[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 110

Miyamizu Arisa is an administrator with numerous titles.

Recently, the expansion order for the Communications Room was approved, earning her the official title of Director. With Seia-san absent, she’s been handling most of the duties that would fall to the leader of the Sanctus Faction. Not exactly a low-ranking, invisible position, in other words.

Oh, I can’t avoid talking about the faction leader. Hikari-senpai laments daily about being buried under work, but I was collared a year earlier. No one could have predicted Shirasu Azusa’s assassination attempt.

In the end, we had to hide her, and Arisa got slapped with the Tea Party’s official “slave” label.

A girl summoned for anything remotely related to Sanctus. Crushed under the heavy workload of the Tea Party’s Communications Room, enduring Nagisa-san’s suspicious glares, yet unable to voice a single complaint.

In the words of a classic novel: Call me Arisa.

“…”

Lately, the burden has lightened a bit. After Hikari-senpai made her “decision to save the nation”—as administrators half-jokingly call it—a cabinet reshuffle increased the number of properly functioning departments.

I still can’t dream of leaving at 4 PM sharp, and mobilization costs are so tight we’re running on unpaid labor, but compared to the chaos after missiles fell on the High Cathedral, it’s a complete turnaround – from mulberry fields to blue seas.

I’m genuinely grateful for the Tea Party’s normalization. I finally have a lunch break!

“…Nom nom.” What Arisa was scarfing down was homemade gyudon—or so I called it, though all I did was toss frozen food in the microwave. Nothing beats it for a late-night shift snack.

Back to work-related matters. After Misono Mika’s coup, news of Seia-san’s survival reached a certain intersection, and Hikari-senpai’s name is definitely in that mix. She surely knows the Sanctus Faction’s secrets.

It feels like she’s avoiding meeting Seia-san before she wakes up. So un-senpai-like.

I get it, though. Even as the Proxy, it’s not ideal for Nagisa-san’s closest aide to interact with Sanctus. Hikari-senpai seems determined not to open Pandora’s box.

But that leads to the Arius Branch School issue. Deferring punishment for the thousand or so “terrorist” captives was a clear misstep, I think. The Tea Party has plenty of students who despise them.

Once Nagisa-san is discharged, we could leave the decision to her… but would that be wise? Those trying to bring Hikari-senpai down will obviously accuse her of harboring rebel spies.

Sigh, I don’t know. This is Arisa’s limit.

Miyamizu Arisa will just assume the Proxy-senpai will handle it and keep mooching off the Tea Party’s cafeteria.

—Ring ring ring!

The internal Tea Party phone blared. I rushed over and picked up the receiver.

[“Communications Room. What’s up?”]

[“Arisa, Seia-san’s awake.”]

[“…I’m on my way.”]

This was unexpected news. Waking up after over a year in a hospital bed!

What a joyous occasion.

Miyamizu Arisa grabbed some simple refreshments and left the early morning clubroom. The faction leader’s room was a ten-minute sprint away. The solemn door opened after scanning her student ID.

Seia, leaning against the bedrail, was drenched in sweat. Arisa thought her frail condition hadn’t changed.

“Who’s there… Oh, Arisa…?”

The faction leader welcomed her junior’s visit. Seeing Arisa, the first person she met after waking up in months, was overwhelming. A dark tear stain lingered in the corner of Arisa’s eyes, a girl who once shared the Tea Party with her.

“It’s been so long. Do you know how much I prayed for you to wake up?”

“…I’m sorry. I’ve placed too much of a burden on you.”

“Don’t say that. I was genuinely worried, and now, realizing we can meet again like this—it’s such a happy moment. That’s what I’m trying to say.”

Arisa stepped deeper into the room and embraced Seia. The faction leader leaned into her without a word.

A brief silence—both were trying to calm their emotions. As they thought of conversation topics, Seia pivoted in an unexpected direction.

“Arisa. Do you know a student named Yamatsu Hikari?”

***

Yurizono Seia, the Sanctus Faction leader, regained consciousness.

She’s an extraordinary student. She managed to sway Shirasu-san, who came to assassinate her—apparently through some sort of dialogue—and limited news of her survival to a select few faction members, including Director Arisa, for over six months!

As someone meant to serve as a Tea Party Host, I can’t help but feel a slight sense of betrayal, but it’s undeniably good news.

Hearing the news from Director Arisa, I headed to the hospital. On a peaceful morning, Nagisa-san, enjoying her Earl Grey, nearly dropped her cup. Let’s overlook how her beaming smile was genuinely startling.

I suggested she inform Mika-san, and the Host acted immediately.

“Happiness is contagious like a cold”—a line I glossed over in a book, but today, it was fully proven. Nagisa-san’s smile will remain a rare, joyful memory in these times.

Of course, no day is perfect.

The old Host summoned the Proxy.

As the Sanctus Faction leader, she can’t be pressed for reasons… but I don’t understand why. If she just wants to meet, she could wait until the Proxy system is dismantled.

Director Arisa said she seemed to have a lot of questions.

—What kind?

I didn’t know until I reached Seia-san’s room. With no other choice, I knocked.

“Come in.”

—Creak.

Opening the door, I saw Seia-san leaning against the bed’s corner.

“Are you Yamatsu Hikari?”

“Yes. I heard you called for me.”

She nodded and pointed to the chair beside the bed. I quietly approached and sat.

“I heard a lot about you from Arisa. The Proxy of Trinity General School… Nagisa seems to rely on you quite a bit.”

“Given the state of affairs, I’m truly grateful for her trust.”

Seia-san pressed the bell by the bed—do all three faction leaders have a tea-call button nearby? After a moment, Director Arisa rushed in with two cups of tea. She was quite chatty.

“So, like, senpai basically saved us. I thought I was gonna die.”

“Being with Seia-san improves your language skills. What do I mean? …You don’t get it?”

“Senpai’s cocoa? Seia-san will love it too.”

After the brief chatter, only two students remained in the faction leader’s room. I couldn’t start the conversation, so I listened to Seia-san’s sipping. She seemed to be waiting a bit longer.

“…I don’t want Trinity to fall. I’m sure you feel the same.”

“I do.”

“I have much to say to you, but unfortunately, time is short. It’s best to remember the storm clouds haven’t cleared. Trinity… will shake again.”

I understood what Director Arisa meant. To be honest, Seia-san tends to speak quite indirectly.

“Yamatsu Hikari, who are you?”

“…” I tried to grasp her intent. Her eyes were deep and vast, hard to decipher.

Was she asking me to answer sincerely?

“…I’m me. The leader of the Border Checkpoint.”

“And Trinity’s Proxy.”

“Unfortunately.”

A self-deprecating remark, meant to lighten the mood a bit. Not sure if it worked.

“If I said I knew your future… what would you think?”

Seia-san looked me straight in the eye. It felt like her main question, and honestly… I’d think it’s familiar. I’ve already dealt with someone like Misuzu-san at the Tea Party.

She gives me suspicious looks every time we meet—kind of cute, though. It’s like she’s trying to monitor everything.

What matters is the future Seia-san speaks of. What does she predict I’ll do—or is she caught in preconceptions about what I should do? She might be different from Misuzu-san.

“I suppose it depends on what that future looks like.”

“What do you hope for?”

I sincerely hope it’s positive. I’m tired of arguing with other students about my future or ideals. Even now, some at the Tea Party accuse me of aiming for dictatorship. Instead of answering, I gave a small smile. Seia-san let out a deep sigh and gave an unexpected response.

“…War.”

“What?”

“A war is coming. On a scale larger than you imagine. And you were at its center.”