[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 50

“Captain, we can’t handle this! The Tea Party Hall is already full of complaints, and now you want to escalate the lockdown? Are you itching to get dragged into a hearing? It’s not just Pater—Filius will come for you too!”

“Then at least issue a garrison order. I need legal grounds to make a move, don’t I?”

“A garrison order requires a request from at least a director-level officer! Obviously, it’d look like I’m the one asking you, so are you trying to drag me down with you? Do I look like a pushover to you?”

“Hey, come on. Even if Gehenna invades today, I’d make sure you survive, so just do it, damn it. I’ll take full responsibility!”

The Director hesitated for a moment.

Soon after, with a chilling threat that she’d haunt me forever if dragged to a hearing, she sent a request for a garrison order. Given the situation, the signature was hastily photoshopped.

With the support of a director-level figure from the Tea Party Hall, especially someone handling critical duties like the Communications Office, all that’s left is to apprehend them. I need to get to the scene as fast as possible to survive this.

“Senpai, are you sure Nagisa-sama was kidnapped? I haven’t seen any rumors about it online.”

“That’s why we’re only issuing a garrison order, Ritsuko-chan. There’s something fishy, like the Justice Task Force not contacting us. If it was certain, we’d be declaring an emergency, not a lockdown.”

I have some evidence, but I’m not sure if it’s solid. My gut tells me it’s worse.

Were the Supplementary Class kids this reckless? I only really know Hanako, but from what Sayuri-san’s told me, they might resent Nagisa-sama but wouldn’t go as far as kidnapping.

How did they even find out which of the 87 safehouses she was in? And what the hell were the Guards doing? There’s no way two people could neutralize dozens of students.

Now that I think about it, I’m pissed. Those guys always mocked us, acting superior.

They bragged about cruising into battle in their Crusaders, while Gehenna’s Pandemonium at least guards their student council president properly. And our Nagisa-sama gets kidnapped while they just watch?

What kind of discipline do those kids have? Should I propose a purge to Nagisa-sama after this? They’d better earn their keep if the Tea Party’s pouring money into them. I’ll either confront the Guard Commander myself or beg Nagisa-sama to fix their attitude. Who knows, the fallout might hit us too.

Crackle. Sayuri-san radioed in.

“Senpai, we’re here, but something’s seriously off! There’s a huge firefight around the gym—what the hell’s going on?! Did Gehenna drop paratroopers or something?”

“What? Damn it, I don’t know the situation either. Don’t engage—send scouts!”

“Got it. Hurry!”

What the hell’s happening at the gym? A nighttime firefight with explosions should’ve caught Chronos or the media’s attention, but there’s no breaking news yet, which is weird.

It’s all so confusing. Maybe I should’ve ignored the call and stayed at the Checkpoint.

One thing’s clear: as Sayuri-san said, I need to get to the scene fast. I have to see it myself to figure out if we’re under attack.

I floored the accelerator on the Hippo truck.

***

“Is this right, Sayuri-chan? It feels like our backs are gonna break before the captain gets here.”

“Just keep waiting, Yuzuki. Attacking first won’t do us any good. We don’t know if our allies are among those fighting, and if the enemy’s too strong, we could be taken out before senpai arrives.”

Yuzuki and I were in a corridor on the upper-middle floors of the main building, watching the firefight through a window.

Explosions erupted everywhere, and grenades launched under gunfire created flashes in the fog. The battle was so intense that the fog wasn’t just from smoke grenades but also from muzzle flashes.

I considered Yuzuki’s point. With about 140 students here, plus the artillery unit sent to a distant clearing, we have nearly 350 people. That might be enough to take on the forces fighting beyond the wall.

But the fallout I’d face is unimaginable. I’m just a deputy, far below a Tea Party Hall official.

Honestly, I’m scared.

If senpai’s right, this is an unprecedented situation with Nagisa-sama kidnapped. What can I do? I was just supposed to gather students and bring them to the Checkpoint. I can’t handle this—senpai’s the one who deals with this stuff.

But… is it okay to just observe? Gathering info from a distance has limits, and in this situation, sending scouts is the best option, but…

“Yuzuki, any Checkpoint members good at scouting?”

“Scouting? Well… there’s a kid in Squad 3 who’s great at hide-and-seek.”

“We’ve got some too. Since most of us have special forces training, we’re probably better than you.”

