[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 66

“…The Arius Branch School? How could they—why would they…?”

“I wasn’t given the details. If you want to know more, call Hanako-san yourself. Of course, I don’t know if she’ll respond to your request, so the Sisterhood will have to find its own way.”

“Aren’t you being a bit too cold, coming here so suddenly? The Sisterhood hasn’t received any such information until now. I believe there should be a bit more sharing of information.”

“I’ve shared the maximum extent of what I’m authorized to. As for guiding Hanako-san, that’s not just beyond my authority—it’s her own freedom.”

Sakurako-sama didn’t seem to believe me.

I had sent Hanako’s letter to the Intelligence Office first, then brought a copy to the cathedral. There was a chance our lewd demon girl might have tampered with it, but for some reason, Nagisa-sama stopped me from delivering the original.

The Mother probably thinks that the Tea Party and I are deliberately sharing limited information and demanding explanations. It’s understandable that she might see it as the Tea Party trying to reverse the reality where the non-interference principle was effectively abandoned after the last coup.

With Nagisa-sama, who prioritizes maintaining the status quo, as the host, this story might sound plausible to some students. It’s a tempting narrative, a convenient excuse to navigate the current crisis.

Regarding the suspicions, here’s my defense:

Why would we do something so crude?

Administratively, the cathedral is part of Trinity General Academy, and politically, the Sisterhood holds the same status. Even though the Tea Party holds higher authority, it shouldn’t be in an adversarial relationship with them. That’s foolish. A stupid choice.

Even Yamatsu Hikari, who’s lived far removed from the social value of politics, knows this. Sayuri-san, who ran as a candidate for the Pater faction leader, emphasized this to me, and it’s the basic political sense any Tea Party or student council administrator should have.

The Tea Party doesn’t care about such things. Those actions yield no benefits. Nagisa-sama isn’t a fool.

“The Sisterhood has conducted internal investigations about the Arius Branch School, but we haven’t found any traces so far. If Hanako-san investigated the Sisterhood on her own and found something in the process—can the Sisterhood and I take it that way, Hikari-san?”

“I don’t care how you interpret it, Sakurako-sama. What can I do if my abilities only go this far? I’m not the Tea Party host, just a department head. You’re expecting too much from a mere envoy.”

“…Alright. If that’s your explanation, I have no choice but to accept it.”

Is that a warning or just a compromise?

What does the Sisterhood think the Tea Party is? How does Sakurako-sama see me as a student? Why would we check or push you? The Tea Party’s security network is already stretched thin.

A document found in the heart of the cathedral could warrant a summary judgment, edited just hours before it was discovered. Yet the Mother claims she didn’t sign off on it, and days later, hasn’t sent a single letter to prove it… so here I am again.

How do you think I feel? They say the security issue isn’t that serious, but because of this one thing, my neck’s on the line. If that document had been found at the Checkpoint, I’d already be expelled.

“I hope my sincerity is well conveyed to the Tea Party. Does Nagisa-san know of my innocence?”

“She knows, so don’t worry. However, Nagisa-sama is deeply concerned that no response has come from the Sisterhood for days. Oh, I should’ve mentioned this to you first, Sakurako-sama.”

“A response? I sent a telegram to the Tea Party the day after you visited the cathedral. Could it be that the Tea Party didn’t receive it, or perhaps you weren’t aware, Hikari-san?”

Wait, what does that mean? You already sent it?

“The communications director said there was no record of contact with the cathedral that day. Did you send it yourself, Sakurako-sama?”

“Yes, I personally handed a handwritten letter to the nun in charge of the cathedral’s communication room. That’s strange. I definitely sent it, but you say you didn’t receive it. Could there be an issue with the communication network between the Tea Party and the cathedral…?”

“No way. I’ll check when I get back.”

Not a chance. There’s no direct communication line between the Tea Party and the cathedral. Perhaps because no incident requiring both the Sisterhood and the Tea Party to handle classified matters simultaneously has occurred, the student council of this vast academy and its equivalent faction have relied on wireless communication.

In other words, there was no issue with communication. If there had been a major electromagnetic interference or something, social media would’ve been in an uproar. There’s been nothing like that.

So, my assumption is—

“Let’s wrap this up for today. I have things to do back at the office. Paperwork for the Checkpoint, boring stuff like that. Plus, it’s almost lunchtime.”

“I’m always busy handling documents too. Of course, I consider praying three times a day part of my routine as well. You seem to visit the cathedral less often these days, Hikari-san. Are you praying regularly?”

“Well, yeah. He’s always by my side, isn’t He?”

I offered Sakurako-sama a handshake. Unlike before, her grip was relaxed, free of tension.

“These are trying times, Hikari-san. In times like these, we need even stronger faith.”

“There can’t always be good and blessed days, can there? I just believe that He is with us.”

Sakurako-sama gave a faint smile.

