[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 39

Safety Information Chat

 

Safety Information Text

[Border Inspection Point] As of 8:00 PM today, a border alert has been issued due to provocations in the border area, and a temporary ban on traveling on the 1st and 3rd border roads has been issued. Traffic congestion is expected, so please use detours and public transportation.

8:22 AM

 

Safety Information Text

From the Trinity Comprehensive Academy Justice Realization Department: An evacuation order and emergency alert have been issued due to a protest near the tea house. Traffic congestion is expected, so please use detours and public transportation.

6:13 PM

 

Safety Information Text

Please note that there will be a 3km curfew around Piccadilly Street due to an event related to the Federal Investigation Club <S.C.H.A.L.E.>, so please use public transportation when leaving school. [TEA PARTY]

5:03 AM

 

Safety Information Text

[Border Inspection Point] A large-scale artillery drill is scheduled for today (as of 2:00 PM) in the border area, and a curfew has been issued. Please take detours and use public transportation to prepare for noise and shock.

2:08 PM

 

Rikuhachima Aru stared at the text that popped up on her screen, accompanied by a piercing alarm.

And then she thought:

So this is Trinity?

“Boss, it seems like we’ve been in Trinity’s autonomous district for a while now.”

“Looks like it, based on the message.”

“Aru-chan, is this okay? If we run into Trinity students, we’ll have to fight, no questions asked!”

“I-I’ll follow Aru-san wherever she goes…!”

A group of four students, flavored with a dash of Gehenna.

How did it come to this? The biggest issue was that, while searching for a cutting-edge truck that caught everyone’s attention during a battle with the Disciplinary Committee in Abydos, they’d headed to Gehenna on the boss’s stubborn insistence—without a map. Seriously, they tried to navigate the mountains without a map.

Still, as long as she firmly believed she was a hard-boiled villain, the boss had nothing to fear!

Except, maybe, the fact that they’d only eaten lake water and a few fish caught and grilled in a valley for days. Ammunition and explosives, though, were plentiful—especially the latter, thanks to Haruka-chan’s expertise. Worst case, they could just blow everything up.

“But can we really find that truck, Boss? I think it’s gonna be tough.”

“Heh, but overcoming such challenges is what makes us hard-boiled, isn’t it?”

“…Of course.”

For Onikata Kayoko, the manager of “Problem Solver 68 Co., Ltd.,” this was nothing but nonsense.

Honestly, Kayoko wanted to snap, “Can you say something that makes sense?” Chasing a truck that sped past, blasting through students and debris, without knowing its make, license plate, or even its exact shape?

No matter how she thought about it, they’d probably starve to death. Was this really the right move?

She glanced at her teammates. Aru wore her usual confident expression, Mutsuki looked amused as if the situation was entertaining, and Haruka seemed nervous about dropping her bag full of explosives.

Kayoko thought things weren’t looking good.

After their final battle against Takanashi Hoshino, they’d abandoned their office and left. Staying in Abydos would’ve been a pretty attractive option. Honestly, any choice would’ve been more promising than this.

They’d hidden in the mountains to avoid Gehenna’s Disciplinary Committee, but now they had to worry about Trinity.

Unless they ran into a kind-hearted student like Ajitani Hifumi, they couldn’t expect mercy from Trinity students who despised Gehenna. Instead of tea and pastries, they’d be greeted with bullets.

Might as well launch a preemptive strike and raid their food supplies. But that wasn’t an option.

“Hey, Haruka. If we meet the truck’s owner, how should we greet them? Like a senior?”

“Y-Yes?! I-I-I’m fine with whatever Aru-san does…!” How could she disappoint Aru, who looked so childishly expectant?

So, Kayoko buried her true feelings and waited for the boss’s next goal. Of course, as the brains of Problem Solver, Kayoko knew Aru’s head was a paradise of delusion, but the boss had her own contingency plan for encountering students.

If they seemed like enemies, shoot first.

To the boss, the simplest strategy was the safest. Even back in Abydos’s fancy office, she lived by the creed: “Anything that comes through this door either gets shot or pays up.”

So, for the boss, it was a valuable experience from a crucial time. Whether it was useful was another question.

The boss pushed through the lush green underbrush.

***

A few minutes later.

I’ve been staring at one person this whole time. Actually, most of the checkpoint members’ attention is on him.

