When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield

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Chapter 15.5: Interlude – The Goddess’s Soliloquy

My first love was a woman I saw on television.

She was an otokoyaku actress in a certain theater troupe, and the moment I saw her, my heart was completely stolen. She felt just like a prince straight out of a fairy tale.

But deep down, I knew from the start that this love would never come true.

She was an adult. A celebrity. And we were the same gender.

Before I even had the chance to process those feelings, my admiration was left behind. She got married, and the last time I saw her, she was no longer the charming prince I had fallen for—she had become a breathtakingly beautiful princess instead. As I watched that transformation, I felt a quiet loneliness settle in my heart. And just like that, my first love came to an end.

For a long time after that, I couldn’t fall for anyone.

There was no one around me who caught my eye. I couldn’t see either boys or girls in a romantic way—life just continued without change.

By the time I entered middle school, I had come to dislike boys.

It was because of their stares.

I was well aware that my body was developing early, and honestly, I hated it. The way boys openly stared at me, their gazes filled with something uncomfortable—it made my skin crawl.

As I grew older, I started feeling lost.

I had thought I liked women. But… was I wrong?

Even when I looked at my classmates or upperclassmen, my heart never wavered. Even when I saw women who had the same kind of coolness as that person, I didn’t feel anything special. There were nights I lay awake in fear, wondering if I was simply incapable of loving anyone.

Was that really my first love? Or was it just admiration?

Then, one day—I met someone who changed everything.

It all started with a rumor.

“I heard a super handsome girl, like a real-life prince, transferred to the middle school next door.”

A girl who looked like a prince—it was an intriguing rumor. But no matter how impressive she was, there was no way she could compare to the shock I felt when I first saw my first love.

Still, curiosity got the better of me. Without expecting much, I made my way to the neighboring middle school to see this so-called prince for myself.

“…”

A jolt of electricity ran through my entire body.

It was like seeing a dream come to life.

Tall—taller than most boys. Sharp, well-defined features. A flawless figure. She was more than just a prince—she was even more breathtaking than the one I had admired before.

I fell in love instantly.

For a moment, I nearly rushed in and confessed on the spot. But I barely managed to hold myself back—that was the one advantage of being older now. If I had still been in elementary school, I would’ve gone all in, gotten rejected, and had my heart crushed without a second thought.

Instead, I decided to take it slow, just like my friend advised.

I quietly gathered information behind the scenes.

Her name was Tsubasa Shiranui. She was not only smart but also incredibly athletic. And most importantly, I found out that she would be attending Himegasaki Academy.

That was all the motivation I needed. I threw myself into my studies and worked hard to get into the same school.

When the day of entrance exams finally came, I passed—and so did she.

It felt like my prayers had been answered. By sheer luck, we even ended up in the same class.

I kept my feelings hidden and slowly got closer to her.

And as I did, I realized something—Tsubasa-chan wasn’t just beautiful on the outside.

She was perfect in every way.

She was thoughtful without making a show of it, her words could catch me off guard in the best way, and sometimes—just sometimes—she would casually touch me, never too much, just enough to make my heart race.

She had no flaws.

She was the ideal prince.

Before I knew it, we had become friends. And within a year, we had grown close enough to call each other best friends.

Then, during the summer break of our second year—

On the way back from the pool, I finally reached my limit.

I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I confessed my feelings to Tsubasa-chan.

“―Sorry. I can’t return your feelings, Misuzu.”

The world went dark.

It was my first heartbreak, and the shock hit me harder than I ever expected. I lost all motivation, and by the end of summer break, I could barely bring myself to leave my room.

But I couldn’t talk to anyone about it.

If it had just been a normal rejection, maybe I could have reached out for support. But the fact that I had confessed to another girl? If my parents or friends found out, they would probably be weirded out.

Even after the new semester started, things never went back to how they were.

The moment I stopped staying by Tsubasa-chan’s side, the girls who admired her started making their move.

Before I even realized it, I felt like I had lost my place.

“Senpai, are you okay?”

A gentle voice called out to me as I sat there, completely deflated.

It was Ayane Kanbara.

She was a first-year who had just entered the academy this year, someone from the same middle school as me. Back then, she had even been my junior in the same club. A little clumsy at times, but always cheerful, always friendly—she was the type of person everyone naturally liked.

