[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 15

Slurp. The Saiba sisters’ junior, dubbed “The Seminar’s Ruthless Accountant,” took a sip of black tea from a cup, grimaced as if it wasn’t to her taste, and handed the cup to me.

Delicious black tea isn’t something students from other academies usually drink. I didn’t quite get why, so I asked Iroha-chan once, and she said, “Why bother with something so tasteless?” A quick bop on her head shut her up, though.

It seems especially like poison to Millennium students. The Saiba sisters practically gagged and spat it out after a single sip, and even giving it to Hayase-chan with honey didn’t help—she’s still reacting like this.

“…Maybe it just doesn’t suit tech nerds’ palates.”

“It’s not that—it’s too bitter. How do you even drink this at Trinity?”

“It’s fine if you pair it with something sweet. Kinda like coffee. Probably.”

I downed the rest of Hayase-chan’s cup in one go.

Mmm, a spicy bitterness, a slightly astringent bitterness, a tangy bitterness, and a hint of creamy milkiness.

It’s the familiar taste of mass-produced black tea. I could go for some biscuits from the checkpoint lounge right about now.

A lot of students think I only drink cocoa, and while it’s true that cocoa’s my number one, black tea’s a close second. If they saw the stacks of mass-produced black tea boxes piled up in the checkpoint lounge’s storage cabinet—courtesy of Trinity Comprehensive Academy’s student council welfare program—they’d be shocked.

“…So, why are you here? You’re from Trinity Comprehensive Academy, right? I don’t recall your face on Millennium’s student roster. Don’t tell me you transferred in the meantime?”

“Nah, I’m here to get my truck fixed. They said it’ll take a while, so I’m sightseeing for now. Are you with these kids, Hayase-chan?”

“Don’t put me on the same level as the Game Development Club, who cause trouble every other day. These kids are worse than you think. Holding gambling tournaments in the middle of the dorms, raiding the ‘Ancient History Research Club’ last time…”

“Tch, that was to collect retro games! It was a sacrifice to get games you can’t buy even with tons of money!”

“…”

Just hearing this, these kids have really done a lot. True to their game club nature, they’re out here organizing group raids against history clubs. And what’s this about gambling tournaments? Judging by Hayase-chan’s reaction, it’s not just betting a few yen on hanafuda.

Is Millennium a more rotten place than I thought, beyond just a tech nerd hangout? I was wondering where they got all these old gaming consoles, but it seems their funding comes from some shady places…

“N-No, that’s not it! The budget for the consoles came from me, my sister, and the club president pooling our money. Sure, we might’ve used some… intimidation to get a better deal, but…”

“That’s not intimidation, Midori-chan—that’s called extortion. Sorry for being blunt, but if you pulled that in Trinity’s downtown, the Justice and Discipline Department would crack your skull.”

“I knew it wasn’t exactly good behavior. But my sister just suddenly went full throttle…”

“Midori, don’t pin the blame for all of us on me!”

It’s chaos, pure chaos.

Feeling like there was nothing I could do in this situation, I sidled up to my juniors. Sayuri-san and Ritsuko-chan had already torn open another bag of popcorn, shoving handfuls into their mouths.

Caramel popcorn, perfect for this moment. I like plain popcorn with just salt, but caramel’s pretty good too. Maybe I’ll stock up on a bunch before heading back to the checkpoint to pair with my black tea.

“So! You need to take responsibility, responsibility!”

“No way, no! You’re taking even this, you demon king?!”

“Who’re you calling a demon king?!”

I whispered to Sayuri-san and begged for her sunglasses. With my vision switched to black-and-white, I opened another bag of popcorn and watched like it was an early talkie film.

Wow, damn, this is fun. No wonder Ritsuko-chan and Sayuri-san were munching on popcorn. Momoi-chan shouted protests against her unfair treatment, but no one sympathized. Ritsuko-chan gave me a look, so I handed her the rest of the popcorn.

Pop, pop. I was about to open the last bag to share with the kids when Sayuri-san nudged my arm. Thinking she had something to say, I tilted my head.

“…Shouldn’t we stop them?”

“Dunno. Sounds like this isn’t their first rodeo. If we butt in, they might cry about meddling in their ‘internal affairs’ or something.”

“You just want to eat popcorn, don’t you, Senpai?”

Sayuri-san nodded as if she understood and dove back into watching the martial arts drama unfold. No, don’t just agree like that! This is the same girl who’d filibuster against Ritsuko-chan but teams up with her to tease me.

Half-jokingly, I was about to flick Ritsuko-chan’s forehead, but remembering how last time I misjudged my strength and left a bump, I let it slide.

