When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V1 Chapter 07: The Fairy’s Soliloquy

Chapter 7.5: Interlude – The Fairy’s Soliloquy

“…This feels nice.”

The warmth of the bathwater made me sigh in relief.

Today had been exhausting.

Probably the most exhausting day since I started high school.

And it was all because of Kanbara-kun.

Talking about my past had stirred up all kinds of memories.

Back in elementary school, I was plain and quiet.

I loved anime and manga, but I was terrible at talking to people—socially awkward in every sense.

At some point, people started calling me Jimi-ko—the plain girl.

I never complained.

Because, well… even I thought it was true.

And then—

That plain girl fell in love.

It was my first crush.

He was bright, popular, and effortlessly cool—the center of our class.

I knew from the start that I was way out of his league.

But that didn’t stop my feelings.

Even now, just thinking about it makes me furious.

Because my first love ended in the worst way possible.

The love letter I wrote? 

It got taped to the blackboard for the whole class to see.

I can still hear their giggles.

After that, I shut myself away in my room, repeating all kinds of dangerous thoughts in my head.

I may have been a Jimi-ko, but I still had my pride.

And I swore—I’d get back at the people who humiliated me.

But misfortune never comes alone.

My parents, who were constantly fighting, ended up divorcing.

I moved away with my mom. 

Looking back now…

That transfer was the turning point of my life.

A new name, a new home, and a fresh start.

With everything changing around me, I decided I would change too.

Fueled by frustration, I pushed myself harder than ever.

I dieted. I studied. I learned how to dress well.

And after all that effort—I transformed.

Before I knew it, people started calling me cute.

It was the first time in my life I’d ever heard that.

And I loved it.

So I worked even harder.

But looking good wasn’t enough.

If I couldn’t hold a conversation, people would just label me as boring and quiet.

So I expanded my conversation skills.

I forced myself to learn about topics I never cared about before.

Not just anime and manga—I memorized trending topics, random trivia, even sports, just so I could talk to guys naturally.

At some point, the nickname Jimi-ko disappeared.

And in its place—I became the center of the class.

Unhappiness spreads like a disease. 

But happiness? That spreads too.

Around the time I graduated from being Jimi-ko, my mom remarried.

Her new husband was a kind man—

And even after officially becoming my father, he never changed.

He was warm, reliable, and everything I could’ve hoped for in a parent.

And so, with his support, we moved back to the place where I was born.

That’s when I decided—

I was going to get my revenge.

Thinking about revenge first thing made me laugh at how awful my personality was—

But hey, that’s just the kind of person I am.

I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when he saw the new me.

Nervous excitement filled me as I started my first day at my new school.

The moment I introduced myself—

A cheer erupted.

The boys’ excitement shot through the roof.

And when I walked to my seat—

The guy sitting next to me… was the very one who had humiliated me.

“H-Hello, nice to meet you!”

“…?”

“I-I look forward to studying with you!”

He didn’t recognize me. 

Just because my looks and last name had changed—

He had no idea who I was.

…So that’s how much I mattered to him?

I could feel something dark growing inside me. The urge for revenge swelled within me.

And it wasn’t just him.

There were plenty of former classmates from elementary school in that room—

Yet not a single one realized I was the Jimi-ko they used to ignore.

It had only been two and a half years.

“Nice to meet you too. Let’s get along.”

So, I pretended it was our first meeting.

Unlike back then, I had confidence now.

The experience of being confessed to countless times—

The effort I had put into myself—

The endless “You’re so cute!” compliments from those around me—

All of it gave me the strength to stay composed.

“I’m the ace of the sports club, you know.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“I’m actually pretty smart, too.”

“Even good at studying, huh?”

“I’ve got tons of friends.”

“That’s nice. Being sociable is a great trait to have.”

He was desperate. Desperate to impress me.

It sent a shiver down my spine.

And in that moment, I understood—

He had fallen for me.

A single glance, a short conversation—

And he was already losing control of his feelings.

Good.

I would make him feel exactly what I went through.

I would humiliate him, toy with him—

And then crush him.

And so, as the days passed with him sitting right next to me—

The game began.

“Please go out with me!”

He confessed.

The same guy I once saw as my sun—

Now stood before me, face flushed red, begging me to be his girlfriend.

And it felt amazing.

I didn’t have even a shred of romantic feelings left for him.

But the fact that all my efforts had led to this moment—

That alone was overwhelmingly satisfying.

A wave of superiority rushed through me.

The person I once desperately wished to be with—

Was now desperately wishing to be with me.

The roles had completely reversed.

And that high made my entire body tremble with excitement.

Don’t you see?

The girl you’re confessing to—

She’s the same Jimi-ko you and your friends mocked and laughed at.

You want to be Jimi-ko’s boyfriend?

