When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V2 Chapter 13: Double Shuraba Date – Part 2

Chapter 13: Double Shuraba Date – Part 2

“Well then, care to explain?”

“Personally, I don’t think there’s anything to explain. I’m ready to sentence you to death.”

Sitting right in front of me were Tsukihi with a terrifying smile… and Hikawa with a cold, murderous glare.

Right now, we were in a karaoke box attached to the shopping mall.

We moved here because continuing that conversation in public would’ve caused even more of a scene.

This was supposed to be the final stop of our double date.

How the hell did it turn into this?

Other than me, the room now included Tsukihi, Hikawa, Kanon, Tsuchiya… and Shiranui.

Being surrounded by some of the most beautiful girls in school should’ve been heaven,

But the tension in the air made it feel more like the gates of hell.

I had no idea why Shiranui was even here.

And ever since she showed up, Tsuchiya’s expression had darkened too.

I seriously couldn’t tell what was going on anymore.

“Like I said, Senpai was just having a fun date with Kanon.”

“H-Hold on—that’s not it!!”

That kind of explanation would just make things worse!

Look—Hikawa was literally clenching her fist.

Any second now, she might actually punch me.

Please, please, just relax your hand already…

“Let me explain properly. Actually—”

I laid it all out.

That this was a double date.

That Kanon and I were just tagalongs.

And that we weren’t a couple or anything romantic.

“Really? Because I haven’t seen Ayane-chan anywhere.”

Apparently, none of them had spotted Ayane yet.

“I saw them. Just earlier, I caught a glimpse of Kanbara-kun’s little sister quietly slipping away. Right after that, I noticed Yamada-kun—the one who stood out at the ball game tournament—heading after her.”

That testimony came from Shiranui, who apparently saw the whole scene.

So, they did ditch us.

Ayane probably figured that if word got out they were on a double date, her reputation would take a hit.

And Yamada must’ve followed her because he was worried.

Tsukihi’s expression shifted into one of surprise.

“Wait—so Ayane-chan and Yamada-kun are dating?”

“Nope.”

“Then why are they on a date together?”

Yeah, I figured Tsukihi would be curious.

Ayane was like her adorable little protégé, after all.

No choice.

If I didn’t shut this down clearly right now, things could get weird fast.

For Ayane’s sake too, I’d better explain everything properly.

So I laid it all out—

Why this double date happened in the first place,

What Yamada’s feelings were,

And the promise they made during the ball game tournament.

Sure, I kind of exposed Yamada’s secret crush without asking…

But people had already started gossiping about it anyway, so it wasn’t really a secret anymore.

Besides, the guy ditched me in a crisis.

This was payback.

“Huh, so Yamada-kun’s aiming for Ayane-chan, huh?”

“Apparently it was love at first sight.”

“Well, Ayane-chan is cute.”

…Can’t say I see it, though.

“Hearing that actually makes a lot of sense. You were amazing at the ball game tournament, but Yuu-kun… you didn’t look all that happy. So this was the reason, huh?”

Exactly.

Glad she understood.

…Or so I thought.

“But none of that matters right now! The real issue is—why were you tagging along on a date with my Kanon-chan!?”

BAM!

Hikawa slammed her hand down on the table.

The sound and her trembling-with-anger voice made me let out a startled “Hie…”

Even the other girls jumped a little and went silent.

“I did ask you, didn’t I? If you knew anything about what was going on this Saturday. You brushed me off—so clearly, you were hiding something!”

Her glare grew even colder, stabbing right through me.

I froze up like a frog being stared down by a snake.

And then—

“Kanon just wanted to help her friend.”

The one who spoke up was Kanon, sitting quietly beside me.

“…Help?”

“Yes. Ayane-chan was going out alone, and if something happened—even just by chance—it could’ve been dangerous. That’s why Senpai and I went too. If we were there, she’d be safer, and there wouldn’t be any weird rumors.”

That was a perfect save.

And it was true—we were there to keep things under control.

Hikawa stared hard at Kanon’s face.

“…Doesn’t seem like a lie.”

From her expression and tone, it looked like Hikawa believed her.

Moments like these, I’m honestly glad she’s a big-time siscon.

“But if that was the case, you could’ve just asked me for help. There was no reason it had to be Yuma Kanbara tagging along, was there?”

“You stand out too much, Onee-chan. Weird guys would start following us.”

“Kanon-chan, you stand out just as much. You’re cuter than anyone, after all.”

“There’s another reason. If a guy so much as gets near me, you immediately glare at him. You’d probably have stared Yamada-senpai down too. And that would’ve been unfair to him. It’s not right to get in the way of someone who’s genuinely in love.”

