When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V1 Chapter 17: Targeting the Academy’s Rising Star

Chapter 17: Targeting the Academy’s Rising Star

“Now then, report your progress—Long-Text Nii-san.”

Ayane took a long sip of the soda she had just stolen and leaned back into my gaming chair, looking way too comfortable.

Meanwhile—

I was kneeling on the floor in seiza.

Explaining why this was happening was painfully simple.

It was Sunday night, our usual time for the weekly debriefing.

Ayane had barged into my room as usual—

And immediately started eating the snacks I had hidden.

She even stole the soda I had been saving for myself.

When I tried to call her out on it, she threatened me—again.

And now here I was, kneeling on the floor like a loser.

I really didn’t learn from my mistakes, huh?

“Phew~! Drinks always taste better when you take them from someone else!”

This little gremlin was way too full of herself.

My right hand screamed at me to punch her in the face—

But the hell that would follow stopped me from acting on it.

“Alright, start from when Tsuchiya-senpai came to you for advice.”

“…Before that, I have a question.”

“What?”

“Do you know what Tsuchiya wanted to talk about?”

I already knew the answer—

But I had to ask anyway.

Ayane shook her head.

“Nope. She mentioned something, but she wouldn’t tell me the details. And honestly? I wasn’t that interested, so I didn’t push it.”

I nodded at her response.

It made sense.

Talking to Ayane about this wouldn’t have helped anyway—she barely had any connection to Shiranui.

And for Tsuchiya, keeping things secret was probably a priority.

The only reason she had trusted me with it was because I had helped her with problems back in middle school.

Besides—

If Ayane somehow ended up falling for Shiranui, that would be an absolute disaster in every possible way.

She probably considered all of that before deciding not to tell Ayane anything.

Honestly, it was a very wise decision.

And, well—

There was also the possibility that she just didn’t trust Ayane in the first place.

I mean, no matter how much she tried to act all put-together, her real personality was this.

Maybe Tsuchiya had sensed that.

That thought made me feel just a little superior—so much so that I couldn’t help but smirk.

“What’s with that smug face?”

“Nah, nothing. Nothing at all.”

“Don’t give me that look. Just hurry up and talk.”

“Yeah, yeah. Not much to say—I just got them to make up.”

Ayane blinked.

“…Make up?”

Still feeling a bit self-satisfied, I went ahead and explained everything that had happened.

Of course—

I left out the part about Tsuchiya liking girls.

That wasn’t something I could just casually share.

And besides—

Even though those romantic feelings were gone, I still intended to stay friends with her.

There was no reason to spill her secret to Ayane.

So I kept it simple—I just told her that the two had fought, and I had stepped in to mediate.

“I see, so that’s what her problem was. Now that I think about it, Tsuchiya-senpai is always hanging around the Princess-Prince, huh? No wonder she was so down—fighting with her must’ve really hit hard. I mean, I never even imagined those two could argue in the first place.”

Looks like even Ayane had noticed something felt off.

“What did they fight about?”

“Who knows? I just set up a place for them to talk.”

I lied without hesitation.

There was no reason to tell her the real story.

“Eh, whatever. Everyone fights sometimes. If they made up, then it must not have been a big deal.”

She quickly moved on.

“But man… the Princess-Prince, huh? She’s tricky. She’s got so much girl appeal that even I can’t get close to her.”

“She was actually pretty easy to talk to once I got started.”

“Really? That’s surprising. She’s famous for hating men—but then again, Aniki, you’ve always had a weird talent for befriending strange girls.”

“Don’t phrase it like that.”

Seriously.

If we were talking about the strangest person I knew, she was literally sitting right in front of me.

And since I was not close with her, there was no way I had some bizarre ability to attract weirdos.

“So, what did you talk about with the Princess-Prince?”

“What do you mean, what—”

“You managed to convince her and help them make up, right? That means whatever you talked about must be the key to getting closer to her. It’s good info to have for the future. I mean, I’m gonna be a Princess too, after all. And if the Princesses get along, it’ll only help my reputation.”

She was as overconfident as ever.

Having spent time around actual princesses, I seriously doubted whether she was fit for the role.

Then again—most of the so-called princesses I had met were weirdos in their own way.

Maybe she would fit right in.

“The conversation was mostly about Tsuchiya. We went to the same middle school, same class—so I used old memories to break the tension.”

“Even though they were fighting?”

“I—I could tell that they both wanted to make up, okay?”

“Oh? Didn’t think you were the perceptive type, Aniki.”

I felt like that explanation was a stretch, but thankfully, Ayane didn’t seem too interested. She just let it slide.

Of course—

I wasn’t about to tell her that Shiranui was a huge Vtuber fan.

