[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 93

Kivotos is home to many maxims. Proverbs used freely in the Tea Party Hall, the Pandemonium Society’s assembly, and the General Student Council’s headquarters.

Beyond the seven topics, these sayings are commonly employed in the administrative offices, where political and diplomatic issues often arise. Just as it’s said that even water and oil can mix when stirred, the words ring true.

Thus, Tea Party administrators often use these maxims in conversations with Pandemonium Society officers. The verbal sparring between them is both a political clash and a paradoxical policy of reversal.

[Diplomacy without strength bears no fruit. Strength without diplomacy lacks endurance.]

The Pater faction is well-versed in this. They wield it skillfully.

They’ve long been a key faction within the Tea Party. Most of their members major in law, tied to the diplomatic and intelligence duties of Pater administrators. Trinity General School’s public face is one of their own.

Exchanges with external academies are diplomatically phrased as negotiations but are, in essence, cunning wordplay to deceive others.

They didn’t shy away from humbling themselves for a few yen. That’s what Kirifuji Nagisa-sama demanded of them, and it’s how they survived. In some ways, their lives were harder than the robust students working construction.

[Diplomacy is not a weapon but a workplace where words must win wars.]

Ultimately, this worked in the Pater faction’s favor, building a robust network and considerable skill in persuasion.

The Tea Party is as secretive as the Sisterhood, and most students pay little attention to their student council’s actions. The Pater faction’s target is these naive students, unaware of the ways of the world.

There’s a saying: the penalty for wise people refusing to engage in politics is living under the rule of the wicked. They knew this all too well.

Today, too, the Pater faction’s sub-leader quietly mutters a maxim to herself.

“War is far too important to be left to soldiers alone.”

…

Not today.

Today must be different.

As the second-in-command of the Tea Party’s cornerstone Pater faction, she should be brimming with confidence. But lately, she’s had few reasons to smile. Neither externally nor privately was the situation favorable.

Every morning, the stocks she checked on her phone had tanked. She stared grimly at the blue trading screen.

She sought information from other students, but damn it, her faction members seemed utterly talentless at trading. How could they hold such consistently losing charts? It nearly brought her to tears.

She wanted to say their hearts were more invested in the Tea Party than such profits, but considering the sums lost by Millennium’s top engineers… it might just be a matter of inexperience.

Ugh, that’s not the point.

The biggest contributor to her depression was undoubtedly the Pater faction’s shrinking influence within the Tea Party Hall. Already overshadowed by Filius, Misono Mika’s coup had tipped the scales further.

At this rate, they’d be crushed. Trinity’s students, deeply apathetic about politics, rarely switched their favored factions. Like turning back a cooled trail of footsteps, reversing this downward trend without a political breakthrough would be nearly impossible.

Her anxious emotions didn’t fade easily. The sub-leader paced the room, practically chewing her nails.

It didn’t make sense.

What was the Acting Commander thinking?

The mountain checkpoint was attacked by Gehenna. It was only right to retaliate against those horned bastards, but she dismissed my argument, citing the vote’s outcome. The majority voted against it, making resistance difficult… but reason couldn’t accept it.

Even though she was the target of the ambush, she tried to brush it off as a mere incident. She ignored her own blood-soaked state.

Why? She’d confidently declared Gehenna’s preemptive strike, yet stopped so easily?

A pile of coal shaped like a mountain had been dumped into Trinity’s locomotive. Even if the Tea Party Hall looked down on the Acting Commander, she was Host Nagisa-sama’s proxy. The checkpoint assault couldn’t be explained as a simple ambush.

It was on the level of Host Seia’s assassination. If one were to describe it as one of the gravest incidents possible in Trinity, would that convey its severity?

The sub-leader believed declaring war on Gehenna was only natural. She couldn’t tolerate the other officers’ opposition. Students who rejected Trinity’s rightful course of action were anti-Trinity elements.

Let’s suppress these useless people. Driving out those who stand in the way would be Pater’s sacred duty.

Though not as devout as a Sisterhood nun, today she felt the need to pray.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

***

Since morning, I’ve been crossing Trinity’s city streets.

Not running at a time when my blood’s tea content is low—I caught a passing ochre taxi.

