74. Golden Week: Day Three - 7:19 AM Arrival, Incident on a Packed Train (Part 2)

"Whoa?" I muttered.

The train stopped, a few got off, then a flood of passengers poured in. Mostly students. Golden Week or not, clubs keep going, tough break for them. Local middle-schoolers, high-schoolers in unfamiliar uniforms. Residential area stop, maybe?

No male students joined this car, though. I stood near the open door and got shoved deeper by the youthful tide. It stopped when I hit the opposite door. Seats lined the walls, long and horizontal. A vertical handrail stood at the end. I grabbed it, bracing myself.

Women's soft bodies didn't press against me. Instead, sharp-edged handbags and pointy tote bags stabbed into me. Painful, to put it mildly. No lucky perv moments, just pure misery. The crowd's thickness choked my breath too.

Doors shut, train rolled. Every sway crushed me more. "Ugh," I groaned. Three minutes ago, I craved this packed hell. Now, face-squashing density killed any "woo-hoo, closeness" vibe. I leaned on the rail, desperate for relief.

"Haah, haah…" I panted. No good. Breathing hurt. First time feeling this, anemia maybe? Head fogged up. How long to the next stop?

"Haah, haah…" Barely clinging to the rail, a woman seated beside it spoke. "Hey, kid, you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine…" I rasped, reflex kicking in.

"No, don't tough it out. You're pale. Sit," she insisted.

"N-No, really, I'm…" I trailed off as dizziness hit, vision dimming.

"Whoops," she said, catching me as I tipped. My face sank into something big and soft. Hands reached out, fingers sinking into it too.

"…Nnh," she grunted.

"Huh?" I lifted my head. A suited office lady stared back, a head taller than me, 180 cm or more. Huge woman. Didn't notice her seated earlier. But that's not the issue.

My hand. Inside her crisp jacket, all five fingers gripped a massive mound. Stunned, I looked up at her. Our eyes met, then she shut hers fast. Why? Oh, she's pretending not to notice!

Even in this gender-flipped world, molesters exist, just like pervy women did in mine. Getting nabbed as one? Hell no. I wanted to be molested, not do it. Thankful she's letting it slide.

"S-Sorry!" I yanked my hand out, tried bowing back, but bumped a woman's butt behind me, rebounding forward.

"Mmph!" I yelped.

"Ah!" she gasped.

Face-first, I plunged into that deep valley again. "Nnh!" the office lady coughed, louder now. Pissed, probably.

"S-Sorry, sorry!" The train lurched, my hands flailed, landing right back in. Full grab.

"Nnh, nho!" she stifled.

"S-Sorry, not on purpose!" I panicked, flailing more. Face and fingers kept slamming those twin stars, drawn like gravity.

---

"Finally made it…" I rasped, stumbling off at the next stop, half-dead. Other school kids hopped off too, local middle or high school nearby, I guess. Doors shut behind me, train pulling away. I glanced back, locking eyes with the office lady through the window. Bowed quick, and she waved with a smile, like no big deal.

"Phew…" Exhaustion hit hard. "Didn't know packed trains were this brutal. Rough ride but met a good soul."

I groped her silly, yet she held me up and offered her seat. Softness, perfume, all that jazz nearly broke me. Saved me from worse creep status and spared the crowd more hassle.

Lucky perv dream come true? Nah, no impure thoughts. Should've been pegged a molester, but her kindness floored me. Gotta thank her if I get the chance. Same train daily, maybe?

"Still… no way I'm riding that again. Next time, I'd get busted for sure," I muttered. She was cool, but that chaos could land me in court, even in this flipped world.

Yet she… "Even gave me her card," I mumbled. Told her I'd get off here, and she slipped it into my blazer pocket, smooth as silk. "Force of nature, sorry about it all. I owe you a proper apology. Call anytime you're free," she'd said.

"Should I? I messed up big. But a broke student thanking a hardcore career woman? No clue how," I sighed, tucking the card into my handbook for safekeeping.

My lucky perv plot crashed and burned. After a breather, I took a reverse train home.

(A/N: Whelp... Looks like I made a mistake and posted the same chapter yesterday. 

I want to thank my proofreaders/editors, aka, you guys for letting me know.)