The brat sitting in front of me had zero tolerance for anything otaku-related—whether it was Vtubers, anime, or games.

I knew that much from the way she had mocked my collection before.

Meanwhile, Shiranui was a comrade—someone who shared the same passion as me.

I wasn’t about to sell her out.

“Well, whatever. The point is, Aniki played mediator and got them to make up.”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“…Hmm.”

Ayane suddenly lowered her gaze, as if deep in thought.

“…Oi. You’re not mad that I helped them make up, are you?”

Knowing her, she might’ve actually wanted me to escalate things—

Like instigating a full-blown fight and getting them to mess up each other’s faces or something.

“As if. If anything, I should be praising you. You did well this time. For your efforts, I grant you a ‘Good Job’.”

Ayane gave me a thumbs up.

“This story is definitely getting spread around.”

“…The fact that I mediated a fight?”

“Yep. I’ll make sure people know how hard you worked to bring them back together.”

“…And that helps you how?”

At my question, Ayane let out an exasperated sigh.

“You’re an idiot. This is a perfect chance to boost my reputation.”

“Yours?”

“Think about it. The reason you helped mediate the fight was because Tsuchiya-senpai came to me for advice first, right? That means I was the one who sent her to you. So, really—this whole thing? It was thanks to me.”

She smirked like she had just uncovered some master strategy.

So basically—

She was trying to take credit for my work.

I wanted to call her out for stealing my effort, but…

If I really thought about it, she did play a role in setting things in motion.

So technically… she wasn’t wrong.

Not that I cared either way.

It wasn’t like good reputation points mattered to me.

Besides, reputation only works as a weapon if you’re good-looking—

And I wasn’t.

As long as Ayane actually became a Princess, I had nothing to lose.

“Anyway, what about the real mission? You didn’t just talk to Tsuchiya-senpai—you met with the Princess-Prince, too, right?”

“…Yeah, and both are a no-go.”

That was my honest opinion.

Even after analyzing the situation and talking to them, I just couldn’t see things developing into romance—at least not right now.

Ayane let out a mocking snort.

“Oh? Well, not like I was expecting anything. I mean, you are just some loser who spends his money on long-ass donation messages.”

“Shut up.”

“Okay, but what about as friends? Any progress there?”

“That, I think, is possible.”

Tsuchiya had said she wanted to talk to me again, and I had made plans with Shiranui to chat more about Vtubers.

So yeah—there was a good chance I could build friendly relationships with both of them.

“Good. Keep that up. Especially with the Princess-Prince—if this goes well, we might be able to tank her approval rating.”

“I mean, I don’t see any reason to fight with her.”

“Exactly. So for now, just keep things as they are.”

Ayane casually munched on some snacks and took another sip of my soda.

“Everything’s going smoothly. So, let’s talk about our next target.”

“…Haven’t I done enough? Do we really need to keep going?”

“Obviously. Unless you suddenly feel confident enough to start flirting with the princesses you’ve met?”

Yeah. Not happening.

“Thought so. In that case, it’s better for you to keep gaining experience.”

“Or, and hear me out—you could just stop threatening me.”

“Impossible. Anyway, it’s time for you to start working on the remaining Princesses. That means we’re already halfway through the list.”

Halfway.

There were still three princesses left.

“There’s an easy target. The one closest to you.”

“…”

“You’re so stubborn. You’re gonna have to talk to her eventually, you know?”

So basically—

She was implying that I wouldn’t be able to take down the other two.

It kind of felt like she was mocking me, but honestly—

Even I wasn’t too confident about my chances.

“If you’re not gonna choose, then I will. And personally—this is the one I want you to go after the most.”

“Oh? So it’s personal now?”

“Yep. Not even a grudge, really—just pure jealousy.”

“Wait… don’t tell me—you mean that Princess?”

“Bingo. That stuck-up brat.”

I let out a sigh.

Pretty sure you’re the stuck-up one here.

“She’s a first-year, just like me, but she still got picked as a Princess. Meanwhile, I didn’t. Unacceptable. I mean, she didn’t even look happy about it! Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Seriously, Aniki—someone as creepy as you needs to knock her down a peg.”

“I’m normal, thank you very much.”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, it’s your mission now. So, good luck!”

“Good luck? I don’t even have a way to—”

“Figure it out yourself.”

Before I could argue, Ayane pulled out her phone and stood up.

“Anyway, I’ve got stuff to do, so that’s it for today. If there’s no progress by the next report, expect a punishment. Later~!”

And with that—

My insufferable little sister waltzed out of my room.

Leaving me behind—

Frustrated.

Exhausted.

And seriously questioning my life choices.

My next target—

The rising star of the academy.