[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 2

They came to provoke us from Gehenna. It’s not like it’s an annual event, but our friends in black uniforms are back again after just two days.

The distance between the checkpoint and Gehenna Academy is quite far, so we dug trenches and held a stakeout every time those guys provoked a fight, but honestly, the machine guns we had set up weren’t enough firepower. The Kivotos students aren’t the type to faint from a few bullets slightly over ten millimeters.

“Sayuri-san, just shoot as much as you can! Keep shooting!”

“Yes!”

The sound of gunfire filled the area in front of the checkpoint, and the L86 mounted on the stand spewed flames.

Before long, the ammunition ran out, and Sayuri hurriedly changed the magazine. She fired again, but the magazine fell out on its own in the middle, so she picked it up and put it back in before firing again.

This damn L86 is driving me crazy. Every time I use it, there’s a jam, the bullets get stuck, or the magazine falls out without warning. The Justice and Discipline Department and the Convent are getting the A2 version, so why do we still have to use this problematic machine gun?

I’m thinking of rummaging through the corner of the armory and bringing back an old Maxim machine gun. There might be one from the old Trinity Council days, but at least it fires when you pull the trigger, right? Plus, you can fire hundreds of rounds just by pouring water on it.

The sound of a truck echoes from behind. Turning around, I see it’s a transport truck. After the surprise attack with the Palpal cannon from the Gehenna direction, Ritsuko-chan sent out an emergency radio message, and it seems the city somehow found out and sent reinforcements.

“Loyalty, Justice and Discipline Department Department Mobile Support Squad Deputy Leader Tsugawa…”

“It’s obvious you’re a junior. Where’s the platoon leader? I need to take command.”

“Well, Platoon Leader Mashiro is waiting at the sniper point and said to take command on your own.”

“Really? That’s heartless. Anyway, hurry up and set up the gun. You don’t want to get shot in the head, do you?”

I’ve never heard the name Mashiro before in the Justice and Discipline Department. I don’t know much about that side, so it doesn’t really matter, but still, I should at least show my face. Just running off to snipe someone…  Should I go confront him after the battle ends? No, if I do that, I might end up locked up in the brig for a couple of days like last time. It’s better to just talk about it. You’ll see in life.

“Keep shooting until you run out of bullets, then wait quietly. When I give the signal, get out of the trench and charge.”

“Yes, yes… Then what do we fight with after the charge?”

“The butt of the rifle.”

For a moment, the student’s expression froze, then returned to normal. Half of her thought, “Oh, there’s that method too!” and the other half thought, “Why do I have to follow that stupid method?” It seemed that she didn’t quite understand.

“It’s not as stupid as you think, Tsugawa-san, so don’t look so dumbfounded. After all, common sense doesn’t apply in Gehenna, right? This is the easiest way.”

“Ah, yes, okay! Hey, everyone, did you hear that?”

Even so, as a deputy squad leader, she explains things well, like giving instructions to kindergarten students. She seems better than me. After hearing his explanation, the other juniors began to load their guns one by one and prepare for counterfire.

Wait a minute, what? They’re also A2 versions. Ah, I’m jealous. Next to me, Sayuri-san has ten bullets flying out of her gun due to ammunition malfunction, and Ritsuko-chan is making a fuss because her magazine isn’t loaded…

Click!

“Damn it, malfunction.”

“Huh?”

The curse word slipped out naturally because of the jammed shell casing, but unfortunately, Tsugawa-san heard it. The Justice and Discipline Department Division is one of the ladies’ groups, so she probably doesn’t get many chances to hear curse words.

Still, if I were a stranger and heard someone cursing next to me, I’d be embarrassed too. I guess it was my fault.

“Ahaha, I’m sorry…” “It’s nothing…” “No, it’s not.”

Ms. Tsugawa quietly nodded and focused on shooting again. It seemed to have gone well, but I was about to get angry because of this damn L85. It’s like magic—when I remove one shell casing and pull the trigger, another shell casing gets stuck.

I almost let out a curse, but I managed to hold it back. To be honest, I thought Tsugawa-san would be scared if I did.

“Senpai, senpai! We’re out of ammunition!”

“Take a few from my magazine pouch and use them!”

Sayuri-san hurriedly ran off with a few magazines.

Honestly, I think checkpoint personnel should be allocated more ammunition than regular students or club members. In Gehenna, there are no such regulations to begin with, so as long as they have the money, students can carry enough ammunition to shoot for ten minutes, twenty minutes, or even an hour, but Trinity restricts that kind of thing, saying that they have to act like ladies.

Because of that, every time a local battle breaks out, we have to exchange ammunition with the kids. Assault is ultimately done because the ammunition runs out.

