decorated with a cherry blossom pattern and secured with a red ribbon.

She knocked on the door, and it opened moments later. An orange-haired woman poked her head out of the door and smiled. "Hey, you made it!"

Pearl nodded. "I wouldn't miss it! Are Trucy and Mr. Nick here yet?"

"They'll be here soon," Athena said, ushering Pearl into the office and closing the door behind her. Inside the office were two more familiar faces – Apollo Justice, a former employee at the agency, and Simon Blackquill, a prosecutor who often opposed the gang in court. Though he seemed scary to Pearl at first, she soon learned that there was more to him than met the eye. In particular, the metaphorical leash that Athena seemed to have around his neck.

"Simon, stop glaring! It's a party, not a funeral!" Athena ordered.

"Do you often glare at funerals?" Apollo asked.

"Silence!" Athena shouted. "Mr. Wright and Trucy will be here soon. Pearl, put your present with the rest." Athena pointed to a small pile of gifts in the corner of the room, hidden under a mountain of decorations that had yet to be set up.

"Sure!" Pearl stepped over to the pile to place her present down, frowning as she realised how small it was compared to the others. "Hey, about what you said on the phone earlier…"

"Right!" Athena said, grinning as she ushered Apollo and Simon to the pile of decorations. "When Mr. Wright gets here, we're gonna start getting this place ready for Trucy's surprise party! Your job is to keep her busy until then. A few hours should do."

Pearl's eyes shot open. "O-Oh. Um, how do I keep her busy for that long?" she asked, biting into her thumb as her nerves began to shake.

"Shopping, the arcade, the park, whatever! Just keep her distracted until I text you the okay." Athena turned to Apollo. "Hey, lend her some money, will ya?"

Apollo's face fell in an instant. "M-Me?! What makes you think I have any? I'm flat-broke!"

Athena cocked her head to the side. "Really? You haven't been slacking off lately, have you?"

"I had to take a plane to be here today and book a hotel nearby. Anything I have left is so I can eat!"

Athena hummed, and then turned to Simon. "… Look not to others to solve your problems," he said, keeping his eyes averted.

"Awww, c'mon! I'll pay you back as soon as I can!"

Simon grinned. "Shall I add that to the rest of your tab, then?"

"Um, I got my allowance recently, so I'll be okay," Pearl said, laughing at the scene that typically played out around Phoenix Wright's friends.

"You sure?" Athena asked, but before she could get her answer, a knock came at the door. "Ah! They're here! Pearl, you go take Trucy somewhere before she comes inside!"

Pearl gasped, her thoughts swirling in a mixture of chaos as she tried to process everything that was happening. "U-Um, okay?" She rushed towards the door, before realising that she was still holding Trucy's present in her hand. She tried to say something, but Athena was already pulling the door open, so Pearl quickly stashed it into her purse.

Athena opened the door just enough that she could speak to the people outside. "Hey, Boss! You're late!"

"Sorry," Phoenix apologised, scratching the back of his head as he laughed. "The buses were running slow today…"

"Well, did you get everything?" Athena asked, pulling her head back to wink at Pearl.

"Yeah, I think I-" Phoenix checked inside the backpack he had brought with him, and then gasped. "Oh no! I forgot to buy the ingredients for dinner tonight!" Phoenix pulled out a slip of paper and turned to his daughter, who was standing beside him. "Trucy, could you maybe go and buy the things on this list?"

Trucy sighed, shaking her head as she took the paper from her father. "Honestly, Daddy, what am I going to do with you?"

"Ahahah… Sorry…"

A moment of silence passed. Athena turned to Pearl and waved her hand, motioning for her to move. "Oh!" Pearl said, realising what she was after. "Uh, I-I'll go with her!"

"Good idea!" Athena shouted, stepping aside to let Pearl through.

"Pearls! Good morning!" Trucy smiled warmly as she greeted her friend, using the nickname that only she and her father ever used for her.

Pearl blushed as she saw that angelic smile. Her heart fluttered and she could feel her legs growing heavy. "M-Morning! How have you been?"

Trucy grinned. "Wellllll, I got a contract to do another show next week."

"Wow! That's so cool!"

"Alright, have fun you two," Phoenix said as he entered into his office, leaving the two of them alone outside.

Pearl suddenly realised the situation that she was in. She would be spending the next few hours with Trucy, alone. She brought her thumb back up to her mouth and bit into it again. 'I-Is this a date?'

"Well, shall we?" Trucy asked, tilting her head as she noticed Pearl's usual habit. "Is something wrong?"

Pearl quickly shook her head. "Of course not! Come on, let's go!" With that, the two left together. 'N-No, I can't think like that. We're just hanging out together, as friends, that's all…'

Six weeks ago, Pearl first started to notice her feelings for Trucy. No, perhaps they had been there for longer. But her first dream that resulted in the 'tingling' between her legs was just over one month ago.

