When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V2 Chapter 09: The Princess’s Proposal

Chapter 09: The Princess’s Proposal

“Let’s hear your explanation.”

Her voice hit my ears like a blizzard—sharp and freezing.

Standing before me was Ayane, arms crossed, clearly in a terrible mood.

She looked like a demon.

Despite being so small, in my eyes she loomed like a giant, easily ten times my size.

Right after our championship win at the ball game tournament,

She called me out behind the school building.

I’d thought about ignoring it…

But something told me that if I didn’t go, my entire future would be over.

And now here I was—facing this.

I already knew why she called me out.

It was about how winning the tournament had sealed her date with Yamada.

Normally, Ayane would keep her fake good-girl act up until we got home.

Then she’d rip into me in private, where no one could see.

But this time, she couldn’t even wait that long.

That’s how furious she was.

“W-Wait, just listen! I swear it wasn’t my fault!”

“Haa?”

“I tried to lose. Seriously!”

Fighting for my life, I launched into a full-on explanation.

Step by step, I laid out the match,

How it happened, how I meant for it to go differently,

Everything—complete with emotional sincerity and dramatic pauses.

“I see. But you still won, didn’t you?”

…Yeah. We did win, didn’t we?

“That pass was amazing, by the way. I’ve never cared about soccer, but even I could tell—That goal only happened because of your pass.”

“…Right?”

“‘Right?’ Seriously?”

She stomped on my foot.

Pain shot through my entire body.

“I’m sorry! Please, give me another chance!”

“Nope.”

“Just one shot to make up for this!”

“Not happening.”

The demon showed no mercy.

But honestly… I had no one to blame but myself.

I was the one who suggested the “win and you get a date” plan.

I was the one who said I’d sabotage things if it came down to it.

But come on—let me explain!

I seriously didn’t think we’d win, okay?

We somehow broke the odds.

It was like a miracle or something.

That final opponent zoning out and staring at Kanon? That’s not my fault!

“Now then, I’ll just spill everything.”

“S-Stop, don’t!”

“Too late. Enjoy your fresh new high school life—alone.”

As Ayane turned to leave, I reached for her shoulder.

She dodged with ease, and I fell forward,

Clinging to her leg in desperation.

“Hey, don’t touch me!”

“Just listen! You’ll be in trouble too! You’re Long-Text Guy’s sister, remember!?”

“You think I’d blow the secret right away? Of course not. I’ll wait until you mess up again. Then I’ll spill it—just to get back at you.”

“Wait… ‘mess up again’?”

That word didn’t quite fit the situation.

“I’m already planning how to deal with him. I need to pick a date spot far enough away so no one finds us. If someone sees us, it’s all over.”

“All right then, let me help plan it too!”

“…I don’t need your help.”

“Aw, come on, don’t say that.”

“You’re so annoying. Get off me already!”

Ayane kicked at my shoulder over and over as I clung to her like a pathetic mess.

It hurt, yeah, but I didn’t let go.

I clung to her leg and begged again and again.

It was shameful, even by my standards—

But this wasn’t the time to care about appearances.

And then… I saw someone.

“Hurry up and let go! If your creepiness rubs off on me, what am I supposed to do!?”

“H-Hey… Look behind you.”

“Stop escaping reality and get a grip.”

“No, seriously—look behind you!”

With an annoyed expression, Ayane turned around—

And froze completely.

Standing there was Kanon.

◇

“Ka… Kanon…-chan?”

Caught off guard, Ayane’s voice wavered.

“You were taking too long. So I came.”

Kanon spoke in her usual calm tone,

But one of her eyes was fixed squarely on me.

Let’s take a step back and assess the scene objectively:

I was on the ground,

Clinging to my little sister’s leg, begging pathetically.

Meanwhile, that little sister was stomping on me like trash.

Given the visual…

“I see. So this is the real Ayane-chan.”

The mask… was off.

The worst-case scenario flashed through my mind like a horror trailer:

Kanon realizes the truth.

Her friendship with Ayane falls apart.

Word spreads—Ayane’s real personality becomes public knowledge.

Ayane snaps, loses it completely,

And in a fit of rage, exposes my embarrassing past.

