My knees gave out, and I managed to catch myself with my hands as I landed on the ground. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the middle of a forest. Standing up and looking around, all I could see were trees and plants.

"What the hell…"

I had expected to be transported somewhere in or near a city. But no, I was in a thick, dark forest.

"Ah!"

Just as I was thinking that, another person appeared. However, they seemed to have failed their landing and had fallen face-first into the ground. As they brushed the leaves off their clothes and slowly stood up, I realized who it was—

"…Yuzuki?"

It was Yuzuki, the girl who had stood off by herself when the princess had summoned us to the underground chamber.

"Why are you here, Yuzuki?"

I asked her, noticing her wearing a loose, black robe and holding a wooden staff about fifty centimeters long.

"Well… um, because I'm useless…"

From what I could gather, Yuzuki had been treated as the lowest among our classmates due to her rather unimpressive occupation. Apparently, she had just recently learned to cast basic water magic. On the other hand, Nagai and Manaka, who had the jobs of Grand Sage and Grand Mage, could cast beginner spells from all elements right from the start.

"Ah, I see…"

I couldn’t blame her for wanting to escape, but looking at our current situation, it might have been better if she hadn’t come along. Then again, I guess it’s not so bad—I wasn’t left completely alone in this creepy forest, after all.

"I’m… I’m sorry…"

Yuzuki looked anxious, her eyebrows knitting together. But honestly, I had no idea what to do either. I didn’t have any survival experience, and it wasn’t like staying put would get us rescued.

"Oh, right!"

I decided to check the pouch I had received.

Inside were five dull-colored coins and ten slightly larger coins of the same hue. There was also a brooch featuring a shield with crossed swords against a five-sided background.

We had been told to bring this brooch to the royal castle once the Demon King was defeated. They claimed that they would then help us return to our original world.

Could this really be true? The brooch seemed strangely captivating, but in the end, it was just an accessory.

I had been staring at it for a while, but—

"This won’t be of any use in the middle of this forest."

"Yeah…"

"For now, let’s try moving."

"…To where?"

She asked, but I didn’t have an answer. I had no idea where to go, but standing around doing nothing clearly wasn’t the right choice. I was starting to feel fatigued, and the overgrown forest was more unsettling than I had imagined.

"At least we should find a place with water or food."

"…Right."

So, we started walking together.

We had been walking for about two hours. We kept moving without any clear destination, but the scenery never seemed to change.

I could hear strange insect and animal sounds from all directions. My shirt was soaked with sweat, sticking uncomfortably to my skin. Every time I heard a loud animal call, it felt like my mental state was slowly being worn down.

"Damn it! They never intended to let me survive in the first place, did they…?"

"T-That can’t be true…"

"Then why are we wandering aimlessly through this jungle?!"

Frustrated, I ended up taking it out on Yuzuki. I knew it was just venting, but…

"…Sorry."

"It’s okay."

Still, getting angry wouldn’t solve anything.

"Let’s take a break."

After a while of silent walking, I finally spoke to Yuzuki.

"Yeah."

My legs were starting to feel heavy, my throat was parched, and I was getting hungry. I sat down on a fallen tree, and Yuzuki took a seat next to me.

"Sigh…"

I rested my elbows on my knees and stared at the ground. While we had been walking, I kept looking for any edible fruits, but we hadn’t found anything.

"Um, Mizumoto-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll try using water magic to create some water. Could you hold out your hands?"

"Oh, sure."

As she asked, I held out my hands, cupping them to catch the water. Now that I thought about it, she did mention she could use beginner water magic.

Yuzuki raised her staff over my hands and closed her eyes to focus.

"…Water!"

With that declaration, water appeared, filling my cupped hands to the brim.

"Whoa, that’s amazing!"

So this is magic…! Seeing it for the first time was impressive. It was like something gathered at the tip of the staff, and then water just flowed out!

"Hurry, drink before it spills."

"Oh, right."

I had been so excited that I forgot how thirsty I was.

I quickly brought my hands to my mouth and gulped down the water.

"Ah, that’s refreshing!"

Even though it was magically conjured, the water tasted great.

"Thank you, Yuzuki."

"You're welcome."

She smiled shyly when I thanked her, her cheeks turning a bit pink. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was embarrassed by the compliment, but I brushed off the thought. No need to be overly self-conscious.

"Um… I’d like to drink some water too, but I need the staff to use magic. Could I borrow your hands again?"

Ah, so that’s what she meant.

I quickly offered my hands again. "Thanks," she said as she activated Water Magic once more.

I carefully brought the water-filled hands over to her, and as she leaned in to drink, her lips brushed against my hands. I could hear her throat quietly gulping the water down.