[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 49

“Here, stamp this and give it to me. I’ll store it in the safe.”

“Got it. By the way, senpai, you’ve got a knack for naming things. ‘Cheongmyeong’ rolls off the tongue nicely.”

“Watch your words. They say daytime chatter gets picked up by birds and sent to the Tea Party Hall.”

I took the document from Sayuri-san and tucked it deep into the safe. With a click, the five-dial combination lock secured the sturdy metal case. This safe holds all the Checkpoint’s dirty secrets, like the cocoa embezzlement scandal.

It’s a clear day. Unlike the chaotic day of the hearing, the Checkpoint Headquarters is quiet.

That day was a mess. If they were going to hold a closed hearing, they should’ve prepared for the fallout. The swarm of reporters flooding the Checkpoint parking lot gave me a headache. Thankfully, Ritsuko-chan’s stern warning kept the press at bay, and no major articles came out.

Today is one of those rare “nothing much to do” days—monumental, a day to goof off.

That said, with Eden less than two weeks away, unless something critical comes up, I’ll probably be stuck at the Checkpoint. It’s our home base, so it’s better than getting grilled by Nagisa-sama or other faction members at the Tea Party Hall.

What should I do to slack off? For now, I decided to spend lunch with Ritsuko-chan, skipping patrol to make hot cocoa mix. A couple of hours today should yield enough for the next few months.

The Checkpoint has everything: farm-fresh cacao nibs, sugar, powdered milk, cornstarch… a ton of stuff.

The process is simple. Grind the cacao nibs into powder, mix with the rest, and blend. It’s easy, quick, and the sheer volume makes you feel like a factory worker.

Some say one person kept doing this and ended up transferring to Red Winter.

“That guy’s been waving flags with someone named Minorin or Midorin lately. They even started an organization with some students. What was it called… something like the Transfer Solidarity Movement or Conference?”

“They’ve gone full commie. Those Red Winter folks show up in D.U. sometimes. No clue how they avoid getting caught.”

“I heard if you’re caught by Valkyrie’s cops, you’ve gotta rip off your Red Winter badge. Some tradition or whatever. I don’t get why they fight so much in a place where they can barely survive.”

If I understood that, I’d be a sociologist.

Sayuri-san’s heading to the Supplementary Lessons Department with a friend from admin. She’s been visiting a lot lately, and honestly, I’m starting to wonder if she’s going to see Hanako or Sensei.

Thanks to her, I get updates on Hanako. Apparently, she got caught wandering around in a bikini recently. Why, though?

As Ritsuko-chan said, she’s staying at the Checkpoint, and most of the crew took leave since there’s nothing to do. So, the Headquarters is basically ours today. Looks like our junior will be the first to taste this quarter’s cocoa batch.

“Senpai, I’m heading out. Keep an eye on the place, okay?”

“I’m not a guard dog. Only Nagisa-sama could say that to me.”

“Then what should I say? ‘Stay home and make cocoa’?”

Teasing me with a grin, my junior left.

“…”

With one of the three gone, it’s dead quiet.

Guess I’ll keep grinding with the mortar.

***

Evening, as the sun sets.

I tossed the bags of cocoa powder into a corner of the freezer and have been on standby in the office for hours.

Outside, there’s nothing but dense forest and the building across the way. It’s always been like this, but today, not a single student crossed the border, so I haven’t done any work. This is more boring than I expected.

Ritsuko-chan, who fell asleep waiting for me in the cafeteria, was moved to my bed. She’s been exhausted from midterms, staying up night after night. I’ll let her rest today.

Riiing. The phone rang.

“This is the checkpoint.”

“It’s the Communications Office.”

It was the Director’s voice. What’s the Tea Party Hall calling about at this hour? Especially the Communications Office, which rarely contacts us.

“Hey, it’s me. What’s up?”

“They told me not to say anything, but I thought you should know. There’s an emergency at the Tea Party Hall.”

“…What?”

“Nagisa-sama declared a security lockdown at the main building over some document storage issue related to the Eden Treaty. It’s legally sound, but it came out of nowhere, so everyone’s freaking out. Nothing’s happened on your end, right?”

“We’re fine. A security lockdown… that hasn’t happened since Seia-sama’s incident last year. Who’s listed as the lockdown commander? Is it just the main building?”

“Commander Tsurugi is the lockdown commander, and it’s not a full lockdown, but Building 19 is sealed off. I heard Justice Task Force members are guarding it. It wasn’t in the announcement, so I don’t know why.”

“I see… wait, what?!”

Hold on. Let’s think this through quickly.

A security lockdown happens when the Host deems a situation wartime or equivalent, thinking, “Regular police won’t cut it.” In that case, the Justice Task Force, not security guards, handles the main building’s protection.

But sending the entire Justice Task Force to an offsite annex means the main building is… empty?

With security guards withdrawn and the building sealed, there’s no security force inside? Sure, if Nagisa-sama’s there, the Guard would be present, but trusting those guys is a stretch.

