When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V1 Chapter 29: .The Big Sibling Alliance

Chapter 29: The Big Sibling Alliance

The next day, after school—

I made my way toward the back of the school building.

There was no way I could ignore a summons from the Queen herself.

Sure, I might’ve escaped disaster yesterday, but I wasn’t out of the woods yet.

If I slipped up now, my school life might end before those donation screenshots ever see the light of day.

I had to stay sharp and deal with this carefully.

After getting home yesterday, Ayane had demanded an explanation.

I told her I’d fill her in over the weekend… then locked myself in my room.

Yeah, this whole mess still wasn’t over.

“Ah.”

On my way, I ran into Tsuchiya.

She walked over with a mischievous grin on her face.

“Rough day yesterday, huh, Yuma-kun?”

“…Weren’t you the one who said I owed you a favor? And yet, you didn’t lift a finger.”

“Sorry, but if it’s Hikawa-san we’re talking about, there’s nothing I can do. If I butted in, I’d have gotten caught in the crossfire for sure.”

Even the so-called Earth Goddess knows better than to mess with the Ice Queen.

Honestly, the only one who could shut down Arisa Hikawa was her little sister, Kanon.

If I’d been in Tsuchiya’s position, I probably would’ve done the exact same thing.

“So, what did Hikawa-san want with you anyway?”

“Nothing much.”

“Oho? If you can’t say it out loud… Don’t tell me it was a confession!?”

Tsuchiya’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Unfortunately, she was way off.

I mean, come on—does it make any sense to assume it was romance when I got dragged off looking like I was headed for execution?

Of course, I couldn’t just tell her the truth.

If people found out Hikawa was a siscon, things would get messy.

I’d be the one in danger for leaking it.

“It wasn’t anything romantic. Just a bit of business to take care of.”

“If you don’t want to say, that’s fine. Oh, and just so you know—if it’s something involving Hikawa-san, I can’t help. But if it’s anything else, feel free to talk to me. As your friend, I’ll help however I can.”

“Yeah, I’ll count on you.”

“Leave it to me. I’m more thoughtful than I look, you know? Anyway, I gotta go. Tsubasa-chan’s waiting.”

Tsuchiya waved and walked off.

I stood there for a moment, watching her leave—then started walking again.

“…”

Just as I took my first step, I felt a gaze from nearby.

Turning toward the stairs, I saw someone standing there.

It was her—the childhood friend I’d grown distant from.

That expression on her face…

She looked like she’d just seen something she couldn’t believe.

“…”

I had no idea what to say.

And so, without a word,

I turned and walked away.

◇

I arrived behind the school building.

Hikawa was already there, waiting.

“I’m glad you came, my comrade.”

…Please don’t call me that.

And of course I came. With how she said it yesterday, I’d be terrified not to.

Still, “comrade,” huh?

She was clearly using it in the “fellow siscon” sense.

Unlike with Shiranui, though, this comrade title didn’t make me feel even a little bit honored.

“Since then, I’ve had a proper conversation with Kanon-chan. I hadn’t asked much about her school life lately, so it ended up being a very meaningful talk.”

“Well, good for you.”

“After talking to her, I fully cleared up the misunderstanding about you. I confirmed it all—You’re the older brother of her new friend, Ayane Kanbara-san, And you two just happened to run into each other that day.”

Hikawa gave a slight bow.

“First of all, let me apologize. It was wrong of me to drag you off like that. I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I appreciate the apology.”

Not like I could really complain too much anyway.

I was trying to hit on Kanon because my sister blackmailed me into it.

And I’d even tried getting close to other Princesses too.

Sure, none of them actually worked out, but still—

I wasn’t exactly a shining example of integrity.

Hikawa straightened up again.

“I’m glad to hear that. Oh, and don’t worry about any rumors spreading. I’ll just tell everyone you were helping out with student council work.”

“That’d be a huge help.”

Good—this way Ayane won’t have any reason to chew me out later.

I figured the apology wrapped things up…

But then Hikawa suddenly said,

“Now then, shall we move on to the main topic?”

“Main topic?”

“I heard all about you. Apparently, you’re super close with your sister Ayane Kanbara-san, and you’re very serious and sincere. That’s what she said. And you know what? This is the first time Kanon-chan has ever praised a guy so openly. You should be proud.”

So she talked me up behind the scenes, huh?

Kanon really is a sweet kid.

“Too bad she didn’t catch on to the fact that you’re a raging siscon, though.”

I’m not a siscon.

“You’re a siscon, right? Completely obsessed with your little sister?”

Nope. Not even close.

The idea of spoiling that demon is absurd.

She’s only acting sweet at school—at home she’s pure chaos.

That’s what I said in my head.

But out loud…

“That’s right.”

The lie came out smooth.

And with a cool, confident voice, no less.

Please, don’t judge me.

Don’t call me a liar or look at me like I’ve betrayed my soul.

If I didn’t say that, the Queen might’ve erased me from existence.

Sometimes you’ve gotta lie… to survive.

“You care deeply about your sister Ayane, and you want to protect the sacred space shared between her and my precious angel. In fact, when you met Kanon-chan and the others, you were actually following your sister, weren’t you?”

…Yeah, not even close.

“You got me. That’s exactly right!”

I had no other option. Might as well roll with the misunderstanding.

Apparently pleased by my response, Hikawa gave a proud nod.

“A clear, confident answer—very admirable. It’s gross when people insist they’re not siscons. But you—your honesty is refreshing.”

Didn’t feel like a compliment, but… hey, I was apparently earning points.

“Yuma Kanbara, proud siscon. Let us form a Big Sibling Alliance.”

“An… alliance?”

“You and I both deeply cherish our little sisters. And now, our sisters have become friends. That is a truly joyous thing, isn’t it?”

“Y-Yeah… sure.”

Not joyous at all.

The fact that a sweet girl like Kanon ended up befriending that two-faced devil of a sister I have…

It’s honestly a tragedy.

And yeah, I’m partly to blame for that.

If someone wants to scold me for it, I’ll get on my knees and apologize.

“So… what exactly does this alliance involve?”

“We eliminate anything that tries to get close to our sisters.”

“…Eliminate?”

Okay, she just said something seriously dangerous.

“That’s right. Our mission is to protect that pure, healing space—just watching it brings peace to the soul.”

“R-Right… of course.”

“The basic rule is to intervene before any contact happens. And if contact does occur… we use force to stop it. There were times when I couldn’t cover everything alone, especially when I had student council duties. But with your help, I can manage it all.”

It sounded noble, but this was 100% a violation of privacy.

“Got it. Fine. I’m in.”

“The alliance is formed, then. Let’s watch over our angels together.”

“Y-Yeah… let’s do that.”

Hikawa and I shook hands—firmly, as if sealing a sacred pact.

…If anyone ever finds out about this, I’m screwed.

And so, with a sinking feeling in my chest and a silent prayer that this wouldn’t backfire,

The delicate, fragile Big Sibling Alliance was officially born.