She knew what it had meant, and she knew that she had fallen for her friend. But she didn't know if it was alright, so she asked her guardian, her Aunt Margaret, that morning, over breakfast.

"Aunt Margaret, I have a question," Pearl began. "Somebody at school came to me for advice, but I'm not sure what to say."

Margaret smiled as she lowered her bowl of rice. "Well you are still in-training, after all. Please, ask me anything."

Pearl bit her lip, considering dropping the pretense, but ultimately chose not to. "Well, you see, this girl… she's fallen in love, and she's having these strange dreams."

"Ah, troubles of love. Such questions will come to you often when you become a fully-fledged priestess."

Pearl nodded. "But you see, the person that she's in love with is another girl…"

"… I see…"

Pearl clutched her robes beneath the table, her body tense as she waited for a more conclusive answer. "I-Is that… bad?"

"Well, it is not for us to decide what is good and what is bad," Margaret stated, and a light of hope shone over Pearl's face. It was only for a moment, though, as it was crushed by what was to come next. "However, it is a sin that corrupts and defiles the soul. I would say to pray for your classmate's soul, and then to distance yourself from them completely."

Pearl's face fell, and her hands trembled. "Is it… really necessary to go that far?"

"As a member of the Fey clan, it would not do for you to be associated with… such people as that. In the past, previous Fey clan members have been cast out and exiled for associating with such sinful folk. One previous master even had her powers stripped for practising the act herself." Pearl gasped, and Margaret took a sip of her tea, before adding, "Or so it is rumoured."

"I… see…" Tears began to well in Pearl's eyes, but she hid them by lowering her head. "Thank you, Auntie…"

Ever since that day, Pearl knew that she had to hide her feelings. So she did whatever she could, hoping that they would just go away on their own. But it quickly became apparent that they would not. If anything, they only grew stronger the more she tried to ignore them.

"Hey Pearls, you've been kinda quiet," Trucy said as she stepped in front of Pearl, startling her friend. "Is something up?"

"N-No! Not at all!" Pearl looked down at the shopping bag in her hand, and then to the one in Trucy's. 'Oh no. I was supposed to think of something we could do after shopping…' Pearl looked around briefly, her eyes spying an arcade across the street. "Hey, how about we stop there?"

Trucy turned to the arcade, a confused look on her face. "The arcade? Why?"

"Uhh… just 'cause. I mean, we have some time, right?"

"Time? Before what?"

Pearl gulped. "Uh, you know, before dinner. I'm sure Mr. Nick won't mind us returning a little later."

Trucy stared at Pearl for a few moments, Peal herself averting her eyes and trying not to drop her smile. "Well, I guess we could play a few games," Trucy finally said with a smile. "But on one condition."

"Sure!" Pearl replied, relieved to hear her plan had worked.

Trucy pointed to a photo booth standing outside of the arcade. "We gotta get our picture taken first!"

"Ah, sure…" A few seconds of silence passed, and then Pearl's face turned red. "O-Our picture t-taken?"

Trucy nodded, taking Pearl's hand in her own – which did not help – and leading her across the street. "It's been a while since we had a photo together! I wanna show off my BFF to all my friends at school!"

"I-I-Is that right?" Pearl couldn't help but stare at their hands, connected together – even if Trucy was wearing gloves. She tightened her grip, hoping Trucy wouldn't notice.

The two crossed the road when it was safe and then entered the booth together. Pearl paid, and put on her best smile as she raised her fingers to do a peace sign with Trucy.

The first photo was taken, and then Trucy did something unexpected – she wrapped her arm around Pearl and brought their faces together, their cheeks making contact. Pearl gasped, but managed to regain her smile before the second photo was taken. Then the third and the fourth. Pearl caught the scent of Trucy's strawberry-scented shampoo and had to force herself not to breathe too heavily. She tried to cast her mind elsewhere – to spirits and exorcism practices – whilst the last two photos were taken.

When the booth was done, Pearl could not jump out of fast enough. Trucy laughed. "Sorry, I just wanted to try it!" Trucy checked the photos, and giggled.

"W-What is it?" Pearl asked.

"You. You look so nervous." Trucy turned to Pearl with her eyes half-lidded. "What's up? Not used to close contact?"

Pearl shook her head rapidly. "Nono! I mean, I hug Mystic Maya and Aunty Margaret all the time, but outside my family it's just…"

"Hmmmm? But that's strange," Trucy said in a teasing tone. "I'm sure we used to hug all the time. Though we haven't done it much lately, now that I think about."

Pearl grabbed her right arm with her left hand, squeezing it as her eyes darted to the ground. "Well, we're older now, aren't we? … Sorry if I… offended you or…"

Trucy shook her head, her usual smile back on her face. "Oh, I was just thinking aloud. I understand." Pearl breathed a sigh of relief, though it was short-lived, as Trucy's next move was to move right up to her face and ask, "So, what did you want to do?"