It’s Sensei, who we invited to observe the training. He’s fallen head over heels for the Caesar self-propelled gun and the Hippo truck, leaving his mark all over them. Just earlier, he caused a ruckus trying to set the fuse on a 6.1-inch high-explosive shell and got smacked by a member.

With a small bump on his head from the light tap, Sensei’s laughing as if the pain is nothing. Some students, already smitten with Sensei, are eagerly sharing stories, and Sensei’s soaking it all up with sparkling eyes.

It’s a bit… unhinged.

Was there ever a rumor that Sensei was a military enthusiast? All I heard was that Hayase-san nearly fainted from anger after finding a receipt for 300,000 yen worth of robot model kits. Sensei almost died, apparently.

But it’s understandable. Look at the sleek chassis of this Hippo. It’s robust, beautiful, and feels like it could withstand anything. The 6.1-inch caliber, unique compared to the Tea Party’s artillery, creates an image of annihilating any formidable enemy in one shot.

Honestly, to put it crudely, it’s kind of hot.

Not in a sexual way, of course. I’m not Hanako. Would I get excited over something like that? Speaking of Hanako, clearing up the misunderstanding with her is far more important than any rumors about her being a pervert.

Ugh, damn it. What do I do? My talk with Nagisa-sama didn’t cost me anything, so I can breathe a sigh of relief there, but Hanako’s been dodging my calls lately. I don’t even know what she’s up to, so scheduling a talk is impossible.

What choice do I have? I’ll take a day off and scour the Supplementary Lessons Department like I’m hunting rats.

Trudge, trudge.

Hearing footsteps, I turned to see Sensei, completely burnt out and ashen, crash-landing into a chair with a grin stretching ear to ear. I hope they don’t fall asleep like that—it’d be a bit awkward for me.

But I’ve heard Sensei’s diligent with work, so that’s unlikely. If they do nod off, I’ll just fire a howitzer right in front of them. It’ll deafen them, but it’s got its own charm, right? Sensei would probably love it.

Maybe.

“You had quite a blast, huh?”

“Yup.”

“How was it?”

Sensei grinned and gave a big thumbs-up.

“Awesome.”

“I figured. Well, anyway.” I snapped my book shut. “It’s about to get even more fun.”

“I bet. Should I thank you now for the invite, Hikari? I’m really looking forward to it.”

“It’ll exceed your expectations. Heh.”

Three chairs were set up in the clearing. One’s mine, one’s for Sensei, prepared by Nagisa-sama.

I figured we could just use the chairs at the checkpoint, but the Tea Party insisted on bringing one over. Nagisa-sama always seems to sit in a different chair every time we meet, whether at the checkpoint or the Tea Party Hall, so I let it slide.

Sensei seems to love the chair. It does look comfy. Of course, it’s nothing compared to my chief’s chair, complete with a built-in tray for my teacup. Lets me sip tea effortlessly.

Since Sensei was coming, I brought out the good tea today. What was it called? Boston something-or-other.

“Here, Sensei. Have a cup.”

“Oh? Tea, huh? Thanks, I’ll enjoy it. Hina seems to like it too.”

“You’ll love it. Want another cup, Chief?”

“Ah.”

Chararan! The three chairs were a bit of foreshadowing.

Pouring tea into an empty cup for the Prefect Team’s chairwoman, who’s secretly thrilled. I invited her as a precaution against Pandemonium Society antics, and having her here offsets the close-range ambush weakness of artillery training.

Not sure if it’s my imagination, but she seems in a better mood than during our one-on-one talks.

“Checkpoint Captain. Why’d you call me here again?”

“This event, see, it’s structured so that without you, it’s an act of aggression, but with you, it’s just artillery training.”

“I see.”

“Yup. Honestly, it’s mostly because I don’t want to deal with Pandemonium’s nonsense. Think of it as a good show.”

The chairwoman just sipped her tea silently.

She doesn’t seem thrilled, but if she’s not saying anything, that’s just agreement by default.

-This is Secure Comms. Fire Control reporting firing coordinates. Alpha 82-08, Bravo 54-58…

-Roger that. Battery 1, turning valves… Hey! Set the fuse!

-It’s me. Report when you’re ready. Three-second intervals, got it?

-We’re not your seniors; we’ve got this. Have some tea and wait.

Lately, Sayuri-san’s been teasing me. She says it’s because she’s got some experience now, but I just find it cute.

