[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 19

It’s been nearly two weeks since Hikari-senpai left the checkpoint.

She confidently swore she’d be back in a week. A week, my foot—it’s been days, and she’s still not here. Forget coming back; she hasn’t even shown a glimpse of herself on any community platforms.

If she at least contacted us, it’d be different, but all I get when I call is a voicemail prompt. Her last login to TrinityTime was five days ago, and even asking around with the Millennium kids yields no news about her. There’s a rumor that the Engineering Club is half on strike, but I’m not sure if that’s related to her.

If I’m so worried, why don’t I just go look for her myself?

Yeah, right.

Then who’s going to man the Maxim machine gun in the checkpoint trench—God knows where it even came from? Who’s going to fill the temporary checkpoint captain role that senpai personally appointed me to? Besides, the other kids don’t seem to care much. Just look around; it’s obvious.

“Yuzuki-san, what’re you doing there?”

“Sighing. When’s senpai coming back?”

“How should I know? She said she’d give us a bonus if we hold the fort. Don’t worry too much—where’s the buttstock murderer gonna go?”

Where the hell did a nickname like that even come from?

Lately, at the checkpoint, senpai’s nickname has solidified as “Buttstock Murderer.” Just say the “Ya” in Yamatsu to a passing checkpoint member, and they’ll respond with “Buttstock Senpai.” Type “buttstock” into TrinityTime’s search bar, and “Checkpoint Captain” pops up as a related term.

The nickname sticking like that is definitely thanks to those hack journalists from Chronos. To be fair, it’s hard to come up with a different nickname from a photo of her smashing a protester’s head with a shotgun buttstock, but still. Not “Spoon Killer” or something—Buttstock Murderer? That’s too much. Though, compared to what the Pater Faction calls her—“Light-Crazed Bitch”—it’s nothing.

Anyway, unlike me, the kids aren’t too worried about senpai.

About half of them believe she’ll handle things and come back on her own. Thirty percent are more focused on working hard until she returns. The remaining twenty percent are the usual “if five gather, one’s guaranteed to be a complete moron” types, so… let’s not count them.

“So, Miori-chan, which group are you?”

“Ugh, that again? I always say I’m stuck between the thirty percent nerds and the twenty percent idiots.”

“I’ll just round you to twenty percent.”

Miori-chan screamed, Why you gotta do me like that, you bitch? but I’m not too interested in her reaction. I’m already fixated on one topic.

It’s too peaceful.

No, saying it like that makes me sound like a warmonger, but come on. This is a checkpoint—the only checkpoint between Gehenna and Trinity. Isn’t it normal for there to be problems?

Oh, of course, this only applies to today. Up until yesterday, I was firing the Maxim machine gun until my hands hurt so bad I lost sensation. Thank God it’s water-cooled; if it was air-cooled, the barrel would’ve caught fire, warped, and caused major damage.

“Yesterday was rough, huh? Who would’ve guessed Gehenna would bring out a 15cm howitzer again?”

“Thanks to that, I was stuck with the Knight Order until this morning. Didn’t I tell you not to charge into weird places like senpai does?”

“Nah, I thought I was tough enough to hold out until I reached them, like Buttstock Senpai. Turns out, I wasn’t.”

Miori thinks she’s got endurance. If we fought for real, she’d be barely on par with me, let alone senpai, but she’s got this pointless confidence.

When she suddenly blew her whistle and charged yesterday, I thought, This idiot’s finally lost it. In the end, while Miori got knocked out by a howitzer shell, a few of us, including me, rushed the howitzer and neutralized it. She probably never dreamed she’d be the bait. I should’ve known something was up when she called me at dawn asking how to play the bagpipes.

Anyway, back to the point: the Gehenna ambush we expected today hasn’t come.

The sun’s high in the sky. They attacked at 9 a.m. the day before and yesterday, so we were fully prepared today, but why’s there no sign of them even as lunchtime approaches? Are they strategizing in Gehenna, planning to hit us while we’re eating lunch? I’ve got a bad feeling—my idiot hairs are tingling. Something big’s gonna happen today, I’m sure.

“Miori, I’m still the checkpoint captain, right?”

“Yup. You’re probably the highest-ranking one here.”

“Then tell the kids: no eating lunch in the break room today. Pack a lunch and eat in the trenches.”

Miori asked why I was making such a fuss. Thankfully, she quickly agreed after hearing me out. From her reaction, it seemed she’d vaguely been thinking the same thing.

Not long after Miori left, the trenches filled with students carrying packed lunches. Some, too lazy to bother, brought cafeteria trays and ate straight from them. I had to look away from a junior eating canned food to “reenact trench warfare.”

