When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V2 Chapter 12: Double Shuraba Date – Part 1

Chapter 12: Double Shuraba Date – Part 1

Saturday had arrived.

It was technically my first date ever, but I felt surprisingly calm.

This time, I was just a tag-along.

Since I wasn’t the main character today, it took a lot of pressure off.

I wasn’t nervous at all, and I didn’t dress any differently than usual.

No special effort—just the same old me.

I was the first one to arrive at our meeting spot.

Ayane had said she was going to pick up Kanon in the morning, so she’d already left earlier.

After waiting a bit, I saw Ayane and Kanon walking toward me, chatting together.

“Huh, Aniki’s the first one here?”

“Good morning, Senpai.”

“Morning. I just got here too.”

As I greeted them, my eyes naturally drifted to their outfits.

Ayane was surprisingly stylish today.

She wore a brown, slightly girlish lolita-style dress.

With her youthful features, she looked like a girl straight out of a fairy tale.

There weren’t too many frills, so it didn’t give off that over-the-top vibe—more cute than anything else.

…Her personality was anything but cute, but she really knew how to dress herself to look the part.

“Don’t focus on me—compliment Kanon instead.”

Following her nudge, I turned to look at Kanon in her casual clothes.

She was really dressed up.

She wore a pair of shorts with a white blouse, topped with a plaid cardigan.

The standout point? The long sleeves that covered her hands—definitely going for that moe-sleeve look.

“Otaku are weak to long sleeves that cover the hands, right? So—what do you think of the outfit I picked out?”

She had completely figured out my tastes.

It annoyed me how accurately she read me,

But… yeah. I liked it. A lot.

Plus, Kanon’s hairstyle—a short bob with one eye covered—was just like a popular anime character.

She looked like she’d stepped straight out of a 2D world. It really hit me hard.

If I let that show on my face, Ayane would definitely call me a creep, so I did my best to hold it in.

“Y-Y-You look really good!”

“…Thanks, Senpai.”

Kanon blushed and fidgeted shyly.

That innocent reaction was pretty great too.

She probably wasn’t used to being complimented.

With that overly attached big sister around, it made sense no guys ever got close to her.

Still, I had to be careful not to get stabbed by Hikawa after today’s little double date.

I hoped Kanon would be able to play it off smoothly.

“So, where’s that guy?”

“Yamada’s not here yet.”

“Ugh, making a girl wait? Unbelievable.”

Ayane sounded visibly annoyed.

“Don’t you agree, Kanon?”

Maybe since her mask had been exposed, Ayane had started acting more like herself in front of Kanon.

“Totally different from Senpai, who shows up early.”

Kanon nodded, clearly not a fan of being kept waiting either.

“Well, Aniki’s still unforgivable for other reasons though.”

“Really?”

“Really. You wouldn’t believe how awful he is at home.”

“…I want the full story sometime. Let’s do a sleepover.”

“Sure! Though it’ll probably take days just to go over everything that’s wrong with him.”

I could talk for days about your faults too, you know.

Whatever—just don’t bring up that long donation message incident, okay?

As we kept chatting for a few more minutes, Yamada came running over.

“Sorry! I was so excited I couldn’t sleep last night!”

He wasn’t even late, yet he started off apologizing profusely.

I didn’t really care either way, but Ayane looked seriously annoyed.

Still, she didn’t let it show—within seconds, the mask was back on.

“No worries. But not being able to sleep because you were so excited… That’s kind of cute, actually.”

Yamada let out a relieved sigh.

Don’t relax just yet, Yamada.

Whether you showed up early or late, the outcome’s the same—

You’re getting rejected.

That’s fate. You can’t dodge it.

But unlike me, Yamada actually had social skills.

He quickly complimented both girls on their outfits.

This kind of thoughtfulness… yeah, maybe that’s why he’s popular.

“So, what’s the plan for today?”

“Don’t worry—I came prepared.”

Yamada laid out the date plan.

First stop: the aquarium.

After that, we’d wander around the shopping mall.

Then, to wrap it up, a karaoke session at the mall.

“That’s a solid plan.”

“Yeah, pretty good.”

Ayane and Kanon both seemed satisfied with Yamada’s idea.

“You said this was your first date, right? Did you look it up online?”

“Nah, I asked a friend who’s got a lot of experience.”

Figures.

If it were me, I’d just end up pulling random advice off the internet, not knowing if it was true or not.

But extroverts with a ton of friends? Totally different game.

“I heard aquariums are great because you can chat naturally about the fish, and since it’s not too crowded or too empty, people don’t get too tense. It also doesn’t take up too much time, so it’s apparently perfect for a first date.”

When I thought of dates, all that came to mind was stuff like movie theaters or amusement parks.

But turns out, aquariums are actually a top-tier choice.

With everyone gathered, we headed out right away.

And just as Yamada predicted, once we got to the aquarium, Ayane and Kanon’s excitement went way up.

They bounced around from tank to tank, pointing things out and squealing over the fish.