The battery in front of us is bustling—moving shells, calculating firing solutions from ballistics manuals. It’s chaos. Everyone’s gotten used to the Caesar after a few weeks, but setting the firing parameters is still pure grunt work and raw computation, so it takes forever.

Compared to last year, when we were dodging incoming shells with light machine guns, it’s a huge improvement, but seeing the kids struggle makes me think I should’ve taken out a loan to equip the artillery with electronic calculators. Poor things.

-Senpai, we’re ready.

-Got it. Fire on my signal.

-Yes, ma’am.

Looks like it’s time for the festival’s ribbon-cutting.

“Alright, everything’s set. Brace yourselves—it’s not exactly safe.”

“Got it. If things go south, Hina’s got my back, right?”

“…There’s a crowd watching, so don’t say stuff like that, Sensei.”

Are they flirting?

Well, doesn’t matter.

-Three, two, one—Fire!

—BOOM!!

The deafening roar momentarily overwhelmed my hearing, leaving a brief ringing.

The shaking ground nearly made me spill tea on my clothes. I glanced over—the chairwoman was unfazed, as if used to it, but Sensei, startled, was clinging to her sleeve, trembling. She hadn’t noticed yet.

“…Grabbing the chairwoman’s clothes won’t stop you from flying away, you know, Sensei?”

“Huh?! O-Oh, of course…!”

“…Let go, Sensei.”

Despite her words, the chairwoman’s face was bright red.

I looked up. The clear, blue sky on this fine day was shrouded in black gunpowder smoke and the acrid smell of explosives. Seconds later, the explosion from the impact site echoed across the mountains. The periodic booms suggest it’s an echo.

Man, Itsuka-senpai kept going on about “red propellant,” and it’s this powerful? Estimating the distance, we sent a 90-pound high-explosive shell over 30 miles. No wonder they tell us to stand back when firing.

It’s really… no, it’s a beautiful propellant.

“Beautiful.”

“…Yeah. Stirs a man’s romantic side, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t get it. I just hope that barrel never turns toward Gehenna.”

“Heh, as long as I’m chief, I guarantee that won’t happen.”

“Really?”

“…Probably.”

She’s throwing cold water on a good vibe. Still, it’s nice to have at least one enthusiast.

Having taken a direct hit from Pandemonium’s artillery, I get her concern. The chairwoman wouldn’t want to see high-explosive shells with far more firepower than their 88mm guns raining down on Gehenna’s city.

Let’s see, we planned for 20 shots, so 20 minus 1… 119 left?

-Secure Comms. 119 rounds, sustained fire.

-Senpai, uh… I misheard, right? 119? Not an extra 1?

-Just do it.

I feel Sayuri-san’s murderous glare from the corner of the clearing, but it’s probably my imagination.

I just want to enjoy this beautiful spectacle a bit longer. When firing at protesters, they scatter after one or two shots, so there’s little thrill. We haven’t had a large-scale bombardment like this since we demolished Gehenna’s checkpoint, so I’ve been bored.

I’ll have to reward the kids’ hard work with bonuses and a team dinner.

-Second round ready. Three, two, one—Fire!

—BOOM!!

***

What the hell?! Such hard-boiled action exists?!

Holding a teacup through that massive bombardment—how cool is that?!

“Hey, Aru-chan, isn’t this too close? The Prefect Team’s chairwoman is here—if we get caught, we’re screwed!”

“Yeah, Boss. Rumor has it the Checkpoint Captain’s a crazy bitch. Better not get too close.”

Hmph, I know the rumors about that Checkpoint Captain—or is it Bear Chief?

They say she beat Pandemonium’s executives like dogs on a hot summer day.

But as the boss of Problem Solver 68, my instincts—Rikuhachima Aru’s instincts—are screaming!

That person is the real deal!

That gaze, that nonchalance, that composure amidst the vibrations!

It’s exactly the hard-boiled vibe I’ve been chasing. Truly.

“I think it’s a bit different.”

“No, it’s not, Manager—…huh?”

Wait, that voice doesn’t sound like the Manager’s.

No, no, it’s a really familiar voice. Someone I know, uh, uh…?

“Aru-chan, I think we’re in big trouble.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…!”

“…”

When did the chairwoman notice us?

“Since you got within 30 meters.”

“…Then! Using the gunfire for a thirty-six stratagem escape—!”

—BOOM!!

—RATATATATAT!!

Urk.

“…What the? Who are these kids?”

“Problem Solver students. Why are they passed out here?”

“…Beats me.”