[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 1

“I’m the checkpoint chief. Please open the gate.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“You’re not carrying a student ID. Since I don’t know who you are, I cannot open it.”

“I’m telling you to open it quickly.”

“I believe I have the authority to refuse that.”

Sigh. Seriously, why is it that every single Trinity girl who passes through here never brings their student ID? And without even blinking, they all pull the same line—Do you know who I am?

I mean, come on, isn’t it common sense that you should carry your student ID when passing through a school checkpoint? Especially our checkpoint, which leads into Gehenna territory, of all places. Isn’t it just bizarre to think you can get through without any ID?

Also, how did she even move around Gehenna without one? What if she got caught in an incident and went missing with no way to verify her identity? Sometimes seniors pass through here, and even after three years of schooling, they still can’t be bothered to carry a single piece of paper?

This really is a complete disaster. A hot mess. I’ll hold my ground until she hands over the ID, but if I get unlucky, she’ll retaliate and use her connections to drag me to her academy and get me chewed out.

“How about you just tell me your name, and I can check with the authorities to let you through?”

“I’m far too busy for that. Just raise the barrier, please.”

…Sigh.

She won’t give her name. Doesn’t have a student ID. Yet she demands the gate be opened. Judging by the way she opened the limo window from the back seat to speak, she’s probably some kind of executive officer. So why the attitude? She looks like a junior too.

Should I just shoot her? Never mind if people think I’m crazy, it’d be technically legal… but if I try to, what if the limo floors it and smashes through the barrier?

Ugh. I’m losing it.

Behold! Proud students of Trinity General School—this is the difficult life of your humble border checkpoint commander! To fix this, I require coupons from that famous café chain downtown so that I can enjoy something nice when I finally get a break.

What’s that? An assault? Even if the Gehenna girls are crazy, they don’t attack every day. And no, the bagpipes don’t play every day either… probably.

Oh—Ritsuko-chan is calling me.

“Senpai! We just got a message from the Justice and Discipline Department!”

“Huh? Really? I’ll be right there!”

Usually, we’re the ones who call them first. If they’re responding, that must mean this girl is from the Justice and Discipline Department.

But why doesn’t she seem all that… just?

I went into the checkpoint office and picked up the phone.

“This is the checkpoint chief speaking.”

“This is Hanekawa Hasumi, Vice Captain of the Justice and Discipline Department. I’ve received word that one of our members is having trouble passing through your checkpoint. Is that true?”

Wait, hang on. Vice Captain of the Justice and Discipline Department? Did I hear that right? Why are you getting involved, ma’am? I honestly thought I’d never have to meet someone like you.

And if I ever did, I assumed it would be because I messed up. I didn’t expect to talk to you on the phone like this.

It definitely seems like this has gotten a lot more serious than I expected. Normally, when a club member causes trouble, someone else from the Justice and Discipline Department just handles it.

Like last time, when that Ichika girl showed up—they were treated as a higher-up among the members, but now… for the actual Vice Captain to get involved? That might mean this girl’s status is way higher than I thought…

“Ah, yes. Um, so… to pass through the checkpoint toward Gehenna, you need a student ID. But she didn’t bring one. And she won’t tell us her name either.”

“In that case, she should’ve had a personal identification letter I wrote myself. Did she not present it?”

“No, she didn’t.”

Ah crap—I said that way too bluntly. In these situations, you’re supposed to be more indirect, so the other person doesn’t get angry.

An awkward silence fell over the checkpoint. She wasn’t saying anything at all. Did I just make the Vice Captain furious?

“…Would it be possible for me to speak with the member? It’ll only take a moment.”

“Ah, yes. Just a moment, please.”

Is she planning to scold her over the phone? That doesn’t happen often. The only time I can remember something similar was when a junior mistakenly fired a shell at the checkpoint and got absolutely chewed out by one of the Tea Party officers over the phone.

Seems like Vice Captain Hanekawa is pretty mad—but at least it’s not at me, thank goodness.

I opened the checkpoint window and called out to Ritsuko.

“Ritsuko-chan! Bring that student over here!”

