I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

“Wow~ it’s been a while since I came here.”
The ones who entered the bathhouse were Fuma-senpai and a group of young women from the village.
Most of the younger generation had already moved to the city, but there were still those who remained to carry on the traditional family trades.

And it seemed most of them had gathered here now.
“Yukika, did your chest get bigger again?”
“Huh? How would you even know that…”

“What do you mean how? Compared to last year, it looks like you went up at least two cup sizes.”
“Really? Can I touch it?”
“Kyaa!”

‘So her chest did get bigger since last year.’
As a man, I couldn’t help but commit that valuable piece of information to memory while hiding behind the rock, quietly observing their conversation.
There were five women in total.
Their ages varied, ranging from Fuma-senpai’s age to those in their early thirties with a clearly mature, married-woman vibe.

Aside from Fuma-senpai, all of them were unfamiliar faces.
Fortunately, they stayed near the entrance, chatting, and didn’t come anywhere near the rock where I was hiding.
But since they were all ninja, their hearing was undoubtedly sharp, so I couldn’t risk moving carelessly.

I was completely isolated.
Meanwhile, after washing themselves, the women began entering the hot spring one by one.
Splash!

Each new person sent ripples spreading across the surface of the water.
I swallowed nervously and shifted slightly deeper behind the rock.
Thankfully, the thick steam and their lively chatter masked the sound of my movements.

“By the way, Yukika, I heard you brought a groom from Tokyo this time?”
“Oh, I saw him yesterday. He’s super tall, right? He reminded me of Kotaro-san when he was young.”
“They say daughters naturally like men who resemble their fathers.”

“So how is he actually? Does he have a good personality?”
Bombarded from all sides with questions, Fuma-senpai struggled to hide her flustered expression.
“T-that’s a misunderstanding. The one I brought is just a junior from school. There’s nothing like that between us.”

Then, the oldest-looking woman among them smirked.
“Come on, that’s too obvious a lie. You wouldn’t bring someone all the way to the village if you were ‘just schoolmates.’”
“…I had the elders’ permission. Really, there’s nothing between us.”
“Hmmm~”

One of the women around Fuma-senpai’s age snorted playfully.
“Then can I seduce him? Big, sturdy guys are exactly my type.”
“Wait, what?!”

“You just said there’s nothing going on. Why are you panicking?”
“…”
Perfect counterattack—Fuma-senpai was left speechless.

“Fufu, stop teasing her. What do you expect from Yukika?”
“It’s just frustrating watching her like this.”
“Yeah, a little bit.”

The girl talk continued, Fuma-senpai taking all the teasing by herself, until—
Clunk!
“Who’s there?!”

A suspicious noise came from the changing room, and one of the women immediately pulled out a shuriken from between her breasts and threw it.
‘Why the hell was she keeping that there?’
I couldn’t help but wonder, but when the shuriken hit the door dead center, a startled “Hiiik!” came from inside.

Their eyes instantly sharpened.
“Let’s go, Oneechan!”
“Peeping in this day and age?!”

“We’ll tear him to pieces if we catch him!”
The women dashed out of the bath together.
“…”
I was saved.

Thanks to some unknown peeping pervert, I now had a chance to escape.
Thank you, Peeping Man!
Splash! Splash!

“Kim Yu-seong, are you okay?”
Instead of running off, Fuma-senpai glanced around cautiously and approached the rock. I poked my head out.
“Ah, yes. Luckily, I wasn’t caught.”

As I said that, ready to thank him, I suddenly realized—Fuma-senpai was completely naked.
“Uh, your chest…”
“Ah! Sorry!”

As I hurriedly turned my gaze away, Fuma-senpai’s face flushed bright red, and he quickly crouched down, embarrassed.
An awkward silence settled between us.
Still looking away, I said:

“Could you… move aside a little so I can slip out?”
“Ah, sure.”
He nodded and shifted his body.

After thanking him, I was about to step out of the water when—
Clatter!
“Yukika, aren’t you coming?”

One of the women had returned.
“I-I’m coming!”
Startled, I dove under the water.

My face burned as I realized Fuma-senpai’s white belly button was right in front of me.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I mentally sang the national anthem and waited for the ordeal to pass.
But soon, my mind started going hazy.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve been in the hot spring for almost an hour…’
I must have stayed in the hot water too long.
Just like a flicked-off light bulb, my consciousness cut out.

***
“…”
When I opened my eyes after fainting, the first thing I saw was a massive shadow.

And then I realized—it was Fuma-senpai’s chest.
“Kim Yu-seong, are you awake?”
“Ah, yes.”

I was lying on Fuma-senpai’s lap—getting a lap pillow. On what looked like an engawa veranda.
When I tried to sit up, Fuma-senpai gently pressed my chest down with his hand.
That alone was enough to keep my weakened body from getting up.

“You probably passed out from staying in the hot spring too long. Just rest for now.”
He fanned me softly as he spoke.
It felt… unexpectedly luxurious.

Limping in his lap, I let myself relax for a while.
Then a thought occurred to me.
“Who dressed me after I fainted?”

Freeze.
The fanning stopped instantly.
I didn’t need him to say it—I already knew.

“No, never mind. You don’t have to answer.”
I decided to let the uncomfortable truth slide.
Flap, flap.

The fanning resumed.
He seemed relieved.
The last time I’d gotten a lap pillow from someone was from my grandmother when I was little, so this felt oddly nostalgic.

Lying still, I felt sleep creeping back in.
Maybe it was because my body was younger now, or maybe it was just the peaceful atmosphere, but I could easily doze off again.
Then Fuma-senpai asked gently:

“Kim Yu-seong, what about dinner?”
“…Ah, right.”
I had completely forgotten.

Probably because too much had happened in such a short time.
“I’ll skip it tonight.”
Missing one meal wouldn’t kill me.

Not like I had much muscle left to lose anyway.
“If you get hungry later, just tell me. I’ll have a light snack prepared for you.”
“Yes. Thank you.”

After that brief exchange, silence returned.
But this time, it was a comfortable silence.
We stayed there on the veranda for a long time.

***
When I woke up again, it was still dawn, the sun not yet risen.
Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I sat up under the futon and saw Saya floating lazily in the air.

‘What a bad sleeping posture…’
I tidied the bedding with that thought.
I could’ve slept more, but keeping a steady routine was important.

Heading out quietly to wash my face, I was greeted by the dim morning sky.
Judging by the light, it was around 4 or 5 a.m.
At the well I’d noted yesterday, someone was already there.

Fuma-senpai’s grandfather was doing a cold-water rubdown, shirtless.
Even at his age, his muscles were as impressive as any young man’s.
“Good morning.”

When I greeted him awkwardly, he glanced at me and replied in a calm voice.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Ah, yes. Thanks to everyone’s care, I’m fine.”

“It must be inconvenient, suddenly having your body shrink. I hope you recover quickly.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
And that was the end of the conversation.

After wiping himself dry, Fuma-senpai’s grandfather quietly left the well.
I watched his back disappear, then hurriedly fetched water, remembering why I came.
***

It had already been three days since I arrived in this village.
My stay had unexpectedly stretched longer, but everyone treated me kindly, making it feel almost like home.
The secret martial arts of the Fuma clan, and , were basically the same school of techniques.

The only difference was whether you used your bare hands or a blade.
Having already mastered Swift Thunder, Fuma-senpai stayed by my side, kindly teaching me anything I didn’t understand.
Thanks to that, even in this short time, I’d made decent progress.

I # Nоvеlight # was starting to get the hang of using Kamaitachi.
A strange conviction settled in my mind—I felt like I could fully master it after just a few more days.