Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

“Because you seem to dislike seeing me naked,” Rei Ayanami replied. “I had a feeling you would come today.”

Shinji Ikari was somewhat touched, as if she had remembered every inconspicuous action he had taken.

His gaze shifted downwards, and he saw Rei Ayanami standing on the bed, her legs clad in two pairs of white ankle socks. Holding her school uniform shirt in one hand, Rei stepped past Shinji Ikari, her slender, pale body reaching for the hair tie on the pillow beside him. She tiptoed around the room, finally gathering all the scattered clothes before returning to the bed.

"Then why are you wearing socks?" Shinji Ikari couldn't help but ask.

"Because you seem to really like it."

Shinji Ikari stroked his chin; she really understood him.

…………

…………

The room bearing the Katsuragi nameplate was brightly lit as the car horn sounded.

"What is this?" Ritsuko Akagi frowned as she looked at the thick, brownish substance she had scooped into her bowl.

"Curry, curry, delicious curry is my favorite." Misato Katsuragi smiled and scooped a big spoonful of curry for Rei Ayanami, who was sitting next to Shinji Ikari. "Here, Rei, have a taste too."

"It's fast food again, and only you could make fast food taste like this." Ritsuko Akagi complained.

"Alright, it's not like you're paying, so stop complaining." Misato Katsuragi carried the curry platter back to her seat. "Ta-da! Add a big spoonful of curry to your instant noodles—only a woman who knows how to enjoy life can understand this taste!"

“No, I don’t think even Indians would understand.” Ritsuko Akagi put her hand to her forehead, then turned to Shinji Ikari. “I’m telling you, Shinji, you should move out. Don’t live with such a slovenly roommate. It will ruin your life.”

"Oh, Ritsuko, you're so annoying! You can't talk bad about me in front of me. I'm cultivating Shinji's independence and self-reliance. Other women wouldn't care for him, be so considerate of him, and take care of him like I do." Misato Katsuragi pouted, pretending to be angry.

"I'd like to try Shinji's cooking. The clams and the sweet soup look pretty good." Ritsuko Akagi lowered her eyes.

"Hmm, don't be fooled by him. Although he's a good cook, he only makes a few dishes. He's just trying to fool naive young girls. A mature and steady older sister like me won't be fooled by his amateurish cooking skills."

It's not that Ritsuko Akagi and Misato Katsuragi are at odds; they were friends during their school days and are just continuing their daily life from that time.

Chapter 39: I Want to Be with Shinji

For Ritsuko Akagi and Misato Katsuragi, this is their daily routine.

Shinji Ikari sat quietly in front of his seat, took the top-quality Wagyu beef out of the sukiyaki, dipped it in the well-stirred sterile egg mixture, and gently put it into his mouth.

In fact, Misato Katsuragi was absolutely right. He really only knew how to cook a few dishes, because being able to cook wasn't a virtue of nobility. Getting covered in grease was even more impolite. Most nobles only knew how to make desserts like egg tarts and puddings.

When making desserts, you can hold a girl's hand and teach her how to stir with the demeanor of a mature man. The same applies to pottery and flower arranging. Shinji Ikari knows more than the average nobleman, but it's limited to things like soup noodles that won't leave him covered in grease.

But he was still in a good mood; even listening to the two women arguing beside him didn't dampen his spirits. Rei Ayanami sat beside him, eating her curry-stirred rice, her eyes glued to the television screen. Shinji Ikari then realized that Rei's room was so simple it didn't even have a television. He pushed a fruit salad towards the girl.

At that moment, the TV was showing the recently popular movie "Ultraman 2," and the alien Mefilas was saying his classic line: "People admire you because you possess what everyone else has: the power of courage and love."

This film is a drama produced by Hideaki Anno. Although it was released domestically six months ago, it has now officially premiered on a movie channel. It tells the story of the recurring appearances of giant, unidentified creatures called the "Hōwei Beasts," whose presence has become a daily occurrence in Japan. Weapons are generally ineffective against them. Just as the Hōwei Beast crisis looms, a silver giant suddenly appears from outside the atmosphere to save humanity.

But what impressed Shinji Ikari most was the entirely new worldview: Ultraman was no longer humanity's bodyguard, but the guardian of cosmic peace. If humanity were to acquire technologies it shouldn't have, then Ultraman Zoffy would eliminate humanity, this lurking threat in the universe.

However, the new Ultraman refused, stating that he wanted to leave everything he had to humanity because he saw infinite possibilities in them. This led to the classic line, "Ultraman, do you really like humans that much?"

