[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 35

Heh, today’s a really lucky day, isn’t it?

While walking through the streets of D.U. early this morning, I caught sight of a certain someone I’d been keeping an eye on. Even setting aside the striking tan suit and the square hat, her piercing gaze was more than enough to pick her out in a crowd.

There are countless second-year students at Trinity General Academy, but there’s only one head of the Border Checkpoint.

Yes, I found her—Yamatsu Hikari. All thanks to my superhuman instincts, of course.

That said, this same person, who claimed she came to D.U. on an empty stomach this morning, is now wolfing down a bowl of gyudon right in front of me. As a fellow public servant, I can’t help but feel a twinge of pity. Not that I mean it sincerely, of course.

Who would I ever feel such sympathy for?

Pity aside, she’s an incredibly intriguing student to me. Based on the records I’ve gathered from past knights and the data compiled by the Defense Office, I’ve come to a realization after much thought.

Oh. This student might just be my kindred spirit.

Her ideology, evident in every word she speaks, and the way she ruthlessly suppresses protests across Trinity General Academy show clearly that she has no room for appeasement. It’s not liberalism, that’s for sure.

I might be exaggerating a bit, but I can say this: whether Yamatsu Hikari denies it or perhaps even acknowledges it, she is authoritarianism itself, cloaked in the guise of a student. Everything she’s done proves it.

From what I’ve seen of her actions—the unprecedented expansion of the Border Checkpoint to a scale never before witnessed, to the surprise artillery strike on Gehenna, as the evidence suggests—all of it seems aimed at expanding her influence. As if she’s planning to make something big happen someday.

Some students already seem to take it as a given.

“…Man, this place is good. It’s rare to find a spot that makes gyudon this well. Could you tell me the address of this place?”

“Of course! It’s a restaurant I frequent myself because the food’s great despite the crowd. A hidden gem, you might say.”

“With D.U. being as big as it is, there’s bound to be more than one or two places like this. Thanks for the meal, though.” She seems completely oblivious to it all.

Well, I don’t really care about that. What matters is whether she could be useful to my plans in the future. Of course, before that, I need to figure out if she’s someone who’d stand on my side.

She has her place, and I have mine. A student who fulfills their responsibilities and does their part is the one who paves the path to becoming superhuman, isn’t that right? All I’m hoping for is the unspoken benefits that might come my way in the process.

The Checkpoint Captain, having already polished off her gyudon bowl, is now reaching for the snacks I’d left on my office desk. I feel a bit reluctant—those were supposed to be my treat for later.

Oh well, for an interesting student I haven’t met in a while, I’ll let it slide as the price of her company. For now, let’s focus on asking questions.

“Checkpoint Captain. Do you know why I brought you here?”

“Hm? Oh, I knew you’d say that.”

“You were expecting it?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The Defense Office Chief isn’t some relief knight who picks random passersby to treat to a meal. The problem is, I have no idea why you called me here. So, why did you?”

“…Let’s just say I have something to ask. I’m conducting a thought experiment, and I’d like your input on my ideas.” She was about to toss a piece of jerky into her mouth but paused, giving me a curious look.

I’m not sure what it means, but the phrase “thought experiment” definitely piqued her interest. Sometimes, a single word thrown in at the last second can shift someone’s attention entirely.

Alright, let’s keep going.

“Checkpoint Captain. I’d like you to try this thought experiment too. Imagine you’re in a massive organization where you have no allies. No matter how much you struggle, their hostility toward you doesn’t waver.”

“That’s my situation right now.”

“…Really?”

“I’m telling you, it is. I came to D.U. because I got chewed out by the higher-ups at the Tea Party.”

Wait, hold on.

This is something I absolutely didn’t expect. As far as I know, the Border Checkpoint’s position within Trinity General Academy’s social circles wasn’t that precarious… What’s going on here?

No, no, this isn’t the time for that. It’s probably something I can control.

“Well, then… no, just think about it. In such an unjust situation, after enduring and enduring, you finally decide to make something happen. From your perspective, it’s like starting a ‘revolution’ to overthrow the corrupt powers that be. What would you do first?”

“That’s not likely to happen, but if I were to stage an uprising… Hold on, I’d like to hear your thoughts first, Defense Chief. Since you’re the one who’s been mulling over this thought experiment, your opinion must carry some weight.”

