For the past week, I didn’t just sit around doing nothing without complaint.

I tried visiting my classmates after work by going to the room next door. But no one responded, even when I knocked. The same happened with the other rooms. When I wandered around, I got caught by a maid and forcibly sent back to my room. Even when I complained about my situation, no one would listen.

It seems my classmates were taken somewhere far away from where I was.

"I want to go with you."

"My apologies, but that won’t be possible."

I declared this to the maid who was pushing a cart loaded with dinner, but she bluntly rejected me.

"What? Why not?"

"Even if you ask why… the others have expressed that they do not wish to see you, Mizumoto-sama."

I knew I was somewhat of a loner, but I didn’t realize I was disliked to this extent. Given how Manaka and Hino mocked me when they found out I was jobless, it’s not entirely surprising.

At school, no one directly bullied me, but I did notice how classmates would whisper to each other when they saw me. I tried not to think too much about it, assuming it was just paranoia.

"Sigh…"

As usual, I was peeling vegetables while sighing. Over the past week, I’d gotten incredibly used to this task. On the first day, it took me forever to peel them with thick skins left behind, but now I could peel them perfectly in seconds, leaving the flesh intact. It was almost like I had the skill of a master chef—though all I could do was peel vegetables.

"You’ve gotten really good at peeling, kid."

"Huh? Oh, really?"

Now that I think about it, the skills I chose with the god were 'Tenfold Experience Gain,' 'Tenfold Growth Speed,' and 'Tenfold Growth Rate.' I picked the last two in a hurry without much thought, but considering how quickly I mastered peeling vegetables, it seems like those skills are working in tandem.

...Does that mean my growth rate is actually a thousandfold? If there’s a cooking skill, I might have acquired it already. Though I’ve only been peeling vegetables.

As I was loading the usual dinner onto the cart, one of the maids approached me.

"Mizumoto-sama, the Third Princess has summoned you. I will come to escort you after breakfast tomorrow, so please be prepared."

"Huh?"

Without waiting for a response, she left. I didn’t have anything planned, but still… I went to bed feeling uneasy about the whole thing.

The next morning, after breakfast, I was escorted by a maid to a stone room located underground. It was about the size of a classroom, and no one else was there.

"Please wait here for the Princess to arrive."

With that, the maid left, her task seemingly done. I waited in the empty room, bored out of my mind, for about 30 minutes before Princess Lily finally arrived. She was accompanied by two knights in armor and a maid. Behind them, all my classmates filed in. Unlike the first time we met, they were now dressed in light armor. For some reason, they all looked at me with harsh expressions.

"I’ve called you here today to inform you of the decision regarding your situation," the princess began.

"...Huh?"

What situation? I haven’t done anything wrong. I’ve been shunned, sure, but I haven’t caused any trouble.

"I hear you’ve been saying you don’t want to fight against the Demon King," Shimizu said with a scowl.

"...What?"

Sure, I don’t want to fight, but I never actually said that. In fact, I’ve been stuck in the kitchen all week, unable to express anything. How did this happen?

"I never said that…"

"Don’t lie! I’ve heard you whining and complaining to the cooks every day," said Manaka with a creepy laugh.

Okay, fine, I did vent a little to the kitchen staff, but that was after I was forced into the kitchen. It’s not like I hid there to avoid fighting the Demon King.

Also, who is this guy? I remember him being in our class, but I can’t recall his name. There’s another guy next to him, muttering to himself with his head down. I don’t remember his name either.

Including Shimizu and Manaka, there are four guys in total. Among the girls, the vice president of the student council, Nagai, Hino, and the calm-looking Otori Honoka are standing together. Yuzuki, for some reason, is standing by herself, a bit away from the group.

"Now, I will announce your punishment," the princess continued.

Hey, wait a second. Punishment? What happened to 'situation'? What’s this punishment about?

"There’s no reason to keep someone who refuses to fight the Demon King here, so we’re expelling you. Of course, you will be compensated for the work you’ve done in the kitchen."

"...I see."

Well, that’s not so bad. In fact, I’m relieved. I was getting tired of this place anyway, with its condescending royalty and restrictive environment. Sure, I never got to learn the common sense of this world, but that can’t be helped.

A maid handed me a pouch of coins. It felt like a decent amount, but since I didn’t know the currency value, I had no idea how much it was.

"You can leave directly through the teleportation magic circle in the corner of the room."

Seriously? Can’t I just walk out normally? I don’t even know where this building is. Is it in some remote area or something?

Two knights stepped toward me, clearly pressuring me to move toward the magic circle. With no choice, I reluctantly stepped onto the circle. Not that I had any belongings to pack.

"We won’t meet again until the Demon King is defeated. Farewell," the princess said as the magic circle beneath me began to glow. The light grew stronger, and just before I had to close my eyes from the brightness, I saw a shadow approaching.

"Hey, wait—"

A voice rang out just as my vision went dark.