When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V1 Chapter 28: The Siscon Queen and the Savior

Chapter 28: The Siscon Queen and the Savior

Everyone at school knew the Hikawa sisters were close.

But I had no idea the older sister’s love for her little sister ran this deep.

I mean, I have a little sister too, but I couldn’t relate to this at all.

…And just as I was thinking that—

“You have no excuse. I saw you yesterday after school, chatting so cheerfully with Kanon-chan. Am I wrong?”

She glared at me with eyes sharp enough to pierce steel.

That stare—filled with hostility and something dangerously close to bloodlust—

I’d felt it before.

Back when I was talking to Kanon.

“Wait, hold on a second. You weren’t even there, were you?”

“I was watching from a distance.”

“…Were you following your sister?”

“Excuse me? I was watching over her because I was worried. It’s only natural for a big sister to keep an eye on her little sister’s activities.”

That’s neither “natural” nor anyone’s “duty.”

“I get being concerned, but don’t you think that’s taking it a bit too far? Kanon’s in high school now.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. What if Kanon-chan got kidnapped?!”

…Okay, I hadn’t thought of that.

Now that she mentions it, it’s not entirely impossible.

Unlike my average family, the Hikawas are rich.

And yeah—Kanon is really pretty.

Add to that her small frame compared to the average, and the possibility of her getting abducted isn’t exactly zero.

“Kanon-chan’s cuteness is enough to drive people insane. Even normal, decent people could turn into wild animals around her. That’s why I can’t afford to let my guard down.”

“I-Is that so…?”

My half-hearted response earned me an exaggerated sigh from Hikawa.

“You really don’t understand just how wonderful and angelic Kanon-chan is, do you? Fine. I’ll teach you. Listen closely with that filthy face of yours.”

“My face has nothing to do with this!”

Ignoring my protest, Hikawa launched straight into story time.

And man… it was long.

She went on and on, sharing childhood memories with Kanon, passionately emphasizing just how adorable her little sister had been.

At one point, as she recalled a younger Kanon, she got this dreamy, far-off look on her face…

Honestly, it was kind of disturbing.

“…”

I stayed quiet and listened.

“And that’s how Kanon-chan wrapped up her unbelievably precious elementary school years. Oh, and for the record—I was the one bawling at her graduation ceremony.”

“…Why? That’s weird.”

I calmly called it out, but Hikawa didn’t seem to care one bit.

She just kept going.

Now she’d moved on to stories from Kanon’s middle school years.

I listened with a deadpan expression.

“Kanon-chan’s always had this childish side to her. Back in middle school, she got hooked on this game where she’d walk along the white lines on the road with her eyes closed. She thought I wouldn’t notice and tried to play in secret, but of course, I saw everything. And there’s more. It was during the summer of her second year—”

Okay, we get it, Your Majesty. That’s enough.

The endless stream of stories—whether they were nostalgic memories or just flat-out bragging—dragged on for several more minutes.

“And so,” Hikawa declared, clenching her fist tightly,

“I made a vow. That I would do everything in my power to make sure this angel lives a life of happiness. Especially… by protecting her from lecherous boys. If necessary, I am prepared to deliver the hammer of justice myself.”

Finally wrapping up her epic monologue, she raised her voice:

“Which is why—any guy trying to seduce Kanon-chan shall be crushed by my justice!”

“Wa—Wait! You’re jumping to violence way too fast!”

I mean, it’s not like I was actually trying to woo her—

…Okay no, I totally was. She’s not even wrong.

Just as her eyes began to glow with terrifying rage,

And I seriously started to feel like my life was in danger—

“O-Onee-chan!”

A voice suddenly cut through the tension.

I turned toward the sound and saw Kanon standing there.

Behind her was Ayane.

The moment Ayane’s eyes met mine, she shot me a look full of disgust—

Which she quickly swapped out for a worried expression.

As usual, she was annoyingly good at switching gears.

“Kanon-chan… why are you here?”

“I heard you took Senpai somewhere.”

“I-I see…”

In an instant, the murderous aura around Hikawa vanished. She gave a strained, uneasy smile.

Looks like I was saved… for now.

But what now?

Should I ask Kanon for help?

“Onee-chan, what are you doing with Kanbara-senpai?”

“Well, um, this is, uh…”

“Were you trying to hurt him?”

“N-No! Of course not!”

“Then why did you take him away?”

The proud and mighty Queen—being cornered by her much smaller little sister.

It was… oddly refreshing to see.

As I silently watched the exchange, Ayane suddenly appeared behind me.

“Please don’t cause trouble with the Queen, okay?”

“It’s not my fault.”

