[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 4

*Manma Army will be called the Pandemonium Society from now on. I’ve changed it in the previous chapters as well, in case anyone gets confused.

A few days have passed.

I came to D.U. for a visit for the first time in a long time. I thought my vacation for this month would be canceled due to the accident last time, but it seems that Nagisa-sama covered up the incident with her gracious heart. It may have been influenced by the letter of apology I sent to my friend in the Filius faction. I sent a thank-you letter to the address of the Tea Party club, but I don’t know if she will reply.

To be honest, I didn’t come here to have fun. I came here to buy ammunition, which I was running low on, and other necessary items. There’s no place like the black market at Abydos High School for buying illegal goods, but when it comes to buying legal goods, there’s no place like D.U.

Since many people gather there, the variety of goods is substantial, and the quality is quite high. Most importantly, there are no tariffs, so the prices are affordable. Most people who come here don’t sign regular contracts; they quickly sell their goods at flea markets and look for other items, so they’re really good at bargaining.

Currently, I’m loading cartridges filled with standard ammunition for L85 and L86 into carts and dragging them around. Of course, it’s not me who’s dragging them—it’s Ritsuko-chan. Sayuri-san went out with her friends, but we agreed that she’ll come next time.

This ammunition is nearly enough for our checkpoint’s monthly supply. It cost about half of the checkpoint’s budget, but recently, the consumption of regular ammunition has increased, so I complained to the higher-ups and got the budget increased. Thanks to that, the monthly supply of cacao, which used to be about 30 pieces, has also increased. This method is somewhere between illegal and legal, but as long as we don’t get caught, it’s an open secret among the administrators.

With the remaining funds, I purchased some cacao beans and milk tea, distributed a small portion to Ritsuko-chan and Sayuri-san as a bonus, and provided a small amount to the junior colleague from the Justice and Discipline Department whom I met yesterday as pocket money. Anyway, a lot of money is being drained in various ways. Even after buying everything, there’s still a tiny amount left which I save, because I really want to buy a fancy machine gun later.

“Ritsuko-chan, is there anything else you need to buy?”

“I think I’ve bought everything I need… but… this cart… how… please help me, senior…”

“Sigh, okay, I’ll help you.”

Ritsuko-chan couldn’t easily pull the line of several carts connected like the Andromeda Transcontinental Railroad. When I helped her, the cart suddenly sped up. What? Ritsuko-chan, why do you have such a weak locomotive? Are you running on steam or something?

“Uh, uh… What? Why did it speed up so much when you pulled it?”  

“Why are you so weak, you weakling? I’ll just pull it myself, so Ritsuko-chan, why don’t you check the list to see if there’s anything else you need to buy?”  

“Yes!”

Ritsuko-chan, who had been struggling in the hot weather like a wilting flower, was very excited. The list was made by Sayuri-san, who is the smartest student among the checkpoint students. Even other checkpoints often ask her for help with taxes and management fees. Sayuri is such a kind person that she goes out of her way to help everyone, including our checkpoint.

Thanks to that, I, the checkpoint chief, am lucky that I don’t have to do any paperwork. I’ve been good at writing since I was in school, but for some reason, I’m terrible at filling out forms. I’m good at swaying my superiors’ hearts with my reflections, but that’s often because the reports I submit to them are a mess.

“Senior, it seems like we’ve bought everything we need.”  

“Really? Then let’s head back. Where do we get off to transfer to Andromeda?”  

“The station isn’t connected, so where do we get off… Ah, I found it. We have to get off at the Federal Student Affairs Office Station and walk a bit.”  

“Okay, grab your transit card.”

Alright, we’ve bought everything we need and saved the remaining money, so there’s nothing to fear. We’ve finished all the reports and memos, so the only burden I have left is the cart behind me. These are the supplies we need to survive for a month, so I must prioritize them like gold – over my own body.  

That’s how our checkpoint will survive this month.  

-Beep!

I swipe my card and pull the long carts behind me. Everywhere we went, people’s eyes followed us. 

The carts seem to attract a lot of attention. Every time I come here, everyone’s attention is focused on us, and there have been a few times when the Chronos kids have caused trouble, so by now, I’ve just gotten used to it.