Pearl took a step back, eyes wide and her voice caught in her throat. 'Do?! What does she mean by that?! Does she know about the dreams I've been having?! How I want us to hold hands and go out on dates and kiss and-'

"Well, you wanted to play one of these games here, didn't you?" Trucy asked, motioning to the games inside the arcade. "Or perhaps, you wanted to play all of them?"

Pearl sighed. 'Oh, she only meant what did I want to do in the arcade…' Pearl cursed her own naughty mind, and then looked at the games inside. Truthfully, she wasn't that interested in things like videogames, but she couldn't deny some level of curiosity over them. "Um, well, how about… that one?" She pointed to a driving game.

"Looks fun. You any good?"

Pearl shook her head. "I've never played one before…"

Trucy just smiled. "Me neither, so it's a fair competition." Trucy took Pearl by the hand and led her over to the machines.

Pearl was flustered, wishing that Trucy would stop taking her by the hand like that. The two sat down in separate seats and inserted some coins into the game, allowing them to start up a race between the two of them. 'Let's see, I think I use this peddle to go and- Huh?!'

"Oh wow," Trucy said, as she looked down at the same gearstick that Pearl had on her own machine. "Manual transmission, huh? That sounds fun!"

"M-Manual?" Pearl gulped as she studied all of the numbers next to the stick. Before she had any time to ask questions, the race was already counting down to start. "W-Wait, I'm not read-" The race began, and Pearl slammed her foot down onto the peddle. Her car moved, but barely. "Why can't I go any faster?"

"You've gotta move the gear up," Trucy explained, stopping her own car as she watched Pearl figure it out. "When you get up to max speed, stop driving and move to the next gear."

Pearl saw that her speed wouldn't go any higher, so she did as Trucy said and let go of the pedal, and then moved the gear up. "Okay, and then…" Pearl was surprised to find she could suddenly go so much faster, but her speed still capped rather quickly. She moved her gear up and could go even faster. She couldn't help but smile, now tearing through the track rather than sluggishly crawling along. "I'm doing it!"

"Okay, now that you've gotten up-to-speed…" Trucy waited for Pearl to catch up, and then floored it, working her way up the gears much faster than her friend. As the two came to a corner, Trucy slowed and moved her gear down to tackle it, whilst Pearl, predictably, ended up speeding off the track and crashing into a wall.

"Wait, I thought you said this was your first time playing!" Pearl shouted, pouting as she waited for the game to put her back onto the track.

"It is," Trucy said. "I just figured it out real quick. I've seen Daddy drive a manual before and I've read books on driving."

"Mr. Nick can drive a manual transmission?!" Pearl gasped.

"Well, he had to study it for a case once," Trucy explained. "You should slow down for that corner," Trucy warned, seeing that Pearl was about to suffer the exact same fate as before.

Pearl narrowed her eyes and slammed the break, gearing back down to the first gear, and then slowly crawled around a sharp bend. She then picked up enough speed to overtake an AI driver. "Oh, I passed one!" Pearl cheered, and Trucy gave her a thumbs-up.

"You're doin' great!" Trucy said. "You're a fast-learner too, huh? Well, you are a prodigy of spirit-channelling, after all."

Pearl blushed. "N-No, I'm not really…"

Trucy grinned. "And modest, too. I'd better watch out or someone might snatch you up."

Pearl focussed on her driving for just a few more seconds, before what Trucy said hit her. 'Wait, what does she mean by- Is she saying that she'd be jealous if somebody… No, she's just joking, that's what it is. Stop thinking weird things, Pearl!' Pearl sighed, and picked up speed quickly in the game. She passed by two more drivers, before crossing the finish line and ending in sixth place, three places behind Trucy.

"Good job!" Trucy said, laughing as she saw Pearl rubbing the hand that had been working the gearstick. "Eheh. I guess that was a pretty rough game for a first-timer, huh? So, want to play something else-"

Pearl looked up as Trucy seemed to cut herself off. She found Trucy staring at something in the distance, and followed her eyes. On the other side of the arcade, there was a group of three girls, each wearing very fashionable, and very expensive-looking dresses. "Trucy?"

"Hm?" Trucy snapped back to Pearl quickly. "Oh, w-well, I was thinking, maybe we should head back now."

Pearl tilted her head. "Huh? Why?"

"Uhhh, no reason. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

Pearl knew that she still needed to buy some time, but honestly, she didn't even care about that anymore. Trucy was hiding something from her, something that made her feel uncomfortable, and that took priority at the moment. "… Trucy, I know you're not telling the truth right now."