In a way, his own situation is similar to that of the protagonist: a former Titan pilot and now the Third Child. What is he in this dangerous world? Of course, he could also be like Tani Satoshi… cross that, Kaminari, flexibly changing his identity—an alien in space, an Earthling on Earth.

Some things can only be seen clearly when deliberately left between two sides. Shinji Ikari turned his head and met Rei Ayanami's gaze.

"Oh my, why is Rei-chan staring at Shinji? Could it be...?" Misato Katsuragi, who was standing nearby, noticed this and immediately teased her.

An ordinary teenage girl might be flustered, but Rei Ayanami, with her expressionless face, was an expert at it. She quietly scooped a spoonful of cherry tomato into her mouth, then calmly replied, "Because I rarely see Shinji-kun with such an expression."

"Well, well! This kind of Rei-chan is really not cute. You should be more shy, otherwise you won't be popular with boys." Katsuragi Misato was a little frustrated when she saw that her attempt to stir things up had failed.

"Would Shinji like it?" Rei suddenly asked.

Misato Katsuragi was slightly taken aback. She thought she had failed in her attempt to stir things up, but unexpectedly, the other party had given her the reins again. Not one to shy away from trouble, Misato rubbed her hands together gleefully and craned her neck curiously.

"Could it be that you like Shinji?" Misato Katsuragi sat cross-legged, staring intently at the girl's face. "If you just say the word, I'll..."

"Don't joke with me, Misato." Shinji Ikari finally interrupted at this moment, then turned to look at Rei Ayanami, "Don't take Misato's words to heart either. She's just an old woman who loves to watch the drama unfold."

"Old woman." These three words are incredibly devastating to some girls who have crossed certain age boundaries. Shinji Ikari usually doesn't like to use this "nuclear weapon" lightly, but Misato Katsuragi was just too outrageous today, so he had no choice but to take action.

Sure enough, after a few seconds of silence, a heart-wrenching roar erupted from the room.

"Aaaaaah! How dare you call me an old woman, you poached chicken! I'm going to fight you to the death!"

Shinji Ikari easily provoked Misato Katsuragi. Although he successfully changed the subject, he was attacked by Misato, who lunged at him with a face-splitting kick. But just as he was dealing with the attack, he heard a faint voice from the side.

“I don’t know.” Rei Ayanami placed her hand on her heart, her eyes lowered. “But I want to be with Shinji.”

Shinji Ikari withdrew his hand from Misato Katsuragi's chest, letting out a helpless sigh. Although he knew Rei Ayanami's words were just literal and meant no harm, it was clear that Misato, that big shrew, would definitely be excited. She might even tease him for months, or even years.

"Stop joking, stop joking, it would be immoral to keep joking." Misato Katsuragi, unusually, knew when to stop.

"I just don't dislike being with Shinji, since we're both EVA pilots," Rei Ayanami said.

"How clumsy," Ritsuko Akagi said, swirling the remaining orange-yellow liquid in her glass before downing it in one gulp.

After a satisfying meal, Ritsuko Akagi was the first to take her leave.

She put on her orange high heels in the entryway, then seemed to remember something. She turned around and looked at Misato Katsuragi, who had her arms crossed, with a furrowed brow.

"Your cooking skills are really nothing to write home about. Next time you invite me over, remember to have Shinji cook."

After Ritsuko Akagi left, Rei Ayanami also got up to say goodbye.

Just then, as Shinji Ikari watched Rei Ayanami disappear into the dimly lit corridor, he suddenly spoke to Misato Katsuragi.

"Dr. Akagi, did something unpleasant happen between you and Rei Ayanami before?"

"Hmm? No way? I don't think so. Ritsuko usually takes good care of Rei Ayanami. She even told me to look after this lonely child." Misato Katsuragi thought for a moment, then turned to Shinji Ikari. "Why would you suddenly ask that?"

"It just feels like Professor Akagi doesn't want to face Rei Ayanami," Shinji Ikari said, looking at the darkness outside. "Maybe it's just my imagination."

"It must be your imagination. Ritsuko cares about her a lot." Misato Katsuragi reached into her shorts and scratched her itchy bottom. "But are you sure you don't want to chase after her? Actually, I have an empty room here; we can accommodate another person."

“Miri,” Shinji Ikari said.

"What? If we don't chase after her soon, she'll be on the elevator." Misato Katsuragi said anxiously.

“I misunderstood you before. Sometimes you do have a very delicate and thoughtful side like a girl,” Shinji Ikari said sincerely.

--------

Chapter 40: Summer-Colored Eden

Walking through the dimly lit gray corridor, watching the red elevator sign cut through the darkness and draw ever closer, Rei Ayanami stood at the elevator entrance, carrying a black briefcase, not stepping inside even though the doors were open.

