When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield - V2 Chapter 21: The True Identity of My Online Wife

Chapter 21: The True Identity of My Online Wife

The Queen?!

I froze up, completely caught off guard by the last person I expected to see here.

Judging from her tone, she had been waiting for me. Which meant—she already knew I was coming.

So then… is Hikawa actually Non-Non?

No way. No chance.

Non-Non clearly knew who I was. And if this Ice Queen was her, then the advice she gave me when I was trying to get closer to Kanon would’ve made absolutely no sense. There’s no way someone obsessed with her sister would help some guy flirt with her beloved little sis.

…Wait. Now that I think about it, how did Non-Non even know who I was?

Guess I’ll just have to ask her straight out.

Unless… this whole “sister-worship” thing from Hikawa has been an act all along…?

“…”

Yeah, no. Not even worth considering. That girl’s love for her sister is 100% genuine. She’d probably kill for Kanon.

So, while I still had no clue what the heck was going on, odds were slim that the Ice Queen sitting across from me was actually Non-Non.

Time to talk my way out of this.

“What do you mean, ‘you were starting to get bored’? I just dropped by because I was bored myself. It’s not like I had any reason to be in this classroom.”

A weak excuse. Super weak. But it was all I had.

“You, a proud member of the go-home club, just randomly wandered into an empty classroom after school because you were bored?”

“T-That’s just the kind of mood I was in, okay!?”

“So that’s the story you’re going with.”

“It’s not a story—it’s the truth!”

As much as I wanted to find out who Non-Non really was… I had to get out of here first.

“Well then, I’ll be going. Got important things to—”

“Oh? I thought you said you were bored?”

“Guh—”

“Sit. We’re going to have a little chat.”

Still resting her chin in her hand, Hikawa motioned for me to sit. Something told me that if I refused, this would only get worse.

Left with no other option, I reluctantly took the seat across from her.

As expected, the pressure she gave off was intense. It felt like I was being grilled in some high-stakes corporate interview.

“It’s been a while since we last had a proper talk.”

“We just talked on Saturday, didn’t we?”

“I mean one-on-one.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess it’s been a while.”

After a few lines of small talk, she cut right to the chase.

“Now then, let’s review the nature of your relationship with me, Yuma Kanbara. We’re allies, aren’t we?”

Ah yes… that ridiculous alliance.

“You remember the terms, don’t you?”

“…We eliminate anything that gets in the way of our sisters’ relationships.”

“Exactly. A beautiful sibling alliance devoted to guiding our beloved little sisters.”

Wow. Sounds even dumber when you actually say it out loud.

While I was still mentally sighing, Hikawa’s sharp eyes locked onto mine.

“As for what happened on Saturday—I’ll let that slide. You were protecting Ayane, after all. As a fellow sibling comrade, I can respect that.”

A huge misunderstanding… but fine. Let’s just go with it.

“But today’s different. Yuma Kanbara… you’re trying to make a move on Kanon-chan, aren’t you?”

“I am not.”

“Weren’t you planning a secret meeting with her here?”

“…I wasn’t.”

Hikawa narrowed her eyes and stared straight into mine.

“That’s strange. You don’t seem like you’re lying.”

What is she, psychic or something?

But seriously, I wasn’t lying. The person I came here to meet was my online wife, Non-Non. 

Sure, I suspected she might be Kanon… but officially, I was here to meet Non-Non. That much was true.

“Also, weird question. You mentioned a ‘secret meeting’—what’s going on with Kanon?”

“She’s been acting weird since last night.”

“Weird how?”

“She’s been all fidgety, and she kept practicing her smile in the mirror over and over again. It reminded me of that whole double date… well, not really a date, so let’s call it something else. Anyway, her vibe was kind of similar to back then.”

…Practicing her smile in the mirror? That’s kind of adorable.

“And then, she got this really serious look—like she’d made up her mind about something.”

“Made up her mind?”

“You know. Like when someone’s about to confess a deep, long-held feeling they’ve been keeping inside.”

“—!”

If Kanon is Non-Non, then… yeah. That would explain a lot.

“I got curious, so I followed her. She was normal all morning and during lunch, but after school, she suddenly got all sneaky—checking her surroundings, then slipping into this classroom.”

“…You tailed her?”

“Of course I did. Totally normal.”

