When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V1 Chapter 32: Rumors

Chapter 32: Rumors

This is weird. Something’s seriously off.

Ever since I got to school, I’d been overthinking nonstop.

I couldn’t focus during class and got scolded more than a few times, but honestly, I had bigger things on my mind.

Tsukihi’s behavior was clearly strange.

This morning, I was too nervous and caught up in the moment to really think about it.

But now that I’d calmed down, it was obvious—something wasn’t right.

There was a huge wall between me and Tsukihi.

It’s not like we had a fight or anything.

But we had definitely been avoiding each other.

To be fair, I was the one who started keeping my distance in the first place.

She must’ve realized I was avoiding her, because eventually, she stopped approaching me too.

And before we knew it, we had grown apart.

And now, that same girl had been standing outside my house.

On top of that, we even walked to school together.

…What exactly is her deal?

Unfortunately, I had zero clues.

It’s not like I won the lottery, or suddenly became some kind of heartthrob.

There was no logical reason for her to reach out to me out of nowhere.

“Hey, Kanbara-kun.”

It was lunchtime.

Kazama, sitting beside me, called out my name and snapped me out of my thoughts.

“What is it?”

“That rumor… is it true?”

She asked, sounding hesitant and unsure.

“Rumor?”

“You haven’t heard?”

When I asked her back, Kazama blinked in surprise.

“Judging from your reaction, you really don’t know… Well, never mind then. Since we don’t even know if the rumor’s true, I’ll just ask again once I get more details.”

With her lunch in hand, Kazama walked off toward her group of friends.

…Seriously?

Now I have to know.

I was already confused out of my mind with Tsukihi’s sudden behavior—this was the last thing I needed.

It definitely bugged me, but I decided to set it aside for now.

What mattered more was figuring out how I was going to survive that study session after school.

As I stood up to head toward the usual empty classroom, I noticed people staring at me.

“…?”

Sure, I’d gotten some attention before because of what happened with Shiranui,

But today felt different—like there were even more eyes on me.

The incident with Hikawa had already been cleared up with a convenient explanation that I was helping the student council.

So why were my classmates still watching me?

Pushing down the uneasy feeling, I started walking toward the empty classroom.

On the way, I ran into some familiar faces.

“My, if it isn’t the rumored Yuma Kanbara-kun.”

“Ah, look—it’s Yuma-kun, the rising star.”

The ones who called out to me were Hikawa and Tsuchiya.

…Now that’s an unusual pair.

They were both part of the so-called Big Three, but they didn’t seem all that close.

Back in our first year, they were in different classes, and I’d never really seen them talking.

For the record, the third member of the Big Three—Tsukihi—didn’t seem to talk to either of them much either.

…This feels off.

Tsuchiya used to act kind of nervous around Hikawa, but now they were casually chatting like old friends.

Had their relationship improved just over the past few days?

“Still, I never would’ve guessed.”

“I know, right? And we went to the same middle school, but I had no idea.”

“What are you two talking about…?”

I tilted my head, confused.

“The fact that you’re childhood friends with Tsukihi Yoiyami.”

“Yeah, that really shocked me.”

My mind blanked out for a moment.

…How did these two find out about that!?

“I heard it through the grapevine. That you and she went to the same kindergarten, and you used to visit each other’s houses all the time.”

“I’d never heard that before—it was such a surprise.”

“And apparently, you even promised to marry her when you were little.”

“That’s so sweet. First love with your childhood friend—it’s like a fairytale.”

Wait, a marriage promise?

Sure, it’s true we were childhood friends,

And yeah, we used to visit each other’s houses all the time.

But I have zero memory of promising to marry her.

Maybe we said something like that when we were playing back in kindergarten…

But if we did, I honestly don’t remember it.

…No, hold on.

There’s something even more important that caught my attention.

“It’s… a rumor now?”

Both of them nodded.

“Yes, it’s already making the rounds.”

“It’s spreading like wildfire.”

You’ve gotta be kidding me.

And right then, it all clicked.

That was probably the rumor Kazama wanted to ask me about earlier.

The way my classmates were looking at me—it was all because of this.

“Where did it come from? Who started it?”

That was the real problem—

Who the heck leaked it?

“No idea. I couldn’t say.”

“Same here. I don’t know who it started with.”

“Then… who did you two hear it from?”

When I asked, the two of them exchanged a glance and chuckled softly.

There was something unsettling about those smiles,

But I wasn’t calm enough to press them for answers.

“I just overheard it in the classroom. A few classmates were talking about it.”

“Yeah, same for me. People in class were chatting about it.”

So neither of them heard it firsthand.
It was just something they picked up from the rumor mill.

“Must be nice, being so close with someone praised as the Saintess.”

“I know, right? I always thought Kazama-san was your real target, Yuma-kun, but turns out it was Tsukihi Yoiyami all along. I mean, she’s way out of reach for most people, but if she’s your childhood friend and you two promised to get married, that’s basically a guaranteed win.”

…Win against who, exactly?

Also—she has a ridiculously handsome boyfriend, you know?

But I couldn’t say that.

I didn’t even know if they were still together.

And besides, it’s not cool to just blurt out someone’s personal info like that.

We hadn’t talked in a long time, yeah…

But it’s not like I had anything against her.

“Well then, I’ll be heading back for lunch. I’m supposed to eat with my little sister today.”

“I’ve got to get back too—Tsubasa-chan’s waiting for me.”

With that, the two of them walked off together, all smiles.

Still…

They both seemed really happy about all this.

◇

What the hell is going on?

I munched on a sweet bun as I tried to make sense of it all.

Problem after problem just kept popping up.

All these sudden developments were completely overwhelming.

The biggest mystery behind this whole rumor…

Was where it started.

Because there were only three people at school who could’ve spread it.

And if you leave me out, that leaves just two.

Tsukihi, the supposed subject of the rumor.

And my hopeless little sister, Ayane.

People from our old middle school might know that Tsukihi and I talked a lot until midway through our second year.

But the part about us living close and going to each other’s houses?

We never told anyone that.

Which means—if someone did know… the suspect list narrows to just two.

Logically, Ayane seems like the obvious choice.

She’d totally use underhanded tactics like spreading rumors if she thought it would hurt Tsukihi’s reputation.

But…

The part about a marriage promise?

Even I don’t remember something like that.

And if that promise actually happened, then the only person who would know… is Tsukihi herself.

“Tch… Thinking about it won’t help. Guess I’ll just ask her during the study session.”

No point in overthinking it now.

Better to hear it straight from the source later.

I stuffed the rest of the bun into my mouth and washed it down with tea.

And just as I finished eating—

Loud footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Both doors to the classroom burst open at the same time.

“Senpai!”

“Kanbara-kun!”

From the front and back doors,

Kanon and Shiranui rushed into the classroom at the same time.