[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 96

Let’s be honest.

We’re outmatched in firepower.

The scale of the Border Checkpoint is ballooning. We’ve been temporarily absorbing members from disbanded clubs.

But that’s just to stabilize the chaotic chain of command. With most of our forces deployed to the frontlines, pulling even a few out is impossible. Balancing a teetering scale in an instant is no easy task.

The thirty or so students at Checkpoint HQ are under my command, barely scraped together. The Tea Party’s sympathy for concerns about another ambush helped. At the very least, these kids are practically my personal guard.

Still, there’s a chance for victory.

The existence of mobile artillery capable of rapid-fire barrages could turn the tide. A single shot can neutralize an entire company.

I suspect the Filius and Sanctus factions are holed up deep within the Tea Party hall, likely backed by the remnants of the Host’s Guard. The Guard Captain is probably with them.

There’s no room for the artillery corps to intervene. Eclaire-senpai and the Checkpoint’s gunners have been shelling non-stop for nearly three days. I heard they’ve cut crew sizes per battery and are running 12-hour shifts every two hours. I can imagine how my juniors, working round the clock, must feel.

So, what do we do? It means those of us left have to step up.

It’s only natural. Should we mobilize the Justice Task Force while our boss lies unconscious, teetering on the edge? Or beg the fractured Schale for help? I’d rather not see Sensei with two holes in their stomach.

Contacting the Pandemonium Society or the Prefect Team is tantamount to suicide. What would it look like for the academy’s Acting Commander to beg for help quelling a rebellion?

They’d just call me a useless idiot.

“…Haa.”

It’s the dead of night. The world sleeps, oblivious, and they won’t miss this chance.

The constitution of Trinity will not fall.

I stepped onto the podium. Thirty-some students stared at me.

“Tonight, a time not dictated by fate has struck the skies of our alma mater. This is irreversible. The Pater Faction’s coup is nothing less than a declaration of war on Trinity General School.”

As Mika-sama once said, no anti-constitutional act can ever be tolerated.

“For a member of the Tea Party, which has laid the foundation of Trinity’s constitution, to act this way is truly tragic. Many students are fighting against this, and the Checkpoint, as part of them, must fulfill its duty.”

I can’t fathom how a situation as unprecedented as an assault on the Tea Party hall could be considered rational. Even the radical factions shouting about the academy’s ruin never planned an uprising, so what’s their excuse?

“You all bear a duty. Keep the world turning, pave the path for Trinity’s future… Answer me!”

I raised my glass.

“Duty!”

The students raised theirs.

“Fulfill it!”

Now, let’s go.

Time to take down those bastards.

***

Clunk, clunk.

“Docking.”

“…?”

While I watched Ritsuko-chan spin the wheel, a brrrt signaled an incoming call.

It wasn’t the multi-purpose comms or radio installed in Hifumi-chan’s tank. It took me a few minutes to figure out where the sound was coming from. Who’d call on a civilian channel in the middle of the night? Especially with secure comms already set up at the Tea Party hall.

As I picked up the buzzing phone, a familiar face appeared. None other than the dear leader of the Pater Faction.

“…Should I even answer this?”

I’ll probably run into her soon anyway.

While I hesitated, Sayuri-san started showing interest.

“Who’s that? …Oh, it’s that bitch.”

Sayuri-san. Even if you’re my closest confidante, watch your mouth. Swearing in front of your senior is a no-go. I let it slide because we’re tight, but if you did that in front of Captain Tsurugi, you’d be in deep trouble.

Oblivious to my concerns, Sayuri-san snatched my phone and swiped the screen. The voice of the waiting girl came through in an instant.

—Bang, tat-tat-tat!

Gunfire.

Even after all this time, the Tea Party hall was still a battlefield.

“You—Acting Commander! Where are you? Tell me quick!”

Pfft. Sorry, not the Acting Commander.

“It’s me, Setsune.”

“…Sayuri? Why are you—”

“Right next to Senpai. Want me to pass the phone?”

Sayuri-san really seemed to despise Setsune. Understandable. Setsune ignored my junior, who has some clout in the faction, and stirred up chaos at the Tea Party hall while backstabbing our Checkpoint members.

The conversation flowed dynamically. The caller was clearly scrambling to keep up.

“What, don’t want me to pass it? Wanna talk to me instead, Mineyuki?”

