When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V2 Chapter 01: Strategy Meeting

Volume 02

Chapter 01: Strategy Meeting

“Alright, we’re starting the strategy meeting now!”

The one who boldly declared that was my little sister, Ayane Kanbara.

It was a Sunday in mid-October. The sun was starting to set, and the setting was—my room.

As usual, I’d been lounging around when Ayane barged in without knocking, just like always. She helped herself to my snacks like it was the most natural thing in the world, then flopped into her favorite gaming chair.

“A strategy meeting? Out of nowhere?”

Up until now, our Sunday routine had just been me giving her updates.

“Updates are over. You’ve already made contact with all the Princesses, right? No point in just reporting stuff anymore. From now on, it’s time for a proper strategy meeting.”

“A strategy meeting for what, exactly?”

“For making me a Princess, obviously. Though honestly, it’s pretty much a done deal at this point.”

Ayane happily munched on some snacks with a smug grin on her face.

It had been two weeks since I patched things up with my childhood friend, Tsukihi Yoiyami—the so-called Saintess and top Princess of Himegasaki Academy.

In other words, it had been that long since the infamous homemade bento incident that shook the entire school.

And in that time… nothing really happened.

Why?

Because we had midterms.

Himegasaki Academy was still a serious academic school.

When tests came around, everyone switched gears and got serious.

For this short stretch of time, even the most love-crazed students focused on studying.

That midterm exam had just ended the other day—without incident.

As for my results? Honestly, they were pretty solid.

Normally, I’d just barely scrape into the top 100 in the grade,

But this time, I managed to rank 44th.

“First of all, let me just say this—well done! You really pulled it off!”

“You praising me? That’s rare.”

“Even a gloomy, anime-loving, Vtuber-obsessed loser like you can be useful once in a while. I might have to adjust my opinion of your kind just a little.”

“…Would it kill you to praise me a bit more honestly?”

When I said that, Ayane let out a cheerful laugh.

Lately, she’d been in a really good mood. And there were plenty of reasons for it.

First, her test scores had improved.

She’d barely avoided failing the final exams last semester, but this time, she ranked within the top 100 in the entire grade.

That sudden boost in performance was all thanks to Tsukihi tutoring her.

Thanks to those daily study sessions, she did great on the test.

As a reward, her allowance got bumped up.

And let’s be real—no one gets a raise in allowance without getting hyped about it.

Being able to hang out with Tsukihi like the old days probably helped too.

Ayane had always looked up to her like a big sister.

Even yesterday, the two of them had gone shopping together.

But the biggest reason for her good mood…

Was about the Princesses.

Ayane’s goal was to place in the top six of the General Election at the end of the term and earn the title of “Princess.”

And I’d been doing everything I could to help her get there.

That’s right—her chances of becoming a Princess had just skyrocketed.

“Just this once, I’ll praise you honestly. I never thought you’d go this far for me, Aniki. Seriously, I’m kinda shocked—and maybe you actually deserve some real credit for this.”

Tsukihi’s drop in popularity was the biggest reason Ayane’s chances of becoming a Princess had gone up.

And the cause of that drop… was me.

The rumor that Tsukihi and I were childhood friends—and that we made a promise to get married—had spread throughout the entire school.

To make matters worse, she handed me a homemade bento in front of a huge crowd. It was a total spectacle.

That bento stunt became common knowledge too.

And just like that, the so-called Saintess—who had always been treated like something sacred with no trace of male interaction—took a major hit to her image.

As a result, I’d been branded the villain.

People were jealous of how I’d gotten close to multiple Princesses, and now I was getting hostile stares from all over.

Still, it wasn’t all bad.

Because of this whole “Princess strategy” plan, I was able to reconnect with Tsukihi, even though we’d grown distant.

And not just her—I’d gotten closer to the other Princesses too.

None of that would’ve happened if I hadn’t been dragged into this.

Even though I wasn’t a good-looking guy or anything, there’s no such thing as a guy who wouldn’t be happy about getting to know a bunch of pretty girls.

