[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 73

“Hello, Shirasu-san.”

“You’re Yamatsu Hikari?”

“Yeah.” Shirasu-san was glancing around, as if wary of a possible trap.

The investigation room at the checkpoint is quite different from those at the General Student Council or Valkyrie Police Academy. Bare concrete walls, a lamp, a desk, and a frosted glass window—not exactly the image people have in mind. A bit too different, really.

When an Arius Branch student being interrogated asked me about it, I, having anticipated the question, answered calmly:

“We’re broke.”

The so-called glamorous checkpoint is just the result of a modest extension to an old checkpoint building. Take a good look at the sign pointing to Trinity. You’ll see the thick, white letters spelling out “13th Border Checkpoint” half-erased.

The investigation room? It’s just a corner of my office with a desk moved in to allow one-on-one interviews. The only soundproofing measure was swapping the door for a thicker one. Oh, how embarrassing it is to be so broke.

Some students, like Sayuri-san, probably know this well. The checkpoint’ investigation room is merely a victim of crass capitalism…

“You don’t need to look around like that, Shirasu-san. If I had the money to install bugs, don’t you think I’d have built a proper investigation room first?”

“There could be devices installed that have nothing to do with you. You have to be careful.”

Meanwhile, Shirasu-san was trying to distract me and Sensei by claiming there might be listening devices.

“What kind of crazy person would sneak into the checkpoint to do that… Haha, Sensei, you’re not supposed to play along, you know?”

“No, there’s an important reason.”

“Oh, is that so? Mind if I ask why?”

“It’s interesting.”

Haha.

You’re a teacher, you know.

If you’re asking why Sensei from Schale came all the way here, it’s only natural to answer. It’s a matter that our dear, mentally fragile Urawa Hanako-san personally requested. She said she didn’t know, but if it was Sensei, she could trust them.

Hmph. That’s a rather annoying comment. What, do I look like I’d beat up Hanako and Shirasu-san for some gain? Her basic calculations are off. From a political burden perspective, it’d be more beneficial to take down Sensei.

Not that I’m wary of Sensei. Rumors aside, they’re a decent enough person.

Sure, there’s talk about them licking a Prefect Team student’s leg, blowing nearly 20,000 yen a month on gambling, or Iroha’s testimony about a pile of thin books stashed in a corner of Schale’s office—stuff that makes you wonder if they’re a person or a Hanako with something extra… But still.

Fortunately, the advisor of the club overseeing the federation didn’t seem to mind Hanako’s antics. They’d probably say, “As a teacher, sometimes you have to take on students’ problems.”

Nagisa-sama seems to trust Sensei quite a bit. This morning, I made a direct call to the Tea Party Hall to ask her thoughts on an outsider’s involvement in an internal investigation, and I got a surprisingly positive response.

“Is the investigation done, Shirasu-san?”

“Yes. No listening devices detected. You’re stricter about security than it looks.”

“That’s an insult.”

After several minutes of thoroughly searching the office, Shirasu-san finally sat down calmly.

Perhaps noticing my glance, Sensei, who had been poking at an outlet in the corner of the office, hurriedly returned to their seat. Oh, if they’d lingered just ten seconds longer, I was about to say something. As expected of a professional.

“Alright… Let’s get to business. The subject of the investigation is Shirasu Azusa-san, and the observer is Sensei from Schale. Agreed?”

“Yes.”

“I agree.” When I dropped a stack of nearly a hundred pages onto the desk, it creaked and wobbled.

“What… is all this, Hikari?”

“A masterpiece that Sayuri-san and a few others slaved over all night. With no legal counsel available, we gathered every student at the checkpoint majoring in academy law. This is how many legal measures could apply to Shirasu-san.”

“…Are you trying to socially destroy Azusa?”

“No.”

“Then why go through all this effort?”

“Because it was fun.”

Sensei gave a dumbfounded look. Shirasu-san’s expression didn’t change, still sulky, whether she understood the contents or not.

But I’m serious.

The Trinity General Academy Code of Law, with its long history and tradition as a permanent allied academy, is not just complex—it’s a mess. Some laws, once taboo, remain on the books, effectively obsolete.

While looking for clauses applicable to Shirasu-san, we found violations in surprisingly minor areas. About five or six major ones, and dozens of smaller ones.

But get this: if the charge is “prohibited from flapping wings within the academy,” isn’t that hilarious?

To think you could go to jail for something like that. It made me wonder what other laws might apply and whether I or other checkpoint students had unknowingly violated any. My curiosity exploded.

