"It really has been a long time since I've had such a refreshing wash!"
Hiroi Kikuri walked out of the bathroom, wiping her still-damp hair while she spoke.
Because Asakura didn't have any bathrobes at home, she simply wrapped herself in a bath towel and came out. It was a pity that her somewhat scrawny figure didn't have the power to inspire any wandering thoughts.
However, it was worth mentioning that although this girl always wore clogs and ran around everywhere with bare legs, the skin on her thighs hadn't become coarse because of it. Water droplets that hadn't been completely wiped dry slid down her thighs, which appeared rosy from being steamed by the water vapor, looking quite enticing.
"If only there was a bottle of ice-cold beer right now, then I would undoubtedly reach the realm of perfection!" she continued.
"It's useless even if you reach the realm of perfection, my house doesn't have that kind of thing." Asakura's voice came from the kitchen, along with a rich aroma similar to frying eggs.
"Then what about my Onigoroshi (boxed sake)?" Hiroi Kikuri asked toward the kitchen.
"On the table in the living room. But let me state this upfront..." Asakura said, "if you dare to get drunk in my house, I'll twist your head off."
"A murder prediction?!"
Hiroi Kikuri, who was just about to go to the living room to grab the sake, was shocked. Even her eyes seemed to clear up a bit instantly.
"We usually call it a 'warning,'" Asakura walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate of egg fried rice. "If you don't plan on drinking too much..."
Actually, he had eaten dinner at school.
However, there had been quite a lot to deal with at the time, so he had only grabbed a few bites hastily. Now that he had finished patrolling the entire campus with Amakusa Shino and sent her back, Asakura felt a bit hungry as soon as he got home.
Unfortunately, the coverage of the Spirit Kitchen did not include his home, so he couldn't just reach out and conjure food like usual. It was also a bit of a hassle to run back to school for that, so he could only do it himself to fill his stomach.
After a brief check of the only ingredients left at home, Asakura chose egg fried rice, a dish that is both simple and difficult in its duality—everyone theoretically knows how to make it, but making it taste good is a whole science.
"Gurgle..."
Hiroi Kikuri looked at the golden fried rice in Asakura's hand and salivated, her stomach letting out a mournful, hollow cry.
"You haven't eaten?" Asakura frowned.
"I managed to sneak into someone else's celebration banquet and ate a few fries..." Hiroi Kikuri rubbed her belly and replied with no shortage of regret. "But it's a pity I was quickly discovered as not being a member of that small group and was kicked out."
"I thought that Yamada girl was enough of a loser already..." Asakura let out a sincere sound of admiration. "I didn't expect there to be someone even more of a loser than her... At most, that girl would borrow some money from others if she had none, or eat grass at worst. She really wouldn't sneak into someone else's house to eat and drink like a glutton."
"Hmph, not to brag..." Hiroi Kikuri pointed a thumb at herself, "but I've already borrowed money from everyone I possibly could! I've even tried eating wild vegetables and such following tutorials online, but it gave me diarrhea and made me even hungrier and weaker, so I had no choice but to give up on that path!"
"It really isn't bragging. It's more like you've completely surpassed Yamada Ryo, you're on a whole different level!"
Thinking carefully, she and Yamada Ryo both play the bass. Asakura couldn't help but wonder if this was a common trait among bassists?
"Alright, suck your drool back in. It's about to drip onto my rice."
"Slurp..."
Hiroi Kikuri stared at Asakura with eyes like a forsaken puppy.
Asakura sighed, went back to the kitchen, and brought out another plate of egg fried rice, placing it on the table. "Here, eat."
"Huh?" Hiroi Kikuri looked at him in confusion.
"It means it's for you to eat."
"Really? That's wonderful! Asakura really is a good person!"
Hiroi Kikuri happily took the plate from Asakura's hand, picked up a nearby spoon, scooped up a large mouthful, and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing vigorously.
After she struggled to swallow the rice with an expression that almost made her choke, she finally said as if savoring the aftertaste, "Did you use olive oil and butter instead of ordinary cooking oil to fry this? Well, the intention to innovate is good... The fried rice itself isn't a problem, but the rice grains feel a bit sticky and mushy. Besides that, you clearly put in some scallions and garlic, but they failed to bring out their aroma, and it tastes a bit bland. All in all..."
She shook her head and evaluated, "It's not very tasty."
"Eat it or don't."
"I'll eat it!"
Fearing that Asakura would take the fried rice back in annoyance, Hiroi Kikuri naturally began shoveling the rice into her mouth in large gulps.
Asakura finally sat down opposite her and tasted the egg fried rice he had made.
Indeed, just as she said, it wasn't very good.
But he couldn't entirely be blamed. After all, in his previous life, he was a shut-in who lived alone. His cooking skills couldn't be called good, though he could get by. Usually, the dish he made most at home was tomato scrambled eggs, if he failed, he'd just add more water and turn it into tomato egg soup. The second most common was egg fried rice.
His egg fried rice level couldn't be called world-class, but it was decent enough. At least it wouldn't kill anyone, and if given to the neighbor's dog, it wouldn't immediately run to the cafeteria to order a four-course meal and a soup...
If he had to give himself a score, Asakura felt his culinary level should be somewhere above Yuigahama Yui but below Yukinoshita Yukino.
However, he probably hadn't cooked for a while since coming to this world (after all, his daily meals were basically covered by the domestic house-elves in the Spirit Kitchen), so his cooking skills had regressed slightly, and even the egg fried rice was subtly bad.
Of course, there were some objective factors. For instance, he didn't originally want to be unconventional by using olive oil and butter; it was purely because there was no other cooking oil left at home, and even the olive oil only had a tiny bit left, so he had no choice but to add a knob of butter.
Furthermore, the eggs used for the fried rice weren't very fresh. After all, he didn't return home often. Even if he did, he usually didn't eat at home. The eggs in the fridge had been sitting there for a long time. Asakura even felt that if he had forgotten them for a few more days, these eggs might have started dancing on the edge of stinking.
Even the rice used for the fried rice had issues. Generally speaking, to make good fried rice, you need to use leftover cold rice from the day before, but how could there be rice in Asakura's house? So the rice used for the fried rice was freshly cooked. Although it didn't have a huge impact on the flavor, it was a serious deduction in terms of texture.
Thinking of this, Asakura felt much more at ease.
That's right! It was all a "crime" of non-combat factors!