Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

The second time I came, I was much more familiar with the place.

Shinji Ikari rang the doorbell as usual, but there was still no sound.

Shinji Ikari showed no intention of prying open the door with a wire like he had done before. He put his hands in his pockets and glanced at the incandescent light at the bottom of the stairs behind him, as if he were lost in thought.

"It's been half a month, haven't you even thought about repairing it?" Shinji Ikari lowered his eyes.

Recalling the filth and chaos he felt when he first entered Rei Ayanami's room, he couldn't help but think of Misato Katsuragi. The first time he stepped into her house, he nearly fainted from the stench of rotting food mixed with the smells of beer and fermentation. Misato Katsuragi was also careless and had incredibly poor living habits. She loved drinking beer and was always leaving things lying around, seemingly even worse than Rei Ayanami.

For some reason, Shinji Ikari suddenly remembered the blue-haired girl who had been curled up in the corner of the pool with her knees drawn up to her chest during gym class the day before.

His heart skipped a beat. With a soft creak, the metal door opened.

The room was still dimly lit. The moment he entered, Shinji Ikari sniffed. To be honest, it didn't smell very good.

The girl's body odor mingled with the musty smell of dampness from the rain, along with a mixture of sweat and blood. Shinji Ikari stepped into the room. The sink, which had once been piled with dishes, was now empty, but the washing machine was covered with a row of unwashed clothes.

Yellowed white slouch socks, light-colored panties with stained heels piled together with a jacket and school uniform, and a trash bag full of bloodstained bandages by the door. The master bedroom… oh, the master bedroom was surprisingly clean.

Shinji Ikari squinted, adjusting his eyes to the dim light in the room, his long eyelashes drooping slightly. He saw clothes neatly laid out on the bed, presumably for her to change into, but this time he didn't see the rosary he had given her.

"Shinji Ikari?" A clear voice sounded behind him.

Shinji Ikari couldn't mistake the girl's unique voice, but he didn't turn around. From the moment he stepped inside, he had heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom, and it was obvious what Rei Ayanami was doing.

If it were any other girl, he would have righteously opened the bathroom door and politely asked if they could shower together.

But perhaps he wasn't interested in Rei Ayanami, or perhaps she wasn't interested in her thin, wiry figure... Shinji Ikari thought to himself, then picked up the underwear that was neatly arranged on top of the clothes and placed it on the bedside table next to him.

"Put your clothes on first," Shinji Ikari said.

As he heard rustling sounds behind him, Shinji Ikari looked out the window and saw a bunch of gardenias in the dimly lit room.

The flowering season had long passed, but it hadn't died, which surprised Shinji Ikari.

When she turned around, she saw Rei Ayanami drying her head with a white towel, wearing only the white underwear she had handed her and a pair of white socks.

"Huh? Why are you still wearing short socks?" Shinji Ikari rubbed his nose, his deliberately aloof aura instantly crumbling.

There's an old saying among the perverted Seris: if you want to go even further than being completely naked, just put on a pair of stockings. Shinji Ikari looked at Rei Ayanami before him, thinking, "Good heavens, I never expected this emotionless girl to understand perverted ambitions so well."

“Because it’s in the bathroom,” Rei Ayanami replied.

Shinji Ikari was about to say something when he noticed the rose rosary hanging on her right wrist. He hadn't noticed it before, but it turned out she was wearing it while taking a bath.

"Are you going to take it back?" Rei Ayanami also noticed his gaze.

"There's no reason to take back a gift that's already been given. Misato Katsuragi asked me to deliver a new security card to you. There are a lot of spies around lately, so don't get fooled by strangers."

"Hmm." Rei Ayanami walked to Shinji Ikari's side, picked up the school uniform from the bed, and put it on.

Upon closer reflection, Shinji realized that he had only ever seen Rei Ayanami in her school uniform and her battle suit. It seemed that she only ever wore her school uniform, and suddenly he felt a little sorry for the girl in front of him.

"Ayanami-san."

"What?" Rei Ayanami turned around.

"Are you hungry?"

Rei Ayanami froze, and as if in response to Shinji Ikari's question, her stomach rumbled a few times, much to her dismay.

"Let's go get something to eat in the fourth district. Also, you need to air out this room; it's practically growing mushrooms." Shinji Ikari tossed his last school uniform jacket in front of Rei Ayanami, then got up and opened the window. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking at the scenery outside.