Good news: Sayuri-san’s consciousness has returned, and she’s somewhat mobile. I got the call from her junior’s hands, so that says it all. They say Sensei’s condition is stabilizing too, so I had to inform the Tea Party Hall.

Our junior’s absence was a massive blow to Pater’s efforts to calm public sentiment! For first-year Pater recruits, Sub-Leader Jin’s authority is still fresh, so they’d have settled down more easily.

I’m only saying this because she’s gone, but maybe she should’ve stayed a bit longer at the Ancient Cathedral’s outskirts.

Of course, with everything in shambles, it’s a moot point!

“Did you hear? They say the area around the Ancient Cathedral is a warzone. With the evacuation order and talk of war and mobilization in the papers, it seems worse than my wife thought.”

The shiba inu driver asked. With music playing on the radio at some point, he must’ve been itching to talk.

Let’s keep it casual. He doesn’t even know I’m the Acting Commander.

“Yeah, I heard. A Justice Task Force member passing by said it’s chaos. Some say the Ancient Cathedral collapsed. From what Chronos School broadcasted, it seems true.”

“The Ancient Cathedral? Tsk, damn. Where am I supposed to go for Sunday prayers now? My house is near there.”

“Aren’t churches and cathedrals all over the city? The devout driver will be with you wherever you go. The Sisterhood nuns don’t argue over cathedral locations, do they? Same principle.”

“Guess so… Hey, you’re pretty well-spoken for your age. You handle some big stuff?”

I’ve got a few students under me.

“…Just had a lot of talking to do.”

The driver seemed satisfied with my vague response.

Heh, they say a single word can repay a thousand-yen debt. I defused a crisis with words. In society, solving things peacefully with words beats physical effort.

Don’t judge me for not telling the truth—I’ve got my reasons.

I mean, could I just say, “I’m the Acting Commander of this academy”? You’ve got to use authority sparingly, or it’s just bullying. If the driver refused my fare, I’d be hauled to a hearing.

Trinity General School’s Acting Commander! …Or so they say, but I’m just stuck with the blame for failing to handle a security disaster. Know how many pounds of paperwork I’ve processed in days?

To think Nagisa-sama dealt with this workload—horrifying. We want to live human lives too!

—Screech.

Chatting with the driver, I arrived at the hospital. I paid the fare, exchanging pleasantries.

“Times are rough. Stay sharp, kid. Take care.”

“I’m tougher than you, so don’t worry. Have a good day.”

As the taxi left, I entered the bustling lobby filled with students in white coats. Just after dawn, there wasn’t an elderly person in sight. A Relief Knight rushed past toward the ER.

Quiet hours, huh? Tough time for them. Without registering at the counter, a staff member called me over.

“Name and club affiliation, please.”

“Border Checkpoint, Yamatsu Hikari.”

The student tilted her head, as if the name rang a bell.

Hospitals are hubs for all sorts of news, not just medical. Even the Border Checkpoint’s network trades game gacha rumors, so imagine here.

The Medical Department and Relief Knights have students deeply invested in politics. Often seen as community troublemakers, they’re also faint threads connecting the Tea Party Hall’s inner and outer workings. The public catches snippets of news through them.

So, maybe… this girl’s heard the name Yamatsu Hikari a few times.

“…Is something wrong?”

“No, no. This way, please…”

Was that recognition or just my imagination? Hard to tell.

The flustered student calmed down after I mentioned visiting Sayuri-san. She reluctantly gave me the room location. Sayuri-san was in a four-person ward, it seemed.

Not the ICU, so that’s a relief.

—Click.

“No, even nurses should knock before… Huh? What? What the—?”

“Hey, Junior.”

Sayuri-san was playing chess with the student in the next bed. Was it checkmate? I wouldn’t know, never played.

The student recognized me, saluting. I gave a casual wave back, noticing her familiar face. Bandages wrapped her head, and she wore a patient gown, but a black Justice Task Force uniform sat on the dresser.

“Hey, Junior, have we met? You look familiar…”

“At the last Justice Task Force party, I saw Ichika-senpai talking with Captain Hikari.”

Oh, that’s right.

Anyway.

“Senior, it’s 8 a.m. Even if you missed me, I’ve got to head to work soon.”

