Chapter 446: Touka
Chapter 446: Touka
He still had to jump!
He should just close his eyes and go for it!
No, wait… he needed to keep his eyes open…
Himekoji studied the terrain. He thought landing precisely in the Onsen pool a short distance away diagonally was the only option.
Thank goodness for this Onsen!
Himekoji felt lucky.
“Huu—”
He took a deep breath and steadied himself.
It was all or nothing!
If he failed… he might end up as a bloody mess…
But even so, he had to jump!
Himekoji leaped forward, committing to the jump almost without hesitation.
Wind rushed past his ears. The Onsen pool quickly grew larger in his view. Then, a moment later, splash! He plunged straight into the water.
He swallowed a lot of water, but at least he’d landed safely.
Or rather… water-landed…
Kicking and paddling desperately, Himekoji surfaced. He was coughing nonstop because water had gotten into his nose and throat.
At the same time, he forced his eyes open, instinctively trying to look around.
But the first thing he saw was a familiar face. Finely shaped features carried a slightly icy aura. Distinctive black hair and red eyes. Since she was soaking in the Onsen, the skin exposed outside the water was flushed a delicate pink. She was definitely, undeniably, a beautiful older sister.
Right now, this older sister was staring wide-eyed at Himekoji, looking rather stunned.
“T-Touka-nee?!”
Just as Himekoji blurted out the cry in surprise, the other person also reacted perfectly—
“Ah!!!”
Volume perfect. Lung capacity impressive. If the scream was rated on a scale of one to ten, it easily got a nine.
Though…
It didn’t quite match her usual cool, calm, slightly cold-on-the-outside image…
But when you thought about it, it made sense. Who wouldn’t be scared stiff if they were relaxing in the Onsen, completely naked, lost in thought, only to see a naked guy suddenly drop from the sky right in front of them, splashing water everywhere?…
Just screaming was actually a pretty mild reaction.
…
What? You’re asking why Himekoji was a naked guy?
Well, obviously because of the Clothing Explosion skill!
Without it exploding his clothes, he wouldn’t have even made it to the top of the tree…
Sure, the System said it wouldn’t help Himekoji, but it kinda turned a blind eye to him using its skills.
…
The joyful “Touka-nee!” that burst from Himekoji was utterly drowned out by her high-decibel screech.
Touka only stopped her piercing scream when she finally ran out of breath.
Gasping for air, she hugged her shoulders, submerging her body up to her collarbones. She scooted backwards to put distance between them and glared at him warily, spitting out the word,
“Pervert!”
“N-No, that’s a misunderstanding, I’m not a pervert…”
Himekoji started saying that, then realized something sounded off. He paused, reconsidered, and amended his statement.
“No, actually, I am a pervert, but…”
“You admit it?! What a shameless pervert you are!”
Just what kind of person was this?
Touka felt like her entire view of the world changed!
Unlike regular perverts who sneak around and deny everything, this guy was brazen and acted like there were no rules at all!
Call the police!
That thought popped into her head first. She was about to get out of the Onsen to get her phone when a horrible realization hit her: she was completely naked. The movement she’d just started abruptly froze.
“Hey… you over there. Pervert.”
“Ah, yes!”
Suddenly called out, Himekoji automatically answered politely.
The reason for his stiff politeness? The Onsen water was a little too clear.
He could see large flashes of her body vaguely through the surface. Naturally, she could also see him. Himekoji felt embarrassed about exposing himself. So, he was awkwardly clenching his butt and bending his waist, trying to hide his “equipment”.
“Go get my phone for me. It’s inside there.”
Regaining some composure, Touka raised an arm and pointed calmly towards the changing room beside the Onsen where clothes were stored.
“Me?”
Himekoji first pointed questioningly at himself, then looked uncomfortable.
“But… it’s a bit awkward right now…”
He was bare-naked.
That was always the inconvenient part after using Clothing Explosion.
“Awkward how?”
Wasn’t that obvious?
“I don’t have any clothes…”
Himekoji smiled bitterly, embarrassed.
“Relax. I don’t either.”
“How is that supposed to relax me?! What’s the connection between those two things?”
“It means only you can go get it.”
Himekoji found himself somewhat impressed by Touka. She delivered this not-funny-at-all joke with an entirely straight face.
“It’s no big deal. A Pervert with or without clothes, who cares?”
“I care! I care a lot! What do you even think a Pervert is?!”
“Someone who bursts into a female Onsen naked announcing he’s one. Like you.”
Touka’s succinct reply momentarily stole Himekoji’s breath.
Actually…
He really couldn’t argue with that?
“Fine, hurry up.”
Touka used that same unwavering tone again, ordering him.
“Don’t worry, no one else will see you. Though, you might actually be disappointed by that.”
“No chance of disappointment!”
He wasn’t an exhibitionist.
But, was she implying that besides the two of them, there was no one else around the Onsen?
Thinking back, it had felt unusually quiet. Maybe it wasn’t open for business now?
If so… why was she here?
A strange feeling began to take root in Himekoji.
Of course, there was something even more important than these thoughts—
Where was Rikka?
Since Rikka’s sister was here, Rikka had to be nearby too!
Maybe now wasn’t the best time to bring that up though.
Himekoji decided fulfilling this small errand first might help. It was a simple task, but maybe it could improve her impression of him a little.
Otherwise, Touka would definitely hold a grudge.
Face it, who would trust information about their precious Imouto to a Pervert?
Himekoji had an Imouto himself, so he thought this through carefully.
Putting aside his embarrassment, Himekoji finally covered his privates, awkwardly climbed out of the Onsen, dashed at top speed to the changing room and back, and handed the phone to Touka.
“Thanks for the trouble.”
Touka gave a slight nod and took the phone from him.
Then, she quickly dialed 110.
The police emergency number was the same in Japan as in China.
“Hello, police? There’s a Pervert…”
“W-Wait! Touka-nee! It’s a misunderstanding! I’m not a perver– no, okay, I am a Pervert, but…”
She had him get her phone… just to call the police?!
No way!
He came here to find Rikka! He couldn’t end up in a detention cell before even finding her!
Panicking, Himekoji couldn’t get his words straight.
“Huh? You… you know me?”
Surprisingly, the Pervert had just used her name. Touka blinked, frowning in confusion.
…
…