Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

"Yes, I understand, Your Highness."

"...Oh, wait a minute." She pulled her panties out from under the sheets, though she'd forgotten who had taken them off. Although there hadn't been any real physical intimacy last night, some indescribable things had still happened under the influence of alcohol.

Ultimately, Asuka herself was also moved.

Of course, she would never admit that she enjoyed what happened last night.

"Here you go." Asuka reached out from under the covers and handed him the underwear. "Put it on the shelf for me, or you can keep it if you want."

Asuka turned her head away, no longer looking at him.

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The quickest way from the staff dormitory in the fourth ward to the underground station is along the route that runs through the Suginami red-brick shopping street. This is a wonderful place full of retro old-fashioned charm, and for Misato Katsuragi, who has spent three years in this neighborhood, every building is incredibly familiar. As a result, she gets greeted by people she knows just by passing by.

Of course, in case of an emergency, there is a direct route from the staff dormitory to Hakone. However, it is not open to the public under normal circumstances.

From last night until this morning, it was just a brief interlude, but Misato Katsuragi was happy to see Asuka's mental state return to normal. She believed it was all thanks to her.

She was happy to see her children doing well. Shinji Ikari didn't require her attention, and Rei Ayanami was in stable condition. Only Asuka kept her on her toes.

But as the new blue-black mecha was delivered to Hakone, Asuka's good mood took a sharp turn for the worse.

The MK6 Complete Type EVA Unit-06 is a new mobile suit that looks similar to Unit-03, but features an overall yellow and blue color scheme.

This is the EVA that the TABGHA lunar base provided to NERV headquarters after the loss of Unit-03 and Unit-00, leaving them severely damaged. Looking at the EVA before her, which resembled Unit-03, Asuka felt an unprecedented unease.

Her unease was soon proven true.

With the arrival of Unit 6, she could only watch helplessly as her Unit 2 was installed on the fixed frame of the lifting platform, sinking all the way down into the bottomless depths of Hakone.

"Why is my Unit 2 being shelved?!" Asuka angrily questioned Ritsuko Akagi, who was standing on the edge of the elevator platform.

“You should know this best among the three, the second Child with the best overall performance.” Ritsuko Akagi calmly held the notebook. “According to the Vatican Treaty, a country can not temporarily station more than two mobile suits, in order to prevent the overly powerful combat force of EVA from being abused.”

Although Ritsuko Akagi also felt that the treaty was ridiculous, it did exist and constrained NERV's expansion and attacks on the Angels.

Asuka took a deep breath, feeling utterly awful. She turned her head to look at Shinji Ikari, whose expression was indifferent, then her gaze settled on Rei Ayanami beside her.

"Then why not shelve Unit-00? It's still under repair!"

“Because the management of Unit 2 belongs to Europe. As the pilot of the European branch, Asuka, you should know the answers to these questions. You shouldn’t be asking us.” Ritsuko Akagi put away her notebook and looked at the orange-haired girl trembling with anger in front of her.

Asuka knew this, of course, but she was unwilling to accept it.

“The driver hasn’t been decided yet, and you will have to wait for further instructions from Europe,” Ritsuko Akagi said.

"There's no one else but me who pilots Unit 2." Asuka turned her head away.

“EVA is a combat weapon, and everything is backed up, including the pilot,” Ritsuko Akagi said with utter coldness.

"What?!" Asuka's chest heaved violently as she rushed to the railing, watching Unit-02 gradually disappear into the distance. "That was my only place to stay."

"There's nothing we can do but hope that the higher-ups will discuss it and allow you to continue piloting the new mecha." Ritsuko Akagi looked at the distraught Asuka and offered a rare word of comfort.

"Shut up! What kind of crappy new mecha is this? I just want my Unit 2!" Asuka lowered her head, slapped away Ritsuko Akagi's outstretched hand, and turned to walk towards the bathroom.

Asuka went into the restroom, closed the door, leaned against it, and then punched the partition next to her.

Damn it, damn it, damn it… Although all three of them were fighting the invading Angels as EVA pilots, and although everyone was giving it their all, in the end, they were still the outsiders!

This is what truly makes her feel powerless.