I raised the corners of my mouth in return.

I left the cathedral. I had planned to return to the Checkpoint to handle today’s paperwork, but I’ll have to pass it to Sayuri-san.

A theory came to me while talking with the Mother, and it’s oddly similar to what Hanako theorized. Just how smart is our Urawa Hanako to come up with these ideas? Honestly.

It’s certain someone’s inside the Sisterhood. Meeting Sakurako-sama over the past few days confirmed it. Even if the surveillance plan was led by the cathedral, I’m certain she didn’t know about it.

This gives me something to work with.

Heh, an interesting idea came up.

I opened MomoTalk and contacted Nagato-senpai.

-What’s up, Hikari-chan?! This is the first time you’ve messaged me first on MomoTalk!

-Yeah, it’s me.

-Whoa, talking so casually to your senpai?

-I’m short on time. I’ll get to the point. You free tonight?

-For Hikari-chan, I can make time. Where?

-The bathhouse.

-The bathhouse?

Yeah, the bathhouse.

I could practically hear my senpai’s flustered reaction.

***

Trinity General Academy’s bathhouse has three defining traits: it’s extravagant, extravagant, and extravagant.

For example, they splurge nearly 20,000 yen on tea for bathing. I don’t mind that it reflects the dorm manager’s taste, but wasting budget on something so frivolous feels excessive.

Still, the facility’s grandeur is unmatched across Kivotos. The site rivals a dormitory building, with Corinthian columns, marble, and tiled finishes.

If the Red Winter kids saw this, they’d probably scream for a revolution.

“…Tch.”

The hot bath in front of me is nothing like the typical image of Trinity’s bathhouse. It’s the size of the Checkpoint’ restroom, with rough, gray stone finished in ashen silicone, devoid of softness. A half-broken lamp is just a bonus.

What do you call a place like this? It’s technically a facility attached to the Tea Party, so it falls under the public servant bathhouse category, but most administrators flock to the lavish ones… so, in the end, I’m the boss of this budget bathhouse.

They say it was originally built for students from minority factions like me, so thanks to my seniors, I make good use of it.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here~ Don’t you come often, Hikari-chan?”

“…Pretty often. You’re here early.”

With a slight splash, a student entered the hot bath and leaned back.

It was Nagato-senpai.

I had a reason for calling her here. I’ve been coming to this place for nearly five years, and I can’t recall ever seeing another student. That means it’s the perfect place to discuss things you wouldn’t want to say in front of others.

“I used to relax here back in the day. Ahh, back when the Intelligence Office was really powerful. I miss those times~!”

“Keep it down, the sound echoes, you wild senpai.”

“Ehh, Hikari-chan nags me every time I open my mouth. You’re like my mom.”

“Sure, sure.”

Truth be told, I miss those times too. When I was first promoted to Checkpoint Director, the Border Checkpoint was massive. Over a thousand students stood guard 24/7, acting as Trinity’s shield.

A glorious era, like the Belle Époque. Of course, blindly expanding size and equating it with authority is a recipe for disaster—but as the Checkpoint’s senior officer, I can’t help but miss those days. Especially now, when I feel myself aging.

Senpai leaned on my shoulder and started telling old stories.

“Hikari-chan, ever since I joined the Intelligence Office, I’ve had one dream. Guess what?”

“What?”

“To hang a plaque in the Intelligence Office. One just like the General Student Council’s Information Office.”

Oh, the General Student Council’s Information Office. It was infamous in its heyday. With just the General Student Council President’s approval, they had the authority to arrest even autonomous district student council presidents. That says it all.

The General Student Council and autonomous district council executives were all investigation targets, spied on relentlessly to dig up dirt, so their reputation wasn’t great. But from another perspective, their capabilities as an intelligence agency were unmatched.

“At the place where political decisions are made, there’s the Federal Intelligence Agency—! Haha, doesn’t that sound amazing? Hikari-chan, I’d love for the Intelligence Office to regain even half that prestige before I graduate, but it’s not going well, so I’m sad.”

“Senpai, I’ve got a lead. Want it?”

“Huh? What, what?”

“Just… something related to the Sisterhood.”

“Is it juicy?”

“The juiciest thing you’ve ever tasted.”

“Ooh!”

Nagato-senpai nodded enthusiastically. If this goes well, it could even warrant a celebratory dinner with a bonus, so why wouldn’t she be excited?

“But it’s a bit risky. If you mess it up, it’s not just indigestion.”

“Who do you take this senpai for? No way I’ll get caught, so don’t worry.”

“Really? You said it.”

To properly dodge responsibility, I should make her sign a waiver, but that’d weigh on my conscience.

I’ll trust the Intelligence Office this time.

“Senpai, you’ll need to set some rat traps.”

“Huh? Rat traps?”

I held my breath and dunked my head underwater.

The bathhouse echoed with bubbling sounds.