Clutching her clothes, gazing at Shinji Ikari's profile, and recalling the moment she was violently pulled from the cockpit in the test range, Rei Ayanami suddenly had a feeling.

She felt that he was like her brother.

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P.S.: I'm the real heroine Asuka, and today is Crazy Thursday. I'm VIP 50 now, watch me smash that idiot author's head!

Chapter Twenty-Six: No Kissing with Comrades on the Battlefield

The Fourth School District boasts numerous food-related facilities and has the highest concentration of restaurants in Hakone. Legend has it that cuisines from over 190 countries worldwide can be found here.

Compared to Rei Ayanami, who silently folded her hands over her stomach, Shinji Ikari was clearly a familiar face in the area. He greeted passersby with practiced ease, took out a coin to buy roses from a white girl selling them on the street, and after walking a few blocks, gave the flowers to the young proprietress in an apron, even smiling and kissing her cheek to say goodbye.

Many people noticed Rei Ayanami leading behind Shinji Ikari, and some jokingly asked about her identity, speculating whether she was his girlfriend.

The reason for adding "young" before "girlfriend" is simply because Shinji Ikari doesn't seem like someone his age should look like. And the girls he's with naturally pale in comparison.

But when Shinji Ikari was teased by these older men and women, he put his arm around Rei Ayanami's shoulder and smiled, saying, "What do you think?"

Rei Ayanami clenched her fists slightly, her entire body tense. Instinctively, she placed her hand on her chest, as if she could feel her heartbeat. She didn't know why her heart was beating so fast, but she instinctively glanced at Shinji Ikari's profile, so close to hers. The boy's smile was faint, and in the warm white light, she could almost see the barely perceptible downy hairs on his cheeks; his skin seemed almost translucent.

"It doesn't seem like it, but since it's Shinji, it's probably only a matter of time," the uncle from the seafood shop next door said with a smile. Compared to those jeering guys, he, as an older man, saw things very clearly. He could also see the restraint and panic that the little girl showed the moment Shinji put his arm around her shoulder.

Based on his understanding of Shinji Ikari, at this level, with a little effort, he could break through her defenses and take her down today.

Shinji Ikari touched his face. "Of course not. I'm fine, but that young lady's reputation is more important." After saying that, he led Rei Ayanami into the seafood restaurant. "Boss, do you have any big catches?"

"Since you asked, of course I have some." The boss smiled and touched his apron; he had guessed wrong this time. But getting business was the most important thing.

As he spoke, the owner took out two unusual orange-yellow shelled shrimp from the tank. "Are these giant rhinoceros shrimp enough? I only get less than ten a year here."

"Then these two will do. Are there any more?" Shinji Ikari nodded.

"Then let's have another grouper, the crispy kind, it's delicious."

"Let's have some hot pot with fermented rice wine today, and two boxes of sea urchin, the top grade, please. The rest is up to you, boss."

"As usual, grab some oysters and abalone. Listen to your uncle, eating more is definitely not a bad thing. These two are on me. And lastly, I'll get you some white shrimp to stuff into the squid."

"A new way to eat it that I've never tried before!"

"So you definitely made the right choice coming here! Hehe~ Hehe~ Hehe~"

Rei Ayanami tugged at the hem of her school uniform skirt, and Shinji Ikari seemed to notice her nervousness, smiling as he patted the back of her hand.

"The boss is from Seris Hainan, so it's normal that his accent sounded a bit strange earlier. Don't let his fierce appearance fool you, his favorite cartoon is actually Crayon Shin-chan."

"No, I was wondering if it was okay to say all this." Rei Ayanami actually wanted to say more than that, but in the end, she only said a few simple words.

"Of course, whenever Misato is in charge of cooking, I come here to eat something first. Then I'll go to that Japanese restaurant over there and pick out some food."

Half an hour later, Shinji Ikari was seated in a private room at the first seafood restaurant. They didn't have to wait long; a beautiful girl in a cheongsam rang the pixiu bell in the room, and the white ceramic tableware on the food cart contained the seafood feast Shinji had ordered. For Rei Ayanami, who only ate fast food and the headquarters cafeteria, the exquisite presentation surpassed any dish she had ever tasted.

The waiters even brought their own pre-mixed soul-stirring dipping sauce, setting it up in the middle of the sandalwood table for Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami. After arranging the condiments and various freshly cut and plated seafood, they solemnly placed the hot pot with chicken pieces as the base in the center. After completing all this smoothly, it was as if they had come and gone silently, leaving only Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami behind.