“Why would students go to class? It’s been ages since the emergency martial law was declared. The only things moving in the city are taxis and newspaper kids. Most at the Tea Party Hall don’t wake up until 10, so we’ve got time.”

“…Martial law?”

—Huh? What? What the—?

Feeling the severe lack of real-time info, I scanned the room.

One empty bed, one person fast asleep. The ceiling had just a clock, no TV, ticking away and grating on our nerves.

Is this the state of a secluded ward? Back in Johann’s day, Basis Scholarum had phonographs in wards, but Trinity General School’s flagship medical facility is this bare? It’s like a step backward.

Come on, people need to stay updated.

“Sayuri-san, you’ve been playing chess non-stop since waking up? Must’ve been tough on your Justice Task Force junior.”

“But I was winning this time! I was about to play my trump card when you walked in, Senior. I could’ve won if not for you…”

But, Junior, I can’t be blamed for not knowing the ward’s situation.

“Let’s drop it. Seems you’ve been out of the loop. A lot’s happened while you were out cold. And we’ve got plenty for you to do. The academy’s in a mess, so lend a hand.”

“…I knew about the missile strike. The nurse bringing food didn’t say much, though.”

“That’s why your senior’s here.”

Sayuri-san pondered what my words meant. She debated briefly with her Justice Task Force junior and looked for nearby sources. Sadly, newspapers seemed banned in the hospital.

After a few minutes, she admitted the lack of accessible info. The model student hit her limit.

“…What happened to make you smirk like that, Senior?”

“Alright, Juniors, brace yourselves.”

Your senior here got a rather steep promotion.

“Trinity General School’s Acting Commander—Yamatsu Hikari.”

“…Huh?” Their reaction was less enthusiastic than expected.

Hours later, a community post titled “Meeting the Buttstock Maniac” went up, and I was furious—that’s irrelevant.

When did they take that frontal photo?

***

It’s dawn.

Minutes before sunrise, with Luna still glowing in the sky. The city was quiet, save for one taxi.

The Tea Party Hall’s meeting room had its usual vibe, but today was different.

The attendees and scale were unique. Normally, the meeting room hosts administrators from Pater, Sanctus, and Filius factions, plus officers representing minority factions and club leaders. Not today.

All of Pater’s top officers gathered. Other faction members assembled in a room set aside for major factions. Several cameras and mics were set up to relay one student’s words, as it had to be.

It was no exaggeration to call it an unprecedented all-faction conference, so many students were curious about the reason.

The last time this many gathered was once.

Right after Misono Mika’s coup, an emergency meeting followed her illegal ousting. There, Sub-Leader Jin rose to Pater’s pinnacle.

[“…Noble students of the Pater faction. I’ve gathered you at this early hour for a vote on a single issue. An issue that will shape the future of Pater, and indeed, Trinity itself.”]

The girl’s voice echoed through the meeting room and the gathered students’ space. A vote requiring all faction members was rare. Among the beret-wearing students, some sensed the gravity and began debating.

[“Two days ago, Trinity General School faced a sudden crisis. A missile struck the Ancient Cathedral of Communions. We could only watch helplessly as our friends were taken to the hospital.”]

Oh, how tear-jerking. At least it grabbed their attention.

[“Everyone, Acting Commander Yamatsu Hikari said she was ambushed by unidentified students last evening. She entered the Tea Party Hall bloodied, asserting to me and the students that this was the work of Gehenna Academy—those vile horned fiends. They aimed to harm her and her junior, sowing chaos in Trinity.”]

[“Hearing this last evening, I insisted we respond. Of course, my proposal was dismissed by the other two factions, and I had to accept the vote’s outcome. But my heart says we must show those threatening Trinity what we’re made of.”]

Unbelievable.

Shock rippled through the meeting room, down the halls, to the students—to all of Pater.

If true, shouldn’t we act immediately? Isn’t that obvious?

…As expected. Good, the plan’s on track. Gaining confidence, the sub-leader got to the point.

[“Everyone, I say it’s time for the Pater faction to act. We—students truly dedicated to Trinity General School—have a duty to resolve this crisis.”]

[“Thus, everyone, I,”]

I,

[“dare to assert that even if the Pater faction acts alone, Trinity General School must declare war on Gehenna Academy.”]

I want to make this war ours.