Chapter 345: That Butt in Front of the Hole!

This time, the System actually planned an entire action plan for Himekoji’s peeping mission.

Next to the hot spring where all the girls were bathing together, there was an unused hot spring. According to the System, these two hot springs were connected through a hole that allowed water to flow between them.

What Himekoji needed to do was climb into the unused hot spring next door and secretly crawl through that connecting hole…

To boost his chances of success, the System generously threw in two bonus skills and two bonus items.

The skills were “Slippery and Slithery Expert” and “Small and Invisible.” The former obviously helped with crawling through tight openings, while the latter helped him hide himself afterward.

After all, the key to peeping lay in the word “secret”—keep it quiet and don’t get caught.

The System rarely ever showed such generosity, which gave Himekoji a tiny bit more confidence.

As for the two items, though? Compared to the skills, they seemed pretty basic.

Just a pair of Goggles and a long Straw.

Himekoji froze for a moment when he received them.

What the heck?

Was he supposed to use the Straw to breathe underwater?

It didn’t seem very reliable…

But luckily, he had those skills to back him up.

Thinking this, Himekoji finally managed to squash his worries.

…

Before entering the pool, he had to rinse off thoroughly.

The System wasn’t bugging him for once, so Himekoji took his sweet time.

He scrubbed himself three times over inside and out within the washroom before finally taking a deep breath and sliding open the wooden door that led to the baths.

The hot spring was completely open-air under the sky.

Stepping outside, he could see the moon hanging high as soon as he looked up.

Soaking in hot springs under the moonlight had a different feel altogether, right?

Too bad that different feel was temporarily out of reach for him.

After all, Himekoji was on a mission. He hadn’t come here to soak.

Peeping—that was his real goal!

…

He walked slowly step by step into the hot spring pool. Slick rocks brushed against the soles of his feet.

Wafting steam rose from the water, the strong sulfur smell—classic to hot springs—tickling his nose.

Just as expected for an unused hot spring. Not a single person in sight.

Perfect for Himekoji’s plan.

He pulled on his Goggles, gripped the Straw in hand, and plunged completely underwater.

Smooth sailing. It didn’t take long for Himekoji to find the hole the System mentioned.

Just big enough for one person to crawl through. Without the “Slippery and Slithery Expert” skill, it might’ve been a challenge, but with the skill loaded up? This hole was nothin’.

Before crawling through, Himekoji activated the “Small and Invisible” skill too—better safe than sorry. Wouldn’t want to get caught red-handed right after popping his head out.

The chance was probably low, but as an experienced sneakster, avoiding any risk you could avoid was rule number one.

Alright! All set!

Himekoji surfaced to grab a quick breath then immediately dove back underwater.

Begin crawling!

Entering through this hole’s opening, exiting through the one on the other side—if nothing went wrong, this should only take ten seconds or so.

But then…

“Huh?”

Trouble struck!

The exit hole on the other side was blocked!

By another hole!

Oh, wait—no. By a butt!

Calling it a “hole” sounded kinda pervy…

Anyway, this was bad!

The problem was—

Himekoji was stuck halfway through the tunnel! Forward? Blocked. Backward? Couldn’t retreat. It felt really uncomfortable and frustrating…

Himekoji was going crazy!

“Damn it! Whose butt is this?! You got the entire giant hot spring pool—why would anyone sit pressed against the side wall?! What an idiot!”

He’d now been underwater holding his breath for half a minute. His entire face turned beet red from lack of air.

Not good. If this continued, Himekoji would suffocate to death on his way to peeping!

No choice—gotta make this butt move!

But…

How?

That was the question.

To get his head through the exit, Himekoji had both hands pulled behind his back. The tunnel itself was way too narrow—no room at all to maneuver his hands into position.

Meaning? Hands were useless right now.

His only usable asset for now was his head, which was already near the exit hole.

The butt blocking the hole was right there—how to shoo it away?

Hmmmm…

After less than a second of hesitation, Himekoji made his choice!

He was almost out of time!

No time to dawdle!

So—

Himekoji resolutely stuck out his tongue.

Just one little lick!

Of course, licking a butt felt way too sketchy—he’d aim for the waist instead!

Damn… this waist was both awfully slim and awfully soft…

…

“Yukino-chan, why are you all the way over here by yourself? Come join us!”

Yuigahama waved enthusiastically, beckoning Yukinoshita at the edge of the Onsen.

“Um, well… I’m not really used to this. I’ll stay here at the side.”

Hugging her chest, Yukinoshita awkwardly declined Yuigahama’s warm invitation.

She looked like she had something uncomfortable to hide.

Well, she certainly did.

After stripping completely, she had discovered a problem—

While clothed, her small chest could be somewhat concealed with supportive underwear, at least making the difference less obvious.

But now, bare and exposed alongside the others, Yukinoshita abruptly understood a harsh, painful truth:

The gap was actually much bigger than she’d thought!

How could she go over there?

She’d surely be teased!

Hiratsuka-sensei, Kasumigaoka, Yuigahama—each more exaggeratedly “gifted” than the last, all boasting extra-large…

Were their huge chests heavy?

Did buoyancy even hold them up?

Of course, whether buoyancy was enough remained unknown, but they certainly offered quite a “visual benefit” in the Onsen…

Was having large breasts a standard character design requirement now?

Yukinoshita felt the world’s deep malice.

Seeing another slender figure in the Onsen finally offered slight relief.

The only person whose chest was about the same size as hers—

Hikigaya Komachi!

Spotting the girl’s young, flat chest, Yukinoshita finally allowed a faintly relieved smile.

Instantly feeling closer to her, she subconsciously called out.

“Ko… Komachi, right? You’re in high school now?”

“No, still in middle school.”

The girl’s cheerful reply came.

Yet hearing this, Yukinoshita immediately stopped feeling cheerful.

“Just middle school…?”

Had she really sunk so low as to feel proud about matching a middle schooler?

Sigh.

Never mind. She’d just soak quietly at the edge, keeping far away from those… generously endowed figures.

Just as Yukinoshita surrendered to defeatist thoughts, a sudden, slippery touch licked her waist!

Startled, a slimy creature seemed to have brushed against her!

“Fish?! There’s a fish!”

Yukinoshita jumped. Appearing quite averse to aquatic life, she instinctively splashed away from the edge toward Komachi.

Bare-skinned, only near Komachi could she approach without losing confidence.

“What’s wrong, Yukino-nee?”

Komachi displayed a maturity far beyond her years.

“Oh, nothing really… I think there was a fish?”

Once clear of the spot, Yukinoshita regained her usual composure.

Perhaps embarrassed by her fright, she coughed twice and shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Worth noting: She’d pinned up her long hair for the Onsen.

This style accentuated her refined, pretty face, lending her an elegant, quiet grace—almost ethereal.

If only her cheeks weren’t still flushed bright pink.

Though flushed, she looked even cuter, radiating a sweet and tempting vibe.

…

“Fish?”

“Onsen fish therapy?”

Hearing this, Kasumigaoka and the Female Teacher also chimed in.

“Yukino-nee, I’ll check it out!”

Komachi volunteered eagerly, raising her hand.

Without waiting, she waded curiously toward the Onsen’s edge.

Was it really a fish?

Or perhaps… something else?

Eyes sparkling with anticipation, Komachi awaited discovery.

…