[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 3

“First shot, fire!”

Three consecutive gunshots echoed across the wide open space behind the checkpoint. Usually, such a salute is fired when important figures from the academy, high-ranking officials from other academies, or our superiors storm into the checkpoint and declare that they will cause us a lot of trouble.

“Second shot, fire!”

Tada-dang. The laws regarding how long and how many shots are to be fired when someone arrives are extremely complex. These rules vary not only between academies but also by rank, grade, club, and even individual student.

“Third shot, fire!”

Tada-dang. As the checkpoint chief, this is the first thing you must learn. At our Trinity Comprehensive Academy, which values tradition and protocol, the regulations regarding this are written immediately after the Apostles’ Creed in the 300-page checkpoint regulations manual.  

“Fourth shot, fire…”  

“That’s enough.”  

“Tada-dang… What?”

“Stop it.”

And the reason why only four of the twenty-one ceremonial shots were fired during the academy headmaster’s visit, as stipulated in Article 1, Section 37 of the “Trinity Comprehensive Academy Border Checkpoint Regulations, an Eternally United Academy with a Long History and Background” was likely due to Nagisa-sama’s intervention, as the continuous gunfire had become too loud.

Well, I wish you hadn’t come.

I can guess why Nagisa-sama came, but I think I should explain what happened this morning first, and I’ll keep it short and simple.

When I woke up from a deep sleep that had completely relieved my fatigue from yesterday, Nagisa-sama was standing right in front of me.

Fuck.

The actual model of one of the three portraits hanging on the wall of the checkpoint office was in front of me and the feeling… well, my thought was, ‘This morning has already gone to hell’. Exactly three seconds later, my eyes widened like a goldfish, and I had to perform the three-bow ceremony for Ritsuko-chan and Sayuri-san, who were already being scolded.

Fortunately, Nagisa-sama let it slide, saying that she also forgets many things in the morning, but honestly, that feeling isn’t entirely absent, you know?

You know, like when you want to kill someone but you can’t because there are too many people watching, so you hold back. Nagisa-sama’s mysterious expression was exactly like that. I got goosebumps and my nerves were on edge, but it was clear that she wasn’t letting it go, she was saving me.

“I believe Hikari-san knows that I don’t have time to watch over every little thing like this. And I think you know that I didn’t come here to hear about this either.”

“Yes, I know, Nagisa-san.”

“We’ve already wasted quite a bit of time, so I’ll just get to the point and leave.”

Nagisa-san paused to compose herself, then proceeded to share the information I had anticipated she would reveal if my superior had come to inquire about the matter last night.

“An official letter was sent from Gehenna. It was sent by Hanuma Makoto of the Pandemonium Society.”

“That crazy… the student council president?”

“It seems that the student from Gehenna who is being detained by the Rescue Knights was an executive member of the Pandemonium Society.”

Honestly, I’m not too worried about the student council president sending it. I had expected it anyway. It’s well known that Hanuma Makoto, the chairman of the Pandemonium Society, doesn’t listen to anyone except his colleagues (who are like his daughters), and his intelligence is legendary in Gehenna.

I can just imagine him excitedly scribbling, “Haha, if I write a personal letter myself, the checkpoint chief will be so scared that she’ll immediately return the officer!” Even in the letter shown by Nagisa-san, it was clear that he had scribbled so wildly with a quill pen that it looked like graffiti. At first glance, I couldn’t tell if it was a drawing or someone’s signature.

It was roughly about sending one of his subordinates to handle the repatriation.

It seems that Nagisa-san came instead of the disciplinary committee in the morning because of this. Originally, if a student from Gehena was kidnapped somewhere and the kidnapper threatened, “I kidnapped your student, so give me money,” the disciplinary committee would come and say, “We’ll give you bullets instead of money.” Since they struck first at the Pandemonium Society and said they would take him away themselves, it seems they didn’t want to get involved in such a troublesome matter.

But if that’s the case, does that mean Trinity is holding the hostages but hasn’t threatened Gehenna yet? Ah, maybe we should have handled it ourselves without calling the Knight Order. I’ve never seen such severe injuries before, so I called them considering what the higher-ups might say.

