[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 72

Hanako dragged me into the Supplementary Lessons Department’s office. According to the schedule posted in the room, a teacher should be holding supplementary lessons right now, but Hanako didn’t care about that and just headed deep into the corridor.

In a room that must have once been a classroom, only the sound of Hanako’s and my breathing filled the air. It might sound a bit strange, but it’s true. Against the backdrop of a chalkboard covered in graffiti from our predecessors, two students stood on opposite sides of a desk, staring each other down.

…It doesn’t seem like our dear schoolmate has any intention of handing over Shirasu-san.

“You seem to have a lot to say, Hanako. It looks like you think Yamatsu Hikari is trying to drag your friend off and half-kill her.”

“If that’s the truth?”

“Of course, I’d feel wronged. I get your position, but I’ve got my own job to do.”

What does she think the Trinity General Academy Border Checkpoint is? If the Justice Task Force handles internal security, like cracking down on delinquents, we target the ‘nefarious’ Gehenna Academy and the small-to-medium warlord factions of the Abydos Autonomous District as our main adversaries.

A strategic shift shocking enough to warrant revising a paragraph in the Strategic White Paper has occurred. The forgotten Arius Branch caused an internal coup, and several related clubs were turned upside down.

Massive espionage infrastructure uncovered, a security disaster… It’s safe to say the situation has been rapidly escalating over the past few weeks.

The name Shirasu Azusa caught my eye, not just because she was a student at the Arius Branch, but also because I know almost nothing about her. In a way, that’s why I came here.

She was said to be a member of the <arius squad>. Nagato-senpai suggested the possibility that more than one Arius Branch student was involved in the attack during Seia-sama’s incident. But isn’t that kind of mission usually handled by special forces?

To put it simply, what I want to ask Shirasu-san is:

“Was she involved in that incident last year, where several club leaders had their necks snapped—Seia-sama’s tragedy? Or to be more concise…”

“Did Azusa-chan kill Seia-chan? That’s what you’d say, right, Hikari-san?”

Leave it to Hanako to understand me perfectly, damn it.

“Yeah. Let’s use a more formal phrasing.”

I pulled out a letter formatted for official correspondence and scribbled six characters with a pen. Hanako silently accepted the letter.

“Urawa Hanako-san. In the absence of Supplementary Lessons Department Head Ajitani Hifumi, I am delivering this letter to you. The Trinity General Academy Border Checkpoint suspects Shirasu Azusa-san of murder and violations of four academy laws.”

“You know that investigating a student requires legal measures, don’t you, Hikari-san?”

“I’m a club leader. Unlike regular members, I can easily bring in a suspicious student for questioning.”

“Even if it means overstepping your authority?”

“If you’re going to nitpick, aim for something more sensitive. I just interpreted the rules for a routine inspection a bit differently.”

Hanako, the dear half-Justice Task Force terrorist working tirelessly to save her friend. If a student from Chronos School, striving day and night for a promotion, saw her attitude, they’d write a stellar article.

“Tea Party’s rising star defends Mika Misono’s coup.” Hanako would go ballistic, calling it delusional, but the student enjoying a celebratory dinner with a scoop bonus might think:

Who else would care but her?

I think the same. Who else would protest like this besides Hanako?

“Let’s talk openly. What has our Hanako heard that makes her so adamantly against me taking Shirasu-san? Don’t worry, I’m genuinely curious. There’s got to be something.”

“You’re saying you don’t know anything, and that makes it even more suspicious, Hikari-san. You haven’t heard the rumors going around?”

“The rumors you’re talking about are things only you know, Hanako.”

It’s a long-standing tradition, going back to when our dear girl was still free from her paranoia. Hanako has always had a knack for holding onto vague, questionably useful tidbits—what people call TMI.

Among the things I remember her mentioning… Sakurako-sama’s three sizes and the brand of massager that would suit me best, or something like that.

Now that I think about it, she’s kind of crazy. My shoulders don’t even get stiff, so why recommend a massager? Even if I’ve cut ties with the high society, I still know what’s what. At first, I didn’t catch her intentions and just brushed it off, but now it feels like grounds for an arrest for harassment.

And how the hell did she even measure Sakurako-sama’s sizes? She recorded them down to the decimal point and went around shocking people, saying, “Sakurako-san would love it if you did this.” Did she sneak a measuring tape on her while she was sleeping or something?

“…Hikari-san?”

“Oh. Sorry.”

Ahem. I got lost in my thoughts.

Anyway, rumors aside, Hanako’s ‘gossip’ is more like her personal opinions phrased indirectly.

“I’ve got my own information network, you know. I heard that a Chronos School reporter visited the cathedral a few days ago. They mentioned something about the border checkpoint to Sakurako-san.”

“…Ha.”

“You seem to know about it too. Haha… So, you know what it was about, right? What do you think?”

“I’m tired of hearing the same thing as that reporter. I didn’t kill any students.”

From what I heard, it seems the brief chaos at the cathedral after Mitsuki-san’s visit reached Hanako’s ears. I sent an explanatory letter to Sakurako-sama after bringing Rinko-san in for questioning, so that should settle down, but now Hanako’s the issue.

