When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V2 Chapter 05; Interlude – The Fairy’s Serious Side

Chapter 05.5: Interlude – The Fairy’s Serious Side

“…What am I even doing?”

It was Friday after school, and I found myself behind the school building.

Not for any particular reason. I wasn’t meeting up with anyone, either. I was just wandering around aimlessly, and before I knew it, I ended up here.

I didn’t come here on purpose. But thinking about it now… maybe I just wanted to be alone. It’s hard not to stand out inside the school, whether I like it or not.

“Nothing’s going the way I want…”

I couldn’t hold back the frustration bubbling up inside me.

Lately, I’d been on edge all the time. 

Ever since the mess on Monday, I hadn’t been able to control my emotions. 

I knew my friends had started keeping their distance. I could tell my reputation was taking a nosedive, too.

Sure, Monday’s incident was the trigger.

But the real problem didn’t start there.

Everything went off the rails that day—the day she showed up.

The academy’s perfect saintess.

I’d been planning to take my time winning Kanbara-kun over.

I figured if I just left him be, he’d fall for me eventually. 

He gave off total mob vibes—never had any girls around, no rivals in sight. 

Even if someone did show up, I was confident I could win.

But now… I wasn’t so sure anymore.

The rivals who showed up weren’t just anyone.

They were Princesses.

Multiple Princesses, in fact.

And they were all seriously cute, even by my standards.

The strongest and most troublesome one among them… was that saintess.

She was just on a completely different level from the rest of us. 

No matter how hard I tried, I didn’t feel like I could ever win.

And on top of that, she was his childhood friend. They’d been close since forever. 

How am I supposed to compete with that?

To make matters worse, the saintess had allies who were just as strong and just as much of a headache.

…Yoiyami-san really does like Kanbara-kun, doesn’t she?

That much was probably certain.

“Oh, so you recently got to know him? Thanks for looking after my Yuu-kun.”

That comment had stuck with me ever since.

She basically declared that Kanbara-kun belonged to her.

But there were still things I didn’t get.

Like, why were Tsuchiya-san and Hikawa-san working with her? It’s not like they had anything to gain from it.

And there was another thing that bugged me.

Yoiyami-san and Kanbara-kun weren’t dating.

At least, it didn’t seem like they were. If they were together, they’d just say so.

Especially with how Yoiyami-san acted—if she really was his girlfriend, she’d have announced it by now. She didn’t strike me as the type who’d stay quiet about something like that.

She didn’t seem that obsessed with the whole “Princess” status either.

So why weren’t they dating?

It made no sen—

“What’s the big idea, calling me out to a place like this?”

A familiar voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I turned toward the sound—and there stood Yoiyami-san.

Right in front of her… was someone else.

“Mind if I ask you something directly, Yoiyami-san?”

“Just call me Tsukihi. We’re both in love with the same person, right?”

“—So you really do like Kanbara-kun?”

The one talking to her was Shiranui-san.

That was unexpected. From what I overheard earlier, it sounded like Shiranui-san had called her out here.

“Of course I do. Yuu-kun’s my precious childhood friend and my first love. I’ve always liked him—and I still do.”

She answered without even a second’s hesitation.

“You like him too, don’t you, Shiranui-san?”

“W-Well… yeah.”

So she’s serious.

Honestly, I thought it was just a passing crush.

I never imagined she’d actually fall for someone. 

We were in the same class last year, and she never showed the slightest interest in any guy.

It was like she didn’t even register them.

So why Kanbara-kun?

I heard he helped them make up after a fight, 

But could that really be enough for someone like Shiranui-san to fall for him?

If that’s all it took, then she’s way too easy.

“Was that the only reason you called me out here?”

“Ah, yeah. I just wanted to understand how you felt, Yoiy—no, Tsukihi.”

“I’m glad we talked too. Now I know for sure—Shiranui-san’s officially my rival.”

“You don’t really seem that worried about me, though.”

“That’s because I’m going to win.”

She sure was confident.

Well, it made sense. They were childhood friends. Their bond ran deeper than anyone else’s, and they even walked to school together. I couldn’t imagine a way to win against that.

Somewhere deep down, I had already started to give up.

This was a battle I couldn’t win.

I figured Shiranui-san would understand that too—and quietly raise the white flag.

“…I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“Huh?”

“Kanbara-kun and I share a special connection. One that even his childhood friend Tsukihi doesn’t know about.”

Yoiyami-san’s expression darkened slightly.

A special connection?

Back when we were in the same class last year, Shiranui-san never talked to any boys. She didn’t even speak to Kanbara-kun. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t even known his name.

“There’s stuff I know about Kanbara-kun that no one else does.”

“…You’re lying.”

“It’s not a lie. Like the game he’s into right now. Or the manga he’s been reading. His hobbies, his way of thinking—I know it all. Because he told me. Did you know he actually writes really passionate messages sometimes?”

At those words, Yoiyami-san fell silent.

“Where did you hear that?”

“Who knows~”

Just like that, the tide had turned in Shiranui-san’s favor.