Anyway, today is a lucky day. I spent hours looking for items to buy, but nothing happened. Days like this are rare among the days I come to D.U. Every day, there are bombings, helmet gangs, and even shootouts, but today was peaceful with nothing happening.

“Should we buy a crepe on the way back and share it?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea! I’ll buy it with my own money today!”

—

The crepe with strawberry ice cream was exactly to my taste. Ritsuko-chan said it was her favorite flavor, and I just realized that our tastes in crepes overlapped. 

The only downside to today was that the current situation was the opposite of my preference.

“Ahh, Senpai, I got shot! Why does it hurt so much?”

“A couple of shots are fine, so just bear with it! Protect the luggage! Damn it, I thought today was going to be a lucky day!”

Bang, bang, bang, a fierce gun battle broke out on the straight street. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s clear that we, who were cautiously passing through the battlefield, caught the attention of a couple delinquents. 

That’s why I said it’s a headache. Last time, we got caught up in a battle and were trapped in the Knight Order’s building for two weeks. Plus, judging by the bullet holes, it looks like these guys are using hollow-point bullets. Where did they get the money for something that costs 3,000 yen per bullet to shoot around like that?

I used the wrecked cruiser tank as cover and pulled the trigger of my L85. I had pushed the stuff Ritsuko-chan bought into the building, but I was worried that some of it might fly away from the impact of the shelling. As if reading my mind, Ritsuko-chan went back into the building and moved the stuff to a safer place.

There are too many people over there, really. They’re not even from a security company, but there are more than a dozen students visible. No, more than twenty? There were a lot of them waiting behind the building debris!

“Wow, Ritsuko-chan, we can go back today, right…?”

“We have to go back! The tart I bought for Sayuri-san at the café will get cold if we don’t get back in time!”

“Yeah, we have to feed Sayuri-san until she’s full! Give them a taste of their own medicine, Ritsuko-chan!”

The situation was too urgent to pull out the bagpipes, so I blew the whistle hanging around my neck. Unlike the bagpipes, I couldn’t give individual commands, only the order to charge, but in a situation like this where only one person was charging, it didn’t matter much. I ran toward the nearest student and changed the magazine.

Clank, thud. I pulled the loading handle and quickly fired a few shots, causing the student to flinch and stop firing. The students I saw at D.U. were generally weaker than the students from Gehenna, so after being hit once or twice with the butt of the gun, they usually fainted. 

“Ritsuko-chan, bring the luggage! These bastards are easier to break through than you think!”

“Yes, Hikari-san!”

While Ritsuko went inside the building to find the luggage, I hid behind the cover again. It seemed like I was the only student visible in the area, so all kinds of ammunition were flying in. From the sound, it seemed like not only 5.56mm standard rounds but also 20mm Vulcan cannon rounds. 

That’s what they call a minigun, and it’s incredibly heavy, but its firepower is so strong that a single minigun-wielding helmeted soldier can often injure several students.

And it doesn’t seem like there’s just one or two of them. At least three, maybe even four… Wow, this was manageable up until now, but how do we break through this? I’m confident in my physical strength, but if I get hit by one of those for even a few seconds, I’ll end up in the student hospital wing of D.U. The medical bills will be quite hefty, and then Ritsuko-chan will get hurt too.

What should I do… Maybe I should go back and get reinforcements… 

“Flashbang coming!”

“Huh?”

Hearing the sound of the flashbang, I instinctively took cover, and a massive flash erupted right in front of me. When I got back up, three students holding miniguns were staggering around before falling down. Oh, I guess I have a good instinct.  

By the way, this flashbang is Suzumi-san’s, also known as the “Trinity’s Running Flashbang,”. If I turn around, she’ll probably be coming toward me. But why did Suzumi come all the way here? 

It’s rare for the Trinity Vigilantes to come to D.U…. Sure if it was the Tea Party students, but…

“Two students spotted ahead! They don’t seem to be injured… Hikari-san?”

“Ah, that’s right, Suzumi-san. It’s been a while, how have you been? What brought you to the D.U.?”

“Huh? Oh, I’ve been fine. I came to D.U. to inquire with the Student Council about Trinity’s security… What brings you here, Hikari-san? The person next to you is someone I’ve never seen before.”