…From my point of view, Yamada’s heartbreak was already a done deal.

But Kanon didn’t know that.

She’d even seen him showing up at her classroom the other day.

She probably understood just how serious he was about Ayane.

“That’s why Senpai couldn’t tell you. And from Ayane-chan’s perspective too, it’s more reassuring to have her brother there.”

“…I suppose… that does make some sense.”

Whoa.

She actually managed to shut down Hikawa.

Faced with solid logic from her own little sister, Hikawa reluctantly backed off.

“I have a question too,” Shiranui cut in.

“Why go out of your way to come all the way here? If it’s just a date, wouldn’t somewhere local have been enough?”

“Ayane didn’t want to be seen.”

“May I ask why?”

“She was worried about the impact it might have.”

“Impact?”

I figured there was no harm in explaining this part.

As long as I didn’t mention the whole “Princess Conquest” thing, it should be fine.

“It feels weird saying this in front of actual Princesses, but… Ayane’s aiming for the Princess title in the end-of-term election. You know, the one hosted by the school newspaper club.”

The moment I said it—

“““““What!?”””””

Everyone shouted in perfect sync.

What kind of reaction was that?

“So… she plans to use the Princess title as bait to buy people off?”

Tsukihi casually dropped something terrifying.

“Didn’t even think of that. But knowing Ayane-chan’s personality… yeah, it adds up.”

Kanon nodded in agreement.

Well, she does know the real Ayane.

“Totally didn’t see that coming. So there was a path to the crown from that angle too, huh?”

Shiranui let out a deep breath.

Hikawa looked a little surprised, but didn’t say much.

Tsuchiya, on the other hand, had lowered her head and was quietly muttering to herself, deep in thought.

Still… that was unexpected.

I thought for sure she would’ve at least told Tsukihi and Kanon.

“I’ve got a question too. What were you guys doing here, anyway?”

“—!”

That’s what had been bothering me.

There’s no way this was a coincidence.

This place was well out of the way from our usual area.

If they were just out to have fun, they could’ve gone somewhere closer.

The one who answered that casual question… was Hikawa.

“Isn’t it obvious? My adorable little sister was acting suspiciously on a weekend. Of course I got worried. As her big sister, it’s only natural I’d come check on her.”

She really said that with a straight face.

It was basically a full-blown siscon declaration,

But I guess you could also call it just being overprotective.

Kanon was cute, after all—so yeah, it made sense she’d be worried.

“Y-Yep, exactly. Just like Hikawa-san said! We were just tagging along!”

Tsukihi’s words felt a little too forced to be convincing.

Still, I glanced over at Tsuchiya—but she showed no reaction at all.

I turned toward Shiranui, who’d appeared from a totally different direction than the Big Three.

“I really just happened to be passing by. I was doing some shopping here, and when I noticed the commotion, I came over to check it out. It was pure coincidence.”

So hers was actually a legit coincidence.

“Yeah, no way that’s true.”

“Totally sounds like a lie.”

Tsukihi and Kanon muttered under their breath.

And… yeah, the odds really were suspiciously low.

But there was no real way to prove it either way.

“Whatever. Point is—this double date wasn’t anything shady. Just look at my outfit! If I were actually trying to go on a real date, don’t you think I would’ve at least dressed up a little?”

I made my case as desperately as I could.

“…That’s true.”

“There are still some things I personally can’t let go, but fine. I get it—you had your reasons. It’s only natural for you to feel strongly about your sister’s love life. And I can’t exactly blame someone who stepped in to protect her. Alright. I take back the whole ‘traitor’ thing.”

Easy to forget, but… in Hikawa’s mind, I was a siscon too.

Thanks to that “setting,” I somehow managed to survive.

The tension that had been dominating the room finally began to ease.

“Glad we cleared up the misunderstanding. Anyway, I’m gonna go look for Ayane. She’s still my sister, and if anything happens to her, our parents are gonna kill me.”

“Huh? What about continuing your date with Kanon?”

“That’s not happening. It’s supposed to be a double date, but one pair already bailed.”

If you take the “double” out of a double date… it’s just a regular date.

Kanon looked a little bummed,

But if I kept dating her here and now, Hikawa would absolutely rip me apart.

“Ah—wait!”

Just as I was about to leave, Tsukihi called out to me.

“What is it?”

“Yuu-kun, I’m really looking forward to our date tomorrow, okay?”

And with that, she casually dropped a massive bomb.

Shiranui and Kanon both stood up instantly.

“Kanbara-kun… what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Senpai, you didn’t tell me about this.”

…I wasn’t released until much later.