As Pearl expected, upon clutching the magatama around her neck, several chains wrapped themselves around Trucy, bound by a single red lock. The world around Pearl darkened, and she asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, really. I think this game just wore me out a bit."

Pearl shook her head. "I know you have a lot more energy than that. Is it those girls over there?" Trucy gasped. "I knew it. You were staring at them before. Why?"

Trucy fell silent for a couple of seconds. Then, she sighed. "Yeah, I should've known. You and Daddy can always tell when I'm lying. Seriously, how do you do it?"

The lock shattered, and the chains unwound. Light returned to the world and Pearl grinned. "Maybe Mr. Nick and I are superheroes," Pearl said, earning a smile from Trucy. "So, what's wrong?"

"Well, it's…" Trucy's eyes drifted back over to the group of girls, who had spotted her looking and were saying something amongst themselves. Trucy flinched. "Those three have been bothering me at school lately, ever since that incident with Mr. Reus…"

Pearl's grin fell into a frown. That incident may have ended with the truth of Trucy's innocence coming to light, but there were still some who thought that Trucy was involved in some way, or was some sort of loose cannon, ready to cause her own fatal injury on-stage. Some parents had even gone as far as demanding the headmaster of her school ban her from performing magic around her classmates.

"Hey-" Pearl began, but was cut off by a voice calling out to them.

"Hey, Trucy!" The girls walked over, and Trucy forced a smile as she faced them. It was the middle girl, with blonde hair and two large pigtails, that called out to her. "Fancy running into you here! Should we call the police in case there's another 'accident'?"

The girls laughed, and Pearl fumed, rolling up her sleeve as she took a heavy step forward. "Hey! You know that accident wasn't her fault! She was hurt by it more than anyone so leave her alone!"

"And who are you supposed to be?" one of the other girls, with long blue hair, asked. She pointed at Pearl and giving her an odd look up-and-down. "Some kind of circus performer?"

"C-Circus- I'm a priestess!" Pearl's face turned red as the girls laughed harder.

"Oh Trucy, you do keep the weirdest company. Though maybe it's for the best, since death seems to follow the Gramaryes around."

Trucy put a hand on Pearl's shoulder, shaking her head with a smile, despite the situation. "Don't bother with them, Pearls. They're not worth it."

"But they-"

"Oi oi! What's happenin' here?!" The girls all turned to the side and gasped. Suddenly standing before them was… a sad-looking man, wearing a pink smock with the Steel Samurai's face on it, and sporting a rather bushy goatee. His smile shined brighter than even Trucy's.

"Uncle Larry?!" Trucy exclaimed.

"Oh, if it isn't little Trucy! And Pearl, too! And these are your friends?"

The girls huffed. "Hardly," one of them said.

"Well, whatever! It's a nice day out, so how 'bout I paint you all?! I'll even give you a special friendship discount!"

The girls laughed again, this time at Larry. "Are you for real? Who does paintings anymore? C'mon girls, let's go. Before their loserness spreads to us."

Larry simply waved goodbye as they left, their backs turned the entire time. As soon as they rounded a corner, he huffed and stuck out his tongue. "Bleh! Rotten kids, pickin' on others just to make themselves feel better!"

"You knew they were picking on us?" Pearl asked.

"Ah, I heard the whole thing as I just happened to be passing by," Larry said, scratching the back of his head. "I know their type. They get low grades and are held up by mommy and daddy, meanwhile honest folk like us and dragged down and forced to take odd jobs to make ends meet."

Trucy and Pearl exchanged worried looks.

"Oh, uh, well, not that you two will end up like that! You're both super talented and way smarter than me or Nick! You'll be just fine!"

"Um…" Pearl rubbed her hands together nervously, frowning as she stared down at the ground. "T-Thanks for stepping in, Mr. Larry. I almost lost my temper…"

"Ahhh don't mention it! You guys are like family to me, and besides, I'm used to being laughed at so like, I didn't mind taking the hits for ya." Larry sighed, frowning himself as he pressed his fingers together. "But they're right… Nobody wants to be painted anymore. It's all about 'selfies' these days, and 'flogs'."

"I think you mean 'vlogs'," Trucy corrected. "So I guess the painting industry isn't doing so well?"

Larry perked up quickly, giving a thumbs-up, though sweating rather profusely. "D-Don't worry 'bout ol' Larry! I still got a tonne of tricks up my sleeve! The big problem is that I got no one to write any stories. Without stories, my art just doesn't stand out, y'know?"

Trucy looked at the painting easel Larry was holding. It looked brand-new, yet she had a feeling he'd been carrying it around for a while. She kept her smile, and asked, "Say, could you paint the two of us? We don't need the discount."

"! Y-You mean it?!" Larry thought for a second. "But, no, I couldn't charge you full price."

"I insist," Trucy said. "It'll be Daddy's treat, anyway."

