EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 191 I'm Here to Love Shinji

"...Hmm? What's wrong? I was sleeping soundly..."

Moved by Shinji Ikari's movements, the delicate and soft touch on her other shoulder also disappeared.

Asuka woke up too... This little girl seemed to be sleeping even more soundly than herself, and she was practically lying on Shinji Ikari.

Shinji Ikari could even feel a damp warmth on his shoulder.

"........."

"...!? What are you worried about?! Don't do such a perverted thing! You idiot, Shinji!"

Shinji Ikari first tentatively touched a damp patch on his shoulder with his finger, then, with a hint of disgust, put his finger to his nose as if to sniff it a few times…

Asuka, flustered and blushing, grabbed Shinji's hand to stop him from tasting her drool while she was half asleep—a truly lewd act.

"Then you shouldn't be sleeping on top of someone and drooling all the time... um."

Shinji Ikari had originally intended to tease Asuka a bit, but the instant his gaze flashed past the airplane window next to Asuka... a strong sense of unease swept over Shinji Ikari's entire body.

"...You two, wait here for a moment."

Unfastening his seatbelt… Shinji Ikari gestured for Rei Ayanami and Asuka to sit properly in their seats, then walked towards the back of the cabin… Since it was a small private plane… there was no space for any crew members.

At the far end of the cabin is the cockpit.

"…real……"

Seemingly sensing the change in atmosphere surrounding Shinji Ikari, Asuka frowned and was about to anxiously call out Shinji's name... but Rei Ayanami beat her to it, touching Asuka's lips with her finger.

He gestured for Asuka to keep quiet... and not to speak and disturb Shinji's thinking.

"...What happened, Ali..."

Asuka lowered her voice and whispered anxiously in Rei Ayanami's ear... she even unconsciously grabbed the hem of Rei Ayanami's skirt.

Without EVA Unit-02, Asuka is just an ordinary fifteen-year-old girl... in this narrow space that feels like an isolated island in the sky.

The sudden, deathly silence made Asuka uneasy... If Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami weren't here... she probably would have already started screaming hysterically.

"...Something's not right."

Rei Ayanami thoughtfully noticed Asuka's unease and reached out to hold her trembling little hand.

"Look outside."

Then, he guided Asuka to look out the airplane window...

"Outside…?"

Asuka swallowed hard... mustered her courage, and turned to look out into the distance.

However, Asuka's vision vanished into the endless darkness in an instant.

In this dark night where all light has been extinguished, Asuka cannot see anything.

"I can't see anything... Could it be... something's there? Don't scare me—"

Asuka gave an awkward laugh, her heart filled with apprehension... Her gaze darted back and forth between Rei Ayanami and the view outside the window... She was terrified, yet also wanted to know what was outside.

"Nothing at all."

"Hey! Ali... stop playing pranks!"

However, the answer Rei Ayanami revealed infuriated Asuka, who thought Rei was just teasing her... But when she saw Rei's extremely serious expression, Asuka knew that this was not a malicious joke.

"...Logically speaking, our flight time...should have reached the airspace over the European continent by now. Oh Europe, in the darkness...it's impossible for all cities to be without power...and not a single light to be seen."

"Eh……?"

At this moment, Asuka realized... what the conclusion meant.

"Moreover... there was no starlight or moonlight in the sky... not even any dark clouds to obscure the light... as if everything had disappeared, isolated from the world."

After listening to Rei Ayanami's rambling account, an indescribable chill ran down her spine... A chilling fear engulfed the girl.

"...Potter, are you there?"

Shinji Ikari placed his hand on the cockpit door... Even small aircraft are reinforced with a sturdy security door during development to prevent hijacking by criminals.

Therefore, Shinji Ikari should not make a big show of breaking down the door before he is sure that the cockpit is still functioning properly...

“…Porter?”

However, no matter how Shinji called out, the pilot, who was Kyoya Kenzaki's confidant, did not give Shinji any response.

The only welcome was... a click, and the previously locked door... opened naturally.

"..."

So something did happen... After letting out a long sigh.

Shinji Ikari opened the cockpit door, and then… he saw a fully functional dashboard… a fully functional cockpit… even the control sticks, unattended, were still rotating slightly on their own…

The only anomaly was... no one was there.

Porter, an elite intelligence agent, has disappeared without a trace sometime during the day.

All that remained was... an empty black suit, lying helplessly on the ground... seemingly the only proof that a man named Potter had ever been to this world.

"..."

Shinji Ikari clenched his teeth... He hadn't even noticed anything unusual!
Just like that, his subordinates vanished right under his nose...?!
"Really, Shinji-kun... You should have just slept a little longer."

A familiar, sickeningly sweet voice was heard... As the owner of the voice slowly appeared, Kaworu Nagisa appeared in the cockpit, which had previously only contained Shinji Ikari.

"……what have you done?"

Without a trace of friendliness, Shinji Ikari coldly questioned the man who had become his gentlest enemy.

"Don't be nervous—that man didn't die... he just went back to the outside. Heh, I don't want you to hate me over such a trivial matter."

Realizing the source of Shinji Ikari's anger, Kaworu Nagisa lazily leaned on the plane's control panel, casually lifting his empty suit jacket with one hand, and spoke with a playful tone.

"That guy from the intelligence department is probably fast asleep in the break room at NERV headquarters right now... so don't worry. And don't hate me." "…………"

Shinji Ikari pursed his lips, and when he realized that the man in front of him wasn't lying, his previously raging anger subsided considerably. He plopped down in the passenger seat and started talking to Kaworu Nagisa.

"So, where is this place? What have you done?"

Shinji Ikari snorted, raised his head, and gestured towards the seemingly endless darkness outside... a darkness that had extinguished all light.