“Hmm, fair enough. In my case, I concluded that I’d start by recruiting allies. Even if there’s a faction that looks at me with disdain, there’s always some common ground from a certain perspective. I’d try to leverage that.”

“And it failed?”

“Yes, spectacularly. I rallied more than half the organization, but it was crushed in an instant.”

What a waste of a simulation that was. I even went as far as dragging in Kaiser Corporation’s tank division, but at the last moment, the Public Security Bureau betrayed us. If it weren’t for that final blow, I could’ve claimed the Student Council President’s seat at least once.

No matter how I think about it, securing the D.U. Security Headquarters and the Defense Bureau would’ve made things so much easier. Sigh… This is why the Student Council is such a problem. Without a strong military organization, you need legitimacy to seize power…

Oh, oops, I’ve been lost in my thoughts for too long. I should check her reaction—wait, why is she looking at me like that?

“…”

“What’s with that expression?”

“Oh, nothing… I was just wondering why someone who rose to the rank of Defense Chief would choose such a strategy. I’d have gone for the complete opposite. Starting from the bottom up is practically a revolution, isn’t it?”

“So you’re saying you would’ve succeeded?”

She nodded and let out a deep sigh. A sigh, right in front of me? Is she saying my strategy was that foolish? But according to my calculations, numerical superiority was the most critical factor in a power struggle.

While I was sorting through my questions, Checkpoint Captain Hikari held up a bowl to show me.

It was the gyudon bowl she’d completely cleaned out earlier.

“Defense Chief, gyudon is just rice with seasoned beef on top. Put pork on it, it’s butadon. Put katsu on it, it’s katsu-don. Put chicken and egg, it’s oyakodon. Put tempura, it’s tendon. And don’t get me started on sanmainikudon with pork belly.”

“…And?”

“The key here is that the dish changes, but the rice underneath stays the same. No chef uses different rice for katsu-don or tendon—it’s just common sense.”

“Right, the rice doesn’t change.”

“The rice doesn’t change; only what’s on top does. You know this, I know this. No one’s crazy enough to pair multigrain rice with katsu when eating katsu-don.”

I think I just heard a curse word, but maybe it’s my imagination.

She couldn’t hold back a chuckle, letting a small laugh slip into the office. But then she turned serious again, holding the gyudon bowl higher to show me.

“The rice doesn’t care what dish is on top, as long as it doesn’t directly affect it.”

“…Political apathy.”

“Especially when it comes to the Student Council. The political world is always a battle of influence among the top dogs. To seize power among people who’ve eaten up every ounce of scrutiny, you need to eliminate your target faster than anyone else.”

“What target?”

“Heh, did you think everything I just said was nonsense? Think about it, and the answer’s obvious. If you want to call it your gyudon, your cabinet, you’ve got to be the first to put your dish on the rice.”

Oh.

I think I get what she’s saying. Every chef has a dish that matches their skill.

Instead of focusing on the masses, who are numerous but have zero influence on the Student Council, you just need to target the one person at the very top of the organization. In Trinity General Academy, that’d be the Tea Party, and in the Student Council… well, let’s be careful with words.

It’s a brilliant idea. Checkpoint Captain Hikari might just be a higher-caliber figure than me when it comes to politics. People who can make this kind of mental shift are the ones who leave their names in history books, aren’t they?

Oh, I can’t wait to wrap up this meeting and revise my plans. I can feel the corners of my mouth turning up.

“Why are you suddenly smiling, Defense Chief?”

“Nothing… No, I just really like your perspective. It’s been a big help, you could say.”

“Well, that’s great for me, but I think it’s time to head out. I’ve stayed here too long.”

“Oh, I’ll walk you out. Where are you headed? Schale?” She nodded. I gave her a bright smile.

I’ve got a few hypotheses based on her responses, one of which is that she might’ve just let slip the strategy she’s actually planning, in a roundabout way. It’s been a huge help to my plans, hasn’t it?

What a delightful student. If she really becomes Student Council President someday, I’d want to bring her to the Student Council by my side, even if it means groveling to the Tea Party. She’d cooperate, wouldn’t she?

“Checkpoint Captain, how about we take a vacation sometime and go camping together?”

“Doesn’t sound bad. But what’s the occasion?”

“Well, I’ve got something in mind about you.”

Oh, really.

“We’d make a great team, don’t you think?”