"… Well, in that case, I guess I don't have ta feel so guilty! Alright then, let's go over there."

"Uh, wait, what're we-"

"C'mon, it's the least we can do to thank him," Trucy said, before leaning forward and whispering, "Besides, you still need to keep me out until the surprise party is set up, right?"

"Well, I guess, but…" The gears turned in Pearl's brain, and she gasped as she realised what Trucy had just said. "Wait, you knew about that?!"

Trucy stuck her tongue out sheepishly. "Yeah, it wasn't hard to figure out. Daddy's about as subtle as Polly's Chords of Steel."

Pearl bit into her thumb, muffling her groans as she looked off to the side. "Ohhhh! It was supposed to be a secret!"

Trucy shrugged. "Well, how about we make me knowing a secret? Just one between the two of us."

Pearl felt her face heat up. "U-Um, sure, but…"

"Heyyyyyy!" Larry called from outside the arcade, waving to the two girls. "You guys comin'?!"

"Let's go," Trucy said, and the two left the arcade and followed after Larry.

Larry found a nice spot in the nearby park where there was plenty of sunlight, and set up his easel. Trucy and Pearl sat on a bench together side-by-side, smiling as Larry readied his paints. Before Larry began, Trucy wrapped an army around Pearl and brought her closer.

"Ohhh, that's good!" Larry declared as he scoped the scene before him. "A perfect picture of two best friends, bonded together forever!"

Pearl wanted to protest, but knew that once a painter began, it was impolite to move. So there she sat, quiet for all but her heartbeat, trying not to inhale too much of Trucy's intoxicating scent, or let her eyes wander down to those nicely-toned legs, that were highlighted perfectly by the sun and exposed moreso than usual by the way Trucy had sat down.

She tried to move her gaze higher, but that only made things worse. Eventually, she realised that she could look elsewhere, away from Trucy, and decided to stay focussed on Larry as she continued to smile.

Eventually, the painting was done. What felt like an eternity finally ended, and she could finally relax and breath a lot easier. Larry showed the girls his painting. "Wowwww," Trucy chimed, her eyes sparkling as she admired the beautiful artwork before her. "This is nothing like your usual sketches!"

Larry blushed and laughed. "Well, like I said, it's hard to do children's books without an author. I decided to broaden my horizons."

Pearl looked at the painting, and for a second thought that she was looking into a mirror. He had captured them perfectly, especially Trucy, she thought. Although as opposed to her looking away and looking very nervous, the Pearl in the painting seemed to be locking eyes with Trucy, and the two seemed very sure of themselves. Indeed, there was no tension, no hint of uncertainty, in the bond that they shared, other than perhaps, 'Are they friends, or something more?'.

"It's very good," Pearl finally said. "Can we really keep it?"

"Of course!" Larry declared, giving them a thumbs-up. "Just forward the bill to Nick," he added, handing Trucy a piece of paper that made her gasp sharply. "Hey, an artist's gotta eat."

Trucy gulped, now regretting not taking any discount from Larry. "W-Well, at least he's got a big case lined up…"

Larry packed up his easel and waved the two goodbye, leaving them alone in the middle of the park. Pearl yawned and stretched her arms and legs, just now realising how long she'd been sitting perfectly still.

"Maybe we should take a break," Trucy suggested. "They should be done by now, so we can head back to the office soon."

"Oh, sure," Pearl said. The two stayed sat down on the bench and admired the scenery for a few minutes. The cherry blossoms were in bloom and painted the park a sea of pink. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Pearl turned to face Trucy.

"Yeah, it sure is," Trucy replied, her smile glowing as the sun shone directly onto her face. She turned to face Pearl, her mouth hanging open for a couple of seconds, before adding, "Breathtaking."

Pearl swallowed. "Y-Yeah…" She gasped as Trucy shuffled closer, close enough that their legs brushed together for just a brief moment. "U-Uh-"

"Hey, thanks for earlier," Trucy began, drawing a confused look from Pearl. "For standing up for me." Trucy giggled under her breath. "I really appreciate it."

Pearl opened her mouth, but wasn't sure what to say. She turned away and eventually answered, "Well, I mean, you're my friend. Of course I'd defend you, and they were being so mean!"

"Friends, huh?" Trucy replied. "… Yeah, we've been friends for seven years now, haven't we? Ever since you visited Daddy one day."

Pearl nodded, looking up to the sky as she reminisced. "Yeah, I was so worried about Mr. Nick after I'd heard about what happened to him."

Trucy giggled. "'Worried'? I seem to remember you storming in, yelling something like, 'Mr. Nick, how could you?! What would Mystic Maya think if she knew you'd been fired, and for doing something so horrible! You're… You're a terrible man!' That about right?"

Pearl, now blushing fiercely, hid her face in her hands. "How do you remember it so well?!"

