[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 78

Two questions arose.

The cause, without a doubt, was the letter placed on my office desk.

From the Ordnance Bureau. We hope you’ve been well.

We have matters to discuss regarding the Stardust Project.

– Muronaga Kotone

“…”

The letter in question hadn’t gone through the approval of administrators, including Sayuri-san.

How did it get here?

I thought of Hanako, who sent mail to the Tea Party without any inspection. Despite the security disaster that hit most of Trinity’s administrative bodies during the last investigation, the Ordnance Bureau maintained an ironclad defense. They must have their own methods.

I’ve never met the Ordnance Bureau chief. Unlike the checkpoint, situated in the ambiguous border with Gehenna or the heart of the great forest, the Ordnance Bureau is a classified facility. During Tea Party hearings, it’s not uncommon to see their administrators refuse budget disclosures, leaving their counterparts flustered.

Rumor has it they collaborate with black market conglomerates and even conduct secret human experiments. Is it safe to go there?

I heard Sayuri-san summoned the bureau chief. As our junior plays a bridge between the checkpoint and the Ordnance Bureau, I suspect it’s related to the recent incident. A lab in the city center had its roof blown off, so she probably reprimanded her.

The Stardust Project… honestly, I don’t know much about it. Really.

It’s true that I’ve been providing substantial funding to the Ordnance Bureau—though I’m not sure if 40% of the checkpoint’s budget qualifies as “substantial.” But that’s only because the bureau chief sent a handwritten letter practically begging for funds.

Most of the recent income has come from rewards for suppressing protests, especially with the Pater faction and other radical groups staging fierce demonstrations against the Eden Treaty. It’s been quite lucrative.

Thanks to that, we’ve covered ammunition costs and even invested in the Ordnance Bureau under the guise of compensation. Grateful folks, those protesters.

I barely read the periodic reports they send, often signing and passing them along without much thought. Sometimes I review them in detail, but the endless paperwork often leaves me skimming.

What can I do? Compared to when Sayuri-san was an administrator, the amount of paperwork I handle isn’t much, but for someone like me, nominally a director who rarely dealt with documents, it’s a heavy burden.

Anyway, all I know about the project is that it’s supposed to be something incredible.

Hmm. I’m at a loss here.

I should ask my junior if she knows anything. I dialed Sayuri-san’s number.

Beep. A heavy mechanical tone, followed shortly by our junior’s voice.

“Senior’s office number. What’s up?”

“Sayuri-san, I heard you met the Ordnance Bureau chief a few days ago. Is that right?”

“Yeah, I did. I summoned Chief Kotone and met her in my office at the Tea Party. I don’t know what’s going on with the Ordnance Bureau, but she was desperate to meet you. I gave her a stern warning not to get too ambitious and sent her back.”

“She and you both have it rough. Anyway, I’d like to meet the bureau chief myself, but I don’t have her contact info or address. Since you meet her often, I thought you might know.”

“…You’re seriously going to meet Chief Kotone? I’m saying this sincerely, Senpai, it’s not a good idea. She may seem fine on the outside, but she’s a total nutcase. Are you sure about this?”

“Don’t worry. I’m just going to meet her. What could go wrong?”

I mean it. I don’t know what kind of person Sayuri-san thinks the bureau chief is. Most of the Ordnance Bureau’s documents are classified top-secret, and even the audacious Chronos School doesn’t mess with them lightly.

They’re fascinating folks. Chronos, an academy willing to cause all sorts of trouble for a scoop, somehow instinctively avoids issues that could truly screw them over.

Anyway, as someone whose public image is second to none, I doubt the bureau chief is entirely sane.

But since she’s never attended a hearing, she probably knows how to toe the line—at least, that’s what I hope.

Might as well check where all the money I’ve poured in is going.

“…If you regret this, don’t come crying to me.”

“That won’t happen.” Sayuri-san let out a deep sigh and reluctantly gave me the contact info.

Since the Ordnance Bureau operates differently from other administrative bodies, I wasn’t sure if they worked during the day. It’s a long trip to the bureau, and I didn’t want to waste time. I dialed the number immediately.

Luckily, she was working, and a girl’s voice came through the receiver. Tired, the kind of voice you often hear from administrators.

“This is Muronaga… You’re calling from an external line. Could you state your affiliation?”

