Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

The timeline will be adjusted to suit the needs of the plot. For example, the timeline of Unit-00's loss of control was originally before the Water Angel invasion. It has been adjusted to the present.

Chapter Sixteen: Life is a Continuation of a Dream

The ultimate purple war weapon appeared from the other side of the passage, leaping onto the testing ground like a purple lightning bolt.

The moment her wrist was grabbed, even Unit-00, driven only by instinct, could sense the oppressive aura emanating from Unit-01 before her. Perhaps due to her instincts alone, Unit-00 reacted with surprising speed, attempting to activate her AT Field to counterattack, but this time her actions were completely futile.

The deployed AT field melted away like ice and snow. Unit-01 reached out and locked onto Unit-00's neck. The steel hand, reinforced with a warm yellow concentric diamond field, tore through her barrier again after neutralizing Unit-00's Absolute Territory. Even more terrifying was the power emanating from that hand. Beneath Unit-00's steel-like exterior, she wore no equipment, only a steel ring at her collar offering some protection, but the ring was deforming and collapsing.

Unit-01, carrying Unit-00, rose from the testing ground, a straight blade springing from his wrist. Without a doubt, his next move would be to sever Unit-00's throat.

"Shinji Ikari! Stop! You can't kill people!" Misato Katsuragi roared.

But in reality, everyone guessed wrong. Shinji Ikari wasn't going to go on a killing spree; he was going to rescue the pilots.

The B-type equipment mounted on Unit-00's back was forcibly removed using physical means, allowing the development team to reconnect Unit-01's system. This time, the 'forced shutdown' finally received a response.

"Ten seconds remaining until system shutdown... Five seconds, four, three, two, one, complete!"

"The cockpit has been ejected by force! Quickly rescue the pilot!"

Misato Katsuragi's slightly shrill cries echoed through the test range, perhaps due to an abnormal escape method. The cockpit of Unit-00 spun with a high-frequency noise, spewing out scorching steam, followed by a yellow, columnar object flying out from within.

But Shinji Ikari, who was prepared, grabbed it in his hand—that's the benefit of high synchronization. Piloting Unit-01 became as natural as using his own arm. Even before he could generate a command in his mind, Unit-01 would act as if by telepathy.

At that moment, Shinji Ikari looked at the yellow cockpit in his palm, and for some reason, he felt as if his mind was being drawn to it.

Just as the earth attracts apples to fall, the mental fluctuations emanating from a certain creature in the cockpit of Unit-00 are also drawing one's own soul in.

The moment he had that thought, the spinal catheterization system of Unit-01 automatically unlocked, detaching him and the cockpit from the machine.

…………

…………

Have you decided on a name for your baby?

"If it's a boy, he'll be named Shinji; if it's a girl, she'll be named Rei."

"Why do you have a false heart and body? You are merely an artificial being with a false soul. You are just a fake object disguised as a human. Look, there is only darkness inside you."

"——GOD'S IN HIS HEAVEN, ALL'S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD——"

A bursting spirit roared deep within Rei Ayanami's mind, fragmented images flashing before her eyes... In a misty hospital room, a pregnant woman smiled at her husband standing beside her... On the towering tree, the pale, winged humanoid apostles collectively opened their eyes... Within their enormous, blood-red eyes, a purple mecha, seemingly divine, rose from the pool of blood...

Until the very end, in that carriage bathed in the warm glow of dusk.

I was sitting on the right side of the carriage, and a boy with a Walkman was sitting opposite me.

"I'm getting off first, Li."

The boy smiled and waved to himself, put his Walkman in his bag, and turned to walk towards the exit of the carriage.

Rei Ayanami was about to raise her hand, but hesitated. The boy's face was bathed in the warm yellow light of the setting sun, making it difficult for her to see clearly. But it felt like she recognized him, something very familiar.

But during that brief hesitation, a strange vibration, which sounded like countless metal blocks colliding and squeezing, echoed throughout the carriage.

"Number One Girl! Completely Unsophisticated!"

"—Rei Ayanami!"

The boy's roar shattered the girl's illusion. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Shinji Ikari's face, his eyes wide with anger.

This time, she raised her hand without hesitation, only to see him forcefully pull her towards him. Without experiencing it firsthand, it's hard to imagine that such thin, slender arms could possess such immense strength, and she had never experienced such a violent embrace in her life.