“Oh, really? Then introduce me—wait, what?! Who’s that?!”

Yuzuki nearly fell off the windowsill in shock. I was just as startled, my evening parfait almost coming back up my throat. The girl in the gas mask responsible for this, though, was unfazed.

“Who are you? You don’t seem to be under Squad’s command. State your affiliation.”

“W-We’re with the Checkpoint… what’s Squad?”

“What? Hold on, the Checkpoint? The Trinity Border Checkpoint I know?”

Yuzuki and I nodded simultaneously, still flustered. Contrary to our expectations, the gas-masked girl panicked, dropping her gun. I noticed a skull emblem on it—something I haven’t seen in a while.

She grabbed her radio to say something. Feeling a bad vibe, I moved to attack, but Yuzuki was faster.

“Hey, this is Main Building 17—cough!”

As the student collapsed, I saw the rifle stock that had smashed the back of her head, slightly bloodied. Yuzuki, acting on instinct, looked both excited and panicked.

I grabbed her trembling hand, securing the gun’s strap.

“Calm down, calm down. Why’d you nearly kill her? I thought you were senpai for a second.”

“She was radioing! Her reaction after hearing our affiliation wasn’t friendly, so I had a hunch. She was about to expose our position to her base. At the very least, she’s not on our side.”

“So you smashed her head with a wooden stock?”

“Otherwise, we’d have been caught! This isn’t the time to argue. Her radio cut off mid-transmission, so some of them will come looking, thinking something’s up. We need to get back to the main unit now.”

I agreed with Yuzuki. At the border, a cut-off radio usually means an ambush.

The armed group fighting out there would know that.

We quickly left the building, heading for the overgrown wall. We’d only come to scout, planning to return to the main unit’s forest clearing soon. The problem is the risk of getting caught. God, please watch over us.

Tap tap tap tap.

Luckily, we didn’t encounter anyone until we reached the edge of the main building. They must’ve gone to the gym to support the intense fighting. That’s good for us.

“This is wild. What do we report? The fog or smoke grenades blocked everything.”

“Just say the battle’s fierce. Senpai should be here by now… let’s get over the wall first.”

Yuzuki deftly climbed the wall and vanished. All I had to do was climb the vines—

“What’s this☆ Sayuri-chan, is that you?”

Wait. Wait, wait, wait.

I just heard a voice I wasn’t supposed to hear.

Still gripping the vines, I turned my head to meet the eyes of the voice’s owner. Vibrant pink hair, a pristine Tea Party uniform, and a black-painted Lanchester submachine gun.

How could I not recognize her? She was once one of the closest students to me. The question is, why is she here?

“Mika-sama, why are you here?”

“That’s what I want to ask, Sayuri-chan. You’re with the Checkpoint, so you should know, right? The main building’s under a security lockdown. What are you doing here without sending an access request to the Tea Party?”

“Uh… I got lost! Yeah, that’s it. Trinity’s city is so complicated.”

“Lost, huh? Then as faction leader, I should escort you to the entrance, right?”

Mika-sama put a hand on my shoulder, smiling faintly. Did it work? I made it up on the spot, but did it work?

Crunch.

“…! Ugh…”

“But Sayuri-chan, anyone could tell you’re lying with that trembling voice. If you meet Nagi-chan, you’d better not talk like that in front of her.”

“…Uh, no, I…”

“And not in front of me either.”

I’m screwed.

What the hell’s going on? Yuzuki’s nowhere to be found, and I thought this was a fight between the Supplementary Class and some rebel or ambush force, but now Mika-sama shows up.

If Mika-sama’s here, why was the lockdown declared? Why hasn’t the Justice Task Force shown up?

“Sayuri-chan, tell the truth. Why are you here?”

“…”

“Not talking?”

“It’s because of me, Mika-sama.”

“Oh, okay… wait, who’s that?” A voice came from the other side, and as Mika-sama turned, I escaped her iron grip.

A student stood across the wall. Dressed in a trench coat instead of the usual beige uniform, with gray hair exposed instead of a cylindrical hat, but I recognized her immediately.

I ran to senpai, nearly in tears.

“Senpaiii…”

“Oh, it’s Hikari-chan. What’s going on?”

“Tell me about it.”

Senpai looked very pissed.

“What the hell is this about?”