I’m branded across the school as “Long-Text Guy,”

And spend the rest of my school life as a walking cringe-fest.

It’s over.

Totally over.

As the two of us siblings froze in place…

“Um, this is, well…”

“It’s okay. I was a little surprised, But I’d kind of suspected it already.”

Ayane froze.

“When someone brought up Senpai, Ayane-chan would always pause for a second. I started thinking maybe… you two weren’t actually that close.”

“…”

“And there were times you smiled when someone else was having a bad day. So I sort of figured it out.”

…Wow.

My sister really is the worst.

Smiling at other people’s misfortune?

That’s bottom-of-the-barrel behavior.

“Don’t worry. Kanon’s kind of black-hearted too, so I’m used to that kind of thing.”

As Kanon said that,

She stepped forward and gently grabbed Ayane’s hand.

“Let’s talk. Just us. Over there.”

Still in shock, Ayane couldn’t resist.

Kanon led her away.

It looked like they were having some kind of discussion.

At first, Kanon did all the talking—I couldn’t hear a thing.

But soon enough, Ayane seemed to snap out of it.

If I listened carefully, I could catch bits like, “Seriously?” and “What’s so great about that?”

Ayane sounded… really annoyed.

What the heck were they talking about?

I stood up, brushing off the dirt,

And took a moment to reflect on what had happened.

This whole mess?

Yeah, it was totally on me.

Looking back, I definitely could’ve handled it better.

Instead of worrying about standing out,

I should’ve just scored an own goal and ended it right there.

There were plenty of chances to avoid making it to the finals,

But I chickened out.

While I was lost in my own little regret-fest…

The girls came back.

“I’ve heard the whole story.”

The one who spoke was Kanon.

Apparently, Ayane had caved and confessed everything.

Well, after getting caught in that scene, she probably had no choice.

…She didn’t say anything about the Princess strategy, right?

I glanced at Ayane standing behind her.

She looked sulky, but I couldn’t read her expression well enough to tell.

Still, she probably didn’t say anything.

I knew how she operated.

Even if she was backed into a corner, she’d never spill something that could damage her image.

“Ayane-chan doesn’t want to go on the date, but if she backs out, she’s breaking the deal. And if that gets out, it could cause trouble.”

“Exactly. That’s the problem.”

“Kanon has an idea. A way to fix it.”

“I’m listening.”

Kanon gave a small nod before speaking.

“Double date.”

“…Huh?”

“Senpai and I will go too. If it’s a double date, there’s no problem.”

“Wait—what?”

How is that not going to make things worse?

I turned my eyes to Ayane, trying to understand the plan.

“Basically,” she said,

“it’ll look like Kanon and I were just out having fun. Then Aniki and his friend just happened to show up and tag along. His ‘friend’ being that guy, of course. That way, even if someone sees us, we’ve got a solid excuse.”

I see.

The date was a private agreement between Ayane and Yamada.

No one else knew the details.

And nowhere did it say it had to be a one-on-one date.

So I’d just tell Yamada,

“I’m tagging along ‘cause I’m worried about my little sister.”

From his point of view, I’d just look like some overprotective, borderline siscon.

And if anyone else saw us together,

We’d say something like,

“We were just hanging out and happened to run into each other—so we stuck together.”

Sure, Yamada might call me a doting brother or something.

But I could live with that.

I’d wear the siscon title with pride—if that’s what it took.

This way, maybe we could actually fool everyone.

“This plan won’t work without your help, Senpai.”

“You’re definitely helping, right?”

There was only one answer.

“Yeah. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

It was the least I could do to take responsibility for messing this up.

“But… Kanon, are you really okay with this?”

Sure, this plan might save Ayane’s reputation.

But it wasn’t flawless.

And there was still a risk people might start spreading rumors about Kanon too.

At the end of the day, she’d still be seen hanging out with a guy.

“No problem.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“…You sure Hikawa won’t get mad when she finds out?”

“…I’ll do my best.”

Yeah, she’s worried.

Honestly, I’m worried too.

Still, none of us could come up with a better plan.

So I bowed my head to Ayane and Kanon,

And swore I’d help carry out the mission.