[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 31

A wandering Dutchman needs a captain.

Due to the unique nature of the club, which is temporarily formed and disbanded once all students’ grades reach a certain level, we decided to select a student to serve as a test security guard for a week. I personally picked a special student for the prestigious role of the first security guard.

Introducing: Morishita Sayuri-san!

“Hikari, you son of a—mmph!!

“Hahaha, the dog’s barking! You didn’t hear anything, right, senpai?!”

Sayuri-san finally exploded. Wow, profanity. According to Dr. Mo’s five stages of anger, that’s peak rage.

It’s the first time a junior has sworn at me, but I wasn’t mentally shaken at all. I mean, everyone from the Gehenna slum kids to the Pater ladies firing anti-tank cannons in the middle of the plaza uses profanity. Besides, I totally deserved it this time.

Feeling a twinge of guilt, I threw in a hefty bonus. It probably won’t be enough, so I’ll have to treat Sayuri-san nicely for a while after she finishes her security gig to smooth things over. Gotta increase her cocoa ration too.

But I’m a little curious—why did Sayuri-san react that intensely?

“Sayuri-san, do you have some kind of past-life grudge against the Supplementary Lessons Department or something?”

“Mmph… Phew! It’s Hanako, okay?! I’ve heard about her! I don’t want to spend a single second with that lunatic!”

“…You know Hanako?”

“Of course I do! She’s infamous in high society. Ugh, I’ve already had enough of her.”

Sayuri-san, clearly triggered by some trauma, hugged herself and shivered. It seems like she had some friction with Hanako back when she was active in high society, before joining the Checkpoint. I’ll have to ask Ritsuko-chan about this later.

Given Sayuri-san’s personality, which is pretty much the polar opposite of Hanako’s, it’s no wonder she’s like this.

Still, Sayuri-san knew how to accept reality. After nearly an hour of shouting in rage, she eventually calmed down and quietly started packing her things. Of course, she didn’t forget to shoot me a look of betrayal. Look at those icy eyes—they’ll probably last a few days.

It was a decision made for the sake of the academy, but getting stared at like that makes this senpai sad.

It’s just a week-long gig, so I wish she wouldn’t take it so seriously.

Surprisingly, Sayuri-san’s pile of belongings wasn’t that large. The Hippo truck stands out too much in the city, so we loaded her stuff onto the 5-ton ammo truck like last time. The engine wouldn’t start at first, so we had to crank the shaft again.

Luckily, the engine was fixed in one go this time.

“Ugh, do you have to drive, senpai?”

“What, you want to go to the Supplementary Lessons Department’s clubroom alone without knowing where it is?”

“…You better buy me a parfait on the way to cheer me up.”

Oho, that’s a great idea.

I’ll treat Sayuri-san to the tastiest parfait in Trinity.

Sayuri-san looked incredibly satisfied with the 4-foot special parfait.

Her smile as she carried her stuff to the security office was, well, quietly heartwarming. As long as she doesn’t run into Hanako, that smile will last, and today will be a pretty tasty day for Sayuri-san.

“Oh my, it’s Sayuri-chan! What’s up?”

“Eek!”

Oh no, that was quick.

Sayuri-san’s face froze in shock, and she dropped her stuff and bolted. Hanako, as if used to this, chased after her, her swimsuit-clad figure jiggling with every step.

That lunatic is still wearing a swimsuit here. I’ve seen her wearing a proper school uniform in passing, so why does she do this to us?

Anyway, my junior’s stamina is pretty low, so she’ll probably get caught on her own. I picked up the stuff Sayuri-san abandoned and headed to the security office. It’s smaller than the Checkpoint headquarters’ lounge but bigger than I expected. It’s got a kitchen, water purifier, and bathroom, so no one’s starving here.

Sayuri-san’s stuff fit into just four boxes. Aside from some democratic correctional literature, there wasn’t anything too weird. Daily necessities, underwear, various medicines, emergency rations…

Oh, I nibbled on some of the emergency rations because I was hungry.

My junior finally returned after I finished unpacking, completely exhausted and dragged back by Hanako. She was flushed and sweating, probably from the mental toll of being subdued.

Hanako saw me and gave a bright smile.

I couldn’t bring myself to smile back, so I just gave her a thumbs-up instead.

“What the heck happened?”

“What do you mean, Hikari-san? I just broke Sayuri-chan’s will to keep running away.”

“…Yeah, sure, do whatever you want.”

Hanako dragged Sayuri-san into the Supplementary Lessons Department’s clubroom. I don’t know what kind of prank she’s planning, but seeing Hanako’s excited face, it’s probably going to be rough for my junior. It’s not like she’s going to hit her, so I’m not too worried.

If Sayuri-san feels like she’s in danger, she’ll probably call me desperately.

Now what? I’m done unpacking, and if I mess with Sayuri-san’s stuff on the desk, she’ll probably chew me out. I can’t exactly go bird-hunting with a shotgun in the middle of town like usual.

Hmm.

With nothing else to do, I decided to wander around the dining district.

I’ll probably get hungry just walking around, right?

Contrary to Trinity’s image of ladies eating bread and tea for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the dining district is packed with all kinds of restaurants. Sandwiches and pastry shops are a given, but there are also BBQ joints, diners, and more.

True to Trinity’s efforts to respect other academies’ cultures, there’s a variety of foreign cuisine too. For example, among the crowded shops I just passed, there were places selling curry and kebabs.

I go there often, and it’s always delicious.

Decision made. There’s nothing better than eating something delicious again.