“Mineyuki?! How dare you—”

“Want me to pass it? Hurry up and speak. Neither I nor Senpai have time to waste.”

A brief silence.

“…Pass it to the Acting Commander.”

And Mineyuki Satsuki—K.O.

Sayuri-san quietly handed me the phone, her pouty face kinda cute.

When she snatched my personal property, I thought she was up to some prank. But now I see—Sayuri-san was setting out to discipline a student who’d already caused a mess.

How can I thank her? Her attempt to ease my mental burden only boosted her reputation further.

“…Hello? Hello, did you pick up? They said they’d pass it to the Acting Commander. Who did Sayuri give—”

“I’m right here.”

“Eek?! …Oh, right.”

Of course, I didn’t miss the chance to assert dominance again. Pater Faction students are so prideful; one or two jabs aren’t enough.

“Why are you calling me? I thought it was the comms room or the intelligence division. A student with no business at the Tea Party hall calling me? Being Acting Commander sure comes with a lot of surprises.”

“Don’t mock me. I’m in the middle of something really… ugh, something important!”

Sure, obviously. Military clashes at the Tea Party hall have happened throughout history, but an internal faction staging a coup? That’s a first.

Yeah, obvious stuff. Except for the part where you’re the rebellion’s ringleader—that’s no big deal, right?

“So why’d you call? I’m busy driving.”

“Well, I… have a proposal. For you and the Border Checkpoint.”

Oh, really?

“Let’s hear it.”

“…! It’s a bit lengthy, but I think you’ll agree… Yes, it’s a partnership proposal.”

Setsune started cackling like she’d stumbled on a secret fund, then launched into a long-winded explanation.

***

“…So, you’re saying you’re attacking the Tea Party hall with the Host’s Guard—”

“Yes.”

“—and you want me to draft a declaration of war against Gehenna Academy? Is that right?”

“Exactly.”

Is this girl off her meds or what?

“Are you sane?”

“What? How dare you! Even if you’re the Acting Commander, speaking so rudely to an administrator like me—”

“Declaring war on Gehenna? Sane people don’t say that. You want to deal a fatal blow to an already shaky front? This is politically impossible. I guarantee you’ll fail, Faction Leader.”

“With the Border Checkpoint’s help, it’s entirely possible. Our faction’s internal meeting confirmed high odds of success. Our strategy team isn’t incompetent, you know. This is an opportunity.”

Really? I haven’t called the eight-member committee in a while, so I wouldn’t know.

Asking for a moment’s pause, I turned to Sayuri-san. My junior, who’d been eavesdropping, shook her head, crushing Setsune’s dreams.

“Remember how eight heads rolled in the strategy team during the last internal audit. You know what I mean.”

I know exactly.

Trinity’s foreign policy remains unchanged. The honorable Host’s representative rejects the proposal—the girl’s radiant dream is denied.

“Sadly, I don’t see the opportunity you do. Just… silence.”

“You can’t say that. Everyone at the Tea Party knows you’re no fan of Gehenna. You’re not some fool who’d kick away a golden opportunity.”

“I’m Host Nagisa-sama’s proxy. I deal with dozens of factions, and I don’t hate them enough to declare war. Their strategic importance has never been clearer than now.”

I always say it: Trinity and Gehenna may clash, but both academies are indispensable to each other.

“They’re necessary to us.”

Without both, where would we channel our pent-up desires?

“That’s nonsense. Trinity can stand on its own. We’ll make it so.”

“And the opposition? Even the Justice Task Force hesitates to escalate. The Sisterhood is planning joint operations with Gehenna. Suppressing all dissent is impossible.”

“Nothing’s impossible, Acting Commander. What’s the Checkpoint and Artillery for if not this?”

This brat.

“…The military doesn’t fire on its own. We won’t spill blood.”

“Aren’t those defying you the ones threatening the Tea Party? …Whose side is the military on?”

“The military’s on my side.”

But the command ultimately rests in my hands.

“…Do what you want. You might regret missing this chance.”

“I think the Pater Faction is acting recklessly.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s a warning.”

When I arrive at the Tea Party hall, your fate will depend on what you’ve done.

“Watch yourself at night, Setsune-chan. Something tragic might happen.”

“…”

Perhaps my reply felt chilling, as Setsune hung up without a word.