Chapter 171: Another Transmigrator!
The person shouting was an ordinary-looking boy wearing a tacky black tracksuit.
He seemed trapped in some strange delusion, standing beside a fountain with both hands clutching his head as he screamed toward the sky, completely ignoring the strange looks from passersby.
Shiro fell silent as he studied the boy.
He looked about the same age as Shiro, with short black hair and a convenience-store plastic bag hanging from one hand.
This was the first time Shiro had ever encountered another transmigrator.
Logically speaking, he should be more cautious.
After all, meeting someone from the same homeland only to get stabbed in the back was hardly an unheard-of story.
Who knew why this person had come to this world?
If they traveled together, Shiro would have to constantly guard against the possibility of being betrayed.
Normally, the best choice would be to go their separate ways immediately.
Neither would interfere with the other, and if they eventually ended up fighting, there would be no troublesome friendship to worry about.
However—Looking at the boy who had already cast himself as the protagonist of some grand story, Shiro simply could not connect him with some scheming bastard pretending to be harmless for ulterior motives.
And if this guy really was willing to throw away all dignity and act this ridiculous purely to lower another transmigrator's guard—Then Shiro almost felt that being stabbed in the back once would be worth it as the admission fee for such a dedicated performance.
While Shiro was still evaluating the boy's threat level, the other person finally gathered his thoughts.
He walked over with a bright smile.
"Yo! My future companion!"
"My name is Natsuki Subaru! I'll be counting on you during our upcoming adventures in another world!"
"..."
"Huh? Why aren't you reacting?"
"I'm pretty sure people at school used to greet each other like this."
"Did the standard greeting change again during the years I stopped going to school?"
"Or maybe we don't speak the same language?"
They had barely exchanged two sentences before the boy calling himself Natsuki Subaru stroked his chin and once again sank into his own little world.
"No, that can't be right..."
"I could understand the people from this world just now."
"That hair color... Are you a foreigner?"
"Hello?"
"Listen..."
"Whoa! You scared me!"
Watching Subaru mutter endlessly to himself, Shiro realized that if he continued ignoring him, the boy might soon assume he was deaf and mute.
Yet the moment Shiro finally spoke, Subaru jumped backward as though startled out of his skin.
Realizing his reaction had been somewhat rude, Subaru cautiously moved closer again and returned to his overly familiar attitude.
"What the heck? So you can speak Japanese."
"Then why were you ignoring me?"
"Don't tell me you're supposed to be that cold, handsome second male lead who follows the protagonist around?"
"No. I just didn't immediately realize you were talking to me."
"You say that even though I walked straight toward you from the beginning?"
"Generally speaking, when a complete stranger acts as familiar as you do, calling the police seems more appropriate than treating him as a companion."
"That's cruel!"
"You're treating your fellow transmigrator like a dangerous criminal from the very beginning?!"
Subaru completely ignored the increasingly strange looks from everyone nearby and loudly protested on his own.
Until only a short while ago, he had been nothing more than an ordinary high school boy who had stopped attending school because of his fear of school and spent his days at home playing games.
Then, just after leaving a convenience store with his purchases, the entire world before his eyes had suddenly changed.
Having played countless isekai games, Subaru immediately understood.
He had encountered the beloved transmigration event so common in games.
According to the usual plot, he should now use the knowledge he brought from modern society to achieve incredible things in this fantasy world.
Eventually, he would become successful and return home with a beautiful heroine in his arms.
Convinced he had completely grasped the situation, Subaru finished complaining to Shiro and began looking around.
He was searching for the [Heroine] who would surely need his assistance to begin the story.
"What are you looking for?"
"The beautiful girl who summoned us, obviously."
"How are we supposed to start the main storyline if we don't find her?"
"Oh! That thing pulling the carriage just now was actually a giant lizard!"
"That's a pretty good fantasy-world design. It really has that rustic otherworldly atmosphere."
"You said 'summoned'?"
Shiro immediately picked out the important word.
It seemed Subaru had not come here voluntarily like Shiro, who traveled from world to world on his own initiative.
Even his current presence in this world apparently had nothing to do with his own intentions.
"Huh?"
"You don't look much older than me, but you seriously don't know what 'summoning' means?"
Subaru seemed to misunderstand Shiro's question.
He looked Shiro up and down, shook his head, and spread his hands with an expression that practically said, 'I guess I have no choice but to teach you.'
"Listen carefully."
"What you're experiencing right now definitely isn't some kind of dream."
"This is the sort of grand event that only happens in 2D stories!"
"The protagonist gets summoned through magic by a beautiful girl, helps her solve all kinds of problems, and then lives happily ever after!"
By the end, Subaru's right index finger was pointing dramatically toward the heavens.
His left hand formed a fist near the ground while he lunged to the right, his hips sticking out slightly.
His voice was passionate, as though he had already witnessed his glorious future.
Facing Subaru's overwhelming confidence, Shiro simply nodded.
Then he calmly asked—
"So before this beautiful girl appears, how exactly are you planning to survive in this other world?"
"Or more specifically, do you have enough money to live here?"
The brutally realistic question immediately froze Subaru's confident smile.
"A-As expected of the companion who transmigrated with me."
"You immediately saw through the heart of the problem."
"But don't worry!"
"According to the usual plot, we'll soon encounter the heroine while she's in trouble."
"We just need to help solve whatever problem she's facing."
"Then she'll definitely be kind enough to take us in, or introduce us to something like an Adventurers Guild."
"Once that happens, food and shelter will be easy!"
Subaru forced the words out stiffly.
Everything he said came from his experience playing games and watching anime.
Yet judging from his expression, even he clearly had very little confidence in his own plan.
After all, Subaru had not even finished his final year of high school before dropping out and becoming a shut-in who spent his days gaming.
Without some convenient cheat ability, nobody could reasonably expect him to arrive in another world and instantly transform into a capable social elite thriving in an unfamiliar society.
Listening to Subaru place all his hopes on someone else appearing to save him, Shiro silently shook his head.
While Subaru remained there desperately waiting for the heroine of his imagination—
Shiro turned around and left on his own.
…
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