“Huh?”

“Just tell her the Vice Captain has something to say. She’ll come on her own.”

Sure enough, I closed the window and waited. Before long, the junior came hurrying inside, completely out of breath. I’d heard that the Justice and Discipline Department was crazy strict about discipline within their own ranks, and clearly, that’s no joke. They really jump when their higher-ups speak.

But the poor kid looked completely terrified. Is it really okay for her to take the call like this?

“Um, Vice Captain Hasumi wants to speak with you…”

“Ah, yes. You can use the phone right over there.”

Even from a bit of a distance, I could see her hands trembling. Is Vice Captain Hasumi really that scary? If so, this might become a hassle later. If this girl starts crying, I’ll have to comfort her for several minutes and maybe even make her some hot cocoa.

Sure, I’m good at that kind of grandma-like stuff, but it’s not exactly something I want to do. It’s not like I’m a babysitter or anything. If it’s going to be like this, they should’ve just sent her to that kindergarten over in Shan Hai Jing.

Completely unaware of my worried thoughts, the student picked up the phone. The receiver volume was low, so I couldn’t hear the conversation, but judging by the way her expression wavered between teary and composed, the Vice Captain was definitely giving her a good talking-to.

“…Ah, y-yes, I’m sorry, senpai… I just forgot about it…”

From what the student was saying, it sounded like she was being scolded for not presenting the ID letter. Honestly, yeah—she should’ve thought about the consequences.

I wonder what it’s like to get scolded by someone like the Vice Captain. I’ve never been yelled at by a senior before, so I wouldn’t know. Is it like getting scolded by your parents when you’re a kid? Or scarier, since it’s not family?

I’ve heard that in Trinity’s upper circles, they sometimes shove roll cakes into your mouth while scolding you… Maybe it’s a good thing I’ve lived out here in the sticks all this time.

After a short wait, the call ended, and surprisingly, the student approached with a calm demeanor.

“Uh… here’s the identification letter…”

“Ah, thank you. Let’s see… You’re a member of the Justice and Discipline Department… Residence is… Yes, all confirmed. You’re free to pass.”

Surprisingly, she wasn’t some high-ranking officer, just a regular member. So the Vice Captain probably only took the call because no one else was around in the club room.

“Oh, and… um… I’m really sorry about earlier…”

“It’s fine. Things like this happen all the time in this line of work. Maybe it’s hard to imagine for someone from downtown like you, Miss Justice and Discipline Department.”

“…Ah…”

Wait, did I just mess up again? I said that way too directly, didn’t I? My personality always gets tangled up in how I talk. It’s a bad habit. I’ve been scolded a lot for this ever since I was little. I even made a kid cry during a mock debate in school once…

Ah, her expression’s getting gloomy. If I mess up again now, she might actually start crying, and then I’ll be the one scrambling—comforting her, covering her with a blanket, making her cocoa…

“R-really, I’m sorry…”

“No, seriously, it’s fine. You didn’t make a scene or anything.”

“…”

“I mean it. I’ve been working here for over two years, and you’re nothing compared to what I’ve seen. I’m guessing you’re a junior? Other juniors usually go on and on like, ‘Do you know who I am?’ and the seniors—ugh…”

Oops, I started rambling again. Is her face darkening again—nope, actually, she looks okay? She even seems… intrigued?

Huh?

“That’s odd.”

“Um, what is?”

“Normally, when I talk this much, people get completely fed up. I’ve seen it so many times over the years. But you… you’re not like that. Is it okay if I talk to you informally?”

“Ah, of course, you’re my senior, so you can speak casually. And, um… I think your stories are really interesting…”

“Interesting?”

Huh. That’s a first—someone actually saying my stories are interesting. Looking at her face again, she really did seem to be enjoying it. Not just politely listening, but like it genuinely hit her sweet spot.

That changes my impression of her. From “a Justice and Discipline member who knows how to apologize” to “a junior who likes listening to stories.”

Looks like I’ve found a good junior. Better get her MomoTalk number before it’s too late.

“I’ve always liked listening to casual stories, actually. Even on YouTube, I tend to watch videos like that a lot.”