“Tsuki-nee’s popularity is plummeting thanks to you, Aniki. Meanwhile, my ratings are soaring. At this point, the Princess title’s as good as mine.”

“Let’s hope so.”

“Even looking at it objectively, my chances of becoming a Princess are super high. Well… not a total guarantee yet, though.”

What Ayane said was true.

Her sudden rise in popularity was heavily influenced by Kanon Hikawa.

Kanon, the younger sister of the academy’s most powerful Queen, was the only underclassman to earn the title of Princess.

Now that Tsukihi’s popularity had dropped, Kanon had become the most talked-about and admired girl at school.

Lately, people had been spotting Kanon spending time with a petite, cute girl.

And that girl—was none other than my annoying little sister.

The sudden appearance of this adorable duo quickly caught everyone’s attention.

Ayane was now widely seen as Kanon’s partner, and her name had started spreading across campus.

I’d even overheard classmates talking about how her popularity was steadily rising.

If things kept going this way, Ayane really did have a solid shot at becoming a Princess.

That said, we couldn’t get too comfortable.

Even if her popularity had dipped, Tsukihi was still originally ranked #1.

No one knew how far she would fall in the rankings.

And it’s not like the rumors were entirely true either.

Tsukihi and I weren’t dating.

We never promised anything about the future.

“If only you’d gone all in and said you were committed to Tsuki-nee, it would’ve been perfect.”

In these past two weeks, there had only been one major event.

And that was when I clearly denied the most explosive part of the rumor—

The part about us making a promise for the future.

“I couldn’t help it. I seriously don’t remember making any promise like that.”

“You could’ve just turned the lie into the truth, you know?”

“Easy for you to say. We’re not just talking about dating here—it was marriage. That’s way too unrealistic.”

When I said that, even Ayane nodded in agreement.

“True. Actually, I heard something yesterday—Tsuki-nee said she doesn’t remember making any promise like that either. Most likely, someone just jumped on the rumor and started adding their own made-up details.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Tsukihi was popular, sure, but not everyone liked her.

Some girls were probably jealous.

Maybe someone gunning for a Princess spot—like Ayane—had spread the rumor out of spite.

Not that thinking about it would get us anywhere.

“As long as you become a Princess, I’m good.”

“Of course. After all, it’s your neck on the line if I don’t.”

“…You better keep your promise, alright?”

“Relax. If I make it in, I won’t tell anyone that you’re actually that creepy Super Chat spammer ‘Long-Text Niki.’”

I let out a relieved sigh.

“So, about this strategy meeting you mentioned—what exactly are we planning?”

Once I asked, Ayane gave a firm nod.

“Honestly, things are going super smoothly. So from here on out, it’s easy.”

“What do you mean?”

“You confess to Tsuki-nee!”

“…”

“We already know she doesn’t have a boyfriend. And right now, you’re the one closest to her. So if you confess and become a couple, everything works out. I get to become a Princess, your secret stays safe, and boom—problem solved.”

Yeah, no.

That’s not what I’d call “problem solved.”

This whole mess wouldn’t even exist if you hadn’t started blackmailing me in the first place.

“She gave you a homemade bento, right? That means she’s at least a little interested. Probably.”

“Probably…?”

“You can’t really know someone’s heart for sure. Anyway, that’s the plan. Aniki confesses, and Operation Princess is complete!”

That wasn’t a plan.

And this wasn’t an operation either.

I was about to call her out on it, but before I could, Ayane stood up—

As if to say she’d said all she needed.

“Oh, and just so you know—Tsuki-nee doesn’t have to be the one you confess to. Honestly, she’s way too good for you anyway. I’ll leave that part up to you, so go at your own pace. Like I keep saying, as long as I become a Princess in the end, that’s all that matters.”

With that, Ayane walked out of the room—still grinning like she was on top of the world.

What a selfish little gremlin.

Not that I really care, but if she ends up caught in some scandal with some random pretty boy and all my efforts go to waste…

I’m gonna lose it.

…

…………

But just a few days later,

I had no idea those exact words I muttered in my heart…

Would actually come true.