When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V1 Chapter 13: The Princess-Prince is a Comrade

Chapter 13: The Princess-Prince is a Comrade

After school, I made my way to the empty classroom.

Shiranui was already there, waiting.

Thankfully, there was no one else around. I had been a little nervous, not knowing what to expect, but at least it didn’t look like I was about to get surrounded and interrogated by a group of fangirls.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?”

“It’s fine. I just got here too.”

…That sounded way too much like a line from a date. I let out a small chuckle and took a seat.

“By the way, what about those girls who are always around you?”

“They have club activities.”

“You’re not in any clubs yourself?”

“I was last year, but… well, something happened. So now I just go straight home.”

I noticed the way she casually slipped in “something happened,” but I didn’t push it. At the very least, I could be relieved that her usual entourage wouldn’t be barging in here anytime soon.

A brief silence settled between us before Shiranui finally spoke up.

“Kanbara-kun, do you like Vtubers?”

“…!”

Crap.

Was it safe to answer honestly?

For some reason, I had this gut feeling that if I admitted it, I’d get a look—the kind that made you instantly regret speaking up.

“Ah, don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t mean that in a bad way.”

“…?”

She cleared her throat, looking a little hesitant.

“It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t say it first. The truth is—I’ve been a huge Vtuber fan for years.”

“…Wait, seriously?”

This was way too unexpected.

Out of all the Princesses, Shiranui was the one I had the least information on.

Other than the fact that she was a handsome-girl who was insanely popular with other girls, she was practically a mystery.

I had always assumed she was the outdoorsy, social butterfly type. Hearing that she was into Vtubers was completely out of left field.

“Were you surprised?”

“Hell yeah, I was.”

“If possible, I’d like you to keep this a secret. I haven’t told anyone else… and if people found out, it could get a little complicated.”

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of spreading this around.”

I completely understood where she was coming from.

Being an otaku meant constantly worrying about how others saw you.

Sure, Vtubers were getting more popular, but the hate for them was just as strong.

And Shiranui was the last person anyone would expect to be into this kind of thing. If her secret got out, the reactions would probably be… interesting, to say the least. She was clearly aware of that too.

“Thank you.”

Shiranui let out a small sigh of relief.

“You’re really into Vtubers?”

“I love them. I even buy merch, you know.”

“…You’re hardcore.”

“I consider myself a pretty serious fan. My room is packed with merch, and my video platform’s liked videos section? Practically nothing but Vtuber content.”

…She might actually be on the same level as me—or even worse.

“So, about that talk—”

“It’s because we share the same hobby, Kanbara-kun. You like Vtubers too, don’t you?”

She must have figured it out from the screen when she picked up my phone.

“Yeah, I do.”

“I thought so. If you don’t mind, I’d love to just sit down and talk about Vtubers with you.”

The fact that Shiranui was a fellow Vtuber fan was shocking enough, but this was actually a great opportunity.

I could use this to get closer to her—if I played my cards right, I could steer the conversation toward my real goal.

I nodded enthusiastically at her proposal.

◇

After chatting for a while, I came to a realization—

Shiranui wasn’t just a fan. She was hardcore.

“3D live concerts are amazing, aren’t they? I love regular singing streams too, but lives have this extra sense of excitement. That feeling—that connection with the chat—it’s just incredible.”

“I know, right? It hypes you up like crazy.”

“Just imagining having to sing in front of that many people… I’d totally freeze up.”

“Yeah. I mean, even just speaking in front of a few hundred people is nerve-wracking. Performing for tens of thousands? No way.”

Before I knew it, I had completely forgotten my original mission—we were too busy geeking out over Vtubers.

“You don’t watch many male Vtubers, huh?”

“Not really. I mostly stick to female ones.”

So those rumors about her disliking guys might actually be true.

Either way, we kept talking for a while, and surprisingly, our tastes lined up pretty well.

It was genuinely fun.

Before I realized it, several minutes had passed.

“…By the way, Kanbara-kun.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I never asked, but… who’s your favourite Vtuber?”

She asked with a strangely serious look.

“She’s kinda minor. That cool with you?”

“I don’t mind at all.”

“You might’ve seen earlier, but I’ve been following a Vtuber called Feni the Immortal Phoenix since last summer. She’s an indie, not with a company.”

“…!”

The moment I said the name, I swore I saw Shiranui flinch.

But I didn’t think much of it and just kept talking about my idol.

“You probably don’t know her, right? She’s an indie, and her viewer count isn’t exactly high. She only got monetized this spring, and she doesn’t really collab with other Vtubers. But trust me, she’s amazing. You should definitely check her out.”

In the Vtubing world, corporate-backed talents were overwhelmingly dominant.

Indie Vtubers had it rough.

There were simply too many of them now, and unless they already had a following, most just ended up buried.

The only indie Vtubers who actually made it big were people who were already well-known—popular artists, celebrities, or industry veterans.

But true newcomers? The ones starting from zero? For them, it was an uphill battle.

“Uh… actually, I’ve seen her streams before.”

“…No way, seriously!?”

“Y-Yeah…”

Wait. Shiranui knew about Feni!?

Even my closest friends had never heard of her.

And yet, right here—of all people—Shiranui turned out to be someone who actually knew her.

I was stunned.

“Can you tell me what you like about her?”

“It’s gonna be a long answer. You sure you wanna hear it?”

“Y-Yeah… I really want to know what made you fall for her.”

Alright. If she wanted an explanation, I was gonna give her one.

“First off—her voice. It’s ridiculously cute. Like, so cute it makes you wonder if she’s actually an angel or something. It’s sweet, but not in an annoying way—just the right amount of warmth and femininity. And it fits her character design perfectly. That alone makes her insanely appealing. And then—”

It all started with her voice.

When I first got into Vtubers, I mainly followed the big names from the major companies.

And honestly? That made sense.

There’s always a reason someone gets popular. Their models were adorable, their voices were cute, and on top of that, they had great personalities.

They could sing, they had amazing comedic timing, and just watching them enjoy playing games was pure entertainment.

But there was one problem—

They had too many fans.

Their chat was a constant flood of comments. No matter how much I typed, my messages never got read. Getting noticed by them? Yeah, right. That was pure fantasy.

Then, one day—I found her.

That was the moment I met Immortal Phoenix Feni.

I had never seen her before. She was just some random indie that the algorithm decided to throw on my recommendations.

She wasn’t part of any company. She had barely any live viewers, and her numbers were nowhere near the big names.

But the moment I heard her voice, I was hooked.

I fell for her instantly.

“She’s really good at reading chat, too.”

What really got me hooked was the first time she actually read my comment out loud.

Just hearing her respond to something I typed made me way happier than I expected. Before I knew it, I was completely hooked.

“And her singing? It’s great. She’s not super skilled, but you can tell she’s giving it her all. That’s actually one of the biggest reasons I support her—not just her voice, but the fact that she’s constantly working hard. She’s not great at games either, but she still tries her best, and you can feel that effort.”

“Hehe… I see, I see.”

…Wait.

Why was Shiranui blushing?

I gave her a skeptical look, and she suddenly snapped back to reality, clearing her throat a few times as if to cover it up.

“After hearing all that, I get you now, Kanbara-kun. You’re someone who shares my interests, and you’re actually really easy to talk to.”

“Glad to know I made a good impression.”

“That’s why—I have a favor to ask.”

Her playful demeanor faded, replaced by a serious expression.