When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V2 Chapter 16: The Confident Fairy and a Promise with the Princess Prince

Chapter 16: The Confident Fairy and a Promise with the Princess Prince

So… what now?

Back home, I was lying around in my room, stuck in my thoughts.

Even after running into Kazama, the date had continued—but Tsukihi was clearly acting strange. It was like she wasn’t fully there. On the surface, she was smiling and chatting like usual, but it was obvious she was just putting on a front.

Still, I was even more shaken up than she was.

It was the first time in my life someone had confessed to me.

That alone was enough to completely throw me off, but on top of that, the person confessing was one of the top-tier beauties around. 

Kazama said she just wanted me to be aware of her feelings—but after that confession, she was all I could think about.

I hate to admit it, but I’m a pretty easy guy. 

Back in middle school, I fell for a girl just because she was a little nice to me. 

Deep down, I haven’t changed much. 

Even while walking around with Tsukihi, my head was filled with thoughts of Kazama.

In the end, I finished the shopping trip with Tsukihi like we planned, and we went our separate ways. 

Nothing special happened.

Still caught in a daze, I eventually came home and spaced out for a while. 

Once I snapped out of it, I marched straight to Ayane’s room to complain.

But that girl didn’t come out.

When I tried to force my way in, she called our parents for backup, so I had no choice but to retreat to my own room.

Which brings us to now.

“…She definitely made a deal behind my back.”

Yeah, that much was obvious.

But still, I didn’t expect her to bring up the princess conquest. 

That part really caught me off guard. 

Even for Ayane, exposing that should’ve been risky. 

So why did she say it?

I had no idea what her intention was.

I spent a few minutes thinking about my foolish little sister, but it was a waste of time. 

I could never understand what went on in her head. 

More importantly, there was something else I needed to focus on.

“She was serious… right?”

Was Kazama’s confession really genuine?

Even now, a part of me still wondered if it wasn’t just a continuation of that “make the guy next to you fall for you” game. 

Or maybe some elaborate prank.

But if that were the case, why would she confess herself? 

That would defeat the whole point of the game.

And it’s not like she gains anything from faking a confession. 

Sure, her pride might’ve been hurt a little, but even so, I doubt she’d do something that childish. 

Besides, Kazama knew about my underhanded scheme with the princess conquest. 

If she wanted payback, she could’ve just exposed everything and ended it right there.

…Which means, she really was serious.

That means the whole princess conquest was over now. 

Or more accurately, I was in a position where I could end it anytime.

Normally, that should’ve made me happy.

But it didn’t.

Kazama’s words kept echoing in my mind.

“Even if it was to protect yourself, that’s pretty awful. Seems like some of the girls actually started falling for you, you know? You ever think about what’ll happen if you end up charming multiple girls?”

She was absolutely right.

Even if the princess conquest had come to an end, my life wasn’t over.

But the truth was, I hadn’t thought about it at all. 

Every time I tried to consider what might happen next, I ran away from it. 

I kept telling myself I’d deal with it later.

But winning over a princess didn’t mean I’d just go back to my quiet, shut-in life.

If I failed, what awaited me was a living hell—my cringey love-letter donations would be exposed, and I’d become a laughingstock. 

A life filled with mockery and constant snickering behind my back.

If I succeeded, I’d be living a whole new life with the girl I’d won over. 

Walking hand in hand, sharing lunch together, maybe some innocent physical contact… that kind of thing.

It was all obvious, and yet I never once considered what would happen after. 

Only after Kazama threw those words at me did I finally face it head-on.

Seriously… I’m the worst.

After that, I stayed in my room, lost in thought the entire time. 

Before I knew it, midnight had passed, and I didn’t end up falling asleep until dawn.

◇

“Good morning, Kanbara-kun.”

The next day at school, Kazama greeted me.

I took a moment to really look at her face again.

Perfect features, a tiny fang peeking out through her smile. 

Her soft, wavy hair—her signature charm—added to her fairy-like aura.

A girl like this… actually likes me?

“G-Good morning!”

I was so flustered my voice cracked.

Seeing me all shaken up, Kazama giggled softly. 

Man… I was hopeless.

“I’m looking forward to the cultural festival.”