"This is not as simple as a flight path error."

"Yes... just as I said, this is no longer the outside world."

Kaworu Nagisa made no attempt to hide anything and decisively told Shinji Ikari the truth.

"This is the inner side of the Twelfth Apostle, the Night Angel... connected to the imaginary space known as the 'Dirac Sea,' supported by the incredibly powerful anti-reversal ATFIELD... a dark space."

"...The Twelfth Apostle!?"

Shinji Ikari frowned deeply... because previously, both his personal characteristics and the analysis of his wavelength had led them to identify Kenzaki Kyoya as the Twelfth Angel... So, what is the background of this Night Angel?

“Eh, I know what you’re wondering. Kenzaki… is like Lilith, no… I should say… like Rei Ayanami. Rei Ayanami gave up her position as the Second Apostle Lilith and chose to become an ordinary Lilin… so Lilith’s instinct to return will be repeated in the next Rei Ayanami.”

After carefully considering Kaworu's words, Shinji Ikari seemed to have guessed something.

"...That black Rei Ayanami? You, who had previously ignored her, suddenly abducted her from NERV because... Rei Ayanami abandoned her duties as Lilith... so Lilith's instincts transferred to the black Rei Ayanami?"

Seeing that Shinji Ikari grasped the essence of the matter so quickly, Kaworu Nagisa clapped his hands with unusual joy.

"As expected of Shinji! He hit the nail on the head right away!"

"...So, Kenzaki...is in the same situation?"

"Eh, more or less. The man originally named Kenzaki Kyouya... was caught in the crossfire and died when the Fourth Angel, the Water Angel, attacked... However, a miracle occurred that I can't even comprehend... That man didn't die, and even awakened as an Angel, becoming the Twelfth Angel... He always wavered between his position as an Angel and Li Lin, so there was nothing I could do... Until, because of you... Shinji-kun. You showed him a path to live as Li Lin... leading Kenzaki Kyouya to completely choose to return to humanity—"

"Then, you immediately seized that opening... and summoned the original Twelfth Apostle, the Night Angel! Using his power from the Dirac Sea... you swallowed the entire plane I was on..."

The more Shinji Ikari spoke, the ruder and harsher his tone became, until finally... it was a display of arrogance and disdain for Kaworu Nagisa's foolishness.

"You think you can beat me with these little tricks...?! You think you can defeat Ultraman?!"

A mere alternate dimension of the Imaginary Ocean! Watch me tear you to pieces and force my way through...

"No, Shinji. You're wrong about that."

However, after sensing Shinji Ikari's fighting spirit, Kaworu Nagisa shook his head dejectedly.

“I had this child... imprison you here—not to fight you... but to buy some time.”

"…………time?"

Seeing Kaworu's sincere appearance, Shinji Ikari was somewhat surprised... What is this guy up to?

"Yes, the time to communicate with you. Only in this realm... a realm that even that man cannot detect... and only here can I open my heart... to communicate with you."

Kaworu's words were full of sincerity... but the dialogue made Shinji Ikari chuckle.

"The Thirteenth Apostle, who possesses a powerful AT Field... is actually going to open his heart to a human?"

"...Yes, is that not allowed?"

"...Of course. But...I need to clarify your position first—are you my enemy or my ally?"

This guy has caused me trouble more than once or twice... and during the battle with the Archangel, he clearly expressed his intention to cooperate with Cerebro...

Which side is he on?

"neither."

However, when faced with the question of whether Shinji Ikari was friend or foe, Kaworu Nagisa decisively rejected all of them.

"So what are you here for?"

"I've come to love you, Shinji!"

"……………………"

For a moment, Shinji Ikari truly realized that trying to talk to this idiot properly was the biggest mistake he ever made.

"...Shinji-kun. I truly love you and...I hope you can be happy."

Completely ignoring Shinji's disgusted expression, Kaworu Nagisa continued his tearful narration.

"From the very beginning... no, from the moment the stream of our souls began to flow, I wrote your name and my name... into the Book of Life, so that no matter how many times we start over... we can meet again. No matter how many times, I will... pray for your happiness. Shinji Ikari!"

Although he was a man, Shinji Ikari felt a little guilty that he had been spoken to so earnestly by him.

"...I don't understand. If what you're saying is true...why do you keep standing in front of me?"

He let out a long sigh... Doesn't this guy realize how contradictory his behavior is? If he really wants what's best for him, he should step aside and let him out of the Night Angel's domain so he can defeat Cerebro.

"Because—you won't be happy if things continue like this, Shinji."

Kaworu Nagisa spoke sincerely yet conflictedly, as if spitting out a knife with heartache, as she uttered her conclusion word by word.

"Because this time, Shinji Ikari... is different from any other time... You cannot find happiness now."

"How dare you say that."

Shinji Ikari snorted and scoffed at Kaworu Nagisa's statement.

"...Then why don't you accept Rei Ayanami or Asuka Langley Soryu? Deep down, you clearly want to get closer to them and take things to the next level! Don't you?!"

"...This is my own business and has nothing to do with you."

Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes at Kaworu Nagisa and refused to answer.

"It's related—! Of course it's related…! Because I know…Shinji-kun! Your current misfortune is because of this world! This world has become so twisted and corrupt that you can't even look away for a moment… It's not something that can be saved by defeating a few monsters or Angels! Right now, you…bear the burden of the lives of the three billion Lilins who are barely surviving in the entire world…This burden makes it impossible for you to pursue your own happiness!"

Kaworu Nagisa became more and more excited as he spoke, and finally... he pulled out a black Spark Prism from his pocket.

"Shinji-kun... I will help you... help you unload this suffocating burden."

(End of this chapter)