When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V1 Chapter 02: The Hime 6 of Himegasaki Academy

Chapter 02: The Hime 6 of Himegasaki Academy

Himegasaki Academy was one of the most well-known private high schools in the area.

It was a massive school with the largest student population in the region, officially recognized as an elite academy that excelled in both academics and athletics.

Well, officially.

In reality, it was just an okay school that was decent at both. It wasn’t exactly top-tier in academics, nor did it dominate in sports. If anything, the best way to describe it was a school that was somewhat smart and had a few strong clubs.

Plenty of schools fit that description, so what really made Himegasaki Academy famous had nothing to do with academics or sports.

It was the uniforms.

The girls’ uniforms were ridiculously cute.

They had the kind of design you’d see in anime, and they were constantly praised for it. Apparently, this was all thanks to the chairman, who based them on uniforms from overseas.

In fact, whenever there was a “Cutest High School Uniform Ranking” on TV or the internet, Himegasaki Academy always took the top spot.

And whether it was because of the uniforms or not, there was also a rumor that the girls who attended the school were on another level when it came to looks.

As for me?

I only enrolled here because it was close to home.

I couldn’t care less about the uniforms. I wasn’t in any clubs. I wasn’t even that serious about my studies.

If I had to give another reason, I guess it would be that the entrance exams were just the right level for me. After my first heartbreak, I started focusing more on studying, and this was where that effort got me.

Anyway—

Now that I had made it to school, I sat down at my desk and started thinking.

“…Capturing the Princesses, huh.”

My own sister had blackmailed me into trying to charm the most popular girls in school, but honestly? I couldn’t be less motivated.

As if the first day back after summer break wasn’t miserable enough, now I had this hanging over my head.

Realistically speaking, how the hell was a guy like me—not handsome—supposed to pull this off?

But I had no choice.

If that secret got exposed, my peaceful high school life would instantly turn into hell. That was not happening.

I had to take this seriously.

First things first—I needed to understand the situation.

At Himegasaki Academy, there were six girls known as the Hime 6.

These were the top-tier beauties of the school, the ones who ranked highest in the popularity poll held just before summer break.

My dear little sister, Ayane Kanbara, had narrowly missed the cut, placing seventh.

And since Ayane desperately wanted to be a Princess, she came up with a plan—

Get the Princesses boyfriends.

If one of them got a boyfriend, their popularity would drop, and they’d lose their Princess title.

Not a bad strategy, actually.

Since the General Election was purely a popularity contest, it was only natural that a girl’s rank would plummet if she had a boyfriend.

In fact, plenty of past Princesses had lost their title for that exact reason. That was why none of the current seniors were in the Hime 6—they had all been dethroned when they started dating.

According to rumors, there had even been schemes in past elections—things like spreading nasty gossip or borderline bullying to bring someone down.

Compared to that, my sister’s plan was practically wholesome.

The real problem here… was me.

I was nowhere near the level required to pull this off.

In a game, if you couldn’t beat a boss, you’d just grind and level up.

But was there even a point in me trying to improve?

As I was mulling over this…

“Hey, look! The Queen has arrived.”

“As commanding as ever.”

“Huh? That’s rare… she’s not with her Princess today.”

I turned to the window.

As if drawn by an invisible force, my eyes immediately locked onto a certain girl.

Dozens of other students were arriving at school, yet my gaze refused to leave her.

The moment people noticed her presence, they instinctively moved aside, parting like the sea before her. With confident, unshaken steps, she walked straight through the center—exactly like a Queen.

“Ah! The Princess Prince is here!”

“You’re right!”

“She’s as dazzling as ever!”

Now it was the girls’ turn to squeal.

I followed their gazes to another crowded spot.

At the center of it all stood a girl with strikingly androgynous features.

Her overwhelming popularity among the female students had secured her place among the Hime 6. Flanked by a swarm of admirers, she carried herself like a prince surrounded by noble ladies.

“Oh! The Goddess is over there!”

“Huh, she’s not with the Princess Prince today? That’s unusual.”

“Man, her bounce is as impressive as ever. Truly a blessing for the eyes.”

