When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V2 Chapter 20: The Fairy, the Princess Prince, the No-Show, and the One I Wait For

Chapter 20: The Fairy, the Princess Prince, the No-Show, and the One I Wait For

Total meltdown.

The day after Shiranui’s whirlwind confession—and after turning to my online wife for advice—I found myself back at school, sitting at my desk, mentally drowning in the rising tide of my own thoughts.

And the waves? Absolutely relentless.

Honestly, I was already halfway to a watery grave.

Yeah… somehow, I was more confused than I’d been last night.

Could Non-Non actually be a student here at Himegasaki?

Based on what she said yesterday, that was starting to seem alarmingly likely.

And if she really was the one I had lunch with in that empty classroom…

Only one name came to mind.

One of the most popular girls in the entire school.

The Ice Princess herself—Kanon Hikawa.

…No.

No way.

That can’t be it. Right?

Sure, “Non-Non” and “Kanon” kind of rhyme, but their personalities?

Worlds apart.

Non-Non was bright, bubbly, practically overflowing with energy.

Kanon? Quiet. Mysterious. The kind of girl who never says more than she has to.

Yeah, I get that people act differently online… but still.

The gap between them felt too wide.

Non-Non had always described herself as a flashy blonde gal with tons of dating experience.

Meanwhile, Kanon—guarded by her overprotective sister Arisa—seemed like she had zero experience with love.

And appearance-wise? Not even close to the image Non-Non painted of herself.

So… had all that “real-life info” she told me been fake?

And that line about “joining the competition”—

She had to mean in real life, right?

Fighting over me in-game wouldn’t mean much.

But here in the real world, I hadn’t done anything to raise Kanon’s affection points.

Not even a side quest.

Could she really be the type to blur the lines between online and offline feelings like that?

Honestly, just trying to untangle this mess felt like it was going to fry my brain.

And then—

Just to make things worse—

This morning, another problem showed up.

“…You’ve been looking kinda out of it since this morning. Something bothering you?”

Kazama leaned in, her voice soft but laced with concern.

Normally, she’d be off having lunch with her usual group, but it looked like she’d stayed behind—probably because I looked like a walking existential crisis.

“Not really. I’m totally fine.”

“Yeah, no. You really don’t look fine.”

“It’s just… I’ve got a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

No way was I about to tell the girl who just confessed to me,

“Hey, so… there’s a chance my online wife might confess to me too after school.”

Even I knew there were limits to how socially inept you’re allowed to be.

Still, if Non-Non really was Kanon, I couldn’t keep it a secret forever.

Eventually, the truth would come out.

That said… nothing was confirmed yet.

Until I knew for sure, there was no reason to bring it up.

…Unlike the Shiranui situation.

Yeah.

That one was probably going to get out whether I liked it or not.

“A problem, huh? Want to tell me what it is?”

“And if I do?”

“I’ll worry about it with you.”

Kazama said it so simply.

And then—she leaned in, just a little closer.

“Because it’s only natural to want to help the person you love, right?”

“—!”

That soft whisper hit me like a truck.

I had zero defense against that kind of direct emotional firepower.

My entire face lit up.

“Hehe. Cute reaction.”

 Kazama giggles. You tease me.

Kazama giggled, clearly enjoying the effect she had on me.

Totally teasing me again.

And yes—it was effective.

I gave her a look of mild betrayal, silently screaming why must you be like this—

But then—

A ripple of murmurs spread across the classroom.

The other girls were suddenly whispering, eyes darting toward the door.

In that moment, I had a sinking feeling.

And sure enough—
The source of the commotion stepped right between me and Kazama.

“Don’t you think you two are sitting a little too close?”

Shiranui’s voice cut through the air as she stepped in, shooting sharp glances at both me and Kazama in turn.

“I was just trying to listen to what’s bothering him, that’s all. Kanbara-kun’s been acting off since this morning.”

“Oh, that? His problem’s actually super simple.”

“…Wait, you know what it is, Shiranui-san?”

“Of course I do. It’s about me, obviously.”

Shiranui said it with complete confidence—like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

…Okay, hold on.

That’s not it.

Well—

It’s not entirely wrong either.

She did confess to me yesterday, and yeah, I’d been thinking about her ever since.

Kind of hard not to, considering she’s also the Vtuber I’ve been supporting all this time.

“About Shiranui-san?”

Kazama tilted her head, her expression genuinely curious.

Shiranui gave a small nod.

Then, after a quick glance around the classroom, she leaned in slightly and lowered her voice—probably trying to keep things quiet.

“I confessed to Kanbara-kun too.”

For a brief moment, Kazama’s eyes widened.

But then—she smiled.

That same calm, gentle smile she always wore.

“And his answer?”

“He’s giving it to me at the cultural festival.”

“Oh? Then I guess that makes us official rivals, huh.”

“Looks like it.”

I could feel the temperature drop between them.

If there were sparks flying, I was right in the middle of the fire zone.

Then my eyes met Shiranui’s—

And she immediately turned bright red and looked away.

That shy reaction, the way she averted her gaze with just a hint of flustered panic…

It was exactly like the Vtuber I knew so well.

And before I realized it, my own face started heating up too.

