When I Started Capturing the Academy Princesses, Things Turned into a Battlefield

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Chapter 30: Himegasaki Festival Showdown – A Date with the Princess Prince

Day two of the Himegasaki Festival.

Starting today, the event was open to the general public.

I thought I’d mentally prepared myself,

But the actual turnout completely blew past anything I imagined.

Students from other schools, college kids, people from the neighborhood—

A massive crowd swarmed Himegasaki Academy.

Our class café was packed from the morning.

A line stretched out the door, and orders were being shouted nonstop.

Total chaos.

We were absolutely swamped.

“That must be the Princess, huh?”

“She’s the Wind Fairy, right? Can’t believe she wasn’t a Princess last year—she’s on a whole other level.”

“Her name’s Yukina Kazama? Yeah, she totally gives off fairy vibes.”

No surprise—everyone was here for Kazama.

Seeing her popularity firsthand reminded me again

Just how big a deal the title of Princess really was.

What really caught me off guard, though,

Was how many people already knew Kazama by name.

I’d heard the rumors about her fame spreading,

But this? This was next-level.

Once my morning shift ended,

I made my way toward the meeting spot where I was supposed to meet Shiranui.

I wasn’t technically late,

But I had definitely cut it close.

“Sorry. Did I keep you waiting?”

“Nope. I just got here too.”

“…”

Normally, a line like that would be my job—

You know, as the guy in this situation.

But I couldn’t even get out a snarky comeback today.

Because the moment I saw Shiranui, my brain just… froze.

Tsubasa Shiranui was already a fan-favorite Princess—

Especially among the girls.

A lot of today’s visitors had clearly come just to see her.

Apparently, quite a few girls from other schools showed up with that exact goal in mind.

Which is why… she was dressed to fly under the radar.

“Uh… you look good.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah. Seriously, you look amazing.”

“Thanks! Hearing that from you makes me really happy!”

Her “disguise” was basically just a super girly outfit.

At the Himegasaki Festival, students have to wear their uniforms when entering and leaving,

But once inside, the dress code is pretty relaxed—depends on your class exhibit.

In our case, that meant maid and butler outfits.

Shiranui’s class, though?

They were putting on a play. So she had full freedom.

Today, she wore a red hoodie paired with a skirt.

The skirt was from the standard uniform,

But the hoodie had a cute cartoon mascot on it—

Apparently, it was their class hoodie.

Tsuchiya mentioned it to me once.

But the real shocker wasn’t the clothes.

It was her hair.

She wasn’t sporting her usual short cut.

Today, her hair was long.

The transformation was wild.

At first glance, you wouldn’t even recognize her.

“Is that a wig?”

“Yeah. I borrowed it from the costume room—they use it for the play.”

“I see.”

After I said that, Shiranui started walking without missing a beat.

“Let’s talk on the way. There’s usually a long line at our destination, so we can keep chatting while we wait.”

“R-Right.”

I followed her lead like a loyal puppy.

Just by wearing a girly hoodie and letting her hair down,

Shiranui gave off a completely different vibe.

She looked more like a graceful, model-type beauty than the usual princely idol everyone knew.

It’s wild how much someone’s presence can change just from their appearance.

Honestly, even knowing she was the person behind Feni the Immortal Phoenix…

My brain still couldn’t fully process it.

Her look, her aura—even her voice—felt like someone else entirely.

Well…

Except right now, she did resemble my idol.

Okay—scratch that.

She was my idol.

And it still felt surreal.

Going on a date with someone who had always existed on the other side of a screen felt like stepping into a dream.

A weird, wonderful blur of excitement and emotional whiplash.

To me, Feni the Immortal Phoenix wasn’t just some streamer.

She was a lifeline.

The spark that lit up my dull, gray world.

I couldn’t even count how many times her voice had pulled me out of a rut.

And Tsubasa Shiranui?

Well, she used to be the source of a very different kind of emotional chaos.

Back in middle school, she was the annoyingly perfect guy I thought had stolen Tsuchiya’s heart—

Or so I’d assumed, anyway.