“It’s me.”

“Oh, I see… Wait, hold on. Your voice sounds familiar. Are you one of the students who questioned me at the hearing?”

“Sadly, no. But if I said I’m one of the students you sent a letter to, would that ring a bell?”

“The only letter I sent recently was to the checkpoint… Wait, huh?”

Perhaps because she’d been thoroughly chewed out by Sayuri-san and other Tea Party administrators, the bureau chief was quick on the uptake. Realizing who was calling, she went through a brief moment of panic before taking a while to compose herself.

Tap tap. She asked me to hold on and started walking somewhere, likely to avoid exposing her conversation to other students. The sound of flip-flops hitting the floor echoed repeatedly.

“This should do… Alright, we can talk properly now. But since I can’t be sure you’re really the checkpoint captain, could you tell me something to prove it?”

“Does getting chewed out by Sayuri-san count?”

“…That definitely sounds like the checkpoint captain. Alright, um… I should adjust my tone, then. Ahem. How’s this? Is it close to how I speak to Administrator Sayuri?”

“I don’t have the call logs to compare, but if your usual tone is more comfortable, stick with it. I don’t mind.”

“What? But if you say that… Sigh. Fine. I don’t even talk to Administrator Sayuri like this…”

What does that make me and Sayuri-san, then?

The bureau chief seemed to have a hunch about why I was calling. Or perhaps she was hoping for the answer she wanted.

Sayuri-san had shared more details. Apparently, there’s some kind of… political war brewing inside the research institute. The bureau chief and the First Research Institute’s director are fiercely clashing over control of the Stardust Project.

That kind of thing is par for the course at the Tea Party, isn’t it? The Filius-Sanctus-Pater system is balanced yet paradoxically sparks intense power struggles. None of them seem willing to give up their interests.

What can snakes do in a viper’s den?

Wow, the Ordnance Bureau is truly part of Trinity after all. Sayuri-san’s story made that clear while also piquing my curiosity about the immense value behind a name as grandiose as “Stardust.”

I’m not one to suppress my curiosity. Sure, I can follow orders or hold back if needed, but separate from the skills honed by years of social maneuvering, don’t I have enough authority to ask the bureau chief everything?

“What exactly is the Ordnance Bureau researching that keeps bringing up this ‘Stardust’ phrase? Does the Tea Party know about this?”

“You’d have to come see for yourself, Captain Hikari, but once that weapon is complete, the Tea Party won’t be an issue.”

“…A weapon? Sayuri-san asked if it wasn’t supposed to be finished by now. I don’t know the details, but my junior might not tolerate further delays. If there’s a test, I’ll come myself… You’re confident, right?”

“I’ll invite you when the time comes… And I won’t fail.”

Ha, she’s brimming with confidence.

According to the bureau chief—though it was close to self-praise, so take it with a grain of salt—she and the Ordnance Bureau’s students are unmatched in weapon development, even if they lack in other areas. I’m not sure how credible that is.

Centuries ago, they dropped a 20-ton explosive on Arius Chapel, leaving no trace of the ground. I don’t know why their tradition of madness persists, but their competence is at least verified.

From the standpoint that more shells are better than a single good one, they’re quite likable.

“Let’s set a date. We’ll meet, talk, and conduct a test. It’s about time for results, isn’t it?”

“I’ll contact you within a week. There’s a lot to prepare…”

The appointment was made swiftly. The bureau chief, eager to showcase her achievements to solidify her position in the club, and my desire to see the performance of this theoretical thermobaric weapon meshed perfectly.

Testing a strategic weapon right before the Eden Treaty might seem risky, but if it’s done secretly, it shouldn’t be an issue. Conducting the test in the Abydos desert, not the great forest, seems like a good choice.

After agreeing to exchange schedules in writing, the conversation was wrapping up. I asked the bureau chief with a smile:

“A thermobaric bomb… If it landed in the city center, it’d cause significant casualties, right? I don’t know its actual performance, but from what I’ve heard from you and Sayuri-san. In theory, I mean.”

“Hehe… Maybe. But Captain Hikari, there’s something to keep in mind.”

Her voice carried a heavy emotion.

“In a war, we don’t cry for friends found as charred remains in the rubble, do we?”

Oh.

That’s a damn good answer.