“But I gotta say… that was unexpected.”

Kazama murmured the words while casually watching the tension between me and Shiranui.

“Unexpected?”

“Yeah. I always thought Shiranui-san was the type who couldn’t confess on her own. You know—always putting on the tough act, talking like one of the guys… but when it really counts, you’d totally freeze up and run off like some shy little girl.”

Oof.

That jab wasn’t exactly subtle.

It was a direct hit—and Shiranui definitely heard it.

But to her credit, she didn’t even flinch.

“I won’t deny it. But I’ve already made up my mind.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Honestly, I was more surprised by you. I mean, Yukina, you flirt with every guy who so much as breathes near you. I figured you weren’t the type to focus on just one person. Seeing you actually pursue someone seriously? That threw me.”

Another clean shot—this time right back at Kazama.

Even so, her expression didn’t waver.

She stayed perfectly composed, like the verbal sparring didn’t faze her at all.

“Well, unlike you, I’m just naturally friendly. That probably gives people the wrong idea. But hey—if you’re gonna date someone, it’s better if they’re outgoing, right? More friends means more fun. And when something goes wrong, it’s nice having people you can rely on.”

She gave a soft, airy smile—that signature fairy-like look she always wore so effortlessly.

Shiranui crossed her arms, not looking away.

“Unlike Yukina, I prefer to be picky about who I date. And if I’m going to seriously think about being someone’s partner… I’d rather they be loyal and focused. That’s way more reassuring than someone who’s always surrounded by guys. Maybe you’re just underestimating how guys really think.”

Shiranui gave a fresh, radiant smile—pure Princess Prince energy in full display.

And just like that, the sparks flared up again between the two of them.

…Yeah.

This was exactly what it looked like.

Even I wasn’t clueless enough to miss what was happening here.

This was a full-on verbal showdown—two beautiful girls fencing with words, each trying to outshine the other, all while smiling like nothing was wrong.

Honestly?

Terrifying.

The tension was starting to creep higher.

Their voices were getting just loud enough that our classmates might start picking up on it.

Okay—this needed a reset. Fast.

“S-So, uh… what happened to Tsuchiya?”

I blurted it out—not just to change the subject, but because, honestly, I was worried.

“…Misuzu’s absent today.”

Shiranui’s voice softened, just a little.

There was a hint of sadness there that didn’t go unnoticed.

I didn’t ask for details.

I didn’t need to.

I already had a pretty good idea why.

And I definitely knew the cause.

All I could do now was hope she’d bounce back soon.

“It’s rare for Tsuchiya-san to miss school. Is she sick or something?”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard.”

“Well, it’s that time of year. Lots of people in our class have been out lately.”

She wasn’t wrong.

Lately, absences had started piling up in our class.

It was late October.

Summer had finally given up, and the crisp chill of fall had taken over.

That change in weather? Perfect recipe for colds, fevers, and flu outbreaks.

Among the missing was one Haruto Yamada—aka the “Mountain Prince.”

He’d been out since yesterday.

The last time I saw him? That chaotic disaster of a double date.

If things had gone according to plan, he should’ve confessed and gotten rejected.

And then—right after that—Ayane decided to have a little heart-to-heart with Kazama.

Where she oh-so-casually spilled the beans about the whole Princess Conquest.

Seriously… what the heck happened behind the scenes?

“Come to think of it, Tsukihi’s not here—Even though both Yukina and I showed up.”

“She’s out sick too.”

As soon as I said it, both Kazama and Shiranui responded at the same time:

“”Eh!?””

Yeah.

It wasn’t just Tsuchiya and Yamada—

Tsukihi was out too.

“Her mom said she’s down with a cold.”

That was the official story.

Her mom actually told me herself this morning—helpfully and very directly.

So yeah, the “other problem” I ran into today?

Finding out Tsukihi was out sick.

Apparently, she hadn’t been feeling great even during our date.

That low energy toward the end?

Wasn’t just because of Kazama’s surprise confession.

She’d probably been coming down with something the whole time.

Was I supposed to notice that?

Come on, give me a break.

It was my first date ever.

I was already a nervous wreck, and then Kazama went and dropped that emotional bombshell.

I didn’t exactly have spare brainpower to pick up on subtle signs of illness.

Anyway.

Long story short—her mom basically pushed a get-well visit onto my schedule.

After school, I was supposed to head straight to Tsukihi’s house.

But first…

I had to meet with Non-Non.

Then head to Tsukihi’s.

This day was already shaping up to be a disaster in the making.

By the time the final bell rang, I’d spent the entire day mentally drowning in a whirlpool of thoughts.

◇

Before I knew it, the day was over.

School was done. The final bell had rung, and it was officially after hours.

I waited until the classroom had emptied out completely.

Then, heart pounding just a little, I made my way toward that room.

One particular face kept floating through my mind.

She was probably already there—waiting.

I reached the door.

Took a breath.

Then slowly pushed it open.

Someone was already inside.

But the one waiting for me wasn’t who I expected.

“Well, it’s about time. I was starting to get bored, you know.”

Sitting there like she owned the place—chin resting casually in her hand—was none other than Arisa Hikawa.