Trucy laughed harder, kicking her legs as she leaned back on the bench. "You really scared me then! I was ready to call the police when you started hitting Daddy, but then you finally noticed me and he explained everything… After you hit him some more for thinking I was his illegitimate child."

Pearl sank deeper into her hands, her moans muffled by them. "You're not to remember things from that long ago! I swear, I'm not that violent anymore…"

"I know," Trucy said reassuringly. "We became friends fast, because you were so nice to me. I tried to act strong for Daddy, but when it was just the two of us, I could let you know how hard I was taking it, and…" Trucy leaned over and hugged her friend, a move that surprised Pearl. "You really helped me through a rough time in my life. Thanks, Peals. Thanks for being there for me…"

Pearl's hands shook as she lowered them and sat up straight, turning slowly to return the gentle embrace. "Don't mention it. Mr. Nick was going through a lot, too. He'd done so much to help me before, and I wanted to pay him back however I could. And I never really had any friends my own age, so I was really, really happy to finally have one." Pearl pulled away and smiled as she looked directly into Trucy's eyes.

Trucy gazed back, smiling equally, and the two became lost in each other's eyes for a few drawn-out seconds. Then, Trucy leaned forward, startling Pearl whose eyes widened, but she didn't move away. She simply sat there as she felt Trucy's lips meet her own.

After a few moments passed, Trucy quickly pulled back, pressing her hands to her lips and looking away. "S-Sorry."

Pearl gulped, her heart racing. "W-Why?" was all that she could ask through her hazy mind.

"… I just… I don't know, I just couldn't hold back anymore…"

"… B-But… we're both girls," Pearl said, hiccupping once more as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. "I-It's not right…"

Trucy hummed and folded her arms. "Well, I don't know about that. I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong with it… Besides, don't you watch shows with that kind of stuff all the time?"

Pearl nodded. "But, that's fiction," she said. "This is reality. The rules are… different, right?"

"Well, what do you think? Do you think it's wrong for two girls to… like each other, like that?"

Pearl thought about it for several moments. "No? I mean, I don't want it to be, because I… I really like you…"

Trucy smiled. She reached out and grabbed Pearl's hand. "And I like you, too. Like, like like you."

Pearl blushed. Her heart beat so fast she feared it would leap out of her chest. She struggled to form words for a few seconds, before finally asking, "Like I… like you?"

"Maybe you didn't notice, but I've been… flirting with you, all day…"

Pearl gasped. "Y-You have?"

A moment of silence passed, and then the two broke into laughter together. As the laughter faded, Trucy reached up with her other hand and cupped Pearl's cheek, bringing up her head so that their eyes met. Pearl gasped, her gaze being drawn into Trucy's, her worries drifting away as she felt the gentle, loving touch of a kind soul. "Do you want to do it again?" Pearl seemed confused for a moment. "Kiss."

"Ah." Pearl knew that she should answer no. She knew that she should not be drawn in by temptations or desires of such nature. But… she wanted it, so much. Why was such a thing forbidden to her? Why could she not pursue love simply for the form that it took? Ultimately, she could fight it no longer. "Yes."

Trucy leaned in and kissed Pearl. The two remained connected for several long seconds, before Trucy pulled back for air. They gazed into each other's eyes once more. "Wanna do it again?"

Pearl smiled, but not for long, as the situation she was in suddenly caught up to her. She blushed, averting her eyes as she asked, "W-What if someone sees us?"

Trucy looked around, and then returned her attention to Pearl with a smile. "There's no one around."

Pearl looked around. Sure enough, the park was empty. "T-Then, just for a little while," she said, this time taking the initiative and leaning forward to meet with Trucy midway.

The two kissed two more times, and then on the third kiss, Trucy tried something a little more daring; she opened her mouth, and felt Pearl gripping her hand tighter in response. Pearl soon followed suit, and the two found their tongues meeting thereafter.

This kiss lasted longer than the others, both girls enamoured by each other's taste. It only ended when Pearl felt something pressing against her chest. "Ah… That's…"

Trucy bit her lip, their eyes meeting again as her hand held still on Pearl's robe, pressing firmly to feel the breast beneath. "Can I?"

Pearl's breathing was heavy by this point. Her eyes stayed fixed on Trucy's as she simply nodded her head, and then she felt that hand moving to the centre of her chest. It parted her robe and found its way inside, touching skin and travelling beneath her bra.

"HEY! What d'you think you're doing, pal?!"

Trucy withdrew her hand immediately and Pearl turned to face the other direction, clutching her robe shut. "N-Nothing!" Trucy shouted, her face redder than a ripe tomato. "I swear, we weren't-"

"I saw you!" The two looked down the park to find three figures in the distance. A young woman, a young man, and an older man in a green trenchcoat. They recognised the older man as Detective Dick Gumshoe. "You were pickin' that lady's pocket, weren't ya?!"