What was Nagisa-sama thinking with this decision?

“Director, where’s Nagisa-sama right now?”

“Uh… probably in a safehouse, but I don’t have clearance for that…”

“I know, I know. Thanks.”

I hung up, grabbed a map from the wall, and spread it on the meeting table.

Trinity’s city has a ridiculous 87 safehouses. Excluding the 51 under Sanctus and Pater’s control from the Tea Party Hall, 36 remain, mostly built in concentric circles around the Hall.

As one of Trinity General Academy’s security officers, I roughly know the Tea Party Host’s safehouse rotation by date. If I recall, she’s in Safehouse 73 today.

I need to find out why she declared a lockdown and left the main building empty. I dialed the phone.

“This is Kirifuji of the Tea Party.”

“It’s me, Nagisa-sama. I thought today was peaceful, but it seems something big’s happened?”

“It’s you, Hikari-san. There was an urgent matter regarding the Eden Treaty’s security.”

“Putting aside the justification, I heard you sent the Justice Task Force to an annex instead of the main building. I don’t think this is to guard against me or other ‘undesirables.’ I’m curious why.”

“It’s related to the Supplementary Lessons Department—”

Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door over the phone.

“Looks like the tea’s here. Excuse me for a moment, Hikari.”

“I’ll wait.”

A clunk suggested Nagisa-sama set the receiver on the table.

***

Minutes later.

“Don’t move.”

Kirifuji Nagisa, visibly shaken, was being threatened by Azusa Shirasu. Wearing a gas mask, Azusa pressed a gun to Nagisa’s forehead, preventing her from calling for help.

Hanako Urawa, smiling faintly, said,

“Oh, of course, we took care of all the nearby guards. That’s why I’m showing my face, right?”

“Shirasu Azusa… Urawa Hanako… Could it be, the <traitor> wasn’t one person, but two…?”

Nagisa struggled to process the unexpected situation.

If there wasn’t one traitor, but two… what about the others in the Supplementary Lessons Department?

“…Heh heh heh, it’s simple. Both Azusa-chan and I are mere pawns. The real one commanding us is someone else.”

Was that an admission of collaboration with Arius?

“That… who is it?!”

“…Hmm, but Nagisa-san, was all this really necessary? The Supplementary Lessons Department, I mean. Even if Azusa-chan and I were suspicious from the start… don’t you think you went too far with Hifumi-chan and Koharu-chan?”

“…”

She was right. Hifumi was one of Nagisa’s closest allies, and Koharu was practically a hostage of the Justice Task Force.

Hifumi… Nagisa felt a twinge of regret. She’d turned her into a sacrificial lamb for the greater good.

“Especially Hifumi-chan… she was close to you, Nagisa-san. Why did you treat her so harshly? Did you ever think about the pain she’d feel?”

“…Yes. Even if it was for the greater good, I shouldn’t have done that to Hifumi. I don’t regret my actions, but I wanted to preserve our friendship until the end. I…”

After Eden, when everything was over, what apology could she offer Hifumi?

Nagisa still hadn’t found an answer.

And Hanako, perhaps mocking that foolish act, erased all the reasons Nagisa needed to find.

“…Heh heh heh. Then I’ll deliver our commander’s message to you, Nagisa-san: ‘Haha… it was fun, playing friends with you, Nagisa-sama.’”

“…What?! No, it can’t be…!”

—Tat-tat-tat-tat!

Gunfire.

Azusa emptied an entire magazine, knocking the Tea Party Host unconscious.

Carrying the collapsed Nagisa was Hanako’s task.

She glanced at the bullet-riddled floor of the panic room and the phone on the table.

There was no time to think. Hanako hurried out.

***

“…”

What just happened?

Let’s recap. Safehouse 73 was attacked by two kidnappers, Nagisa-sama was knocked out and abducted, meaning the Tea Party Host and Filius faction leader of Trinity General Academy is missing.

Two more details: I clearly heard Hanako and Shirasu’s voices, and they mentioned during their conversation with Nagisa-sama that Ajitani Hifumi is leading their command.

That’s not the important part.

The Tea Party Host has been kidnapped.

“…”

Click.

I called Sayuri-san.

“Yes, senpai? Calling because I’m late? I’m rounding up the kids now.”

“Are all the kids there? The ones who took leave, I mean.”

“Yup. I had to drag some of them out, convincing the ones who didn’t want to come.”

“Good… Sayuri-san, turn the trucks around.”

She sounded confused.

“Huh…? What do you mean?”

“Turn the trucks around. Send them all to the main building and have them stand by until I get there. Have the artillery unit set firing coordinates toward the main building from the position I sent and load live rounds.”

“Senpai… what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Tell me about it.

I don’t understand either. Honestly, I don’t want to.

“As of now, I’m declaring an emergency lockdown on the main building under my authority as captain.”

It’s too late to understand.