In short, this is the result of Yamatsu Hikari’s weird curiosity driving her poor juniors to exhaustion.

Sorry, Sayuri-san.

“You all know the purpose of this investigation. According to Trinity General Academy’s code, killing a host can invoke charges of treason under Article 87 of the Penal Code, among others.”

“If that’s applied, what happens to Azusa?”

“There’s hardly any precedent, so it’s hard to interpret, but according to some legal opinions…”

Most of the Pater faction members at the checkpoint are well-versed in academy law.

According to Sayuri-san, internal faction disputes are so common that hearings are held at the drop of a hat, so they’ve naturally debated academy law extensively to defend themselves.

Anyway, we consulted a few students who’d be offended to be called second-best at interpreting academy law, and their answer was concise:

“…Expulsion from the academy or the death penalty.”

***

“Alright, alright. The Trinity Bridge is falling down. My favorite folk song.”

“Can you sing it for me sometime? Minako said she saw you play the bagpipes.”

“If I get the chance, sure.”

Was it different from Hanako’s hopes? The investigation atmosphere was surprisingly amicable.

It was clear the mood depended on how much of a fuss I made, so my intentions were strongly reflected. Sensei seemed to vaguely understand this and didn’t raise any objections.

“Shirasu-san, you don’t seem to get it, but you’re not leaving until you fill out this investigation report.”

“I don’t understand. Can’t we negotiate and fill it out together?”

“If we get caught, both my head and Sensei’s get cracked open.”

Unfortunately, Shirasu-san didn’t seem to fully grasp why she was called here. Being generous, I accepted that Arius Branch students often lack legal knowledge and explained it at an elementary school level.

They say what they learn at school is how to hit someone’s head with a tear gas canister, how to collapse a library-sized building with fewer than twelve C4 charges, or how to calculate the number of bullets needed to extinguish a student’s halo. So, I’ve got to be patient.

They must have a student council president or branch head, but whoever they are, they’re utterly clueless about education. What kind of lunatic designs a curriculum like that?

“So, our dear Hanako says you never shot at Seia-sama. Is that true?”

“If you’re asking whether it’s true, yes. It’s true.”

“Of course it’s true… But I’m focusing on something slightly different. I only asked if you killed Seia-sama. Hanako gave a more… specific, suspicious answer.”

On the day Seia-sama was murdered, the Sanctus faction office at the Tea Party Hall was utterly destroyed.

Something—whether a bomb or a chemical concoction—killed a student, and the investigation team, urgently formed under Nagisa-sama’s orders, couldn’t find even a tiny piece of the green-eared girl’s remains. Not even ashes were left.

At an unprecedented hearing, students were busy shouting. What kind of madness happened in that environment for a body to vanish into thin air without preservation? Could it be scientifically explained?

What were the Justice Task Force, Intelligence Department, and Border Checkpoint doing, fattening their salaries while this horrific incident unfolded?

What’s the point of your existence?

I attended the hearing, and Senior Itsuka’s appointment was terminated on the spot.

“You could think of it this way. If Shirasu-san was there… couldn’t she have killed Seia-sama without firing a single shot? A slight possibility. The explosion was real, after all.”

Nearly a year later, with most witnesses graduated or out of contact, reopening the investigation might be reckless. But with solid evidence from the Arius Branch, I’ve got Shirasu-san here.

Shirasu-san is an enigma. Few students at Trinity General Academy are explosives experts like her. For an untrained student to handle demolitions like that is extraordinary.

So, it’s only natural to think:

Who is this girl? Doesn’t she have the capability?

“The Arius Branch students’ statements didn’t detail much about Seia-sama, but let’s call that special forces secrecy. You’re the only Arius Squad member who’s shown her face, so I have to ask.”

“Hm. I see.”

“That’s how it is. So, Shirasu-san, did you, our dear girl kill Seia-sama?”

It was the moment Shirasu-san answered confidently, and my suspicions were about to clear. Sensei, cutting off our conversation with a raised hand, gave an awkward smile.

“Uh… Hold on, Hikari. I think you’re missing something.”

“Of course… Huh?”

“No, I thought you’d know since you were there, but it seems you don’t.”

Know what? If you’re talking about Mika-sama’s incident, I was knocked out cold from the start.

“…Is there something I don’t know?”

“Yes. Something very important.”

“If I need to know, please tell me.”

Sensei took a deep breath.

“…Seia, she’s alive.”

Gulp.

The cocoa that had spilled from my gaping mouth flowed back into the cup.