Since I’d been on trench duty since morning, I didn’t have time to grab cafeteria food. Instead, I opened the combat rations in my pocket.

Dry crackers. They’re a bit bland but have a nice, nutty flavor, so I like them. As I tossed the square grain pieces into my mouth, I felt Miori’s pitying gaze.

“…Why’re you looking at me like that?”

“No reason, just… you’re eating like you’re actually in a trench war. I could call you Corporal Yuzuki.”

Is that an insult or a compliment? No, definitely not a compliment. I shoved the half-eaten cracker into my mouth and looked down at myself.

Being in the trenches since morning, my uniform was mostly caked in mud. My hair was a mess from not washing for two days, and the ground around me was littered with spent casings from the machine gun.

…Even I have to admit, I look like a soldier in a real trench war. Put horns on me, and I’d pass for a Gehenna student.

But, whatever. Who cares?

I tossed another cracker into my mouth. The salty cracker was still delicious. Miori gave me a weird look as I happily chewed.

It’s a peaceful day.

“What’s that? What’s that noise?”

“…Holy shit.”

If not for the massive something approaching from beyond the trench, today might’ve been remembered as a rare day when Gehenna didn’t cause a ruckus. I could’ve collapsed onto senpai’s bed, exhausted but comfortable, and slept soundly.

Rumble, rumble. The ground shook, and dirt fell from the trench floor. A scout rushed to the observation post and reported something approaching from Gehenna’s direction. I stuffed the crackers into my pocket and climbed the trench wall. A sandstorm was rolling in from the road to Gehenna.

A huge one. Shit.

“Everyone, battle stations! Miori, check Gehenna’s forces!”

“I’ll grab the binoculars and head up… Got ‘em!”

It was chaos. Most students dropped their lunches and climbed onto the trench walls. I ran to the machine gun mount and poured water into the cooling system. The sandstorm was massive. At this scale, are they leisurely coming to ambush us after a big lunch in Gehenna?

Miori stepped out of the trench, binoculars in hand, scanning the forest. Whatever she saw drained the color from her face. I was about to run over and ask what she saw when the scout radioed in.

“Situation report! Vehicle approaching! Vanguard Division emblem confirmed!”

“What? Hey, hey! Stand down, get ready to deal with an admin! Goddamn, if you’re coming, give us a heads-up!”

I climbed the trench wall, ate a cracker, and let out a huge sigh of relief. Vanguard Division, huh? I’ve met their students exactly three times, all admins mediating because of checkpoint battles.

She was pretty famous. That, uh, busty student. I know it sounds pervy, but honestly, that’s all I can remember. Even if she dressed modestly, her presence would stand out, but with that outfit, what else am I supposed to notice?

Anyway, they must’ve thought we crossed a line after watching us fend off Pandemonium Society’s antics for days. They brought a howitzer to take us out—that’s probably what got them. Or maybe it’s because we were shelling at dawn a few days ago.

The Prefect Team is our best meat shield against Pandemonium Society. Since they’re from Gehenna, they’re not exactly a shield, but it’s ideal if they both wipe each other out. Of course, saying that in front of an admin would piss them off, but who’s gonna hear me?

A bit annoyed that they didn’t give us a heads-up, I headed to the checkpoint. The Prefect Team’s vehicle was already at the barricade. Miori was still half out of it. I don’t get why she’s like this.

I tapped her shoulder twice.

“Miori, why do you look like your soul’s gone?”

“…No, it’s not that…”

“What?”

“It’s not an admin vehicle… It’s… Oh no…”

“Miori, Miori?!”

Thud. Miori fainted. Panicking, I froze for a few seconds before snapping out of it and carrying her to a nearby bench. She was breathing fine, so it seemed she just passed out from mental overload.

What the hell is going on? Did Miori secretly lob a grenade toward Gehenna or something? She’s not the type to get scared easily.

Clank. The sound of a door opening. I turned to see someone coming out from inside. Since it’s a Gehenna admin who’s at least reasonable, I figured we could sort this out together.

“Oh, admin, you’re here? How’ve you—… Huh? What?!”

“…Are you the new checkpoint captain?”

The atmosphere flipped completely. A massive ice storm, centered on the figure in front of the vehicle, engulfed us all. Two years my senior but much shorter, wearing a dark-themed uniform. Bat-like wings.

Fuck, why is the Prefect Team Leader here? She looked at me, staring into my eyes and halo, then asked again.

“…I asked if you’re the new checkpoint captain.”

“…”

Of course, I was already collapsing at that point. Oh, thanks to you, I’ve lost consciousness. I should’ve realized when Miori fainted, muttering “Prefect” as she went down.

Senpai, where the hell are you—

Thud.