If I told him the truth right now, 

I knew the sheer thrill of it would send shivers down my spine.

But—I hesitated. 

Because if I revealed everything, 

It would all be over.

He’d spread the word. 

And soon, the entire school would know my past.

Do I really want this life to end?

I asked myself.

I had grown to love my life as a queen. Being adored by boys, receiving endless attention and affection—It was so much fun.

And most of all—

Watching them get flustered as they confessed to me?

It was entertaining beyond words.

So—

“Sorry. I’d rather just stay friends.”

I rejected his confession without revealing my true identity.

Instead of chasing fleeting pleasure, I chose to savor the long game.

Because—

I wasn’t done getting revenge.

There were still plenty of guys who had laughed at me.

And the girls? They were just as guilty.

If I could make their beloved pretty boys fall for me—

Then I could crush them too.

I’d make every guy they liked fall head over heels…

And then I’d throw them away like garbage.

Is my personality awful?

Of course it is. I know that better than anyone.

And honestly? I have no intention of changing.

Because in the end, I was nothing more than a plain, ugly girl.

Inside and out.

And the more I embraced that fact—The better it felt.

Any guy who confessed to someone like me was beneath me.

And the girls who couldn’t even be chosen over me?

They were even worse.

So, I kept going.

With a sweet voice, I’d say, “Sorry~,” as I turned them down.

And in my heart, I’d sneer—“Serves you right.”

And I didn’t stop.

The serious class rep.

The wannabe delinquent.

The aloof guy who didn’t seem interested in love.

The anime-obsessed otaku who swore he had no interest in 3D girls.

Even the ones who already had girlfriends—

I made them fall—

And then I crushed them.

And of course—

I kept going in high school.

I was drowning in the pleasure of it all.

And then one day—

I was chosen as a Princess.

I had heard the rumors about Himegasaki Academy.

But I never thought I’d actually be chosen.

A plain, ugly girl… A Princess?

“Ahahahaha! Seriously, these people have no idea what they’re doing!”

The day I was chosen as a Princess, I burst into laughter in my room.

It was ridiculous.

No one understood it better than me—

Out of all the girls, I was the least suited for the title.

But whatever.

Being a Princess meant nothing to me.

I would just keep doing what I enjoyed.

◇

Next target: Yuma Kanbara-kun.

Honestly, I thought he’d be an easy win. A completely unremarkable guy. Not particularly handsome or ugly. Not tall, but not short either. 

Basically? Forgettable.

If I remembered correctly, his grades were average.

And since boys and girls had separate P.E. classes, I never paid attention to his athletic ability—

Which meant he was probably just as average there too.

The ultimate mob character.

Guys like him usually turned out to be anime nerds. 

And sure enough, the moment I brought up anime, he jumped at the conversation.

Another one of those nerdy guys with a complex about real girls—

I’d handled plenty of them before.

So, this should’ve been easy.

Except it wasn’t.

No matter how much I flirted, no matter how much I praised him—

He didn’t react.

Even when I made physical contact, he didn’t flinch.

Nothing. Like he didn’t care.

Fine. If that’s how it was, I’d finish him off during the walk-home event.

That was supposed to be the moment where I broke him.

Instead—

Something unexpected happened.

“You sure playing on the swings is more fun than making the guy sitting next to you fall for you?”

“Huh—?”

My mind went completely blank.

It was over. Somehow, he had heard me.

All the times I had whispered to myself, thinking no one was listening—he had caught on.

And if he decided to spread it? 

Everything I had built would come crashing down.

I’d lose everything.

And I’d be right back to that dark, miserable life I had in elementary school.

But—something felt off. 

Kanbara-kun wasn’t angry.

He wasn’t trying to blackmail me.

From the way he spoke, it was clear—

He wanted to change me.

Even though he probably found my actions disgusting, he still hoped I would turn over a new leaf.

“…How cocky.”

Seriously, what kind of mob did he think he was?

Not only did he not fall for me—he actually had the nerve to lecture me?

Unbelievable.

For the first time in a long while, I felt frustrated.

Fine.

I’d make him fall for me.

I’d make him beg for me.

I’d force him to lower his head, red-faced and desperate, and say—“Please go out with me.”

That was the only way to settle this feeling.

Kanbara-kun wasn’t popular.

There were no rivals in my way.

So I could take my time—slowly working my way in.

A long game.

I would break him.

“In the end, I’ll make sure you confess to me with the most pathetic expression ever, Kanbara-kun.”

An enemy I hadn’t expected had appeared.

And somehow—I was excited.

“W-Well… if you confess with a really pathetic face, I might consider going out with you.”

I had no idea what would happen after that.

But for the first time—

I had found a guy who actually caught my interest.

Still riding that high, I stepped out of the bath, drying my hair.

And when I looked into the mirror—

The smile on my face felt just a little different from the one I had worn this morning.