When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V1 Chapter 00: Prologue

Volume 01

Prologue

You can’t win against good-looking guys.

I—Yuma Kanbara—realized this undeniable truth the second time I had my heart broken.

Just like my first love, I lost to a handsome guy once again, and that was when it hit me.

My first love was my childhood friend.

Our parents were close, so our families often spent time together. When we were kids, I treated her like a little sister, but by the time we finished elementary school, those feelings had changed into something more.

I seriously believed that if I confessed, we might actually end up dating.

But reality wasn’t that kind.

About a year into middle school, rumors started spreading that she had a boyfriend. Her supposed boyfriend was a senior, known for being ridiculously handsome. And when I actually saw her happily shopping with him, the rumor became a painful fact.

Seeing her looking so happy, I knew—it was over. My first love had come to an end.

But at that time, I still hadn’t figured out the truth.

I thought I had just not tried hard enough.

So I put in the effort. I trained my body, focused on my studies even though I wasn’t great at them, and started learning about fashion through magazines and online articles.

Six months into my self-improvement journey, I fell in love for the second time.

This time, it was a girl from my class.

Having learned from the pain of my first love, I knew that just waiting around wouldn’t get me anywhere. So this time, I took the initiative.

I talked to her even when I didn’t really have a reason to. I invited her out on weekends. After school, I’d pretend it was a coincidence and try to walk home with her. Everything I did was driven by one single desire—to be with her.

Things were going well.

I started to believe that maybe… just maybe, we could actually end up together.

But fools who don’t know their place are bound to be hit with reality sooner or later.

One day, a rumor started spreading about a handsome guy who had transferred to a neighboring school. Before I knew it, the girl I had feelings for met him… and instantly fell for him.

And just like that, my second love came to an end.

I lost my first love to a pretty boy.

I was completely crushed by a handsome guy the second time around.

After back-to-back defeats, I had no choice but to accept the truth.

“Pretty boys are unbeatable.”

“Looks are everything in this world.”

“But only if you’re handsome.”

No matter how good you are at studying or sports, you don’t stand a chance against a pretty boy.

People say that once you become an adult, money can level the playing field. But if that’s true, then the strongest of all is a rich pretty boy. And if two people have the same wealth, obviously, the handsome one is going to win over the plain-looking guy.

In the end, life is decided the moment you’re born. Just like how people talk about the “parent gacha,” your fate is set from the start.

If no amount of effort can change the outcome, then the smartest move is to not play the game at all. In a way, maybe I was lucky to hit the wall of reality early on.

Having learned my lesson, I accepted my losses and gave up on romance in the real world.

After that, I threw myself into my own world—games, anime, anything that didn’t involve reality.

Time flies when you’re doing what you love. Before I knew it, I had graduated middle school, and my second summer in high school had already arrived.

Nothing had changed.

At school, I was just another forgettable student. A self-proclaimed “average-looking guy” who girls didn’t even glance at. I lived my life as an NPC, blending into the background.

Reality stayed the same. But in my own world, things were different.

I got hooked on an online game and even found myself a beloved in-game wife.

At some point in high school, I fell into the Vtuber rabbit hole—and my favorite Vtuber actually recognized me.

Life was good. I had no complaints. I planned to keep enjoying my little world in peace and let high school pass by without any drama.

That was what I thought—until the last day of summer break.

“…Aniki, I need a favor.”

It was early evening—I was watching my favorite Vtuber stream.

“Just so you know, when I say ‘favor,’ I mean it’s not optional. If you refuse, your life is over. Got it?”

With those threatening words from my little sister, the story of a loser began to unfold.