The cold wind in the corridor lifted the girl's skirt, and Rei Ayanami's hair was disheveled. She stood alone in the brightly lit night. The open elevator doors awaited her entry, and she seemed to be waiting for herself as well.

Instinctively, Shinji Ikari took off his coat and draped it over the girl's shoulders. He hadn't even considered that Rei Ayanami would refuse him. He looked down into her eyes, which were hidden beneath her wind-blown hair. "Would you like to live with me and Misato?"

“Yes.” Rei Ayanami nodded.

“Your lifestyle has serious problems, and Misato says we can’t let it go unchecked. She’s the operations commander for the combat department, and in fact, she’s also your supervisor. Tokyo is a beautiful city, built on the southern end of the Kanto Plain, facing Tokyo Bay, and it’s the world’s largest urban cluster. You’re wasting your youth by always staying cooped up in your room like this.”

"Did Minister Katsuragi send you?" Rei Ayanami suddenly asked, but the response she received was a sharp chop to the head.

"Otherwise, could it be Lord Shafulin?"

Returning to her room from the elevator, Misato Katsuragi, wearing light blue shorts, had just emerged from the bathroom, a waddling onsen penguin at her feet. After eating two sardines, it had also comfortably returned to its little nest.

At that moment, Misato Katsuragi suddenly realized what was happening and slapped herself on the forehead.

"Oh no! I just remembered, I used the third guest room as a storage room." Shinji Ikari wasn't surprised at all by looking at the anxious Misato Katsuragi. This woman was the type who always messed things up, and her excessive energy made her act on a whim. "Looks like I'll have to let Rei-chan share a room with me."

“No need, Rei will stay in my room,” Shinji Ikari said.

"Hmm..." Misato Katsuragi drawled, her sharp gaze fixed on Shinji Ikari, who was leading the girl to the doorway. She seemed to want to see through his thoughts with those eyes.

"I'll sleep on the sofa, but you'll have to clean the room today and tomorrow, and also take care of all the dishes on the table."

"Oh, I see." Katsuragi Misato stroked her chin lewdly, a strange smile on her face. "I thought you'd take this opportunity to ask to live with me, but perhaps you're trying to lower my guard? How terrifying!"

"Don't you know how ugly you look when you wake up? You'd kick me out of bed," Shinji Ikari said with a smile.

"Hmph! You don't know how to seize a good opportunity. One day, even if you beg to get into my bed, I won't agree!"

It was said that Misato Katsuragi was in charge of tidying up and cleaning the living room, but after Rei Ayanami stepped in to help, Shinji Ikari had no choice but to join the cleaning team as well. After a quick wash, Rei Ayanami lay flat on the long, hard wooden bed that had originally belonged to Shinji Ikari, her hands folded over her lower abdomen.

“An unfamiliar ceiling…” Rei Ayanami thought to herself.

Even though it was time to sleep, Rei Ayanami's mind was unusually clear. A certain indescribable warmth enveloped the outside of the room and extended into the boundless world.

Rei Ayanami curled up, gently pulling the thin blanket covering her into her arms, and took a slow, long breath.

"...Shinji's aura."

It's just a simple breath, yet it has an incredible effect.

The tension, the anxiety, and the loneliness I had felt until now had completely vanished. Even my mind had noticeably relaxed. A strange, indescribable feeling welled up from the depths of my abdomen—

The girl hugged the thin blanket tightly and squeezed her legs together in the most primal way.

…………

…………

The girl spread her legs and suddenly stepped down forcefully.

The dark blue machine, trailing two streaks of condensed steam, charged toward the skeletal ichthyosaur ahead of the tunnel. Its charging posture was exactly like that of a dancer gliding on ice.

Russia, NERV Bethany Base.

Inside the central control room, a huge screen in the center flashed bright red warnings everywhere, while a large number of indicator lights were embedded in the copper plates on the control panel next to it, and each red light indicated a problem.

The seemingly impenetrable River of Lamentation system had been breached, the permafrost had been invaded, Marduk's plan had gone awry, and most importantly, the Third Apostle, who had been modified and controlled, had suddenly gone out of control. This made him feel as if some kind of conspiracy was looming over him.

"Human strength alone is insufficient to defeat the Apostles."

The headquarters envoy stood in the shadows at a distance, wearing a brimmed hat, and spoke softly.

The Russian regional head, who bore a striking resemblance to Einstein, completely ignored him, his gaze fixed on the screen on the other side. The screen displayed the data for the locally restricted Provisional Unit 5.

“The Third Apostle has gone out of control. Now we can only rely on you, Mary,” the person in charge said, and his voice was transmitted to the cockpit of Unit 5 through the link system.