Turns out, that was just one big misunderstanding.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing!”

I brushed it off with an awkward smile.

“Oh yeah, I heard you watched our play. What did you think?”

“It was amazing.”

“Right?”

“Your acting was way better than I expected.”

Honestly, I never pegged her as the theatrical type—

But she nailed it.

It almost felt like I was watching one of those elite all-female stage troupes.

She could totally hold her own in one of those without it feeling weird at all.

“Thanks. But really, Misuzu was the star. She’s been into theater for years and watches a ton of plays. She even gave me a bunch of acting tips.”

“I had no idea.”

“Between you and me, I actually wanted to play Juliet more than Romeo. But, well… you saw how the class was. No way I had the guts to speak up and change the plan.”

Yeah… I couldn’t blame her for that.

Everyone already saw Shiranui as the cool, princely type.

Romeo suited her perfectly.

I’m sure a few guys in her class were secretly hoping to be cast opposite Tsuchiya—

But in the end, there was no question.

Shiranui was the best fit. No contest.

“By the way, can I ask something?”

“Of course.”

“Was this really the first place you wanted to visit today?”

The first stop Shiranui had picked for our date…

Was my class’s café. 2-A.

“Well, I was getting hungry. And besides… I have a little payback to deliver.”

“Payback—oh crap.”

Yeah… this was definitely about yesterday.

Even if Kazama hadn’t meant anything by it,

From Shiranui’s point of view, it probably felt like a direct provocation.

Should I explain it?

Maybe.

But we were just a few steps away from the classroom now, and honestly—

After all the effort we’d put into lining up,

I figured I might as well ride it out.

“Time to show off a little, don’t you think?”

“…You’re not mad, are you?”

“After that stunt? I think I deserve a medal just for keeping my cool.”

As we chatted, our turn finally came.

“Welcome back, Master~”

Kazama greeted us with a smile.

She must’ve figured out what this visit was about the moment she saw us.

Her smile faltered for just a second—

But she recovered instantly.

That quick recovery?

Total pro.

“Let’s grab a seat,” Shiranui said.

Then, without warning, she grabbed my hand.

At first, it was kind of shy and hesitant—

But within seconds, boom—fingers laced.

Full-on couple mode.

“Oho… really laying it on thick, aren’t you?”

Kazama’s smile was still there…

But yeah, there was definitely a weird kind of pressure behind it.

“I’ll have the omurice, please.”

“Of course! Right away!”

At our class café, whenever someone ordered omurice,

The maid would draw or write something on it—cute message, little doodle, that kind of thing.

Total maid café classic.

And sure enough, Kazama was the one who brought ours over.

Still smiling, of course…

But her eyes?

Yeah, those were not smiling.

If anything, she looked seriously pissed.

“Alright then, I’ll do the ketchup art for you!”

“I’d like a heart, please.”

“Understood!”

She responded with a bright, cheerful smile—

And for a second, I actually thought everything was fine.

Yeah, no.

I was completely wrong.

The ketchup message she drew was… a disaster.

She definitely asked for a heart.

But sitting right in the middle of the omurice was a skull.

A bright red, ketchup-drenched skull.

Just looking at it made my appetite vanish.

“Wow, that’s… bold. Very creative, Miss Maid.”

“Fufufu, isn’t it~?”

Please, for the love of all that’s holy,

Let’s not turn this into a battlefield.

“Okay, Kanbara-kun, I’ll draw on yours too!”

“Uh, sure…”

Mine turned out… perfect.

A picture-perfect, adorable ketchup heart.

Shiranui saw it—

And her mood took a nosedive.

The air around her suddenly went stormy, like a thundercloud had rolled in.

But—lucky or unlucky—a rush of customers called Kazama away.

She was whisked off to another table without so much as a glance back.

“Well, I guess that’s the end of that.”

“…Honestly, I’m just glad it didn’t escalate.”

“It wasn’t nearly enough, but I’ll let it slide. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of Yukina’s work. Let’s eat and get out of here.”