"N-No! I swear, I wasn't!" the younger man cried.

"Yeah, then what's this?!"

"Ah! That's my purse!" the woman shouted, snatching the object out of Gumshoe's hands. "Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Detective!"

Gumshoe paused for a moment, and then brought a hand up to his head as he laughed out of embarrassment. "Aw, shucks! It was nothin'!" The younger man took the chance to run, and the startled detective quickly gave chase. "Hey, stop right theeeeeeere!"

The two girls watched the scene unfold, and then turned back to face each other… and laughed at the sheer absurdity of it all. "M-Maybe we should slow down a little," Pearl said.

To that, Trucy stuck out her tongue and replied, "Sorry, I've been having some… odd dreams, lately. I'm sort of at my breaking point."

Pearl titled her head to the side, before catching on to what Trucy was saying. "O-Oh! You mean you've been having…" Trucy nodded. "… About me…"

"Y-Yeah," Trucy turned her head away, scratching the back of her neck as she began to second-guess herself. "Sorry."

"Oh, no!" Pearl quickly shouted. "I mean, it's a normal part of growing up, right? And naturally you'd have dreams like that about the person you love!"

"Hmmm, I guess so," Trucy agreed. She turned to Pearl, a devilish smirk on her face. "Y'know, that sounded rehearsed. Almost like you've told yourself that many times."

Pearl gasped. "T-That's your imagination!"

"Ehhh? I wonder who you've been dreaming about?" Trucy teased, poking Pearl's cheek as Pearl tried to move away.

"Geeeez! Let's go back, we've rested enough!" Pearl stood up suddenly, picking up the shopping bags, and then turned to storm off.

Trucy grabbed the painting of the two of them and followed after her. "Awww, don't be like that! I was just joking!" Trucy caught up to Pearl and surprised her friend by grabbing her hand. Only this time, she didn't do it to lead Pearl. She stayed by Pearl's side, the two walking side-by-side, hand-in-hand.

Pearl's anger faded quickly, and the two exchanged awkward smiles for a brief moment as they continued walking in silence. Finally, as they reached the park's exit, Trucy spoke up.

"Pearl?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to… be my girlfriend?"

This was it. The crucial moment. Pearl's heart felt heavy in heart. Her stomach felt light, and she was terrified of what her aunt would do if she ever found them like this. Despite all of that, she knew that there was only one answer she could give.

"Yes."

Trucy smiled, a tear welling in her eye. "Thank you," she said softly. "This is the best birthday ever…"

Upon their return, Trucy acted surprised as she opened the door to the office only to be showed in confetti, and greeted with a roaring, "SURPRISE!"

Phoenix, Apollo, Athena and Simon were all there, along with Maya – Phoenix Wright's friend and partner-in-crime – and Prosecutor Edgeworth, Trucy's godfather.

"Wow, you guys set all this up for me?" Trucy asked as she set down the painting. Pearl handed the shopping to Athena. At Athena's instance, they started with unwrapping the presents.

Pearl watched with glee as Trucy opened every present with excitement. First was her present from Apollo – an assortment of Khura'inese sweets and teas that were popular there. She had talked about wanting to try it sometime, but with her father's salary there was no chance of travelling any time soon.

From Athena she received a makeup and perfume set that Trucy had her eye on a few months back. It was perfect for her on-stage performances. From Simon, she received a katana, which was promptly confiscated by Phoenix and sealed using an excessive number of zip ties. "Not until your eighteenth birthday," he said.

"Wright-dono, you claim to be Japanese, yet-"

Athena cut off Simon with a slap to his chest. "Not everyone's an otaku like you!"

Simon let out an undignified huff, but didn't have time to protest before Edgeworth gave Trucy his present. The complete Steel Samurai collection, every episode, special and movie, all on DVD. "I uh, know a guy who's interested in this stuff," he said, adjusting his glasses.

'Yeah, you,' everybody else thought at once.

Still, Trucy had expressed interest in the series after watching a few episodes and had brought up how she'd like some of the DVDs, but she never expected there to be so many, nor to receive them all at once. "Thanks, Uncle Edgeworth."

With that, Trucy moved onto Maya's present next. It was a magatama, which she claimed had been charged with a special spiritual energy to bring good luck and protection. Pearl vouched for its authenticity with a single touch.

Her father's present was a new dress she had asked for previously and some gift certificates to Trucy's favourite shop. All that remained was Pearl's present, however…

"Oh no!" Pearl screamed, panicking as she took her present out of her purse. The present had at some point been squashed, and was in quite a bad shape. "Oh Trucy, I'm so sorry, I-"

Trucy opened the present and found that it was homemade cookies, in the shape of various animals and all wrapped in a cute little bag. Well, there were that, but now it was more like crumbs with some vague animal shapes still able to be seen here-and-there.