Even if Shinji Ikari rejected her, she wouldn't be this upset. Because she felt that even without relying on others, as long as she could still pilot the EVA, everyone would still flatter her.

Asuka took a deep breath and tried to adjust her mindset; she didn't want others to see her vulnerable side.

After readjusting her mindset, she got up and headed towards the elevator shaft. This time, the fight against the Night Apostles wasn't her responsibility; she planned to go home and play PS4 all day while awaiting new orders.

But the moment the elevator doors opened, her face turned icy cold again.

Rei Ayanami, dressed in her school uniform, stood inside the elevator. Asuka didn't want to ride in the same elevator with her for the time being, but turning away now would only make her seem guilty. She snorted and stepped into the elevator.

As the elevator moved on, only the breathing of the two people remained inside. Asuka leaned against the elevator wall with her arms crossed, while Rei Ayanami stood ramrod straight, holding a notebook.

Suddenly Asuka let out a cold snort, but didn't say anything.

“Asuka, EVA is a mirror of your inner soul,” Rei Ayanami said.

"What?!" A simple sentence instantly enraged the sensitive girl. Asuka glared at Rei Ayanami like a provoked tabby cat, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

“You don’t really need EVA. You can be happy without depending on others,” Rei Ayanami said softly.

"Don't lecture me! You're the commander's illegitimate daughter!" Asuka shouted angrily.

However, Rei Ayanami remained with her back turned, her entire body standing as straight as a wooden stake at the elevator entrance. Rei's indifferent reaction further enraged the incredibly sensitive girl.

"I'm a driver because I'm excellent! I'm a genius! Unlike you, who got in through connections!"

Asuka still doesn't understand why Rei Ayanami wielded the Sword of Damocles when confronting the Seraphim. Was it simply because her emotions were more stable? If it were her, she could have easily pierced the core of that dilapidated Unit-03 in one strike, without even needing that idiot Shinji to intervene!

In that case, the so-called Unit 6 wouldn't come to Hakone. Even if it did, it would only be Unit 0 that gets shelved, not Unit 2!

"I can only contact people through EVA, unlike you," Rei Ayanami said.

"Shulus! You're only here because you're a doll with a baby face who obeys that idiot Shinji!"

“I am not a doll,” Rei Ayanami said.

"You are! I said you are! Have some self-awareness, doll!"

Asuka raised her arm to strike Rei Ayanami, but before she could strike, Rei grabbed her wrist.

Asuka's face turned a little ugly after her slap was blocked. Although she had only raised her hand to hit her on a whim, she did not expect the other party to raise her hand to stop her.

The elevator doors opened, and Rei Ayanami released her wrist, but she did not leave immediately.

“I am not a doll.” Rei Ayanami repeated her words calmly, her ocean-red eyes gazing serenely at Asuka’s face contorted with rage. “And Shinji does like me more than you.”

Asuka stared wide-eyed as Rei Ayanami left. Only after a long while did she slam her fist into the wall of the elevator next to her.

"Damn it, what a joke! It's clearly a doll, yet it's so arrogant!"

After calming down, she kicked the elevator door, still wondering why the elevator hadn't moved. She then realized she hadn't pressed any floor buttons at all.

Meanwhile, in the elevator shaft on the other side, Misato Katsuragi anxiously tapped her left toe repeatedly on the floor, then suddenly turned her gaze to Shinji Ikari standing next to her.

Compared to her own anxiety, the boy who was her companion was wearing headphones and listening to music, seemingly completely oblivious to Asuka's renewed emotional outburst.

"Should I say you're cold-hearted, or that men are indeed heartless creatures, even a little boy like you is no exception?"

Shinji Ikari took off his headphones. "There's no use in being anxious, Misato. You'd be better off focusing on the spherical life form with its rather unique shape and abilities than Asuka."

Indeed, Shinji Ikari was extremely interested in that spherical life form. Even more so than in the previous Lightning Angel, Sky Angel, and Grail Angel.

If this black, spherical life form is indeed an Apostle, then its abilities might truly involve the imaginary space. The reality that unfolds from this might bring unprecedented surprises.

"I even tried to set you two up, and you're just being irresponsible like this." Misato Katsuragi gritted her teeth, shoving her thumbs into Shinji Ikari's mouth and pulling them out. But Shinji, whose face was being rubbed in her hands, remained expressionless.