“Then… what should I do?”

“You have to write a statement.”

Oh, it’s not a report, it’s a statement. I’m screwed. At Trinity, statements are issued directly by the Tea Party, and unlike reflection papers or reports, they’re not something that comes down from the Tea Party unless it’s a pretty sensitive matter.

But here it comes. I wonder if I’m the first student in Trinity to have to write a statement of apology twice in my life? Am I going to get fired from the checkpoint? The last statement of apology went smoothly, but if I have to write it twice, am I really going to get fired?

“And that Gehenna student… you know about him, right?”

“If the Rescue Knights bring him over to our side, we’ll handle it properly…”

“I trust you.”

If you trust me, it makes me even more uncomfortable, Captain. It feels like the president is placing his hand on a private and saying, “I believe you’ll do well.” I’m starting to think it might be better to just have me fight the Gehenna tank.

Saying you trust me is the same as saying you’ll come back if I don’t handle it properly. I’m really worried that next time, Mika-san will come and break my back herself. I should have thought about the consequences more carefully.

“You said it was Ritsuko-chan and Sayuri-chan, right?”  

“Yes, yes!”  

“!!”

The two juniors were standing motionless, as if their bayonets were stuck in the ground, but when the high-ranking officer suddenly called out, Ritsuko-chan overreacted a bit. It’s understandable, since I’ve seen Nagisa-san once before, but those two haven’t. As soon as she heard the words, Sayuri-san also started trembling more and more.  

I’m going crazy.

“I think it was the right decision to immediately escort the injured student to the rescue squad. Therefore, I would like you to take responsibility for the repatriation as well. I have contacted the rescue squad, so please come with me to escort the student back.”

“Did I hear that correctly?”

Huh, this situation is getting weird. Could it be that Nagisa-san is saying that Ritsuko-chan and Sayuri-san will ride in the same vehicle as her to the rescue team? I hope I’m mistaken.

“It means that both of you have to ride in my car.”

But that wasn’t the case, as is always the case in this world. The worst thing I can think of always comes true. 

It will take several hours to escort the students, and thinking about how the two of them will feel sitting with Nagisa-san during that time, as a mother, I can’t help but feel heartbroken. Probably. 

I wanted to stop it if possible, but I’m someone who couldn’t even handle a Trinity socialite student, so I didn’t say anything. Today’s few hours would be the worst time of their lives for the two juniors, but what could I do? Public servants just follow orders.

The juniors looked at me with the pleading eyes of prisoners begging for mercy. Their eyes were filled with tears, like lambs being led to the slaughterhouse. I couldn’t just stand there, so I waved my hand at them.

Oh, Ritsuko-chan’s tears have increased. Maybe this wasn’t the best approach. I should at least listen to their complaints when they come back.

“As you saw, Hikari-san, the repatriation time is midnight tonight. When the Gehenna students are escorted, they will be transported in the Tea Party vehicle, not my vehicle, so please be prepared.”

“Yes.”

“And if the Gehenna side makes additional demands beyond repatriation… Please contact the Tea Party.”

“Yes.”

“Once again, I trust you will handle this well.”

That’s how Nagisa-san left us, taking my juniors hostage. Ah, she’s gone. They’ll be back in a few hours, but they’ll be mentally shattered.

Seriously, why did you all have to get stuck with checkpoint duty or whatever this is? Ritsuko-chan lives near the checkpoint, so it makes some sense, but Sayuri-san was supposed to be a lady of high society. Sayuri used to brag about how she came from a prestigious part of the social elite — could it be that Nagisa-san actually knew who Sayuri-san was? Is that why Sayuri-san was so nervous?

But I guess we can only ask about that after the juniors come back and everything is sorted out. For now, the priority is to prepare for the repatriation procedure. As for the report, maybe if I write it a little later, the Tea Party will let it slide.

First, I turned on the radio. Then I thought hard about how to write the repatriation documents. I couldn’t think of anything, so I called a junior colleague in the Justice Department. It ended up being very helpful, so I decided to buy him a parfait later. Even with the checkpoint chief’s low salary, that’s no problem.

