No, I know what you mean. [ his smile is understanding — because, really, he'd be the first one to say that both edwin and crystal are cooler than him, better than him... in every way. but the fact that junpei might think this of himself in comparison to his own friends? well, that he can't quite accept, even if he gets it. so it's a distracted response when he says, ]

Out of this timeline? Hm, right. Well, I'd say I hope I do, but — I wouldn't want my friends stuck here, so...

[ he wouldn't want junpei to worry about his friends here, either. and then he adds, almost like he can't really help it, ] Hey, you know you're cool, too, yeah? And more than that... that doesn't really matter, not to me. I'd pick you first. [ no matter what. because as much as he does like to hear about junpei and his life and the people important to him... what's more important is hammering it to his head that he matters. ]