It’s not a full pardon, though—two weeks’ probation. If Ritsuko-chan hits me with a fact attack within 14 days, or 336 hours, she’ll get not one but two flicks as punishment.

The fight seemed to be tilting heavily in favor of Hayase-chan, who had overwhelming mass on her side. Midori-chan, realizing she couldn’t win, had apparently given up early, while Momoi-chan was clinging to Hayase-chan’s arm, flailing.

“What a mess. Has Midori-chan thrown in the towel?”

“Yuuka-san’s crazy strong. My sister probably won’t last five more minutes. Even Yuzu-san’s just sitting there. She’ll probably get slammed to the floor soon.”

“Huh, Midori-chan seems pretty used to this. But who’s Yuzu-san?”

“Our club president. She’s right behind you, senpai. Didn’t you know?”

Clunk. Clunk, clunk, clunk.

The wardrobe I was leaning against shook three times. I thought I heard a girl’s scream, too.

I was so startled I couldn’t react. Sayuri-san and Ritsuko-chan froze as well. I tapped the wardrobe—knock, knock—and a tiny voice squeaked, “Th-There’s someone in here…”

“…Holy crap. I thought my heart was gonna fall out. Why’d you lock a kid in a wardrobe?”

“We didn’t lock her in. Yuzu went in there herself.”

“…Why?”

Midori-chan said nothing.

Maybe something’s up. I tried opening the door, but it wouldn’t budge—locked from the inside, apparently. She probably thinks I’m trying to drag her out after realizing she’s in there.

Better let it go. Expecting someone with that kind of personality to pop out and greet a stranger is asking for trouble. That’s just bullying the kid. Ritsuko-chan was exactly like that when she first joined, so I get the struggle.

I figure it’s best to let the kids handle this themselves. I patted Midori-chan’s shoulder and whispered in her ear.

“I’ll head out soon, so tell that kid I’m sorry for sticking around too long.”

“…Okay.”

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap. Someone was pounding the floor with all their might. I turned to see Hayase-chan pinning Momoi-chan to the ground, locking her in a triangle choke. Sayuri-san and Ritsuko-chan cheered.

“Gahhh, I can’t breathe… I surrender, I surrender…!”

“Don’t ever call me the Thigh Demon King again, got it?!”

Oh, that sound must’ve been Momoi-chan tapping out. After ten minutes of fierce clashing, the battle between Momoi-chan and Hayase-chan was settled.

I was about to crack a joke about the “Seminar’s Demon King” but caught Hayase-chan’s glare and held back. Instead, I mouthed it to Ritsuko-chan, who immediately went for it.

“The winner is the Seminar’s Demon King… Urk!”

Of course, she got thoroughly punished by a furious Hayase-chan, who wasn’t seeing straight.

“…You really didn’t tell me because you were too scared to say it yourself Senpai?”

“That’s not the case at all, so I was shocked! I bought you a crepe to make up for it. Have a sip.”

“Is that how you use that phrase…?”

“How would I know? I saw kids using it a lot on community forums.”

Sayuri-san and Ritsuko-chan sighed in unison. Why’s everyone ganging up on me today? I bought them strawberry crepes, paid for the popcorn out of my pocket, and I think I’m doing pretty well with the welfare. Am I really acting like a grandma?

Sure, I was shocked when I jokingly took an online mental age test and got fifty-something, but still. I make an effort to keep up with what the younger generation’s into. I mean, kids these days read newspapers and listen to the radio, right?

“…They don’t, do they?”

“…Sigh.”

Sayuri-san let out another deep sigh. It feels like my image as the checkpoint’s resident boomer senpai is already set in stone.

I might need to go all out and run a survey across the checkpoint or visit a psych hospital for a proper mental age test. The last one was online, so it’s obviously less reliable.

As the three of us mulled over our respective worries, a train brimming with Millennium’s technological prowess glided silently between stations, without a hint of vibration or noise. A Millennium student sitting nearby kept glancing at me because of the Trinity emblem on my hat. I gave her a slight smirk, and she flinched, quickly looking away.

I’ll probably meet up with the Game Development Club juniors a few more times before heading back to Trinity Comprehensive Academy. I agreed to help with game world-building and motion capture for trench warfare scenarios.

Still no word from the Engineering Club. Rumor on the community forums is that their club room’s been completely locked down. I have no idea what they’re up to. If they’re on strike or something, that’d be a real mess.

Looking out the window, the sun’s slowly setting. I’m planning to crash into bed and pass out as soon as I get to the dorm. For the next few days, I’ll hit up every spot in Millennium my feet can take me to.

[This stop is the Millennium Learning Center. Millennium Learning Center. The exit is on your right. Please mind the gap between the platform and the train. For those visiting Millennium Center, please use Exit 3…]