“I’m Kawazaki Ritsuko. I’m a first-year student. Please take care of me, Suzumi-senpai.”

“We work together at the checkpoint. I come to D.U. roughly once a month to restock supplies at the checkpoint, but today wasn’t my lucky day. What about the people behind you?” Behind her there’s a small group. Two of them clearly aren’t Trinity students, and one is… Oh, it’s the Deputy Director of the Justice and Discipline Department.

“Wow, this is my first time seeing you in person, Senior. What brings you to D.U.?”

“I’m here with Suzumi-san to discuss Trinity’s security situation… Wait, Hikari-san… aren’t you the student I exchanged messages with at the checkpoint a few days ago?”

“That’s right. Thank you so much for helping me resolve that situation smoothly. So, who are the two students behind me?”

“Hayase Yuka from Millennium Science School.”

“And this is Hinomiya Chinatsu from Gehenna Academy.”

The name Hayase Yuka sounded unfamiliar to me, as if I had heard it once on Millennium Radio and let it slip out of my mind. She must be either an ordinary student or someone shrouded in mystery who has risen to the student council at D.U. I think it’s the latter. The fact that she carries an engineering calculator around with her is already suspicious.

As for the friend from Gehenna, she seems to be a first-year student, but her manner of speaking gives off a polite vibe, so she’s probably not from the Student Council but rather the Prefect Team. If she’s a first-year student who made it to the Student Council, she’s definitely not an ordinary student. To begin with, there are hardly any girls who speak properly among those not in the Prefect Team—maybe just Iroha-chan at best.

From what I can tell, the four of them went to the Student Council and caused a scene with the Student Council President, or at least demanded a response from the Chief Administrator. They don’t seem to be official representatives, so they must have come after holding back for a while. They went there to cause a scene, but it seems like everyone’s timing just happened to align.

“Then, the adult behind you… who are you?”

“Oh, me? I’m… a teacher.”  

“A teacher?”  

“The teacher is the advisor for the ‘Schale’ club, Hikari-san. He was appointed by the missing student council president.”  

“Oh, I see… Wait, the student council president is missing? Is the position vacant now?”

“It’s not vacant, but Chief Administrative Officer Nanami Rin said that he’s been missing for a few weeks now.”

So, that’s why the security around Trinity City and the checkpoints has been a mess. From what I remember from my studies, the student council president was the final administrator of the Sanctum Tower, which soars high into the sky above the clouds. Thanks to the president who fled without properly handing over the reins, the student council has lost its authority over the Sanctum Tower for the past few weeks.

But you, sir, are an adult and while I’ve seen many adults before, they were all cats, dogs, or humanoids. Even the owner of that great tonkatsu restaurant in Trinity City is a Shiba Inu. This is the first time I’ve seen a human adult, and I have no idea what you do based on the club name “Schale.”

“So, sir… what do you do?”

“I’m not sure yet either… When students come, I guess I’ll listen to their concerns or help solve their problems. Since it’s a federal club, I suppose students can join freely.”

What? So it’s just a counseling center. The fact that it’s a federal club and students can join freely means that the club building is probably located in D.U., like the Student Council, and that’s why they separated it from the academy and made it independent. It feels like something like Sisterhood in Trinity.

Looking at the teacher’s face, I can see that he is flustered. I think he has only been here for a short time. Maybe today, or maybe just a moment ago. Adults usually take about a week to get settled in and signed up, but the teacher doesn’t look like he has.

Anyway, it’s time to go back. If we go a little further, we’ll come to the circular railway station, so we can go there. The battle is over, and the fallen students have been taken away by the ambulances that arrived, so the problem is…

“…… Hmm. The Student Council didn’t come directly.”

“…… Wow, damn it.”

“Huh, whatever. It doesn’t matter.”

“I’m Kosaka Wakamo!”

-The words were on the tip of my tongue, but with an adult nearby, I forced myself to swallow them. The problems are piling up like stairs or a mountain, and as soon as I deal with one, another pops up. The current situation is incredibly frustrating, but there’s nothing I can do about it. My mom told me not to swear in front of adults. Instead, I’ll just think it.

Damn it. Why is that escaped fox here?