[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 136

Oath.

“I swear to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, according to my conscience.”

I’m exhausted, exhausted! Thanks to Sayuri-san’s heads-up, I had more time to prepare, but standing here as the accused is nerve-wracking. How did Mika-sama endure this atmosphere?

Setsune-san… Former Pater faction leader, a poor senpai whose hard-won regime I flipped upside down.

It couldn’t be helped. Nagisa-sama and Sakurako-sama were unconscious, Tsurugi-senpai and Mine-danchou were gone—why start a war? If we’d actually fought, Arius’s intact forces would’ve crushed us.

And to begin with, you and the other administrators got sacked the same way I did, didn’t you? I can’t ask now, but isn’t there just a bit of personal grudge mixed in? Pater’s not made of robots, you know.

I won’t forget this grudge! From now on, Pater’s getting the strictest checkpoint inspections, so tremble at my ruthless revenge!

“We will now begin the hearing for the accused, Yamatsu Hikari. The primary goal is to restore order to the Tea Party’s political sphere—Mineyuki Setsune, speak!”

Bang, bang, bang. Three strikes of the gavel.

The real tsubushi (crushing) has begun. Alright, comrades, all that’s left is to die honorably.

“Honorable Chair, I cannot help but question the proxy’s actions during the Eden Treaty incident. Rejecting a lawfully passed resolution without reason and dissolving the Tea Party? Unacceptable.”

If we’re splitting hairs, she’s like Sayuri-san. Setsune-san was a rising star in politics since her checkpoint commander days, a legal veteran who’s even chaired hearings.

“This violates Article 17 of Trinity General Academy’s Canon Law, which, interpreted as…”

Let me put it simply: this senpai’s a master at beating people with the law. I only know checkpoint regulations—and maybe the Tea Party’s cocoa production rules—so I’m at her mercy.

“…Thus, I assert that dissolving the Tea Party was impossible and the justification was flawed.”

That statement rubs me the wrong way. No matter how I think about it, like at Mika-sama’s hearing, her final words are probably her true feelings. Ignoring the rampaging Arius students to blindly charge at Gehenna?

“Therefore, I strongly recommend suspending her proxy and Border Checkpoint Commander roles.”

Yamatsu Hikari!

“Honorable Chair, what I can say is that the Tea Party’s convening process was entirely unlawful!”

But I’m certain that, even if they accuse me of such massive crimes, weighing the sins of the Border Checkpoint and Pater faction on separate scales would show ours are lighter.

So you’re challenging this Hikari-sama to a ikkiuchi (one-on-one duel)? I’ll show you the taste of “Trinity’s Madwoman”!

“A section of the Tea Party was engulfed in gunfire. Madam Chair, they tried to declare war on Gehenna! Isn’t it time an honorable administrator told us where the opposing administrators were detained?”

Even if you don’t say it, I will. This info’s too juicy to keep quiet!

Haha! Didn’t you toss aside the canon law you’re preaching about, locking up all those administrators? At least 300 of them, right? A firefight despite the Tea Party’s no-shooting rule?

“The Tea Party found at least 2,371 bullet marks during the restoration process. Madam Chair, 2,371.”

More than the Justice Task Force’s roster. I also know records show over 27 APDS traces from OQF 17-pounder anti-tank guns. What was Pater trying to achieve?

“They detained Filius and Sanctus administrators, trying to pass a war declaration through their own Tea Party—without the required proxy’s consent!”

The truth is, I made a “partnership proposal” joke while heading to suppress them, but that’s not important.

Mineyuki Setsune!

“Madam Chair, even so, bringing troops into the Tea Party is blatantly illegal! It’s on a different level from Mika-sama’s coup!” (I sensed a different attitude toward Mika-sama compared to the last hearing’s administrator.)

Fair enough. If you’re questioning the Border Checkpoint’s actions, you’d have to indict the Sisterhood first.

“The honorable proxy made a shortsighted judgment. Gehenna Academy was clearly involved in Arius Branch School’s plot! Yet the proxy blocked our revenge and still won’t talk about it.”

The Pandemonium Society issue was already handled by Iroha-chan! Dragging in Gehenna’s horned freaks would be embarrassing. Besides, by that logic, Mika-sama should be arrested for Arius ties first.

I’m bursting with counterarguments. Thank the heavens for the chance! The Chair called my name.

Yamatsu Hikari!

“The Gehenna issue was resolved during the administrative boundary adjustments with Arius Branch School. Trinity General Academy is working to maintain good relations with them. How could you betray Nagisa-sama’s expectations?”

“I might betray Filius’s expectations, but not Nagisa-sama’s!”

Oof, that hit a nerve.

“Honorable Chair, even if I committed illegal acts, it was to stop Pater’s rampage. Why does the administrator forget that Nagisa-sama gave post-approval?”

“It’s not approval—it’s tolerance! At least Pater knows it was illegal.”

As the atmosphere heated up, the Chair stopped intervening with name-calls. The hearing hall was turning into a fiery debate between me and Setsune-san. Whispers from the gallery and jury grew noticeably louder.

“If we’d waged war on Gehenna then, Trinity would’ve been destroyed! Doesn’t the honorable administrator know how dire the front lines were during the Eden Treaty incident?”

“So you shot at us outright?! If we’d joined hands, we could’ve won!”

The gallery started brawling here and there. Pater’s core stayed calm, but heated debates erupted where Filius or anti-war spectators sat.

You’re the ones who egged on Misono Mika, causing this mess! Shouldn’t you take some responsibility?

No, she’s got nothing to do with this!

…Most were spouting nonsense about the first Arius incident, let alone the Eden Treaty. See? Political apathy doesn’t change just because the Tea Party does something.

Even with the Tea Party’s official broadcast live, viewership barely hit 500—pfft, what do they expect?

The mood peaked, and I was locked in a near-shouting match with Setsune-san. Our supposed crimes? Nonsense—we were both just hurling whatever came to mind.

“Your appointment as proxy is suspicious to begin with! Missiles were fired in Trinity, the Tea Party and Cathedral’s top officials were unreachable, and you were the only one contactable?”

“How am I supposed to defend that? My position’s been maintained purely by Nagisa-sama’s will!”

“You think I’ll buy that? Nagisa-sama, if you’re watching this broadcast, send a letter. Is Hikari forcing you?” (She’s not even acknowledging my title anymore!)

How would I coerce Nagisa-sama? Maybe something small, but at this level… honestly, I’d be exposed in a heartbeat.

“This is all your fault! If you’d quietly taken Pater’s hand, we could’ve crushed both Gehenna and Arius. Why’d you kick away that chance? The members—” What’s with those people?!

She looked, startled, at the hall’s door. It swung open, and a dozen students stormed in, likely swept up by the mood after eavesdropping in the hallway. But why… uh, why are Border Checkpoint members here?

It’s because you tried to invade Gehenna! The Commander’s right—if it weren’t for us—

That’s nonsense! We have a strategy office and capable administrators like Sayuri-san or—pfft—Setsune-san! If we’d fought then, we’d have smashed those damn Gehennans and taken everything—

Shut your mouth!!

…

The shout from the hall’s corner stopped all the chaos.

And I know that voice.

“…Inori-senpai?”

Senpai stood with the angriest face I’d ever seen, pointing at the student who’d just mentioned war.

“Do you know war? Do you know the hell it is?”

…

Speechless, I could only stare into her blazing, anguished eyes.

Those eyes.

I looked into them. Probably everyone else did too.

Within them,

Was a firestorm.