When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V1 Chapter 09: The Second Love is the Earth Goddess

Chapter 09: The Second Love is the Earth Goddess

The morning after the hellish “regular report” session had ended—

I walked to school with heavy steps.

Mondays had always been depressing, but from now on, they were going to be even worse. Apparently, these reports were going to be a weekly thing, meaning that Ayane would be invading my room every Sunday night. That was nothing short of a nightmare.

Even more pressing, though, was the immediate problem in front of me.

“…Capturing the next Princess, huh.”

While maintaining my relationship with Kazama, I now had to go after a second Princess.

“She really doesn’t know when to quit.”

Just one week of talking to Kazama had been exhausting. The mere thought of going through that all over again made me feel drained.

The only saving grace was that Ayane would at least set up an introduction. If I didn’t have to start the conversation myself, the difficulty level would drop a little.

Not that it would make things much easier—more like trying to put out a fire with a single drop of water.

“—”

As I dragged myself forward, a familiar figure entered my sight.

A girl with long hair flowing behind her. Even from the back, it was obvious—she was a beauty. And I knew firsthand just how stunning she really was.

People around her couldn’t help but stare, mesmerized, letting out small gasps of admiration at her elegance.

I knew exactly who she was. There was no way I could mistake the back of someone I had known since childhood—my first love. My steps came to a halt.

Back in the day, this was the moment when I would call out to her.

Sweet, happy memories from when we were close flashed through my mind, along with the bitter ones from later in middle school.

Back in elementary school, we always walked to school together. Even when we started middle school, we still did—for a while. But at some point, I started avoiding her on purpose. By the time we entered high school, we hadn’t spoken even once.

That was my choice. I was the one who deliberately kept my distance.

Because of that, we drifted apart. I didn’t even know she had applied to Himegasaki Academy. The moment I spotted her on the first day of school, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. That memory was still burned into my mind.

She was a Princess too.

Should I call out to her?

For a brief second, I considered it—but then, I shook my head.

No, better not. We hadn’t spoken in years. What would I even say at this point? Just like Ayane said, the gap between us now was like the moon and a turtle. She’d probably ignore me. And if she outright rejected me, my mood would crash completely.

She was one of the Princesses I had already decided not to get involved with. There was no need to go out of my way to step on a landmine.

“Good morning, Saint-sama.”

“Good morning. And stop calling me that weird name.”

“Yeah, yeah. But you’re pretty early today.”

“Really? I think this is just my usual time.”

As I watched, she met up with her friends. After exchanging a few greetings, they walked off together toward the academy.

In the end, I didn’t call out to her.

◇

I walked at a pace that ensured I wouldn’t catch up to her and eventually arrived at school.

Wasting energy so early in the morning was frustrating, but at least I made it to class without running into her. That alone was a win.

Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, I felt like I had dodged a bullet.

Humans take double the damage when they’re caught off guard. It’s like getting hit in the head with a ball—if you see it coming, you can brace for impact. But if you don’t, it hits way harder.

And right now, I had let my guard down completely.

Feeling relieved that I had avoided running into my estranged childhood friend, I exhaled and switched into my indoor shoes.

That was exactly when it happened.

“Good morning, Yuma-kun.”

A familiar voice rang in my ears.

I turned my head, and there she was—a girl I knew all too well, approaching with a bright smile.

“O-Oh… good morning.”

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The moment I saw her face after so long, another bittersweet memory surfaced in my mind. The fun times, the painful times—everything came rushing back as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.

Misuzu Tsuchiya, Himegasaki Academy’s General Election 3rd Place.

She was the girl I had fallen in love with for the second time in my life during middle school—the one who made me give up on romance altogether.

Her title was “Earth Goddess.”

I always wanted to joke about it—was she a Princess or a Goddess? Pick one already. But, well, that was just what people called her.

Back in middle school, we were friends. But after I decided to give up on love, we started to drift apart.

Not that we had a falling out or anything. Even after my feelings faded, we still talked like usual, and I thought we were maintaining our friendship.

Though, at some point, I started using exam prep as an excuse to put some distance between us.

When we entered high school, I began actively avoiding her. Sometimes she would still greet me, but I only responded with a brief hello before walking away. She had made plenty of new friends since starting high school, and by the time we reached our second year, we hadn’t spoken once.

“Y-Yeah… it’s been a while.”

I forced out a small, awkward smile.

Tsuchiya gave me a polite nod in return.

“Thanks a lot, Yuma-kun. I really appreciate it.”

“…Huh?”

“Ayane-chan told me. You’re going to help me out, right?”

With those words, everything clicked.

So the person Ayane knew was Tsuchiya?

Thinking about it, I should have realized sooner. To Ayane, Tsuchiya was a senior from middle school. Now that I remember, they were in the same club back then.

She really set me up for this one.

That said, I doubt she did it on purpose. Ayane had no idea I used to have feelings for Tsuchiya.

“I was really in trouble. Yuma-kun, you’re the only one I can turn to now.”

At this point, there was no way I could refuse. I had no idea what kind of trouble she was in, but she looked genuinely desperate.

I had no choice but to accept my fate.

“…Alright. If there’s anything I can do, I’ll help.”

“Really?”

“W-We’re friends, right?”

I forced out a stiff smile as I spoke, and Tsuchiya gave me another grateful nod.

But—what exactly was this consultation about?

If I was the only person she could rely on, it had to be something connected to our middle school days. Maybe she wanted to get in touch with an old friend? Or needed help settling a fight with someone from back then? Maybe it even had something to do with a teacher?

“…Actually, I got dumped.”

My heart skipped a beat at her unexpected words.