Should I really go to the Tea Party and make a suggestion? If it’s rejected, I’ll just send a bunch of complaints. If even one of the hundreds of letters catches Nagisa-san’s eye, the problem will be solved. Either I’ll be dragged away or the ammunition allowance will increase—one of the two.

“Hey, senior, what’s that?”

“What? What’s over there… Shit.”

Ritsuko-chan was shocked by the harsh curse, but what could she do? One of the few items in the Gehenna Academy district had appeared right before our eyes. Don’t be surprised by the name—it’s a 15 cm sFH 18-caliber howitzer. It’s a monster that fires 40-kilogram shells every 10 seconds.

If you get hit by a near-miss shell, it’ll send you to the hospital, no matter what. The Disciplinary Committee went crazy over it, and they said there weren’t many left, so why is it here in front of us?

Soon, the howitzer erupted with a massive flame from its barrel. The range was too short, and the shell flew straight into our trench, sending several members of the Justice and Discipline Department flying. Oh, one friend even flew all the way to the checkpoint.

“Eh, Haruki-san…?”

“Huh, a few of us will end up in the hospital today. Tsunagawa-san, go check it out. I’ll hold them off for now.”

Upon hearing this, Tsunagawa-san hurriedly left the trench, and I deliberately fired my L85 toward the mortar. At least she won’t get hit by a shell, and she can go check the situation. Those hellish bastards are incredibly sensitive to provocation.

As I kept pulling the trigger and felt the recoil of the gun spreading wildly, suddenly the firing stopped. I took out the magazine as usual and put my hand in the magazine holder, but it was empty and felt hollow. All the bullets were gone. Ritsuko-chan and Sayuri-san had also been fidgeting since a little while ago, with all their bullets gone. There was nothing to be done. Tsunagawa-chan wouldn’t be able to participate in today’s glory, but she might be happier this way.

I took out the bagpipes I had been carrying on my back.

-Bweep!

“Um, senpai…?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know. Get up, charge!”

I quickly climbed up the trench wall and ran as fast as I could. The other students seemed to think that there was nothing they could do about the chief suddenly running out, so they hesitated for a moment before climbing out of the trench.

The Gehenna side seemed quite flustered as well. Originally, only Ritsuko-chan and I were supposed to charge, while Sayuri-san continued to provide supporting fire, but with the supporting troops joining the charge, our numbers had doubled, so it was understandable. The fact that the barrage of bullets had stopped, even for a moment, was good news for us.

Ah, damn it, you’re supposed to charge like this after eating lunch and downing a cup of tea, so you’re full of energy and it’s not so hard. Why did we have to come here in the morning and cause all this trouble? Still, it’s a little better because the Justice and Discipline Department Department kids are here. Those guys ate breakfast, so they’ll have plenty of energy. If I collapse, my juniors will take care of it.

As I dodged and took hits from the incoming bullets and shells while running, the Gehenna trench grew closer. I decided to leave the L85 assault to the juniors and turned toward the howitzer firing shells from a bit behind.

I jumped over the trench in one leap, and the surprised expressions of the Gehenna students were vivid. Once I crossed the trench, the howitzer battery was right in front of me. The battery crew was so surprised that they dropped the shells they were trying to load.

In an instant, a huge explosion occurred.

I fell backward from the shock and landed on my butt, but when I looked ahead, it was quite a sight. Several students were flying through the air, and the howitzer battery had disappeared without a trace.

Ah, there’s someone worth hitting over there.

Unlike the other students, he was wearing some kind of uniform, so he must be of fairly high rank in Gehenna. The others would probably run away if he hit them. I approached him first.

The student seemed to have regained consciousness and was clutching his head in pain. I gave him a special muzzle I had made for my friend.

Ka-ang! A heavy thud echoed across the battlefield.

This is actually illegal, but if you replace the buttstock of the gun with a metal block and paint it, it looks perfectly normal. The effect is doubled, so all the guns at the checkpoint were modified like this. Even a student who can withstand bullets wouldn’t be able to withstand that.

The Gehenna student who was hit in the head with the buttstock lay on the ground, looking up at me.

“…”

“What are you looking at, you bastard?”

I didn’t like his expression, so I hit him again.

Kaang!

“Damn it, I…”

Kaang!

“It’s an order from above, but here…”

Kaang!

“You… stop… shaking… I told you to stop!”

Kaang!

After being hit about a dozen times, the student from Gehenna fainted. His head was covered in blood. Blood was splattered all over my patrol uniform and the butt of my gun.

The surroundings were quiet. When I turned around, I saw the Justice Enforcement Division juniors, Ritsuko-chan, and Sayuri-san all gathered in one place, trembling. That’s a scene I see quite often. I hear that bloody incidents are frequent when the Justice Enforcement Division is deployed. But why are Ritsuko-chan and Sayuri-san acting like that when we’re always together?