With my soul slightly rattled, I started digging into the omurice.

I should probably explain the whole misunderstanding to Kazama later…

Before things really blow up.

“All right, time to head to the main event.”

“The main event?”

“The Handicrafts Club!”

Shiranui took the lead, and I followed close behind.

The Handicrafts Club had set up a cozy little booth filled with handmade trinkets and accessories.

The whole room was packed with cute, colorful items—clearly crafted by the club members themselves.

Yep.

Definitely a girly space.

Looking around, the customers were almost entirely girls.

Actually… it looked like there were more moms than students.

“You’ve been wanting to come here?”

“I’ve had my eye on it since before the festival even started. But, you know… going with friends is kinda…”

So basically, it didn’t feel very “prince-like.”

Yeah, I get it.

Shiranui’s the type who worries about how her friends see her.

She was probably afraid they’d say it didn’t fit her image.

“Ooh, this one’s super cute!”

Shiranui lit up as she browsed through the displays.

Her sparkly eyes, the way she bounced from table to table—

This side of her was completely different from the usual calm, princely vibe.

She was totally immersed in the world of cute trinkets.

And honestly?

It was kind of adorable.

“Hey, doesn’t that girl over there kinda look like the Princess-Prince?”

“No way. Doesn’t even come close. Looks and vibe are totally different.”

“Besides, she’s with some guy.”

A couple of girls from another school whispered to each other before walking off.

…Different looks and vibe, huh?

Yeah.

If all you knew was the usual Shiranui, I guess that’d be your reaction.

But for me—it was the opposite.

That smile on her face, those sparkling eyes as she admired the cute accessories…

That was exactly how I remembered her.

My idol.

The idol who always shone on the other side of the screen.

“Ah, I got a little too excited… Was that weird?”

“Not at all. Seriously.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I mean… Feni is my idol, you know? I already knew you loved cute stuff and pink things and all that. So seeing it for real like this… honestly, it just feels right. It matches the image I had. It’s comforting, even.”

When I said that—maybe a little shyly—

Shiranui beamed with the brightest smile.

“I knew you’d say that, Kanbara-kun!”

After that, she ended up buying a few accessories from the booth.

I thought about picking something out to gift her,

But in the end, decided against it.

We’d already agreed—no presents on these dates.

Once we were done shopping,

We moved to a quieter spot away from the crowd.

“…Thanks, by the way.”

“Nah, I should be the one thanking you. This whole date was really fun.”

“I don’t just mean today. I’m thankful for everything so far.”

Everything so far…?

“I’ve been confused for a long time… and honestly, I still am. I mean, just look at me today—dressed all girly, but still talking the same way I always do. It’s kind of weird, right? I love cute things, and I’ve always dreamed of being a princess. But at the same time… I kinda like playing the prince too.”

I already knew Shiranui struggled with this.

Even when she confessed to me,

She mentioned having a lot of “girly” parts she didn’t always show.

“I only started streaming because the girly part of me totally exploded. It saved me, you know? When you sent that fiery, passionate wall-of-text donation—”

“Please, don’t bring that up here!”

Seriously—anywhere but school!

That incident had already earned me a one-way ticket to social hell.

Sure, it was my fault…

But come on, just let me forget it while I still can.

As I flailed to shut it down, Shiranui just laughed.

“Honestly, I didn’t plan on revealing my identity so soon. But I panicked. When Tsukihi showed up, my mind went totally blank. I just knew I’d lose if I didn’t do something. I know it was kind of unfair.”

“…Shiranui.”

That’s when it happened—my phone buzzed.

The alarm for the end of our date time.

“Ah, already? I was having so much fun with you, I completely lost track of time.”

“Same here. I really enjoyed it.”

For a brief moment, I could almost see it—

What it would be like if I actually dated Shiranui.

We had the same hobbies, after all.

It was obvious from the start that we’d click.

Even if it all began online,

We already knew so much about each other’s interests.

Granted, yeah—it started with me throwing money at her,