To Capture a Protagonist’s Heart! Chapter 3

My name is Sophia Capell and I was faced with quite a difficult challenge.

“W-wah...”

“Huh?”

The protagonist of the harem anime met face to face with me.

Good god! The all important first encounter?! The event that sets the stage for love to blossom between the harem protagonist and I, the love interest.

This was too soon!

I began to frantically plan how I was going to deal with this situation.

How do I want to play it? Do I want to be a tsundere? Maybe an icy cold kuudere?

Agh! So hard!

All those years of watching anime, I always thought that recycling popular heroine archetypes was so lazy! It was fine if they were done well with moderation but when the characters were so unrealistic, it was downright unacceptable!

But do I seriously want to go through with this?! I mean, he’s a guy and I’m not interested in guys.

In order to succeed in going home, however, this is the only way...

I looked at him with pity. Even if I’m a girl in a harem anime, I have to admit that your situation is far more precarious. To be surrounded by guys with the visage of beautiful girls!

My hands tightened into fists. I wonder if he’s someone who was transported to this world also. If I ever get the chance to ask him, I probably should. Carefully though. I wouldn’t want to ruin the dynamic of the relationship. I still must obtain his heart in the end!

Ugh so embarrassing!

I turned my head to the side, feeling myself blush alittle. The execution of the act is important.

“...N-nothing. I just wanted to thank you again for helping me up.”

“Oh no problem.” He smiled before holding his hand out to shake mine.

“Oliver.”

“Sophia.” I smiled back, moving my hand forward to take his.

As I moved my hand closer, I carefully timed the right moment to seize the opportunity.

This is it!

I fell forward into his shoulders, catching myself on him.

“Kya!”

Oliver supported me, not letting me fall. As expected! Oliver smoothly caught me.

“That’s why I asked if you were okay.” He gave a gentle look. “You don’t have to act so tough.”

I looked up at him, making sure that our eyes met. I could see his smile transform into an embarrassed look. For a small moment, I put on an earnest, longing, and somewhat helpless expression on my face. I was sure that my face was a bit red as well.

This is the perfect encounter that I envisioned! The genuine red of embarrassment aided the act nicely. I felt embarrassed that I was playing as a catfish.

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The shame...

“Sorry...” I said, giving him my most genuine apologetic tone.

“Ah don’t worry about it.” 

After a moment, Oliver continued.

“Well Sophia, it’s a new school year and I’m assuming you’re a junior like me. Hope we can get along.”

“Likewise.”

Behold! I will be my own perfect waifu! With that, I am sure that I have set the stage for capturing! I must do this slowly and methodically, building intrigue. If I seem too eager, I will not be seen as a heroine worthy of being challenged! 

Although this is strange. He doesn’t seem like a typical useless protagonist. His response was too charming and not ditzy enough. This could either mean that he is a prisoner like me or an overpowered, power fantasy character.

Either way, I am glad that he isn’t going to be utterly useless. Even I have standards!

The encounter was calculated perfectly, Oliver! You will be mine! I will be the one to go home.

If I’m going to have to play fiddle for Goddess-sama, I’m going to be the best heroine ever. All my frustration from watching cheap, unrealistic archetypes, came out.

If I was going to be a tsundere, I was going to be a tsundere with charisma! If I was going to be a kuudere, I was going to have a heart of gold on the inside! The path to molding a perfect love interest is not one for the weak of heart. Conviction was necessary!

Yoko has clubs so I’ll start to make my way home without her.

I should probably join clubs later. Now, the more chances I get to run into the protagonist, the better. Especially clubs where I can show passion in.

I walked towards home, making my way down the brick walkway with a column of cherry blossom trees on both sides, before stopping.

To the side, in the school garden, I saw a beauty! A girl with flowing blond hair and deep blue eyes was kneeling down in the middle of the garden. She seemed to be the earnest type.

In other words, she was likely to be my rival!

I began to walk again. I didn’t want to encounter rivals. In the end, all of us were trying to capture the protagonist’s heart.

Which means that one of us will trap the others in this world. It wasn’t a very comfortable thought. Attachments will make things difficult so I should avoid them.

“...”

I stopped.

Cradling in her palms was a shining blue hydrangea. She seemed lost in thought. Her expression was so gentle and filled with pride, focusing only on the flower in her hands.

I couldn’t help but admire it.

“Your flower is really beautiful!”

“Huh?!” The girl jumped in surprise.

This was wrong. If she was my enemy, I shouldn’t leave any room for her to be my friend. I know that there are other contestants and it is very likely that this girl is one of them. Yet...

“Ah sorry. I just wanted to tell you that.”

“Oh...”

The girl shifted herself so that she could talk to me better.

“My name’s Maria, junior.”

“Sophia, also junior.”

“You really think that this flower is pretty? How did you know that it was mine?”

“Well yeah! You looked so proud of it, I assumed that it was you who was the one that planted it.”

She smiled. “I see. I’m happy that it came out this way. I... didn’t think that anybody would notice.”

Whoa! I felt my heart beat faster. What’s this face?! Maria had the sad face of an angel. This is a character who has a tragic backstory!

“If you need help you can always talk to me!”

“Huh?!”

Ah! I did it again!

“...”

Maria’s sad expression turned into a maiden-like smile.

“Thank you...”

I felt myself blush. She seems like such a nice person.

“Well I’m gonna go now, need to get home.”

“See you later.”

“Yeah!”

I began to make my way back again.

She was cute! If she really is my rival, I would be afraid. That smile would’ve made any man fall for her.

“Sophia.”

“Yeah?”

As soon as I turned to face her, I was pinned to the grass floor. Maria was on top of me now. Her face came closer, grinning.

“You ruined my first encounter event.”

She said as Oliver came down in the corner of my eye.

¥Rival: Located!¥