Shinji Ikari seemed to know Rei Ayanami's concerns. He picked up a piece of sea urchin, placed it on an oyster, took a big sip, and then began to eat heartily.

"Consider this a celebration for your discharge from the hospital. The ingredients aren't all there, but it'll have to do." Shinji Ikari said, "Let's eat! Let's eat!"

This was no longer a matter of settling. Rei Ayanami gazed at the dazzling array of dishes and Shinji Ikari's hearty meal. The food before her was undoubtedly a luxury for her. But Rei had no appetite whatsoever. She simply picked up a piece of lettuce and began to chew it lightly.

"That Misato guy, his cooking is just awful. He can turn even fast food into a culinary disaster. Have you ever tried curry sauce mixed with instant noodles? I was forced to take a bite." Shinji Ikari muttered incessantly, but suddenly he heard a light, airy voice coming from across the table.

"Ikari-kun, do you hate me?"

Shinji Ikari suddenly raised his head and looked at Rei Ayanami, who was sitting motionless opposite him.

"Why would you ask that?" Shinji Ikari asked.

"Because of you, you seem to be particularly cold and impatient with me." Rei Ayanami lowered her head, her long eyelashes drooping.

Rei Ayanami recalled that along the way, there was Shinji Ikari, who seemed to always have a smile on his face for every girl, whether she was an elderly grandmother or a young girl. Just like in the eyes of the girls in her class, he was an elegant, polite, and perfect boy.

But he never really gave her a kind look.

“According to the rules of the Sacristans battlefield, knight partners on the battlefield cannot have personal feelings. Besides, have I ever said that I hate pretentious girls?” Shinji Ikari said.

As for why these battlefield rules exist, that's a long story. Behind every outrageous rule lies an even more outrageous story.

At this moment, Rei Ayanami finally heard Shinji Ikari's reply. She saw the boy put down his chopsticks, and his smiling face seemed to contain no emotion.

"I don't know what you think of me, or what you think I should do for you. You're my comrade-in-arms, so I'm naturally concerned about your safety. But it's best not to bring these kinds of vague feelings into work, and it's best not to bring them into the battlefield."

Shinji Ikari wasn't sure if Rei Ayanami had listened to him, but she did nod slightly at him.

"That's good." In an instant, Shinji Ikari flashed that bright smile again. "Come and try this Starry Sky Abalone. It's very nourishing for girls too. Don't be shy, you'll see once you try it."

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Guiding Force of the Soul

The dazzling array of seafood was almost entirely devoured by Shinji Ikari alone. Rei Ayanami merely finished her lettuce wrap, then simply boiled a platter of mushrooms and vegetables in water to complete her lunch. At that moment, both were astonished by the other's appetite.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami's cell phones rang at the same time.

Shinji Ikari glanced at Rei Ayanami sitting opposite him. He first turned on his phone and saw an unread text message on the brightly lit standby screen.

[Lieutenant Shinji Ikari:]

The restart experiment for Unit 00 will take place in two hours.

Please arrive at the first test site at the designated time and be ready, along with the members of the third team.

This is your loyal Magi.

[PS: Lunch has been prepared for you.]

Shinji Ikari looked at Rei Ayanami sitting opposite him, and she looked up at him as well.

"Perfect timing, we've finished eating. Let's set off."

Rei Ayanami pulled out a wet wipe and wiped her mouth without objection.

…………

…………

As the long, narrow elevator slowly descended, Rei Ayanami followed Shinji Ikari into the massive gray building.

This building occupies a prominent position inside Hakone, in the core of the second district, but its style is very different from those church-style buildings.

The entire NERV headquarters actually carries a strong religious theme, with its offices located in a church-like building featuring spires, bell towers, marble sculptures, and huge stained-glass windows. However, the building itself is as plain as a white rock, surrounded by white Roman columns, with extremely high ceilings, giving it a temple-like feel, and is not overshadowed by the exquisite church-like architecture despite its simplicity.

Shinji Ikari only glanced at it from afar, because that was the Central Dogmatic Zone. Even with his authority, he was not allowed to set foot there.

【Hello, Lieutenant Ikari. The Central Dogmatic District office area is now open to you. The express lane is open for you; please take lane number four with the members of the Third Squad.】