[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 54

A few days later, after all the investigations were concluded, I returned my access rights to the confinement chamber.

Since I had stepped down from my position as chief of the investigation headquarters, my authority would naturally be revoked as well. However, in an unusual move, I personally went to Nagisa-sama to return it. I had to consider the negative public perception surrounding me.

The biggest issue was Pater. With their faction leader arrested, they were, to put it mildly, in complete chaos.

The new acting faction leader, perhaps having learned from the previous hearing, kept quiet, but the regular faction members openly displayed their hostility toward me, gossiping right in front of me at the Tea Party hall. Mika-sama didn’t seem to care much, but her subordinates were causing a ruckus on their own.

However, the Pater faction itself was deemed uninvolved in this incident, and since they still played a central role in the Tea Party hall… there was nothing to be done, really. In the end, I had to be the one to tread carefully.

Some of the agents who disliked those girls even more than I did asked me if I wasn’t frustrated, but, well, I don’t know.

The ripple effect of the incident wasn’t as significant as I had expected. The day after the attempted coup, Nagisa-sama carried out her duties as usual, Mika-sama quietly stayed in the confinement chamber, and, unusually, the Supplementary Lessons Department faced no punishment.

Honestly, it was completely unexpected, but Sayuri-san’s explanation helped me make some sense of it.

To summarize her analysis, it was a synergy of three factors: Trinity General Academy’s characteristic political apathy, Nagisa-sama’s amnesty for most of those involved, and the fact that the mobilized forces were external.

Well, our girls don’t even give a passing thought to politics, do they?

Take Kyouyama-chan from back in the day as a prime example. The dessert club folks would skip studying for midterms just to hunt for sweets. As if they’d care about this damn political mess.

“In the end, both the Pater folks and us are just frogs in a well. I’m at least a bit better off since I go around busting up punks causing trouble at restaurants, but those guys—do they even know any students outside their social circle?”

“They don’t care about that stuff, so don’t worry, senpai. Just eat your food properly. Besides, is someone whose public image rivals the Valkyrie Public Security Bureau chief really in a position to talk?”

“Ugh, look at Sat-chan defending her faction!”

“Ritsu-chan, shut up.”

Sayuri-san must be scary because Ritsuko-chan immediately clams up. Why doesn’t she resist tyranny like Red Winter or something?

My juniors, who’ve been worn out looking after me for days, are grilling meat in the mountains since morning, saying they’re treating themselves. The trees around here are of such good quality that even small branches are enough to start a fire for grilling.

Half of it is me grilling the meat, and the other half is the phytoncide scent wafting through the forest. It’s a weird feeling—how do I even describe it? It definitely has a positive effect, but, um…

It’s like eating rice mixed with seaweed paste during a spare moment while standing guard at dawn?

“What kind of feeling is that?”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

I think my head’s about to explode trying to figure out the physical correlation between the concentration of phytoncides per unit area and the smell of ribs bought at the market when they’re grilled. As expected, I’m better at breaking things than overthinking them.

Anyway. I brought a special sauce today to make sure the kids eat well. It’s something like Sanhaekyungsan’s miso katsu sauce. It goes great with meat, so I stocked up on a ton, heh heh.

Sometimes, passing students recognize me and ask why only the three of us are eating, but don’t worry.

Who am I? The veteran of the border checkpoint, the senior who’s rolled around more than any other department head and can proudly say she knows the hearts of her agents better than anyone. Of course, I shared the ribs with my juniors too.

The meat definitely works wonders. If I threw a feast someday, it’d be the best way to boost morale.

“Hey, Suzuki-chan says your voice is on the radio?”

“Is it time already? I did a press conference this morning… yeah, it’s noon, right on schedule.”

“Ritsu-chan, turn it on. Set it to frequency 670.”

“Ugh, do we have to listen? The director said my voice sounds like some scheming villain from a movie.”

Hey, hearing that kind of thing is a bit embarrassing, you know.

Lately, the way the Tea Party hall executives look at me has been off. I’m finally starting to understand what Nagisa-sama meant by “fear” the other day, but it makes me wonder if I’m a bit slow.

It’s a little awkward to show this to my juniors, you know? As a senior, I can’t afford to lose face. It’s, like… pride, my own kind of pride. I’m absolutely not authoritarian! Just something like that.

No idea why it’s necessary, though.

“Senpai, do you know how much Sat-chan and I struggled to help with that press conference?”

“I know, I know…”

“And you’re saying that? Don’t we at least deserve the right to see the results of our hard work?”

Man, why is Ritsuko-chan so logical all of a sudden?

Now that I think about it, she’s got a point. From their perspective, the report I read was practically the fruit of their labor, so they’d want to see it. Hmm, maybe my voice sounds better than I thought?

“Alright, fine, you win. Do whatever you want, Ritsuko-chan. Turn it on!”

“See, Sat-chan? If you throw a big enough tantrum, senpai can’t do anything about it.”

“Yes, yes. Next time, I’ll throw a fit like Ritsu-chan.”

“…You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?!”

They’re putting on a whole comedy skit by themselves.

Ritsuko-chan turned on the radio and tuned it to the right frequency. Being deep in the forest, it took a while for the radio to catch the signal, but soon the static cleared, and my voice came through.

