When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V1 Chapter 24: .My Online Wife Is Reliable

Chapter 24: My Online Wife Is Reliable

That night, after lunch with Kanon Hikawa—

I logged into the game to thank my wife.

Everything had gone smoothly today, and it was all thanks to her dependable advice.

Before Non-Non logged in, I got everything ready.

I had a little surprise gift prepared to show my appreciation.

After a while, Non-Non logged in.

We exchanged a quick greeting and met up at our in-game home.

『So? How’d it go?』

She skipped the small talk and got straight to the point—

Clearly curious about how it all turned out.

『It went great. I did exactly what you said, and it actually worked. We had lunch together, talked a bunch—It all went super smooth.』

I gave her a full rundown of what happened.

After everything she did to help me, it was only fair to tell her how it ended.

Of course, I left out Kanon’s name.

Hearing the report, Non-Non looked very pleased.

『Sounds like it went really well.』

『Yeah. Thanks a ton. Your advice really helped. I mean, calling her “kitten” was insanely embarrassing, But it did work.』

『Told ya~ Totally worth the effort.』

Non-Non struck a proud little emote, clearly in a great mood.

I stood up my avatar, walked over, and gently pat pat her on the head.

『See? I told you everything would work if you just listened to Non-Non!』

『Yeah… you were totally right. Honestly, I kind of doubted you at first. Sorry about that.』

『Wow, how rude. I told you to trust me! If you’d done that from the start, it would’ve been a perfect score!』

So close to a perfect run…

I had to admit, I deserved that one.

『So, tell me—what did you think of the girl you met? What was she like?』

Oof.

There it was.

The one question I didn’t want to answer.

What do I do?

Even if this is just a game, Non-Non is still my in-game wife.

If I start going on about how cute Kanon was, it’s basically cheating.

And if she called me a cheater again, I really wouldn’t have anything to say in my defense.

After all, she did call me a cheater yesterday.

But still…

I didn’t want to lie to her either.

『Be honest. I won’t get mad. Promise.』

『For real?』

『Come on, Non-Non always says she never lies, right? So now it’s your turn. Be honest. Tell me what she looked like, what the vibe was, how you felt talking to her—everything. That’s the bare minimum of honesty I expect from a half-cheating husband like you.』

…Yeah, she had a point.

I basically cheated and still got advice from her.

If I couldn’t even give a proper report, that’d be seriously scummy.

Alright. Time to be honest.

『She was really cute. Her face was super refined, and the way she carried herself had this elegant feel to it. If I had to sum her up… I’d say she was a proper beautiful, high-class kind of girl.』

I hit send—
And then silence.
Total radio silence.

『…What about her personality?』

『Still not too sure. She didn’t seem like the chatty type—kind of quiet, not really into talking like you are, Non-Non.』

I figured it wasn’t the best idea to mention anything negative, like how she seemed to have no friends.

『So, does Darling prefer talkative girls?』

『Hmm, not really. It’s not like I have a strong preference either way. As long as the person actually responds to me, that’s enough. And, well… someone who doesn’t freak out when I talk about my hobbies.』

『If I remember right, your hobbies are anime, games… and Vtubers, right?』

『Yeah. Not exactly the kind of stuff that screams “popular guy,” huh.』

After I said that—

Silence again.

…Uh oh.

What now?

It’s not like she didn’t know about my hobbies—I’ve always been upfront about that.

So I didn’t think she was suddenly grossed out by my otaku side.

Which meant…

Was she actually still mad about the whole “cheating” thing?

Just as I started getting nervous—

Non-Non sent a cheerful thumbs up emote.

『You’re fine just the way you are, Darling. Your first impression was perfect, so keep it up and go win her over!』

『Wait, seriously? You want me to keep trying?』

『Wait, you weren’t going to?』

She answered a question… with another question.

『Well, I mean, yesterday you called me a cheater and got super mad, remember?』

This was a complete 180 from how she reacted yesterday.

Was she so mad that she gave up on me?

Did she just stop caring?

Panic kicked in and I rushed to type out a reply.

『I’m sorry—I was being careless. My wife is you, Non-Non. Yeah, this whole thing kind of looks like cheating, and I get that… But you’re still my number one. Always.』

I typed that out like my life depended on it.

『Thanks. But still, I want you to keep trying. You promised your sister you’d go as far as getting the girl to like you, right? So don’t worry—I’ll keep giving you advice from here on.』

『…From here on, huh.』

『What, were you planning to stop?』

That was the tricky part.

Sure, we made some kind of connection—

But it was barely anything.

And now that I knew Kanon Hikawa’s real goal was becoming friends with Ayane…

Well, things had changed.

And on top of that, a new problem had come up.

『Thing is… my sister seems satisfied now.』

After that lunch, Ayane’s attitude shifted.

The moment we got home, she told me to stop the whole Princess plan.

I braced myself, thinking she might lash out about being forced into that awkward meal—

But that wasn’t it.

『No way. You have to keep going!』

『You’re seriously saying that?』

『Absolutely. I think it’s really important for Darling to get more used to talking to girls. If you learn how to be kind to other girls, you might understand my feelings a little better too, don’t you think?』

…She had a point.

If I could understand how girls thought, I’d probably be a better husband to Non-Non, too.

She might be super sweet to me all the time,

But that didn’t mean I’d never said or done anything that bugged her.

She just… never called me out on it.

And that kindness?

Yeah.

It really hit me now.

『But… what if this does start to feel like cheating? You okay with that?』

『It won’t! Don’t flatter yourself!』

Ouch.

Was that her way of saying I had zero chance with Kanon?

Rude…

But also not wrong.

Honestly, I had no idea how things would play out from here.

But if I’m being real—

Kanon wasn’t exactly someone I wanted to actively chase.

And I’d rather not go wandering into the first-year classroom again either.

『Well… I’ll talk it over with my sister and see how things go.』

『Make sure you talk it over positively, okay?』

Still, I didn’t get why Non-Non was pushing this so hard.

Either way, I was already planning to talk it out with Ayane this weekend.

Even I was surprised she suddenly told me to stop the plan.

『Anyway, I’ll be cheering you on with everything I’ve got. Keep coming to me for advice anytime, okay? I’ll help you out whenever you need it. And hey, if it turns into a real relationship, that’s totally fine too~』

『Don’t be silly. I already have you, Non-Non.』

『Mouu, you’re saying stuff like that again—so embarrassing!』

Her golden-haired elf avatar blushed, looking adorably flustered.

That shy reaction…

It reminded me a little of Kanon, actually.

Made me smile without thinking.

『Oh right. I got you something. Wanted to say thanks for everything, so… here.』

I handed over the gift.

A pair of earrings—something she’d mentioned wanting before.

They weren’t cheap.

I’d managed to buy them by selling some of the loot from our last hunt, along with a few things I had stashed away in storage.

『It’s the one I wanted! You’re the best, Darling! I love you!!』

Letting me “cheat,” then turning around and saying she loves me—

Non-Non really does whatever she wants.

But honestly… that carefree side of hers is part of what makes her so charming.

After that, we just hung out for a while.

Non-Non, now in a great mood with her new earrings equipped, looked happier than ever.

We chatted, laughed, and I realized all over again—

Spending time with my wife really is the best.