Though to be honest, it didn’t really feel like a “date.”

Ayane and Kanon were having so much fun just the two of them.

Holding hands, pulling each other around—it was like they were in their own little world.

“This one’s cute too.”

“Yeah. Super cute.”

Yamada and I watched from behind as they did their thing.

Rather than a double date, it felt more like we were their guardians.

Since they were both so small, that vibe came through even stronger.

It didn’t feel like we were out with girlfriends—more like we were here with little sisters.

Well… one of them was my little sister, so that didn’t help.

That said, I still had a good time at the aquarium.

“Kanbara, check this out.”

“So this is that famous spotted garden eel. First time seeing one in person.”

“It’s even cuter than I expected.”

“Yeah, it really is.”

Somehow, the conversation between me and Yamada ended up sounding like we were a couple…

But whatever. It’s fine.

Even though the whole thing never really felt like a double date, I had fun.

So yeah, picking the aquarium was definitely the right call.

◇

After the fun aquarium date, we made our way to a nearby shopping mall.

That turned out to be another great choice.

Ayane and Kanon got even more excited.

It really reminded me how special shopping is for girls.

“What’s the benefit of a shopping mall date, anyway?”

“They say it helps you learn each other’s interests and tastes.”

“Oh?”

“There’s food, fun spots, and places to relax. If it were just shopping, people might get bored… But with all the other facilities, it’s easy for anyone to enjoy. Apparently, it’s one of the best spots for a first date.”

I see.

Yamada had really done his homework.

He was clearly doing his best to make sure Ayane had a good time.

Seriously… what a good guy.

Honestly, he’s way too good for someone like Ayane.

We grabbed a light meal at a restaurant nearby, then wandered around the mall.

Eventually, we found a game center and decided to stop in.

We tried out the claw machines, played a few racing games, and even took some purikura (photo booth pics). The whole group was having a blast.

Ayane and Kanon, who’d looked a bit grumpy earlier, were now totally in high spirits.

“This is fun, Senpai.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“W-We might as well make it feel more like a real date!”

As Kanon said that, she grabbed my arm.

Wait… was she getting caught up in the mood?

Well, not that I minded.

I mean, what guy wouldn’t be happy getting a little body contact from a cute girl?

Naturally, my mood started rising—

“…?”

That’s when I noticed the crowd around us getting restless.

And the buzz only got louder.

What the heck was going on?

Something big must’ve happened.

“Is it an idol group?”

“Maybe a model?”

“They’re way too pretty…”

From the voices around me, it sounded like a group of idol-tier girls had just shown up.

Not just one—there were clearly multiple.

The commotion kept growing, and from what I could tell, the source of it all was heading this way.

Who the heck could it be?

Was a real idol doing a surprise visit or something?

“…Oh.”

The moment I laid eyes on the trio at the center of the chaos, a cold sweat ran down my back—even as I understood exactly why this was happening.

Standing in the center was a beautiful girl I’d known since childhood.

To her right, another stunning girl—the second person I’d ever had feelings for.

And on her left was the most terrifyingly beautiful girl in the entire school.

The second Kanon saw them, she clung even tighter to my arm.

The three girls stopped right in front of us—me and Kanon, completely frozen in place.

Tsukihi stepped forward.

“Yuu-kun, care to explain what this is?”

She smiled sweetly.

But I knew that smile.

I’d known it since we were little.

It was the smile she wore when she was absolutely furious.

A smiling Tsukihi… was the scariest thing in the world.

“You traitor. Do you have a death wish or something?”

Hikawa’s eyes were practically glowing with rage—

It seriously looked like she was about to lunge at my throat.

“This situation really wasn’t part of the plan. You’re in trouble now, Yuma-kun.”

Tsuchiya had a troubled expression on her face.

That gentle concern in her eyes… yeah, that’s exactly why people called her a goddess.

This was bad—I had to explain myself.

This was a double date.

Kanon and I were just the extras.

“Senpai didn’t do anything wrong. He was just enjoying a nice date with Kanon.”

Wait—no! That’s not how this is supposed to go!

This is a double date!

We’re the extra pair!

I quickly looked around to find backup…

But Ayane and Yamada had vanished without a trace.

Where the hell did those two disappear to!?

“Yuu-kun, you’re going to give us a proper explanation, right?”

“Get away from Kanon-chan right now!”

“Yuma-kun, you really are full of surprises, huh.”

“Senpai is going to keep dating Kanon.”

W-What do I do?

Why did this turn into some kind of shuraba scenario?

People around us were starting to stare.

Some were whispering.

And a few rough-looking guys were glaring at me like they wanted me dead.

No, wait a minute—this whole event was supposed to be about my sister and Yamada the Prince.

I was just supposed to be the side character.

So why the hell was I the one taking all the heat!?

As I stood there trembling, trying to hold myself together—

One more person arrived to throw everything into even more chaos.

“Looks like fun. Mind if I join in?”

With a cheerful tone, someone unusual just casually jumped into the mix.