[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 98

After a moment of deep breathing, I finally knocked on the door of the Tea Party office.

Knock—knock—knock.

As expected, no response came.

I was certain. I’d checked every place the administrators might have fled to. Those who survived the dawn coup were likely huddled behind the sturdy doors of the Tea Party office, waiting for the chaos to subside.

I wasn’t sure if the Host’s Guard would accept a mediation proposal. But Senpai is reasonable enough… it’ll work out somehow. At the very least, they wouldn’t outright reject it.

“Who’s there? If someone’s in, please open the door. It’s the Acting Commander.”

Knock—knock—knock.

I knocked again. Thankfully, this time, there was a response—a clunk as the bolt slid open.

“…Hey, Hikari.”

It was Sensei. I hurriedly saluted and began explaining.

“Loyalty. Sensei, I understand there are several administrators in the Tea Party office. We need to evacuate them all.”

“Sorry, Hikari, I’m not sure I follow. When I came looking for Mika, a firefight broke out, so I ended up here. You seem in a rush, but… could you explain a bit more if you have time?”

I wanted to hear why Sensei was at the Tea Party hall. But what could I do? Time was pressing.

“In short, it’s a coup.”

“…A coup?”

“The Pater Faction.”

Coup d’état—a single word carrying heavy implications.

I was certain no one wanted those three syllables to ring true. They were Mika-sama’s political base, her core supporters, and Sensei, who had business with her, would take this seriously.

The possibilities branched out. I could be the mastermind of the coup, hiding it with lies, couldn’t I?

Schale holds unrestricted authority, but they’re not omnipotent.

Trinity General School’s political landscape isn’t something Sensei can investigate at an inconvenient hour. I believe the academy’s shadowy corners, veiled in secrecy, are obstructing our cleanup efforts.

“You said the Pater Faction? If they’ve staged a military coup, maybe I can mediate. There’s still room for dialogue—”

“No, I’m sorry. As Acting Commander, I was asked to cooperate with Mineyuki Setsune, the Pater Faction leader, but I disagreed with their goals and had to suppress it by force.”

Sensei’s expression twisted slightly.

“Suppressed by force…?”

“No, no serious injuries, so don’t worry. Most are lightly wounded, and there’s been no bloodshed.”

Looking back, Sensei’s face already showed signs of conflict. To put it bluntly… they were angry.

Something must have happened. I hadn’t heard anything about Sensei beforehand, so I’m not sure, but I knew something major went down in the Tea Party hall.

The Tea Party’s administrators are a rigid bunch. If I think about it, they might’ve rubbed Sensei the wrong way. It could range from a petty argument to pointing a gun at them.

—Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Time marches on. No need to dwell on the past. For those who locked themselves in the Tea Party office, escaping the reality of bullets hitting marble walls, the present and future matter most. As the one causing their anxiety, I bear this responsibility.

How do they see me today?

[Trinity General School Acting Commander]

Hmm—just as a rank doesn’t define a soldier, people won’t judge me solely by this title. Fine.

[Border Checkpoint Commander]

…Isn’t that the same thing? It’s not even my current position. Even better.

[Coup Ringleader]

Hell no.

“Anyway, you need to come out. It’s too dangerous here. I don’t think bullets will spare Sensei.”

“…Alright.”

Sensei seemed to understand the danger I was talking about—perhaps because they’d already taken a few shots to the gut on the way here. The door closed, and soon a group of startled girls emerged from the office.

Administrators from the Filius and Sanctus factions. Arisa, still holed up in the comms room, was nowhere to be seen.

Within moments, some forty students vanished. The once-crowded Tea Party office returned to a place where I could face Nagisa-sama alone.

Or it would have, if two students hadn’t remained.

“…Hikari-chan? I didn’t notice you with the others blocking the way. What’s going on?”

Instead of answering, I raised my right hand.

“Loyalty.”

***

“…Are you kidding?”

“No, ma’am.”

Mika-sama seemed to take my presence seriously, showing considerable wariness.