Come to think of it, I should probably give something to Mitsuki-san for being used as bait to draw out Arius. She’s probably suspecting Nagato-senpai lied or something. Once the Arius investigation is done, I’ll call her first.

“So why were those rumors floating around at the cathedral, Hikari-san? Sakurako-san said that if it’s true that an Arius student died at the checkpoint, the Sisterhood would have to investigate.”

“But why hasn’t there been any contact after days? Honestly, if I’d really done it, would I be standing here or locked up in a cell? My hands are clean, and so are the kids’.”

“I wouldn’t know about that. But what if they’re preparing to arrest you? What if they’re not uninterested but just biding their time?”

“You’re not hoping for that, are you? Hanako, what are you trying to say?”

“That’s what I want to ask. What are you planning to do with Azusa-chan, Hikari-san? Do you know how it looks to a third party when another student is taken to a place where someone allegedly died?”

“You think I’m going to kill Shirasu-san or something?”

“Yes!”

There it is, the words I didn’t want to hear.

Can’t you give me a moment to explain?

“Hey, if I wanted to take out the Arius kids, I’d have beaten them to a pulp long ago! That was just a lie Nagato-senpai and I made up to catch the Arius Branch students.”

“How am I supposed to believe that? I stopped suspecting you of starting a coup long ago. You were the one who most actively stopped Mika-san when she tried. But when it comes to other things… think about your reputation.”

“Ugh, should I march to the Tea Party Hall right now and drag Nagato-senpai out? Should I break academy law and show you classified documents to explain everything? I could, but my head would be on the chopping block. Hanako, it’s just a baseless rumor. I’m taking her for questioning, so just hand her over. Is that so hard?”

“If only it were that simple. But Hikari-san, how many students would blindly trust the claims of the person in charge of a place where a student allegedly died, with no evidence?”

“So my explanation doesn’t sound like an explanation to you.”

Fine… It’s a rumor about a student dying, so I can understand. Probably. When Seia-sama was murdered, most students couldn’t believe it, and Mitsuki-san was skeptical too.

But what kind of relationship do we have? You’re the one who started this friendship because it seemed fun, Hanako! To brush off a friend’s explanation without even trying to believe it—Urawa Hanako, how can you call yourself an anti-Tea Party rebel after this?

“How about you come with Shirasu-san to the checkpoint? You can observe from the investigation room. You don’t think I’m crazy enough to bury you with the Arius Branch students, do you?”

“…”

“Hey, say something. If you don’t want to, just say so. If you’re really not budging, I’ll bring an investigation order.”

If I negotiate with Nagisa-sama, I could get an arrest warrant instead of a mere order. Shirasu-san and the Supplementary Lessons Department might resist fiercely, but they wouldn’t stand a chance against the hundreds of checkpoint students and artillery.

But Yamatsu Hikari doesn’t have that intention—not now, and hopefully not ever.

They’re my friends. Shirasu-san is a Trinity student too.

It’s hard to see that as the duty of a public servant.

“Hanako, do I seem like I’m wary of the Supplementary Lessons Department? I’m genuinely curious. Shirasu-san, part of the <arius squad>. Shimoe-san, the Prefect Team’s errand girl. Hifumi-san, who crosses borders like it’s her daily routine… and you. What do you think I think of you all?”

“…I thought you’d arrest the Supplementary Lessons Department after Mika-san’s coup. Since we kidnapped Nagisa-san.”

“Nagisa-sama personally issued a pardon. One day, she called me and asked me not to hold your department accountable. She said it would cause too much turmoil in the already shaken political scene, thanks to Mika-sama.”

“What did you want to do?”

“I don’t know. I never thought about it and forgot about it. But remember this: even back then, when Nagisa-sama issued an emergency order to stop you, I had the chance to arrest you all.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure what that means. It doesn’t seem like you’re threatening me, given your personality.”

“What I’m saying is that I respect Shirasu-san and the members of the Supplementary Lessons Department enough. It’s my subjective standard, so other students might not see it that way, but I don’t intend to antagonize the Arius Branch… unless they pull something first.”

I think I’ve said enough to show my sincerity.

No, really. If I wanted to arrest the Supplementary Lessons Department, I’d have already held hearings and trials. There are plenty of students who dislike the department—especially Hanako—and the checkpoint and Tea Party Hall have plenty of people who’d help.

With Sayuri-san’s connections, we could get the Pater faction to pick a fight with Hanako. Legal measures? Nagisa-sama, who was full of suspicion back then, would back me up. The host’s orders are absolute.

But let’s look at reality.

Our Hanako is alive and well. The Supplementary Lessons Department is functioning just fine, and Nagisa-sama is doing reasonably okay.

I don’t want to be enemies with these people. I don’t want to recreate the myth of two Justice Task Force companies being annihilated just to catch Shirasu-san. And while Hanako can be crazy sometimes, I don’t want to lose her sharp mind either.

I hope my explanation gets through. Hanako seemed to be mulling it over for a few minutes.

Just as I was about to ask if she had other concerns, she finally spoke.

“…I, um… So, my answer is…”