It feels weird. I’ve only ever seen myself in newspaper photos, so hearing my voice is almost a first. I wonder how it sounds?

…Thus, at around 7:31 PM, Faction Leader Misono Mika spotted this checkpoint captain and approached, asking, “Why are you here?” to which I responded with the same question. Fearing her plans would be exposed, the faction leader grabbed me and…

“Ooh, it’s pretty good! Senpai, you handled the press conference better than I expected. I thought you’d get nervous in front of a crowd.”

“Hey, I’ve got some experience from my days as director, you know. I’ve done a few interviews.”

Of course, those were mostly because some damn Chronos School kid I thought was just passing through suddenly shoved a mic in my face. That interview’s still up on the Chronos School website, portraying me like some kind of villain.

It was only a few months ago, so I remember her face vividly. I haven’t seen her since—she must’ve sensed my murderous intent—but there’s no way a scoop-hunter like her would miss the Great Imperial Wheel. I’m waiting for her to show up.

Just wait till I catch her. I’ll plate my rifle butt with titanium and pay her a visit.

***

…The punishment was decided by Nagisa-sama’s authority, and no hearing will be held. With that, I conclude my investigation report. That is all.

“…What do you think, Ako?”

“Well… it’s clear something happened at Trinity. Even students who don’t know much about the social scene will learn about it through this press conference. They’ll realize a storm has swept through the upper echelons.”

“Exactly. It’s the result of a localized battle breaking out at Trinity’s main building a few days ago. One of the three major factions, Pater, could fall. The balance of Trinity’s political sphere might shift dramatically.”

“The checkpoint captain becoming the head of the investigation is significant too. On the surface, it’s because she was the highest-ranking official involved, but…”

“The issue is her political leanings. It’s hard to believe Kirifuji Nagisa appointed the checkpoint captain as investigation head without any ulterior motive, given her influence in the social scene. Is it possible Nagisa had no intentions, Ako?”

No, Ako replied firmly. Hina the Prefect Team chairwoman shared the same thought.

The incident a few days ago turned the intelligence department upside down. It was a situation they hadn’t anticipated, and they had to take responsibility for not preparing in time. According to Ako, a few directors nearly lost their jobs.

A coup in any academy—except Red Winter—is never a good thing. It causes major political ripples, leadership changes, and a geometric increase in the amount of information the Prefect Team has to process.

And in the midst of this, an incident occurred at Trinity, the academy with the closest ties to Gehenna, and it failed. The Pater faction has long been known for its hostility toward Gehenna. Their neutralization, or at least taking a significant hit, is good news for Gehenna. It should be.

But a lingering doubt remained in Hina’s heart.

“The intelligence department’s last report clearly evaluated the checkpoint captain as a potential coup element. According to an internal source at the Tea Party hall, they even argued heatedly for hours. Yet Nagisa appointed Yamatsu Hikari as investigation head by her own authority, without a hearing. What does this mean?”

“I’ve been thinking about that too. If it’s about suppressing the coup, the Sisterhood handled most of it, as far as I know. The likelihood of her being reinstated through the coup is quite low.”

“But it’s hard to believe Nagisa’s suspicions about the checkpoint captain were simply resolved through conversation or time. Above all, Nagisa prioritizes political stability. Why would someone like her appoint a checkpoint captain close to a major faction to such a key position?”

The head of the investigation isn’t just a hearing chairperson. They’re granted unconditional authority over related individuals and locations.

Monopolizing information related to the incident means that if the appointee has ulterior motives, it becomes difficult to respond. The Tea Party hall has no proper countermeasures, and Nagisa knows this.

So, then…

“Ako, let’s think about this. Could there be some kind of deal between the two that we don’t know about?”

“Yes. For example, Kirifuji’s host might guarantee the checkpoint captain’s position in exchange for her ensuring the stability of the host’s regime. It’s not a hierarchical relationship but a collusive one… It’s plausible.”

“…”

It was a highly plausible prediction. The possibility that Nagisa made a political compromise with the checkpoint captain for the sake of the academy—or herself.

But… could it be concluded based on mere speculation? The intelligence department hadn’t produced any reports.

In a situation like this, Hina herself might have to take action.

“…It might be faster to find out directly.”

“So… wait, what?”

“Contact the investigation headquarters. Tell them I’ll visit today.”

Ako was visibly flustered and fumbled, but it was a familiar sight. Hina didn’t pay it much mind.

Hikari didn’t dislike Gehenna, but what that meant was unclear. It was entirely possible she was moving for her own power, as the public suspected. At the very least, the intelligence department head’s reports suggested as much.

However, Hina was betting on it not being true. Her actions so far didn’t seem aimed at securing power… the timing of the coup was too late.

Hina wasn’t Makoto, and the checkpoint captain in Hina’s mind wasn’t Makoto either.

It was an emergency meeting, but she hoped the captain would speak her true intentions. They were students with some level of mutual understanding, after all.

Hina began preparing to leave.

*

T/L – Fun Fact: The chapter title para bellum is from the Latin adage sī vīs pācem, parā bellum (“if you want peace, prepare for war”)