Transmigrated into a World of Reversed Roles
Chap 6

Spoiler

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The commotion inside started to die down once the train began moving. The steel wheels, carrying thousands of passengers, roared as they ground against the rails.

"... Sorry, I was just talking to myself earlier."

"Oh..."

The girl lowered her head after hearing what I said. That movement made her long bangs, which already covered part of her face, fall even more, and now I couldn't see her eyes at all.

"..."

"..."

Silence followed.

The train kept moving. Passengers were packed tightly together, everyone absorbed in their own world. The atmosphere was clearly lively, yet somehow, a contrast hung between us, a certain awkwardness in the air.

I actually wanted to find a topic to talk about. But my mouth wouldn’t cooperate. Honestly, my own emotions were all over the place right now.

I used to be used to this kind of crowd on trains every day. Physically, I wasn’t amazing, but at least I wouldn’t be swept away by a wave of passengers.

But who would've thought my strength here would drastically drop to the level of an average girl from my original world? That shocked me, especially because I hadn’t felt any difference since I transferred worlds yesterday.

To make it worse, I got saved by a junior.

Forget my pride as a guy, 

my pride as a senior here took a hit...

Though that didn’t mean I wasn’t grateful to her for saving me. I'm sure if she hadn’t stepped in, I would've been in serious trouble.

But, Hm? That makes me realize something.

Doesn't that mean I also owe Yona a proper thank you for saving me from those delinquents yesterday?

If she hadn’t shown up then, what would’ve happened to me? Would I have lost my virginity?

Let’s put an end to that weird Monday morning fantasy.

For now, let’s think of a way to help the junior in front of me. Even though she barely moved since earlier, I was close enough to notice she was starting to get tired.

Besides, holding back the weight of all these passengers on this train, I'm not even sure I could do that myself.

For a moment, I wasn’t sure how to help her. Should I tell her to let go if she couldn’t handle it?

If I prepare myself properly, I should be fine even if I take the hit.

Then, just as I was about to tell her my idea, I stopped when I noticed something.

The girl in front of me had been supporting herself with only one hand all this time.

At first, I thought her other hand might be injured or something. But in that other hand, she was holding something.

Something I had been looking for since yesterday but couldn’t find. Something I endured not playing—with great sorrow—during the weekend.

Even though it was a model from twenty years ago, that portable console remained a legend.

Because I’m sure many people’s childhoods were filled with happy memories thanks to the games played on that console, and there’s no way they could forget them.

Of course, among those people, I was one of them.

But I was surprised she brought out a PSP in this day and age... Since when did I have a junior who shared my hobby without me realizing?

I almost wanted to cry. Good job, Sony, for keeping your company alive long enough to exist in this alternate world.

"Is that... a PSP?"

"Huh?"

The girl finally looked up again. She seemed surprised by my question.

"Y-You know PSP?"

"Of course! Who doesn't know the PSP? Released in 2004, Sony's first and best portable console! A legend that didn’t just hold thousands of games in the palm of your hand, it even had multimedia features, like carrying an extra phone around! Even though it might be considered outdated now, or behind the times, it’s still my favorite portable console of all time!"

"..."

—Ah, I might’ve gotten a little too excited. This is a bad habit of mine when it comes to things I love.

Luckily, none of the other passengers heard my rambling due to the noise in the train.

But the problem is... my junior. She doesn’t think I’m a freak, does she?

Strangely enough, the girl in front of me didn’t lower her head again. In fact, I could feel a spark of excitement from the way she looked at me.

"Wh-What's your favorite game?"

"Monster Hunter."

"3rd or Freedom Unite?"

"Freedom Unite!"

The girl fell silent again, then gave a small nod. Did I pass her test?

"Seems like... we're on the same wavelength."

"Hehe, didn’t expect that, huh? Oh right, my name’s Ren. I’m in class 2-B. You?"

Honestly, I didn’t expect to meet someone like her. Not only is she my junior, but she also loves PSP so much that she carries it around. She might be a game maniac, and it seems like we’re on the same frequency.

"I-I’m Yuri, class 1-C. Umm... can we be friends?"

"Of course! I want to be friends with you too, Yuri. It’s been a while since I met someone who still loves the PSP. Especially a junior of mine."

Somehow, the awkward atmosphere between us vanished. Maybe I should thank Sony for helping me out here.

Unfortunately, good times always pass too quickly. As if hating my happiness, the train braked, more suddenly than usual. Causing the thousands of passengers packed inside to lose their balance.

Naturally, we lost our balance too. But Yuri got the worst of it. Not only was she tired, she was also holding back tons of people behind her.

As a result, swept by the wave of humanity, she was pushed toward me.

Her head landed on my chest. Her face was buried there.

"Are you okay, Yuri?"

Luckily, I had braced myself. If I had also lost balance, maybe we both would’ve slammed into the train wall again.

"S-Sorry! I-I’m fine!"

"... That’s good to hear?"

Why is she apologizing?

Also, isn’t Yuri kind of strong? After losing her balance, she immediately got up again, pushing back the passengers behind her.

She’s not overexerting herself, right? Her face was turning red and her breathing heavy. Even though it was stuffy because of the crowd, it shouldn’t be that bad. The air conditioning was working too.

If she’s really sick, I’d feel bad for her.

Then the train finally stopped. This station was in the city where our school was. Without delay, we joined the crowd trying to escape this hell.

I let out a sigh of relief.

"The train was pretty crowded today, huh?"

"Yeah... I-It’s not usually this packed..."

"By the way, Yuri, are you feeling unwell right now? Your face was super red earlier. If you want, I can take you to the nurse’s office, or the hospital?"

Too bad I couldn’t play her PSP on the way to school. But if she’s not feeling well, I definitely know where my priorities should lie.

"...!? N-No need! I’m seriously fine!"

"You sure...?"

I had my doubts.

Her face was getting even redder.