No, it’s not. Not even close.

“Kanon-chan looked like she was waiting for someone in this classroom. When I called out to her, she panicked and ran off.”

“…”

“I could’ve gone after her, but I figured something was up. So instead, I decided to wait here in her place. And then—you showed up. Care to explain what that means, Yuma Kanbara?”

Hikawa’s voice was cool and sharp, like a judge about to hand down a sentence.

Gulp.

My throat tightened.

If I looked her in the eyes, I felt like she’d see straight through me. Better to look away and buy some time with a lame excuse—

“My face isn’t over there. Look at me.”

Her hand slid out with a graceful motion—and then clamped down on my cheek. Hard. She was putting real pressure into it; my mouth throbbed from how tightly she was gripping.

And then—bam! The door flew open.

“—Stop!!”

With that shout, Kanon stormed into the room.

“Kanon-chan?”

Looking seriously pissed, she marched straight over and smacked her sister’s hand away.

“Onee-chan, no! You can’t!”

“Oh my… and what exactly can’t I do?”

“You were totally about to kiss senpai!”

“…Eh?”

Apparently, Kanon had been peeking in from outside the classroom.

…No, but seriously, how did that look like a kiss?!

From her perspective, it must’ve seemed like Hikawa was about to forcefully steal a kiss—while gripping my face and glaring at me like she wanted to kill me. That had to be one of the most dramatic misunderstandings of all time. Poor Hikawa looked completely frozen, like her brain had just blue-screened from the shock.

Ignoring her sister entirely, Kanon turned and locked eyes with me.

“Senpai, do you play Utopia Online?”

“Y-Yeah. I play it.”

“Your character’s name is Valhalla, and you’re a warrior?”

“That’s right.”

“The truth is… Non-Non is me. I’m Kanon.”

…What?!

Okay, sure—I had my suspicions. But hearing it straight from her still hit like a truck. I mean, what are the odds? My online wife just so happens to go to the same school as me? First my favorite Vtuber, now this?

“…Um, excuse me. What’s this ‘Non-Non’ thing?”

Hikawa finally came to, looking completely out of her depth.

But Kanon just turned away with a pout.

That one motion alone must’ve shattered her sister’s soul—because Hikawa instantly went pale, like she’d taken a direct hit to the heart.

Please. I’m begging you. No more chaos today.

“You’ve got it wrong, Kanon.”

“Wrong?”

“Me and Hikawa aren’t like that. Not even close. I swear.”

“…Yeah. Now that I think about it, there’s no way Onee-chan would go after senpai.”

Looks like she bought it. And judging by the look on her face, Hikawa was even more relieved than I was.

“So, what exactly is this ‘Non-Non’ thing?”

“It’s from a game. That’s the name of Kanon’s character in the online game we play.”

Hikawa looked surprised—but there was also this look like all the pieces were finally falling into place.

“So it’s about that game Kanon-chan’s been playing. She looked like she was having so much fun that I decided to give it a shot too… but honestly, I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.”

Yeah, just as I thought—Hikawa and games don’t mix.

“So, Yuma Kanbara… you’ve been playing the same game as Kanon-chan?”

“Yeah. We’ve been hunting together in-game for a while. I just didn’t realize—until literally right now—that the person I’d been playing with was actually Kanon.”

That was the truth. I’d only just confirmed it this very moment.

Also, I made extra sure not to say the word “wife.” Dropping that in front of Hikawa would’ve triggered an instant disaster.

“I see. So the two of you got close through the game. Kanon-chan knew who you were, but you had no idea she was behind that character.”

“Exactly.”

“…No wonder I couldn’t dig up anything, even after snooping around a bit.”

Once Hikawa finally understood the situation, her expression softened. Looked like the whole “Kanbara might be hitting on Kanon” suspicion had been cleared up.

Good. Very good.

You get it, right, Kanon? If you say something weird now, this whole thing’s gonna spiral out of control.

I tried to send her that message telepathically. We are an in-game married couple, after all—some psychic connection should be part of the package.

But then… my online wife gave me this serious, resolved look—like she’d just made a huge decision.

“We’re not just teammates. Kanon and senpai are a loving, married couple!”

Boom.

She dropped the biggest bomb possible.

The second those words left her mouth, Hikawa froze like someone had pulled her power plug.