“And Kanbara-kun always praises me, you know.”

I’ve never heard any of this before.

It all sounded kind of suspicious, but… Shiranui-san didn’t look like she was lying. That was probably why Yoiyami-san stayed quiet.

“It’s not exactly something Kanbara-kun bought for me… but there are clothes I own that he paid for.”

Wait, what?

Kanbara-kun’s… spoiling her?

I wasn’t sure what she meant by that phrasing, but if she’s wearing clothes he paid for, then yeah, it kind of sounded like that.

I couldn’t follow the story at all.

Some of the details went right over my head, but judging from Yoiyami-san’s expression, that last part definitely hit her hard.

She’d been calm and composed this whole time—but now, her mask was cracking.

Or so I thought.

“…Looks like I’ve got a tough rival, huh.”

That smile returned to Yoiyami-san’s face.

“But I’m still going to win. There was someone before who I thought was a rival, but they weren’t. This time, though—it’s the real deal. A true rival. A tough one, too. But thinking about it calmly… that’s only natural, right? A guy like Yuu-kun is bound to have competition.”

“You’re right. Let’s have a fair fight.”

“Yeah. Looking forward to it.”

“Same here.”

And with that, the two of them nodded at each other.

All I could do was watch silently from the side.

◇

After Yoiyami-san left, only Shiranui-san remained behind.

I wanted to know.

Shiranui-san’s secret.

Her connection with Kanbara-kun.

How she could stand toe-to-toe with that saintess without flinching.

Where did that confidence come from? What gave her that certainty.

I took a step forward.

“Shiranui-san.”

“Y-Yukina!?”

Looks like she hadn’t noticed I was there.

She was completely shocked.

“…You heard all of that, didn’t you?”

“Most of it, yeah.”

“Eavesdropping’s not cool, you know.”

“Sorry. It really was a coincidence.”

“Pretty convenient coincidence—for someone behind the school building.”

It really was an accident, but given the spot, I couldn’t blame her for being suspicious.

Still, now wasn’t the time to explain myself.

“About what you said earlier… is it true? You and Kanbara-kun have some kind of special connection?”

“Well, yeah.”

“What kind of connection? When did you two get close?”

“Can’t tell you that.”

…So she wasn’t going to share.

Fine. Time to switch gears.

“Anyway, looks like Yoiyami-san’s got some powerful allies now.”

“I noticed too. Misuzu and Hikawa-san have both taken her side.”

“They’re a pain, huh.”

“I kind of get why Misuzu joined her. For me, it’s a bit complicated.”

You get it?

Maybe it’s because they’re close friends.

I sure didn’t understand any of it.

“Then… why don’t we team up?”

“Team up?”

“Wouldn’t it suck to just let Yoiyami-san win without a fight?”

“…I’ll pass.”

I blinked—I hadn’t expected her to turn me down.

“Can I ask why?”

“Because teaming up wouldn’t change anything. You like Kanbara-kun too, don’t you, Yukina?”

“Um… maybe?”

“I can tell. The way you look at him, the way you talk to him—your whole vibe. Before Tsukihi showed up, I actually thought you were my biggest rival.”

I hadn’t realized it myself.

But I guess my feelings had been showing.

…Do I really like Kanbara-kun?

I wasn’t totally sure.

Back then, his words—his actions—they just stuck with me.

That’s all it was. I just wanted to make him fall for me, somehow.

But now that I think about it…

I’ve never spent this much time thinking about one guy before.

My first love ended horribly.

And after that, I just got swept up in shallow games.

Maybe somewhere along the way, I lost sight of what real love even looked like.

“Kanbara-kun saved me. Because of him, I didn’t lose myself. I didn’t have to deny who I was. Honestly, Tsukihi showing up might’ve been the push I needed. Because if I kept waiting, I was never going to win. So I’ve decided—it’s time to face things head-on. I’m going to show him who I really am. Waiting around won’t get me anywhere. But once I reveal my true self… then it’ll finally be a real fight.”

…Her true self?

“It’s nothing. See you.”

The way she spoke about Kanbara-kun—

it was completely like a girl in love.

And yet, the way she walked away—

She looked just like a prince.

The title Princess-Prince really did suit her best.

“…Ugh, no way I’m winning this. Every one of my rivals is way too strong.”

Looking back, maybe I’d been treating this like a game.

Just a casual thing—trying to make the guy next to me fall for me.

…But this might be real.

When was the last time I actually tried this hard for something?

Probably back when I got dumped by him.

When I threw myself into self-improvement, just to prove him wrong.

Yeah… back then, I really gave it my all.

Learning how to do makeup, taking care of my skin,

Digging up every bit of info I could to look better, sound smarter, be more.

“If I just let myself lose like this… I’ll probably regret it for the rest of my life.”

I pictured it in my head—

Kanbara-kun laughing beside Yoiyami-san.

Kanbara-kun holding hands with Shiranui-san.

“…Yeah, no. That would seriously piss me off.”

My rivals might be too strong.

I might not be able to win.

But I don’t want to give up.

So this time…

I’ve decided to go all in.