The guys’ gazes shifted toward the girl they called a Goddess.

I took that moment to quietly pull my attention back inside the classroom.

“Speaking of which, where’s the Saintess?”

“Looks like she’s already here. Came in early today.”

“Seriously? I gotta go pay my respects!”

Hearing my classmates chatter, I let out a small sigh.

The terms Queen, Saintess, and so on—all of them referred to members of the Hime 6.

Of course, those weren’t their real names.

Every Princess was given a special title upon receiving the rank.

And the ones who came up with these names?

The school newspaper club.

“…Yeah, no doubt about it. The Princesses are insanely popular.”

The words slipped out without thinking.

I’d never paid much attention to the Princesses before, but seeing their overwhelming popularity firsthand was a shock. With that kind of presence, there were bound to be tons of guys chasing after them.

…Wait a minute.

Do I really need to be the one to seduce them?

The goal here was just to get Ayane into the Hime 6, right?

So as long as someone managed to date one of them, it didn’t have to be me.

Wouldn’t it be way smarter to just nudge some pretty boy in their direction? If they got interested and went after the Princesses themselves, the chances of success would be much higher.

“…”

I paused. Then shook my head.

No, that was way too passive.

It wasn’t a bad plan, but if it failed, my entire high school life would be over.

Using others wasn’t a bad strategy, but I needed to take action myself too.

Now, the real question—which Princess should I go after?

There were two that I absolutely wanted to avoid.

My childhood friend—my first love, who I had drifted apart from.

And the girl I fell for in middle school—the one who shattered my second chance at love.

Unfortunately for me, both of them had made it into the Hime 6.

When I saw them ranked as Princesses last year, I was honestly surprised.

I had assumed they were already dating someone.

Maybe they were just good at hiding it. Or maybe… they were single now.

Not that it mattered. Thinking about it wouldn’t change anything.

It wasn’t like we had a fight or anything.

But if I got too close, my already fragile mental state—flimsier than tofu—might completely shatter. So, for the sake of my own sanity, I wanted to keep my distance.

Luckily, both of them were in different classes. As long as I didn’t make the first move, I should be in the clear.

Which meant—my target had to be someone else.

Right now, aside from one exception, all of the Hime 6 were second-years like me.

Our grade was apparently considered a golden generation, filled with an unusually high number of top-tier students.

The one underclassman in the Hime 6 was completely out of my reach—I had zero connection with her.

That narrowed down my choices.

And out of the remaining candidates, the one I had the highest chance of interacting with was—

“Oh, the Fairy has arrived!”

Hearing someone say that, I turned back to the window.

A girl, surrounded by friends, was walking toward the school.

Noticing our class looking her way, she gave a cheerful wave in our direction.

Yep. There was a Princess in our class.

And since I had no connection with the others, she was my only option.

“Man, going back to school sucks, but at least we get to see the Fairy up close.”

“For real, my mood just got way better.”

“She looks even cuter than before summer break.”

Deciding on a target was one thing.

The real problem was—how the hell was I supposed to approach her?

If a guy like me, who had spent the entire year blending into the background, suddenly tried to get close to her, it would definitely cause a scene.

Not to mention, actually getting close to her in the first place was nearly impossible.

All the Princesses were insanely popular, always surrounded by people. And out of all of them, the one in this class was especially social—her communication skills were top-tier, and she had a ton of friends.

Yeah… I was gonna need a flawless strategy for this.

Something that wouldn’t lower my reputation or make things awkward.

Maybe saving her in a moment of crisis?

Or getting close to her through a sibling or family member?

Something that would naturally lead to us talking, without it feeling forced.

I folded my arms and dove deep into the ocean of thought.

 …

 ……

After a few minutes of mentally swimming laps, I came to a realization.

The goddess of fate had one hell of a sense of humor.

At Himegasaki Academy, our class had a monthly seat shuffle.

And today, on the first day back from summer break, it was time for the usual seat change lottery.

And the result?

“Looking forward to sitting next to you, Kanbara-kun.”

Seated right beside me was none other than—

The Princess known as the “Wind Fairy.”