“—”

Her teasing made my heart skip a beat.

The cultural festival at Himegasaki Academy, called the “Himegasaki Festival,” is held every year in November. 

This year, it’s scheduled for a weekend in the middle of the month.

It’s fine. There’s still time.

“Judging by that reaction, looks like I managed to get inside your head.”

“…Totally. Thanks to you, I haven’t been sleeping well.”

“I’m glad. If you hadn’t started thinking about me, I probably would’ve gotten depressed and stayed in bed from how unappealing I must be.”

How much of that was she being serious?

There’s no way she isn’t attractive. 

She has tons of friends, she’s social, she’s cute, and honestly, she’s the total opposite of someone like me.

Most of the guys are into Kazama, and a lot of the girls want to be close to her. 

Anyone could see she’s packed with charm.

“I’ll make sure I win you over before the cultural festival.”

The deadline was the cultural festival.

And it wasn’t hard to figure out why Kazama had picked that as her limit.

Because right after the cultural festival comes the unofficial event known as the Himegasaki General Election.

Voting for the election starts the day after the festival. 

Then, after finals, the newspaper club announces the results.

It was probably Ayane’s idea to use the cultural festival as the deadline. It made sense. If things weren’t clear by then, everything afterward would get messy.

By “afterward,” I meant spreading the news.

Telling everyone that a couple had formed, getting the word out and deliberately lowering reputations—that’s the only way Ayane could finally claim the title of Princess.

“So, what kind of deal did you make with Ayane?”

When I asked, Kazama tilted her head slightly.

“She didn’t tell you herself?”

“She ignored me.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Can’t you tell me then, Kazama?”

“I just had a sincere conversation with her, that’s all.”

A sincere conversation, huh. 

Like that twisted little sister of mine would spill the princess conquest stuff just from that. 

No way. 

Something else definitely happened.

As I was thinking about it, I heard footsteps—someone entered the classroom.

“Good morning, Kanbara-kun.”

It was Shiranui.

“…Morning.”

“Let’s get to the point—how was your date with Tsukihi?”

Here we go again. 

Is she really that curious about the date? 

I didn’t think it was any of Shiranui’s business, honestly.

“Sorry, I don’t really remember much.”

“Don’t remember? What do you mean by that?”

Thanks to that intense confession, most of the date had kind of faded from my memory.

Speaking of confessions… I wonder what happened with Yamada.

Feeling curious, I glanced toward his usual seat—but he hadn’t arrived yet. 

That was strange. 

He was usually one of the first to show up.

“Fufufu, things are changing, Shiranui-san.”

Kazama smoothly joined the conversation.

“…Yukina?”

“Kanbara-kun’s mind is completely occupied with me right now. Can’t be helped.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

To that, Kazama responded with a confident smile.

“Because I confessed.”

“Wha—”

Shiranui visibly panicked.

“W-Wait, confessed…? You mean like a love confession?!”

“Yup. If you like someone, you confess, right?”

“……”

“If you don’t say how you feel, you can’t become a couple. I just honestly told him what I felt. Is that weird?”

She said it so casually.

And honestly, it was pretty normal. 

She liked me, so she confessed. 

No logic or strategy behind it. 

Just a straightforward, natural action.

Still, hearing her say it right next to me made me blush a little.

“A-And Kanbara-kun’s answer?”

“I’m waiting for his reply. I’m expecting it on the day of the cultural festival.”

“The cultural festival?”

“Yeah. I mean, it’d be unfair to make him choose on the spot, right? Besides, the way things were yesterday, I probably didn’t stand a chance.”

Shiranui, who had been completely caught off guard, took a deep breath like she was trying to calm herself.

“T-That’s a surprise. So Yukina was the one who made the first move, huh… Looks like I can’t afford to sit back anymore. Alright, I’ve made up my mind.”

Saying that, Shiranui turned to face me.

“Kanbara-kun, you absolutely have to watch today’s live stream of Feni the Immortal Phoenix in real time.”

“Eh, uh… okay?”

“It’s a promise. See you.”

Leaving those words behind, Shiranui quickly walked off back into the classroom.

…Wait, was there even a live stream scheduled for today?