The restaurant was packed with students. The single seats by the window were already taken, and students at tables were sharing seats, greeting each other, and chatting about their food. I grabbed a chair and headed to a corner table.

“Mind if I take this seat?”

The students scarfing down curry nodded briefly before focusing back on their food. They were wearing white berets, probably Tea Party administrators, hurriedly filling their stomachs during a short lunch break. Poor things.

This is why you should be a field worker like me and skip midterms.

I ordered my usual butter chicken, and exactly five minutes later, a freshly made golden-brown curry arrived. While those busy folks were practically pouring curry into their mouths, I could savor my Indian-gyudon at leisure.

Alright, mix the chicken and rice together, take a spoonful—

BOOOOOOOM!

And then the wall blew up.

Scratch that, never mind.

“What the hell?!”

“The wall collapsed!”

One side of the wall completely caved in, and the students nearby panicked as if struck by lightning. The administrator at my table was tearing up, staring at her concrete-dust-covered chicken tikka masala.

What is going on? This shouldn’t be happening in Trinity! A restaurant next door completely collapsing is beyond what my brain can process!

“Hoohoo, now that’s a sight.”

“Huh…? Oh no, it’s Gourmet Research Society’s Haruna! Kurodate Haruna has appeared!”

I think I just heard a name I shouldn’t have.

Looking around, there she was—a silver-haired girl smirking through the collapsed wall. That uniform, that tail, and that bomb switch. It’s none other than Kurodate Haruna, Gehenna Academy’s permanently wanted terrorist.

Chaos erupted in the dining district. Students who witnessed the restaurant’s collapse, along with shop owners, scrambled to clean up in a panic. Our restaurant’s owner vanished, probably to some pre-built bunker.

Terrified faces—probably people scared their shops would be obliterated or that they’d get caught in the mess. Most students tried to escape in the opposite direction of the restaurant, though some bold ones went closer to snap pictures of the infamous Gehenna restaurant terrorist.

I was among them, but for a slightly different reason.

I gripped my shotgun upside down and charged at the girl.

“You damn bastard!”

CLANG!

A crisp metallic sound rang through the chaotic street.

***

“Oh my, Hikari-san. Where have you been? Your uniform’s covered in blood!”

“Just beat up a lunatic. She loved it.”

The steel stock of my shotgun didn’t disappoint—Haruna passed out after just a few hits. Beating up violent types is my job, but hitting an unconscious student is a whole different ethical issue. I roughly slung her over my shoulder and handed her over to the Justice Task Force.

Watching the deputy chief’s macaron disappear from her mouth was quite a sight. She was shocked to see me carrying Gehenna’s notorious terrorist, though her flipping the table wasn’t as fun to watch.

Still, she’s good at her job, so I’m sure she handled it well.

Grumble.

I’m hungry.

Thanks to that terrorist girl, I ended up skipping lunch. All I had was a single chicken skewer from a street stall. It was tasty, but a few pieces of chicken aren’t going to fill me up.

It’s not like I have the money to splurge on dinner either. Probably just a bowl of party noodles.

Ugh, today feels like a forced diet.

“Where’s Sayuri-san?”

“She’s sleeping in the clubroom. She was so exhausted, she passed out the moment I put her on the bed.”

“If I think you’re the reason for that, it’d be nice if you kept quiet for today.”

“Hehe, I didn’t do anything, I swear.”

Didn’t do anything, my ass—Sayuri-san was panting like crazy. I gave Hanako a skeptical look, and her lips curled into a smile.

Hanako’s grinning, with that infuriatingly unreadable smile plastered on her face.

As I always say, Hanako’s not someone to underestimate. When I saw her transfer her club affiliation to the Supplementary Lessons Department in five minutes flat and start messing with Sayuri-san, I knew. Mess with her, and she’ll hound you until graduation.

Luckily, this works both ways. As long as our little pervert doesn’t cross the line, I won’t have to smack her upside the head.

“If you stare too much, I’ll get shy… Or is that what you want?”

“…”

Maybe.

Now that I think about it, just running out of the Supplementary Lessons Department’s clubroom might be a good idea. I’m pretty sure I’ve got better stamina than Hanako. If I shake her off, I might escape her nonsense for the day.

Beep-beep-beep!

The Checkpoint radio went off. Checking the channel, it was from headquarters. It wasn’t an emergency signal, so maybe it’s just a check-in call. In this situation, the timing’s absolutely perfect.

I lied to Hanako, saying I had to take the call in private for security reasons. While I slipped out of the building, she went back to the clubroom where Sayuri-san was sleeping.

It worked.

I ducked into an alley and turned on the radio. Soon enough, Yuzuki’s voice came through.

-Security comms. Captain, you there?

-Loud and clear. What’s up?

-Just saw a Justice Department escort vehicle pass by. That’s Haruna, right?

-It’s headed to Gehenna, so probably. You called just to report that?

-Not just that. There’s a report from Abydos that you should hear.

-They say a Schale vehicle entered Trinity with the Sensei on board. Apparently, the Tea Party called them.

-…I’ll look into it, so don’t worry. Thanks for the heads-up. Good work today.

Yuzuki gave a quick “Yup” and cut the line.

Schale, Sensei. The Sensei.

Unexpected news. Last I heard, they were rolling around in Abydos. I think there was talk of them going to Millennium Science School too. What’s bringing them to Trinity?

Looks like I need to call the Tea Party directly. I pulled out my phone and dialed the administrator. 

“…This is the Tea Party.”

“Administrator, it’s me. I just heard something, and I was wondering if there’s anything I should know about…”