I had always been fond of her.

I didn’t tell her the details, but I admitted that something was bothering me.

“In that case, you should talk to my big brother!”

“…Yuma-kun?”

“Yep! My brother’s really good at giving advice. He’s helped a lot of people with their problems before. He might not stand out much, but he’s someone I’m really proud of!”

I snapped back to reality.

Yuma Kanbara-kun had been my friend since middle school, and now we attended Himegasaki Academy together. Back then, he was the one I always went to for advice. In fact, the only reason I became close friends with Tsubasa-chan was because Yuma had helped me through it.

He was the only boy I could truly call a friend.

Unlike other guys, his gaze never felt uncomfortable or intrusive. He actually listened—really listened—to how I felt.

There was no one else I could turn to.

With nowhere else to go, I decided to take a leap of faith.

I told Yuma my secret, fully prepared for the worst.

Maybe he would laugh at me. Maybe he would think I was weird. Maybe he would even spread rumors about me.

But instead—

“It’s not weird at all. We live in an era where people talk about diversity all the time. Even guys admire handsome men. And when it comes to someone like Shiranui—she’s got that ‘cool prince’ thing going on, so I get it.”

He understood.

Just like that, Yuma said he’d help me—like it was the most natural thing in the world.

And before I even realized it, he had already arranged a place for me to talk things out.

I was beyond grateful.

As I headed toward the meeting spot, I hesitated for a moment.

“Sorry for dropping this on you. I must’ve surprised you, huh?”

“Well, yeah. I won’t lie—it did catch me off guard.”

“I… you know, I—”

I could’ve brushed it off as just a passing phase. I could’ve apologized and pretended it was nothing.

But instead, I chose to tell my story.

“I see… To be honest, I don’t know if there will ever come a day when I can return your feelings, Misuzu.”

“…Yeah, I figured.”

“But putting that aside—I still want us to be friends. Can we go back to how we used to be?”

Just hearing those words filled me with happiness.

Without hesitation, I nodded.

And just like that, we made up.

◇

A good friend is truly priceless.

I wanted to cherish my friendship with Yuma-kun from now on. And I couldn’t be more grateful to Ayane-chan for introducing him to me.

The Kanbara siblings had become my lifesavers. I would never forget what they did for me.

After reconciling, every day felt brighter.

Even though I was walking the same path as before, it felt like I was stepping into the light for the first time.

My feelings were stronger than ever, but I couldn’t rush things. This time, I had to do it right.

That afternoon, after thanking Yuma-kun, I headed to the classroom to invite Tsubasa-chan out.

But when I got there, the room was empty.

I thought about messaging her, but… we hadn’t made any plans. If I contacted her out of the blue, wouldn’t that make me seem clingy?

“…Oh well. Guess I’ll head home alone.”

Just as I made up my mind, I spotted Tsubasa-chan.

Huh?

I was about to call out to her—

But before I could, she stepped into an empty classroom.

Curious, I quietly crept closer and peeked inside.

There, in the empty room, I saw Tsubasa-chan and Yuma-kun, happily chatting together.

“…”

A dark feeling welled up inside me.

But I quickly shook my head, forcing the intrusive thoughts away.

I hated how jealous I could be.

I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but the reason was obvious—it had to be the same as mine. Tsubasa-chan was probably just thanking Yuma-kun for helping us make up.

Besides, there was no way those two would ever be that kind of relationship.

Tsubasa-chan had no interest in boys.

Back when we had a sleepover and talked about love, she outright said she didn’t have any guys she liked. She even mentioned she had never felt that way about a boy before.

And Yuma-kun wasn’t the type to be all that interested in girls either.

I knew my body had become more feminine over the years, but Yuma-kun had never looked at me in that way—not even once.

That was exactly why I could be friends with him, despite my struggles with guys.

There was no reason to worry.

…Right?

“Wait, aren’t they sitting a little too close?”

Their chairs were pressed together as they happily chatted.

I clenched my fists, feeling the urge to step in.

But I held myself back.

It’s fine. Tsubasa-chan doesn’t like guys. There’s no way something like that would ever—

“…!”

Then—