Because of Asakura's retaliatory supervision, Hiratsuka Shizuka hadn't been able to drink a single drop of beer until the very end.
But it doesn't matter. Once he goes to take a shower, I can drink to my heart's content! Hiratsuka Shizuka comforted herself internally.
In fact, compared to room-temperature beer, the kind that had been chilled in the refrigerator for a while was much more delicious. Even just imagining it—the golden liquid swirling with delicate bubbles, downed in one gulp with a momentum that seemed to swallow everything, the chill hitting the throat directly while the slight bitterness of alcohol exploded on the tip of the tongue alongside the unique aroma of malt—Hiratsuka Shizuka felt as if the sweltering heat of July was instantly dispelled, leaving only a sense of refreshment and freedom.
"Hmm?" Asakura, who was washing the dishes, made a strange sound.
"What's wrong?" Hiratsuka Shizuka snapped out of it and asked him.
"Maybe your faucet is different from mine. Even though I've turned it to the hot water setting, it feels like no hot water is coming out..." Asakura said.
"It's summer anyway; it's fine to wash dishes with cold water, right?" Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't think much of it.
"Hot water cleans grease much better; cold water is a bit less effective." Asakura, wearing an apron and gloves with a rag in his hand—looking every bit like a "house husband"—said, "I made sautéed shredded pork on a whim today, and the plates are quite oily."
"Oh, that was indeed delicious. It looked so rich and dark that I thought it would be cloying, but it turned out to be unexpectedly good. It went great with the miso soup too..." Hiratsuka Shizuka squinted her eyes as if reminiscing about the meal. "Why don't any of the nearby restaurants have this dish?"
"They probably should, but my version involves a flash-frying process that's a bit more troublesome. It's possible the restaurants here lean more toward Japanese-style pre-processing for ingredients, so the final taste is different..." Asakura explained casually.
By this time, Hiratsuka Shizuka had stood up and come to his side. "You just do this to get hot water... Eh?"
Even with the faucet turned to the hot water setting, the tap water gushing out was still ice-cold. While it felt comfortable to the touch in the stifling summer heat, it was a different story for cleaning dishes and kitchenware.
As a side note, Hiratsuka Shizuka had the air conditioning on. Or rather, she was the type who didn't care at all about the saying that "running the AC too much is bad for your health"; she would start turning it on around June. Perhaps this was another form of "being rich and willful."
However, there was no AC in the kitchen. Plus, to prevent gas leaks and accidents, the kitchen window was basically left wide open. The sweltering night air—the lingering heat of the daytime sun—was constantly eroding the slight coolness brought by the AC.
"Strange, why isn't there hot water?" Hiratsuka Shizuka fiddled with the faucet, but it remained unresponsive, stubbornly pouring out cold water.
"Could it be a problem with the water heater?" Asakura asked.
"Ugh, no way. Those things are a pain to fix; you have to book an appointment and everything..." Hiratsuka Shizuka's face wore a look of intense annoyance.
Then, she immediately realized an even worse situation: if the water heater was broken, she couldn't take a shower.
No, my beer! Calm down, Shizuka, there must be another way! In this season, the probability of catching a cold even if you take a pure cold shower is... Dammit, why isn't Asakura a moron! (A reference to the common Japanese proverb "Idiots don't catch colds.")
At this moment, Hiratsuka Shizuka had never hated Asakura's top-of-the-class intelligence more.
Asakura studied the water heater for a while. Without a manual, he couldn't figure out what was broken. Even after restarting it several times, there was no sign of improvement. Ultimately, he had to give up and finish washing the dishes and kitchenware with cold water.
Finally, he noticed Hiratsuka Shizuka staring at him with a strangely indignant look. Though he didn't quite understand what was happening, her gaze vaguely reminded him of Yukino when she found out he had taken first place in the grade.
Must be an illusion, Asakura thought. After all, Hiratsuka Shizuka was a teacher; why would she be unhappy because a student's grades were too good?
"Anyway, it looks like we can't shower. We'll just have to deal with it for one night..." he said.
"No way..." Hiratsuka Shizuka rejected him firmly. "Showering is a vital part of personal hygiene! How can we be so sloppy about it!"
"Is it really worth making such a big deal over just one day?"
"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow! How many tomorrows are there!"
"Why are you talking like a Language teacher?"
"Could it be that... I am your Language teacher?"
"...Ah!"
"Why that look of sudden realization? I'm starting to get curious about how you actually see me, Asakura!"
".......... Do you really want to know?"
"Forget it. I feel like I'll only hear a very irritating answer from you."
"A wise choice."
"Hah!"
"..."
"Dammit, why can't I hit you!"
After a bit of play-fighting, the two sat back down in front of the AC vent, dripping with sweat.
"We are... aliens~" Asakura spoke into the AC vent (vibrating his voice).
"This isn't an electric fan! Are you a child?" Hiratsuka Shizuka looked helplessly at her student, who was clearly brilliant but strangely "disappointing" in other aspects.
"I feel like Hiratsuka-sensei must have done similar things."
"...I haven't."
"Suspicious!"
"I've got it! Let's go to a public bathhouse!" Hiratsuka Shizuka stood up abruptly, as if ignoring Asakura's suspicious gaze.
"Strange, the conversation doesn't seem to follow..."
"Oh? Should I prepare a little rubber ducky for you, Asakura~?"
"Thank you very much, Hiratsuka-sensei. To show my gratitude, I'll go buy you a child's swim ring later..." Asakura replied with a natural tone of gratitude, as if he didn't catch her sarcasm at all.
"What a shame. Unlike Yukinoshita, I can't use children's products..." Hiratsuka Shizuka puffed out her chest.
"Then for Hiratsuka-sensei's child... wait, sorry."
"Why are you apologizing at a time like this?!"
"...Should I say it? Do you really want me to say it?"
"Dammit, I hate sharp-witted brats the most!"