“Whatever. I’ll get the full story later. Right now, I need you to calm things down. People are already talking about you getting dragged off. That kind of drama affects my reputation, you know? And thanks to Kanon, the Queen looks totally shaken. Use that to fix this.”

So it had become a topic already…

From Ayane’s perspective—as someone aiming to be a Princess—having her brother get summoned by the Queen wasn’t exactly ideal.

“Kanon-chan, take a breath, okay?”

“Ayane-chan?”

“Yeah. Let’s just step back and calm down a little. Even President Hikawa looks pretty startled right now.”

Ayane gently led Kanon a short distance away.

Guess that was my cue to fix this mess.

As usual, she was throwing the impossible at me…

But for the sake of my survival, I had no choice but to try.

“…Ahh, even when Kanon-chan corners me, she’s so lovely.”

The siscon Queen was now gazing at her little sister with dreamy eyes, completely entranced by the situation.

After a few moments, she finally seemed to notice Ayane standing beside Kanon.

“Oh my, that girl was with her yesterday too, wasn’t she?”

“That’s my little sister.”

“…I see. So she’s your younger sister. Now that you mention it, you two have been spending a lot of time together lately.”

And right then—

An absolutely genius idea popped into my head.

I was going to use Ayane to get out of this.

She’d used me plenty already, so it was only fair I returned the favor.

“They recently became friends, actually.”

“…Friends?”

“Yeah. And it was Kanon Hikawa who asked her to be friends.”

“Kanon-chan did!?”

Even Hikawa knew her little sister wasn’t the type to reach out and make friends.

She’d even mentioned it herself earlier during her long, drawn-out memory monologue.

That’s exactly why this would work.

“The reason I was talking with Kanon yesterday was because of that. I mean, come on—if your little sister just made a new friend, you can’t exactly ignore it as her older brother, right? It’s just common sense.”

Even I had to admit—this excuse was a bit of a stretch.

But I was going to stick with it all the way.

After all, it was true that Kanon and Ayane had become friends.

Even Hikawa had seen it with her own eyes.

And I am Ayane’s older brother.

So obviously, a friend wouldn’t treat their bestie’s brother like trash, right?

That’s the logic I was going with.

“She showed basic respect because you’re her friend’s brother… I see. My sweet angel really does have good manners. Of course she wouldn’t be rude to someone close to her friend.”

“Exactly! Which means I’m innocent, right?”

“…”

“Put yourself in my shoes. If my little sister makes a new friend, it’d be rude not to say hi, wouldn’t it? I’d look like some socially clueless weirdo.”

So we exchanged greetings because we were both connected through Ayane.

That was the story I’d crafted—my carefully designed explanation.

Arisa Hikawa stood frozen, quietly thinking it over.

“Are you… close with your sister?”

Not even remotely.

There’s no way I’d say I was close with that devil in human form.

If you let me rant about how awful she was, I could easily match all the praises Hikawa just showered on Kanon.

But—

To make this lie work…

“Yeah, we’re super close. She’s the best little sister ever.”

…Even though she’s a conniving gremlin,

I forced out a dazzling smile and lied through my teeth.

Kanon already believed we were a close sibling duo.

Might as well keep that image up, especially inside the academy.

“So, you’re saying… You were talking to Kanon-chan because your little sister and her became friends. Not because you were trying to flirt with her. Is that right?”

“Y-Yeah! Exactly!”

I nodded firmly, putting everything I had into it.

“I like you!”

“…Huh?”

“I had a feeling that might be the case when I saw you. Turns out—you’re just like me. Someone who loves their little sister and wishes for her happiness. A fellow siscon!”

Don’t lump me in with you.

There’s no universe where I’m head-over-heels for that gremlin.

Also—how the hell did you even reach that conclusion!?

“Kanon-chan made a friend all on her own… And the friend is even smaller and more ‘little-sister-ish’ than she is? Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Looks like I’ll need to change my plans.”

Hikawa seemed to have reached some kind of personal epiphany.

Then, without warning, she gave me a firm pat on the shoulder.

“Come back here tomorrow after school.”

“Ugh…”

“Relax. Your innocence has been proven. I won’t do anything bad to you.”

Hikawa glanced over at Kanon and Ayane, who were chatting happily nearby, and let out a soft chuckle.

At that moment, she didn’t look like the distant, untouchable Queen.

She looked like a proud older sister, watching over someone she deeply loved.

“Today brought an unexpected but wonderful discovery. See you again, Yuma Kanbara-kun.”

With just those words, Hikawa turned and walked over to Kanon.

…So I’m safe? I guess?

I wasn’t entirely sure how I got out of that one—

But one thing was certain.

Kanon, showing up at just the right moment…

She was 100% my savior.