“You know, aside from Ritsuko-chan, I’ve never met anyone who said they enjoyed my stories. If you ever have time, want to stop by my place and hear more?”

“Ah, I’d love to!”

“Alright, let’s exchange MomoTalk info. What’s your number?”

We exchanged numbers and even shared our home addresses. Her club room was in the city, but surprisingly, she lived close by. Not quite as convenient as my thirty-second commute, though, so I felt a bit sorry for her.

Still…

Dear Mom and Dad!

I made another friend today. Now I have two. Just a few more and I’ll finally be able to fill out the “List your friends” page from elementary school. It’s one of the things on my bucket list.

Wait, actually… If I count that friend from Gehenna I had ramen with last time, that makes three friends. Hooray.

…Or maybe not hooray.

Anyway.

I walked the junior to the limousine.

“Ritsuko-chan, open the barrier!”

“Ah, yes!”

With a metallic ka-chunk, the solid steel gate slowly lifted its heavy body. Ever since Gehenna started skirmishing more often, it was normal for barriers to get wrecked—so seeing this newly installed, ash-grey one still intact felt like a thing of beauty.

Wow, just look at that pillar rising with the motor humming like that—so sleek. Just a few months ago, we were personally footing the bill for every single barrier that vanished under bullets or shells. But not anymore. The last conflict? This baby deflected an 8mm shell.

Trinity metallurgy tech—amazing!

Anyway, I wonder when I’ll get to see the junior again. I heard the Justice and Discipline Department gives decent vacation time, but they also get called into emergency deployments often, so taking long breaks isn’t easy. It’d be sad if she had to leave suddenly with an emergency buzzer going off just as things get fun.

Better ask, just in case. I tapped on the limo’s black-tinted window. It rolled down, and the junior’s face appeared.

“Hey, can you even take long vacations in the Justice and Discipline Department? I heard it’s pretty tough.”

“Oh, if I talk to our president about it, they’ll leave me out of emergency calls during that time.”

President, huh? Don’t tell me it’s that terrifying, weird, and frankly disturbing Tsurugi-senpai? From what I’ve heard, she’s… something else. But maybe she’s kinder than rumors say.

It’s rare to be exempted from emergency deployments, no matter the reason. Not even our checkpoint does that. If a friend’s on vacation and Gehenna comes rolling in with tanks trying to blow the whole checkpoint away? I’d never be able to stay still.

“You’ve got a good senior. Man, I wish I could’ve joined the Justice and Discipline Department too.”

“Then, why are you working at a checkpoint, senpai?”

“To earn money. I don’t even get an allowance—I’d starve otherwise. And I couldn’t keep living with my parents, but I didn’t have money for a dorm.”

“Ah…”

Huh? That’s a pitying look. Yep, definitely from the Justice and Discipline Department—they probably get decent allowances. They’ve probably got dorms, too. Meals, even. Maybe sometimes a treat like madeleines.

Still, I’m not jealous. Maybe I’m not some noble woman, but I’ve eaten my share of Gehenna bullets out here. And even if it’s just a checkpoint building, the heating works fine—crack open a window, lay out a blanket, peel some mandarins, and you’ve got yourself a kotatsu. Add a radio and a cup of instant ramen? Nothing beats that.

That’s the checkpoint chief’s privilege, honestly. Even Ritsuko’s gotten hooked on instant ramen after a few tries. I bet the Tea Party executives downtown have never known that joy.

“Don’t look so sorry for me. I’m living pretty happily, in my own way. Well, see you around.”

“Ah, yes! Goodbye!”

As the limo window rolled back up, I gave the back of the car a couple taps. It pulled away, exhaust puffing as I waved goodbye.

Wow, that fun chat with the junior ended up taking quite a bit of time. Looking at the sky, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. It was almost quitting time. Maybe I’ll eat out tonight instead of my usual instant noodles. You know—for the occasion.

“Ritsuko-chan, let’s go downtown. Let’s grab a bite.”

“Ah, yes, senpai! My treat today!”

“Then what does that make me? Let’s just split it.”