It was almost lunchtime, and the gloomy sky from the morning had turned into a downpour by lunchtime. Writing documents while listening to the radio in the chilly rain was quite romantic. I’ll tell my junior colleagues about this feeling later.

“…Two weeks have passed since the official announcement by the Student Council, and a bomb attack has occurred in the Utnapishtim Special District. This is the 17th bomb attack in the past two months, and four students have been injured and are currently being treated at the hospital…”

—

“Stop, stop! Identify yourself, tank commander, come out! No, don’t turn the turret!”

They said they were sending a student from the Pandemonium Society, but a tank came charging toward us with its massive body. It’s not like they’re declaring war or trying to blow our heads off, so why a tank? Couldn’t they send an armored vehicle or an escort vehicle instead?

Ritsuko-chan and Sayuri-san desperately signaled, and I quickly turned on the loudspeaker, and the tank stopped. We almost blew up the barrier again and would have been charged for the damage. Soon after, a student with bright red hair jumped out.

“This is annoying… Hmph, I’m Natsume Iroha, a member of the Student Council. I don’t know where the student you’re supposed to be sending back is. And, who are you?”

“I’m the checkpoint chief. The student is in our checkpoint building, but more importantly, why did someone claiming to be a member of the Student Council bring a Tiger tank to carry out the student’s return? Is that how things work in Gehenna?”

“I think that’s a bit harsh for a first meeting, but, well, it’s not exactly wrong either. I’m just doing what my senior told me to do.”

“Still, there should be some courtesy between academies, courtesy! A train isn’t a limousine, after all.”

“It’s as comfortable as a limousine, though. Anyway, it’s not my responsibility. I’m just a middle person, and the student who got caught up in a troublesome situation. Whatever.”

Those crazy women at Pandemonium Society are impossible to reason with. Honestly, I was just venting my anger from earlier, but they react like this… Ugh, I’m going to lose my mind. They attacked first, and now they’re reacting like that? I had to comfort my crying juniors and then deal with that trauma-stricken Gehenna student who had a relapse as soon as he saw me. Now I have to deal with this stress too?

“Well, what did the superior say?”

“He said to ignore the repatriation procedure and just take the junior by force.”

“Then the situation will escalate. Let’s try to handle this among ourselves. Let’s go down to the checkpoint building and negotiate with the hostage.”

“Huh, okay. I didn’t plan on forcing my way in with the tank either. I’m not interested in any trouble.”

The tank commander sighed again and climbed out of the tank with a groan. Thinking about it, a tank is basically a two-seater, so I looked to see who was coming out of the driver’s seat, but whoever it was, they definitely weren’t a high school student. The blonde hair didn’t matter, but the teddy bear, the yellow boots, and most of all, the height… Was it 130 cm (4’2”)? 

“That’s… no, that kid is a high school student, right?”  

“For now.”  

“For now?”

Ah, right, maybe there’s a daycare center or kindergarten inside the high school grounds. I heard they have something like that in the mountains too. Let’s move on. There’s too much to do to think about that right now Yamatsu Hikari. We have to write the repatriation procedure consent form, attend the repatriation ceremony, keep watch until that tank leaves, and write a report all night long…

Damn it.

If things go wrong, I’ll knock those guys unconscious and detain them. To be honest, I feel guilty about sending that child away, but at the very least, I’ll beat up the tank commander. I’ll call Ritsuko and Sayuri too, and the three of us will beat him up together. Even though I’m the one who caused this, I’m going to beat them up anyway because my feelings come first. 

When you enter the checkpoint, you will see Ritsuko and the hostage… I mean, the detained student. First, you have to get them to sign the consent form during the three-way meeting. I gave them a cup of cocoa before they left the building. I wonder if they drank it all.

Click. I opened the door with the key and entered the checkpoint building, and there he was. Our blue-haired junior was the only one there. He seemed to have finished his cocoa, but the tank commander was looking at me suspiciously, so I decided to handle the situation carefully.

