When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V1 Chapter 03: Sitting Next to the Wind Fairy

Chapter 03: Sitting Next to the Wind Fairy

Yukina Kazama – 4th Place in the Himegasaki Academy General Election.

Her title? The “Wind Fairy.”

Some people might wonder why a Princess has a nickname like Fairy—but honestly, all the Hime 6 had pretty random titles, so questioning it was pointless.

As for why she was associated with “Wind”? Well, that part was simple—her last name, Kazama, literally had wind in it.

By sheer coincidence, all the current Hime 6 had last names that contained elements or attributes, so their titles were based on those.

“Um, Kanbara-kun?”

“Huh? Oh… yeah. Nice to meet you.”

“Mm. Nice to meet you too.”

Kazama and I had zero connection.

Technically, we were classmates, so we did have a link. But in terms of actual interaction? We had never spoken before.

She was just another classmate to me—nothing more, nothing less.

That said, I had known about her for a while.

Since last year, she had been steadily gaining attention.

At the start of high school, she hadn’t stood out as much because there were too many insanely beautiful girls in our year. But little by little, she started rising in popularity.

By the end of the second semester last year, she had secured a Princess title. From there, her ranking continued to climb.

The reason she was called a Fairy wasn’t just because of her name—

It was because of the aura she carried.

Yukina Kazama was what people called a yurufuwa type—soft, airy, and gentle.

And thanks to her kind-hearted nature, her popularity only kept growing.

She always had a gentle smile on her face, treating everyone the same no matter who they were.

Whether the person talking to her was a pretty boy or a completely average-looking guy, she never showed a hint of discomfort.

Her communication skills were top-tier, making her well-liked by both extroverts and introverts alike.

And, of course—her looks were stunning.

She had delicate, well-balanced features with just a hint of youthful softness still lingering. A petite frame that made people instinctively want to protect her. A playful little fang that peeked out whenever she smiled.

Her signature soft, wavy hair only enhanced her fairy-like aura.

She had the playful charm of a gyaru, but at the same time, she carried a refined, almost elegant air.

In short—she was adorable, and on top of that, she had an amazing personality.

Of course, she was insanely popular.

“This is the first time we’ve been seated next to each other, huh?”

“Yeah, guess so.”

“Actually, isn’t this the first time we’ve even talked?”

“…Might be.”

“Our seats were never close before, so we never really got the chance, huh?”

By pure coincidence, Kazama and I had never sat near each other before.

To think our first real interaction would come like this…

Should I be happy about this situation? Or should I be dreading how fast things were moving?

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while, Kanbara-kun.”

“…I doubt talking to me would be very interesting.”

“Not true! You’re always off doing your own thing, right? I was kinda curious about what you get up to. You know, like observing the habits of a rare creature?”

“Who the hell are you calling a rare creature?!”

I couldn’t help but snap back at her, and Kazama let out a playful laugh.

The way she smiled was almost too charming—like a mischievous little fairy who had just pulled a harmless prank.

…Not that I actually knew what real fairies looked like.

“Speaking of things I want to know, I’m also curious about how everyone in class has changed.”

“Changed?”

“Yeah. Don’t you think they’re different compared to before summer break?”

“…Not really seeing it.”

“No way! It’s super obvious! Even the class rep dyed their hair brown. There’s a rumor she got a boyfriend. Haven’t you heard anything about it, Kanbara-kun?”

That was news to me.

Now that she mentioned it, I glanced around the classroom and realized—yeah, people had changed a little.

Some had dyed their hair. Some had a more mature vibe. Some, who used to be loud and energetic, were suddenly quiet.

I guess they’d experienced a lot over the summer.

High school was apparently that age where people went through all kinds of “firsts.”

Some of them might’ve literally stepped into adulthood.

“Kanbara-kun, you’ve changed too.”

“I have?”

“Yeah. You’re way more handsome than before!”

“Wha—cut that out!”

That was the first time in my entire life anyone had ever called me handsome.

Obviously, it was a lie.

Still… getting complimented didn’t feel bad. My face was probably turning a little red.

As I reeled from her sudden words, a certain rumor popped into my head.

“Yukina Kazama always gets confessed to by the guy sitting next to her.”

No one really knew who started the rumor, but it had been going around for a while.

Apparently, ever since her first year, every single guy who sat next to her had ended up confessing.

It was just a rumor… but it had a lot of credibility.

I mean, the Princesses were insanely popular to begin with.

Sure, their looks played a huge part, but there were plenty of guys who wanted to date a Princess just to have that status.

If I had to guess, though, the real reason this kept happening was because of Kazama’s personality and communication skills.

When you sit next to someone, you naturally talk to them more. And once you spend enough time around Kazama, with her easygoing nature and charm… well, it was no surprise that guys kept falling for her.

And considering she still held her Princess title, that meant every single one of them had been rejected.

“Mmm… but I wasn’t joking, you know.”

She murmured just loud enough for me to hear, then casually pulled a book out of her desk, as if remembering something.

“Hey, Kanbara-kun, do you read books?”

“Just manga.”

“Oh, me too! I love manga.”

“Huh. Didn’t expect that.”

Hearing my response, Kazama tilted her head.

“What do you mean?”

“I dunno, I kinda thought you’d be more into fashion magazines or something. Whenever I hear you talking with the girls, it’s always about celebrities.”

It wasn’t like I was eavesdropping or anything.

But girls tended to talk pretty loudly, so their conversations were hard to not hear.

“Yeah, I like those too, but I’m actually really into manga and anime as well.”

“Wait, you like anime too? Then have you been watching that one show everyone’s talking about?”

“Of course! It’s so good. Personally, I think—”

Kazama started passionately talking about the trending anime.

I wasn’t expecting much, but she actually knew a lot.

She wasn’t just casually watching—she even picked up on details that only someone paying close attention would notice.

“Right?! That scene was absolutely amazing!”

“It really was! The hype was unreal!”

“Man, the protagonist’s energy just hits different!”

Since it was a topic I actually cared about, I got a little too into the conversation.

I could feel my voice getting louder from excitement.

Kazama watched me for a moment—then smiled.

…Huh?

The second I saw that smile, something felt off.

For just a moment, I swore I saw Ayane—my little sister—overlapping with her.

“Yeah, that anime is definitely the top contender this season!”

“…”

“Kanbara-kun?”

“O-Oh… yeah, totally.”

The feeling disappeared as quickly as it came.

…Must’ve been my imagination, right?

There’s no way this girl—the most beloved, kindhearted Princess—had anything in common with my evil little sister who blackmailed her own brother.

That would just be insulting.

“But I’m really glad you’re sitting next to me, Kanbara-kun. We seem to get along well. Let’s make the most of it, okay?”

“Yeah, same here.”

“Fufu, I have a feeling this is going to be fun.”

Kazama flashed a bright smile before walking off to join her friends.

Not long after, the sound of cheerful laughter filled the room.

As soon as our conversation ended, I let out a deep breath.

It had been a while since I talked to a girl like that, and I was more nervous than I expected. My palms were slightly sweaty.

…Am I really going to be okay capturing the Princesses like this?

I felt uneasy, but at the same time, I couldn’t deny that today had been unexpectedly lucky.

My first target practically fell into my lap.

Even so, I couldn’t shake the weird feeling that had lingered ever since that brief moment—

The moment when Yukina Kazama overlapped with Ayane in my mind.