"Do you think I'm important? Compared to Unit-02, or rather, my identity as an EVA pilot, I'm completely insignificant."

Shinji Ikari understood this perfectly. Asuka liked him, but if he were to tell her one day that he wanted to elope with her and stop piloting the EVA, Asuka wouldn't hesitate for a second and would definitely choose to become a pilot.

At least for now, it seems that piloting EVA is the meaning of her life, not her manhood.

Misato Katsuragi is simply someone who gets confused when she cares too much.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her. If the new mobile suit doesn't have a designated pilot, or if the pilot isn't qualified enough, I'll have Asuka become the pilot of the new mobile suit." Only then did Shinji Ikari reveal his thoughts.

"How do you assess a driver's competence? By their performance records? Or by the size of their breasts?"

Listening to Misato Katsuragi's teasing, Shinji Ikari suddenly thought of the busty woman who fell from the rooftop at the sports meet that day, and then smiled slightly without answering.

It's a big no-no for an amateur to direct an expert. If Unit-06 really had its own dedicated pilot, Shinji Ikari wouldn't have interfered with SEELE's decision.

However, if someone's performance is mediocre, or they're just a novice like Suzuhara Toji, then he naturally wouldn't mind using his newly acquired authority to force Asuka to become the pilot of the new mecha.

Although Asuka talks about the dilapidated mecha, she would probably be happy to become a pilot again.

Over time, Shinji Ikari actually found Asuka's reserved and arrogant personality somewhat endearing. However, he was unaware that a recent argument in another elevator had further exacerbated Asuka's inner turmoil.

As the elevator doors opened, Shinji Ikari and Misato Katsuragi waved goodbye, then saw a familiar blue figure at the other end of the corridor.

"Shinji, good morning."

Shinji Ikari encountered Rei Ayanami in the corridor. Rei Ayanami had changed into her combat suit, was expressionless, and was holding a notebook in her hand.

"Oh, good morning, Rei," Shinji Ikari greeted with a smile.

Looking at the girl who greeted him so casually, Shinji Ikari suddenly remembered that he had promised to sleep with her last night. Thinking of this, he felt an urge to slap his forehead again.

But Rei Ayanami's expression was very natural, as if she didn't care at all that Shinji Ikari was with Asuka last night. She quietly walked past Shinji Ikari.

As Rei Ayanami walked away, Shinji Ikari wanted to raise his hand to call her back, but in the end he said nothing.

Because he suddenly realized that sometimes he needed to take the initiative.

130: Before Darkness Comes

With a gloomy expression, he was facing Asuka, who was leaning against the elevator with her arms crossed.

Rei Ayanami, with a calm expression, was walking towards the research institute of the development department in the second district; while Shinji Ikari was walking slowly in the opposite direction.

At this moment, Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi were gathered in the operations room, but they only nodded slightly as they looked at the latest investigation report.

The spherical life form that suddenly appeared not long ago has been a major focus of NERV's attention, but so far they have not found any trace of it. "Miss Misato, are you a little tired?" Hinata asked from the side.

"Really? Am I in a bad state?" Misato Katsuragi touched her face. "Maybe, in all aspects, especially my private life."

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Makoto fell silent, but Akagi Ritsuko chimed in, "Is it Asuka?"

"Asuka isn't a child I can let go of," Misato Katsuragi sighed, touching her head.

But suddenly, a scorching wind rushed towards me, and vaguely, it seemed as if the darkness that was about to engulf me was swallowing me up like a tide... The warm, moist touch felt like sliding into the stomach of some kind of giant beast.

Everyone collapsed to the ground in unison, as if something had pressed down on them so hard their hearts nearly stopped. It was similar to facing an apostle, but essentially closer to the weightless feeling of falling into some hellish abyss, leaving them breathless with terror.

Then, everyone opened their eyes at the same time.

Before their eyes came a slightly familiar, pristine white ceiling. The oppressive feeling vanished in an instant, but in that brief moment, they felt as if they were in a scorching hell, with the lingering echo of tiny bees fluttering their wings still resonating in their minds.

"What... happened?" Misato Katsuragi asked, somewhat alarmed.