“Ritsuko-chan, where did that kid go?”

“He’s sleeping? He came into the building, said the cocoa was delicious, and naturally went to sleep in your bed.”  

“Really? You heard that, let’s go wake him up.” 

“This is going to be interesting.”  

When I entered the bedroom, my friend was indeed fast asleep. I tapped his cheek gently, thinking that hitting him again might send him back to Gehenna. Soon, the student opened his eyes and, upon seeing his superior’s face, his expression mirrored my own from this morning.

“Eh, eh, eh…”

“Nana- Natsume Iroha, senpai?”

“Huh, is the Trinity bed comfortable, Meiko?”

I didn’t know when I first brought him here, but it seems like the detained student is a first-year, so that’s why he’s trembling like that in front of the second-year Iroha or whatever her name is. Or maybe this student is in a higher position in the Pandemonium Society.

Anyway, the repatriation procedure has begun. The student called Meiko is being bombarded with questions.

—

“I’ve confirmed the signature, take him away. As quickly as possible.”

“Can’t we take a little break here? I think this cocoa is pretty good.”

“I appreciate the compliment on the cocoa, but no. Even if you get caught, I don’t think the student council president will fly off the handle, but I will.”

“…This is annoying.”

“If it’s annoying, don’t come.”

This guy is on his 15th cup of cocoa. Aren’t you full after drinking that much? You’ve already drunk a third of our checkpoint’s cocoa allowance, so I’ll definitely bill the Tea Party for this. I make the cocoa powder myself, but the Tea Party can supply the cacao beans, right?

The repatriation procedure proceeded fairly quickly. I was surprised that Iroha-san, who seemed incredibly lazy, was actually quite fast at processing documents. I think I could sign documents at a rate of 1.5 seconds each, but writing down the address of the Pandemonium Hall… Unless you’re someone like Nagisa-sama or Seia-sama from the upper echelons of the Tea Party, I don’t think you could write it down without looking up the address of the Tea Room.

“Goodbye, and let’s not see each other again.”

“Can I come by sometimes when I want to slack off outside? The cocoa was really delicious, really. Ibuki-chan thinks so too, right?” Ibuki-chan is the short kid from earlier.

“Yeah, Ibuki thought the cocoa was delicious too!”

No, I’ll give you cocoa if you come, but coming straight from Gehenna is a bit much, and isn’t it cheating to say the kid likes it?

“…Just come occasionally.”

“Hehe, I’ll come a lot.”

“Come occasionally, occasionally! Hurry up and go!”

Ah, really. I gave them my address and exchanged Momotok messages, but that’s it. It’s only fun if you really get them worked up, isn’t it? The sound of the tank starting up and departing must be a deafening roar to Ritsuko-chan and Sayuri-san, even if they cover their ears, but to me, it’s like a heart stabilizer. 

I think she’ll come tomorrow, right after school. She’ll come with Ibuki-chan, drink cocoa, and talk about herself a lot. Tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, too. Even if I invite my junior from the Justice Implementation Department, it won’t be any different. She’ll probably like listening to Iroha’s stories.

There is one lesson I learned from today’s events. Even if there are casualties on the Gehenna side during battle, we should handle them at our checkpoint, not call the Knight Order. Because of yesterday’s mistake, I have to go through hell today and tomorrow, so let’s engrave that in our bones.

Wait, why tomorrow? Snap out of it, Hikari. You have to write a report all night long. And then you have to go to the Tea Party hall and submit the report in person. Oh, don’t forget about the cacao beans.

“Ritsuko-chan, Sayuri-san, just go home today.”

“Yes, senior… Huh? Why?”

“I’m also confused about that. Even though the sun has set, our dorm doesn’t have a curfew.”  

“Are you not writing a reflection essay? I’ll write mine alone, so you guys go back to your dorm and write yours.”  

“Ah.”

Ah, right. Knowing that they’re sharing the responsibility makes me feel a little better. Now it’s just a matter of dealing with the consequences. It’s my fault, so I have to accept some of the blame.  

Come on, Hikari, you can do it!