“Ritsuko-chan, call the rescue team and tell them to come to the checkpoint! Oh, and cover your face!”

“Yes? Oh, yes…”

“Junior members, take this friend to the checkpoint!”

The juniors quietly approached. They were shocked when they saw my face. I wonder what they were thinking. I think this was their first emergency call.

Anyway, they’ll get used to seeing blood soon, so I decided to send them away without saying anything. The juniors also said nothing and carried the unconscious student away.

I looked ahead again. The many Gehenna troops stared at me silently, as if they were dead. You guys see this scene all the time, so why are you acting like this? How can you just stand there after seeing blood?

I picked up the rifle that the carried-away student had dropped and fired a shot into the sky. A few people in front of me flinched.

“Hey, whether you’re from the Pandemonium Society or the Student Council, tell your superiors clearly: if you want that friend back, the one who gave the order should come personally!”

Upon hearing this, the students turned around as a group and began to retreat, some walking and some running. Could it be that the one who was dragged away… no, carried away was the senior officer? Was he a high-ranking officer from the Pandemonium Society, or the division commander who came to carry out the Hinom bombings?

In any case, today’s defensive battle ended in a victory for Trinity Comprehensive Academy. Roughly calculating, it must be around 300 consecutive wins.

“Senpai!”

Soon, Sayuri-san ran over. For some reason, she was holding a bandage in her hand.

“Senior, you need to bandage your head. You’re bleeding.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m bleeding…?”

“It’s flowing freely. Sit down here.”

Sitting next to Sayuri, she wrapped the bandage around me. The blood that had already flowed out finally came into view. I think the adrenaline rush from beating up that Gehenna friend earlier made me unable to see properly, but now it’s starting to hurt… No, it really hurts!

“Ah, ah…”

“Oh, you’re finally coming to your senses. Earlier, I thought you had lost your mind, along with Ritsuko-chan. Why did you do that?”

“Ah, ah… Uh, I don’t know… But even if the Justice and Discipline Department kids are like that, why did you just stand there?”

“We were afraid we’d get hit too if we interfered.”

“…”

It seems like my image has been solidified as half-crazy in Ritsuko-chan and Sayuri-san’s minds… Ah, my head, oh my. Still, I tried my best not to cause a bloodbath when suppressing the Gehenna kids, at least for the first six months after I took office? I don’t know where in the Trinity social circle it was, but when some woman removed the machine guns from the checkpoint to improve relations with Gehenna, that’s when this nonsense started.

But at that time, Ritsuko-chan and Sayuri-san were there, weren’t they?

Oh, they weren’t there. That’s why I remember it that way. It’s my fault. I’ll work on improving my image from now on.

Anyway, I need to go back and write today’s report. The Relief Corps will also report on the Gehenna students, and if they say I was the one who led the attack, my head might explode. Maybe the Tea Party executives will come and cause a commotion, or Gehenna might send tanks…

Ugh, my head hurts, really.

“Sayuri-san.”

“Yes.”

“My head still hurts.”

“Then go back and rest.”

Of course, that’s what I should do. After being shot like that, I should eat a hearty meal first, and writing the report can come later. Even if Nagisa-san comes, she’ll probably keep her mouth shut when she sees me with a bandage wrapped tightly around my head.

Ritsuko-chan contacted the rescue team and left with them in a helicopter, so the checkpoint should be empty by now. With Sayuri-san’s help, I managed to get up with great effort. I slowly walked toward the checkpoint.

“Sayuri-san.”

“Yes.”

“Could you wrap the bandage tighter at the checkpoint later? It hurts.”

“Wrapping bandages won’t make the pain go away.”

“Still.”

“I understand. Come on, give me some strength.”

She staggered, barely able to walk with what little strength she had left. Crossing the trench was a struggle, as she slipped once. It took about an hour and a bit to reach the checkpoint. As expected, it was empty.

I went inside the checkpoint building and immediately lay down on the bed. At least the bed was soft, so I could sleep without feeling tired afterward. Someone had to do the checkpoint duty, but there was only one person left.

Why only one? Because I was about to fall asleep.

“Sayuri-san… Please wake me up tomorrow morning…”

“Eh, eh?! No, senpai, but in the morning… No, you have to write the report too!”

“I don’t know… I’m tired, I’m in pain, I have no energy… I’m going to sleep…”

Ugh, I’m falling asleep. My mind is spinning, and I’m rolling around among the sheep…

“Thud.”

“Ah, senpai?! Ugh, I guess I won’t be sleeping tonight…”

—

And the next day.

“Hello, Yamatsu Hikari-san.”

‘I’m screwed.’

Nagisa-san came to visit.