"It's… not so bad," Athena said, trying to save the mood. "Hey, think of it this way: now there's more of them!"

"Not helping," Apollo whispered.

"I'm sorry, Trucy, I didn't think that-"

"It's fine," Trucy said, an honest smile on her face. "I love it. You put a lot of work into it, didn't you?" Pearl wiped her tears away and nodded. "Thanks. I'll look forward to eating them."

Pearl smiled back, relieved that Trucy was so kind and so forgiving. She offered to remake them, but Trucy insisted that they were fine as they were.

With that, the party continued. Phoenix and Athena had prepared snacks for everyone to eat as they played various party games, and Trucy showed off some of the magic she had been practicing lately. Maya shared some tales of her time in Khura'in and Apollo updated everyone on what he'd been up to since he moved there. Edgeworth took his eyes off of Trucy just long enough for Simon to share some saké with her. When Phoenix saw the invoice from Larry for the painting, his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

Finally, the cake was brought out. Everybody sang, and Trucy blew out the candles as she made her wish. The cake was served and the evening party concluded without a hitch. The guests began to leave, starting with Apollo has he had an early flight to catch the following day, then by Edgeworth who had a mountain of work pile on his desk – making a note to compare his own desk to Wright's considerably emptier one.

Simon and Athena were, the former carrying the latter who had insisted she could prove that she could hold her saké. She could not. Maya helped Phoenix to clean up and carry out the trash, leaving Trucy and Pearl alone in the office.

"That was fun," Pearl said, Trucy nodding in agreement. "Um, I really am sorry about your present. I know you said you were okay with it, but-"

"If you really want to make it up to me that much," Trucy began, "… How about a kiss?"

Pearl's face went from peach to red faster than Larry went from one girl to the next. "W-W-W-Wh-"

Trucy couldn't help but laugh. "What? We've done it before. And I thought we were… y'know…" Trucy reached her hand out and placed it on Pearl's.

Pearl gulped, trying to compose herself. "Y-Yeah, we are, but you… you can't just saying something like that so casually… and suddenly…" Pearl took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then leaned forward, meeting Trucy's lips.

Trucy held Pearl's hands with her own, and shifted slightly to allow their mouths to open. The two met their tongues in the middle and a jolt passed down Pearl's spine, forcing her to quickly pull away. "Ah, sorry," Trucy said, wiping a trail of saliva from her mouth. "Too fast?"

Pearl quickly shook her head. It was too fast, but she wasn't exactly against it. "No, just… way more intense than I was expecting."

"Ah, yeah…" The two leaned forward and kissed again, this time staying connected for longer as they explored each other's mouths. Eventually they parted, gasping for air and staring lovingly into each other's eyes. Then they laughed, and Pearl rose to her feet, Trucy rising with her as their hands were still joined.

"Well, I should probably be going now, too."

Trucy's gaze shifted to the floor. "Yeah…"

The two stood there silently for several seconds, looking everywhere but at each other. "… I could… come round and visit tomorrow," Pearl offered.

Trucy lightened up at that. "Yeah, I'm free tomorrow." She looked over to where Edgeworth's present was sat. "We could watch Steel Samurai together."

"Sounds like a plan!" Pearl agreed.

"… I guess… see you tomorrow then."

Pearl nodded. "Mhm. See you tomorrow."

The two still didn't move.

"I don't want you to go," Trucy said quietly.

Pearl sighed. "I don't want to leave, either."

The two made eye contact again, and each found that the other had tears welling in their eyes. Each girl took a step forward, their hands tightening in each other's grip, and simply stared at each other for a few tense seconds, before hearing the door open and quickly breaking apart.

"Pearly, I think we should be heading back now," Maya said as she walked into the room, a confused look on her face as she found the two girls standing back-to-back and clutching their chests. "Did I miss something?"

"Nope! Nothing at all!" Pearl insisted, gathering up her things and hurriedly running towards the door. She bowed to Phoenix as she reached him. "Thank you having me today, Mr. Nick! I had a lot of fun!"

Phoenix laughed. "No problem. Thank you for coming. I know that it meant a lot to Trucy."

'More than you know,' Pearl thought. She raised herself and then turned back to Trucy. "See you tomorrow!" she called out, this time with more energy.

Trucy waved goodbye, and watched her now-girlfriend leave. After the door closed, she sighed. Phoenix began to take down decorations and Trucy offered to help. "So, did you have fun today?" Phoenix asked, and Trucy nodded.

"I did. Thanks for doing all this for me, Daddy."

"Ahah, well, thank you for taking care of this old man for so long. So, how were your presents? Did you get everything you wanted?"

Trucy stopped for a moment, bringing her hands to her chest, where she could feel her heart fluttering as she pictured Pearl's smiling face. "Yes," she answered, before continuing.