The grocery shopping trip with Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't involve any melodramatic clichés like bumping into classmates.
"You can only spend 200 yen on snacks."
"That's only enough for two Umaibo sticks!"
"Also, what is this bottle?"
"...Oolong tea."
"Hiratsuka-sensei, please look into my eyes and say that again."
"Oolong tea (combustible)."
"..."
"Don't just empty the shopping cart without saying a word! Don't replace my emotional support with actual oolong tea!"
"I've wanted to say this for a while—you're clearly a beauty, so why are you always inseparable from cigarettes and alcohol?"
"That's just how the adult world is."
"Every single one of you is like this... Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, you know? The recommended intake is zero. Smoking also puts a massive burden on the respiratory system, not to mention second-hand smoke bothers others."
Asakura sighed. "If you were my sister, I'd want to make your lungs crawl out like snakes just so you could see what they've turned into."
"I'd faint from terror before that! What kind of body horror scenario is that? Is that all you think about in that head of yours, kid?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka retorted, "Can't you be like a normal adolescent boy and think more about girls your own age?"
"Is it really okay for a teacher to say that?"
"It's human nature. As long as it's not illegal, it's fine. Of course, if you go astray, I'll have to correct you with a 'Breathless Flurry'! That is what it means to be a teacher!" Hiratsuka Shizuka pumped her fists, speaking with dead seriousness.
"Isn't that correction method a bit off?" Asakura couldn't help but mock.
"Occasionally, I want to use the Nanto Suicho Ken (South Star Water Swan Fist), but I haven't fully mastered it yet."
"The lethality just went up?! Is teaching really such a dangerous job?"
"You can't teach without fighting!"
"I'd actually like to ask what exactly you all are fighting..."
"Unruly students, of course. Right, Asakura?" Hiratsuka Shizuka glanced at Asakura as she spoke.
"I believe I'm still in the Lawful alignment at Sobu High..." Asakura replied calmly, as if he hadn't noticed her gaze.
"I hope so."
"..."
Though he didn't want to admit it, Hiratsuka Shizuka, who appeared boisterous on the outside, was actually quite delicate inside.
Asakura thought he had hidden things well—the existence of the Chiba Magic Society was concealed under the guise of the Magic Club and shouldn't have been discovered.
But before Asakura had even absorbed mana from Gokou Ruri to become a true magician, Hiratsuka Shizuka was the only one who saw through the "good student" facade he maintained, offering help and care from time to time.
That was why, when Asakura first wanted to establish the club, the first advisor he thought of was Hiratsuka Shizuka, rather than teachers who were more easily swayed by his "good student" act.
Therefore, even if she couldn't possibly equate his anomalies with something "supernatural..." she must have noticed something strange. Asakura thought to himself.
"After all, you're always hanging around girls. It wouldn't be surprising if your alignment turned into Slaanesh one day..." Hiratsuka Shizuka added.
Asakura: "..."
No, no, no, the direction of your discovery is way too weird!
Feeling like he had been outwitting a non-existent opponent for half the day, Asakura stopped paying attention to Hiratsuka Shizuka and quickly finished buying the ingredients he wanted before returning to her home.
Although Hiratsuka Shizuka had a kitchen—and a fairly large one at that—judging by how brand-new the utensils looked, she had likely never used them.
Right now was their "consecration" moment.
On the other side.
Watching the busy figure in the kitchen, Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but feel a bit restless.
Earlier at school, she had acted on impulse and hauled this guy back. She had intended to show some adult composure, but now she was the one being taken care of...
"I feel like the pace isn't what I imagined..." she muttered quietly, already feeling a bit tipsy from drinking on an empty stomach.
Asakura's movements in handling the ingredients were, if not aesthetically pleasing, at least very clean and efficient.
"Since I didn't know what you like to eat—setting aside pineapple pizza and strawberry Mapo Tofu—today's dishes are more traditional home-cooked meals."
Asakura walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray and placed the food on the table. "The mackerel at the supermarket was in good condition today. Even with just a light sear and a braise, it has great flavor. The miso soup will be ready soon... You don't even have dashi powder, so I had to make the stock from scratch. It's a total pain..."
"Oh."
Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the beautifully braised fish, which had a rich, glossy appearance. However, with Asakura still nearby, she didn't plan to reveal her true excitement.
The moment Asakura turned back to the kitchen, she couldn't wait to pick up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth.
In the next instant, a savory aroma filled her mouth.
Delicious.
To be honest, the taste wasn't world-shattering, at least not enough to shock someone like Hiratsuka Shizuka who had tasted many delicacies.
But this was a flavor she rarely got to taste—a true "home-cooked" flavor.
"Home-cooked"—the emphasis is the "home" part.
Only a flavor one eats often at home counts as home-cooked, which also meant everyone's understanding of it was slightly different.
Hiratsuka Shizuka's family wasn't the type to sit together and eat peacefully. In fact, she had almost never tasted her mother's cooking; meals in the past were made by domestic helpers.
They were tasty and nutritious, but they lacked the taste of "home."
Perhaps that was one reason she moved out immediately after becoming an adult despite her family's opposition.
"Even though it's my first time eating this, why does it feel like this..."
"Because I made slight adjustments to the seasoning based on your preferences..." Asakura said as he brought out the miso soup.
"Huh? How do you know my tastes?"
"Those flyers you had—except for the sushi, they were almost all heavy flavors. It's clear you like ramen too. With those as a reference, it wasn't hard to adjust the seasoning to a level you'd enjoy."
Asakura had a smug "don't underestimate the top student of the year" expression.
Hiratsuka Shizuka dithered for a moment, then took a sip of the miso soup.
It was good.
If it was this flavor, she probably wouldn't get tired of it even if she drank it every day.