The Pater Faction’s leader had apparently dismissed the gunfire that woke the sleeping chickens at dawn. It’s hard to imagine that your faction tried to upend Trinity’s political balance.

The other administrators followed Sensei unquestioningly, but you, who’s so attached to Sensei, are staying put?

“Let’s go, Mika-sama. I’ll escort you to safety. You could join Sensei, but—yes, if you wish to take shelter in Nagisa-sama’s hospital room, I can arrange that.”

“Hmm… Hikari-chan didn’t cause all this, right? I don’t think so. Really. But if this is truly the Checkpoint’s doing… we might need to rethink the ‘moderate club’ image of the Border Checkpoint.”

It’s fair that you’re suspicious of me. My public image is quite something.

Suppressing the coup decisively gave me a bit of a patriotic vibe… but the Tea Party’s gaze hasn’t changed. Plenty of students view my appointment as Acting Commander with suspicion.

“If it were Setsune-chan, she’d call it a patriotic decision, but I can’t give you the same answer.”

“Interesting. Why not?”

“I only did my duty as a soldier. ‘Devotion to the nation, the soldier’s duty’—it’s just that.”

With the situation escalating, I had to plead without overthinking. I didn’t have time to ponder how Mika-sama took my words. Getting the spirited lady out was the priority.

“Let’s go. It’s dangerous here.”

“…You’re serious. Is Nagi-chan okay?”

“No news suggests she’s fine. If anything happens to her, I’ll take responsibility.”

Mika-sama looked at me intently. Her golden eyes scanned me, then dimmed as she lowered her gun, seemingly failing to find anything to fault me for.

As the tomboy princess left, only one student remained in the Tea Party office. The proxy of Nagisa-sama—the Filius faction leader.

We weren’t well-acquainted. Honestly, I didn’t even know her name.

But I could tell her amber eyes weren’t friendly. Why? I had no memory of clashing with the Filius faction’s administrators, unlike with Pater or other radical groups.

“Faction Leader, what’s the matter? You need to leave too. As I told Mika-sama, this place—”

“I know you.”

…Isn’t that obvious?

“Yes, of course. But that’s not important right now. We don’t know where the remaining Pater Faction students are.”

“I know what you’re thinking, Yamatsu Hikari.”

“…I don’t follow.”

“I know the purpose behind what you did today.”

I thought the faction leader was nervous. Despite her aggressive tone, her voice trembled noticeably. She didn’t seem hostile, but I was certain she suspected me.

“Then tell me. What purpose did I have in suppressing them?”

“Let’s get the facts straight. You caused this morning’s coup. A loyalist coup led by the Border Checkpoint.”

“…Your evidence?”

“…My memories.”

Hmm, it’s just a thought, but don’t you think that’s a weak answer even as you say it?

“I’ll say it again, I don’t understand.”

“…I remember my past life. I don’t know if it’s a past life or another worldline.”

Oh, come on—not delusions of grandeur.

“And?”

“You staged a coup. You stormed the Tea Party hall, shouting about patriotic resolve. Less than a week after suppressing Misono Mika’s coup, you did the same thing.”

“…Whether I believe that or not doesn’t seem to matter, so I’ll ask a simple question. How should I react to that? I… honestly, I barely understand.”

“I wouldn’t know. I just watched it all. You’re an irregular. I’m not going to let you be.”

Irregular—an adjective for an anomaly. It stuck with me, but it wasn’t worth dwelling on.

“As the Filius faction’s representative, I’ll closely watch the Acting Commander’s choices. I don’t want that worldline to repeat. If you start acting for your own gain, Filius will stop you with everything we have.”

“…Warnings about power are always valid, but being on the receiving end doesn’t feel great.”

“We’re not close enough for me to care about your feelings, are we?”

“…Fine, just get out.”

The faction leader showed no sign of backing down, so to resolve the urgent situation, I had to listen first. Even as she descended the Tea Party hall’s stairs, she never took her eyes off me.

It was 5:30 a.m. Too early for sunrise. But the mountain of tasks ahead remained.

Just… a little more. Keep pushing.