EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 183 The Losers' Mutual Support
"Have you... ever regretted staying here?"

…This is a conversation that took place in the NERV command center, which was immersed in peace.

"Eh?"

Makoto Hyuga stared blankly at Maya Ibuki, who had asked him the question, and for a moment he didn't understand the meaning behind her question.

"...Because you stayed here to act as Commander Katsuragi, right... But Commander Katsuragi... besides Shinji, she's also Kaji... Let alone your chance, I can't even remember... when was the last time she spoke to you outside of orders."

"Waaah! Ibuki...don't be so hurtful with your words...I'll cry."

They were just working the night shift together, so why did his colleague have to berate him like this?

If it were Aoba Shigeru, he would probably be furious by now—but… he can’t, because… Hyuga Makoto can see a reflection of himself in Ibuki Maya’s even more dejected expression.

"You—were rejected by Miss Akagi again?"

"...Is it that obvious...?"

Ibuki Maya gave a wry smile. It seemed that the man had seen through her act of taking her anger out on Hinata Makoto because of her own misfortune.

"Don't you think about it... how long have we been working together? This is such a simple thing... if others don't know, how could I not know?"

If we say that Makoto Hyuga chose to stay in NERV instead of running away... it was because of Misato Katsuragi.

So, there's a strong reason why Ibuki Maya is still here: it's because... Ibuki Maya harbors feelings for her mentor and friend that go beyond ordinary friendship...

But—Akagi Ritsuko loved Ikari Gendo almost blindly, and after Gendo's disappearance… she closed herself off like a puppet… Ibuki Maya also tried… to immerse herself in him, to make him her own.

However, no matter how hard Ibuki Maya tried, she could never make up for Gendo Ikari's place in Ritsuko Akagi's heart. After another failed invitation, she happened to be on duty with Makoto Hyuga, who was in a similar situation, which is why she suddenly started to tease him.

"Humans... are so ugly. I was feeling really gloomy before, but seeing you, whose situation is similar to mine and who is also making no progress, has unexpectedly made me feel better."

Ibuki Maya gave Hyuga Makoto a charming smile, a smile that her superiors would never have seen in Shinji Ikari's work.

"Alright, alright. If my misery can cheer you up, then my clown act has at least a tiny bit of value... Here, as a reward, I'll treat you to some of the Intelligence Department's terribly bitter coffee."

Hinata Makoto knew that it was Ibuki Maya's trust in him that allowed her to lower her guard and speak so openly... Thinking about it this way... there seemed to be no reason for her to be angry... He proactively poured Ibuki Maya a cup of coffee.

"...Thank you... Hinata-kun, you're so kind. So... I can only say these things to you, Hinata-kun."

As Ibuki Maya took the coffee cup, feeling the burning sensation in her palm and the tangy aroma filling her nostrils, she felt a sense of fulfillment creeping into her heart.

"Yes, after all, Aoba is different from us... He really stayed behind to follow Ikari."

"...I really envy him."

Mentioning Aoba Shigeru's name... a hint of loneliness appeared on Ibuki Maya's face.

"Perhaps, he's the happiest one of us three... to be able to follow the person he admires... unlike us two losers, who can only huddle together for warmth with coffee in the dead of night, letting out bitter howls." "...Calling him a loser is too much... I just wanted to help Katsuragi-san, Ibuki...aren't you the same?"

"Ah...maybe...I'm not like you, Hinata-kun, who can face my feelings so directly...You can clearly recognize that you like Katsuragi Misato. But I...I still don't understand how I feel about Akagi-senpai...Originally, I thought I liked her a lot...but...seeing how lost and dejected she was after Commander Ikari Gendo disappeared...it was as if she were a completely different person...deep down, I felt...some disappointment."

She clearly admired Ritsuko Akagi, a strong and capable woman, yet... she showed that kind of expression—

"Then... let's take our time searching. Anyway... we don't need to rush, right? If there are any problems... Shinji and the others will help us solve them, won't they?"

Looking at Hinata Makoto's confident face, Ibuki Maya couldn't help but smile.

"Hyuga-kun, you've said the same things Aoki-kun likes to say... I thought you only liked Katsuragi-kun and didn't have any special feelings for Shinji Ikari."

“How could that be… I’ve always thought that Shinji Ikari is great. The burden on his shoulders is far heavier than any of us can imagine… It’s definitely not a burden that a child his age should bear… But, he didn’t complain at all… He even comforted us when we were at our wits’ end… So, I’m willing to believe him.”

"Do you believe me...?"

Ibuki Maya murmured a word, as if that word... was already very distant from her.

"drop----!!"

However, the sudden sound of an alarm shattered their pleasant atmosphere.

"What...!?" "An Apostle?!"

As expected of a professional, even if they were immersed in sadness just a second ago, they can immediately switch to work mode the moment an emergency occurs.

The two practically pounced back to their workstations, frantically typing on their keyboards... trying to quickly identify which line was malfunctioning and causing the error.

"...Communication functions are blocked! Unable to make any contact with the outside world...!"

"Tsk! The main control room has been completely breached... NERV headquarters is now almost paralyzed!"

However, even professional intelligence analysts couldn't help but shudder when they saw this almost hopeless situation.

—Because, the current situation shows… at NERV headquarters… let alone launching an EVA, they're even having trouble opening the garage door and getting an armored vehicle out…

It's like the massive blackout caused by Kaji Ryoji before... and it's even worse than that time... because at least the blackout had a reason, but now the power system is working perfectly...

Therefore, there is only one reason—

"MAGI...! It's been breached!!"

The only thing capable of silently breaching the firewall of MAGI, the world's most advanced artificial intelligence, could be... another MAGI!

"The battle has begun... no! It's SEELE! They've made their move!!"

(End of this chapter)