Steam rose, the fail-safe system finally activated, and a large amount of LCL was injected into the test site. Shinji Ikari, holding Rei Ayanami, floated in the pale orange viscous liquid, signifying the smooth resolution of the incident.

Shinji Ikari turned to look at the man in the control center on the third floor. The Commander-in-Chief stood in the shadows, his gaze unwavering, his face as hard as stone, utterly expressionless. It was as if his earlier emotion had been merely an illusion.

"Is this a dream, or reality?"

Rei Ayanami was still somewhat dazed; those scattered fragments of memory lingered in her mind, leaving a deep aftertaste.

But a crisp slap landed on her face, the pain bringing Rei Ayanami back to her senses, and she heard the boy's warm, blessing-filled voice.

"Stupid."

Shinji Ikari released his grip, ignoring Rei Ayanami's still-bleeding body about to be submerged in the LCL liquid. He turned and walked towards the platform's railing.

However, at this point, he really didn't need to worry about it.

Medical staff who were already prepared rushed over with first aid kits, and carrying the injured Rei Ayanami, who was covered in a thick, orange-yellow liquid, they lifted her onto a stretcher and rushed her towards the medical room.

"The first eligible candidate has been placed on a stretcher, and the S36 elevator shaft has been opened."

"The patient is in stable condition, injury assessment..."

Rei Ayanami watched the figure of the boy in the black jumpsuit disappear from sight, and finally closed her eyes.

After a long time, in the severely damaged Test Site No. 2, the areas without light sources were completely hidden in darkness. The man sat in the empty control center for a very long time, and no one was aware of his presence.

Besides the tall, thin old man in military uniform standing behind him—NERV Deputy Commander, Fuyutsuki Yukimasa.

“Unit Zero has been sent for repair. Her loss of control is probably due to her rejection of that child.” Fuyutsuki Yukizo bowed slightly. “However, this is just an isolated case, after all, they share the same origin.”

"We must eliminate this problem and prevent such rampages from happening again," Gendo Ikari said.

“That’s a huge amount of work. I wouldn’t dare say that everything is ready, but please allow me to do it step by step.” Fuyutsuki Yukizo paused for a moment, “There’s something I’m not sure if I should ask.”

"Just ask."

"If Shinji had actually killed Rei at that moment, what would you have done?"

Gendo Ikari didn't say anything, he just coldly pushed up his glasses.

Chapter Seventeen: Rejecting a Young Girl Would Be a Disqualification from Humanity

The chirping of cicadas reminded Shinji Ikari of the day he woke up.

The playground of the Third Tokyo Municipal Junior High School, in front of the volleyball court.

Nino Nakano leaped high and slammed the incoming volleyball down on the other side, her long, her-hair style hair, which had been tied up, was now completely untied and swayed slightly in the warm breeze.

"Speaking of which, Miku has a great figure!" Makoto Isshiki, sitting next to Shinji Ikari, whispered in his ear.

This is a PE class for second-grade class A. Most of the boys are playing on the playground, while the girls are mostly gathered in the rooftop swimming pool wearing swimsuits. Even boys are not allowed in, despite wearing the outdated school swimsuits.

But here's the problem: Shinji Ikari glances at the very outgoing classmate next to him.

"Are you sure she's Miku?" Shinji Ikari asked, his tone tinged with doubt.

The male student named Isshiki Makoto waved his hand dismissively, "It doesn't matter, who can tell the five sisters apart?"

"Hey, did you notice? Nabatame-kun is actually surprisingly nice." Isshiki Makoto muttered under his breath, "Sorry, but she seems to be quite interested in you."

Namamoto stood next to the class monitor, Hikaru Toki, his deliberately feigned innocent face full of naivety, his eyes slightly narrowed, with a crescent shape appearing at the corner of his eye.

Her gaze swept over everyone, and a bright smile lit up the moment she saw Shinji Ikari. The reason she hadn't gone swimming with the girls in her class was because her goal was this legendary, tall android pilot.

If he were my boyfriend, I'd be incredibly proud to show him off. It would greatly enhance my standing in the class.

But just as she was carrying the bottled water she bought from the school convenience store toward Shinji Ikari, she saw two figures walk up to the boy first.

"Ikari-kun, did I disturb you?" At that moment, a girl with short twin ponytails holding a book stood in front of Shinji Ikari. Shinji Ikari shielded his eyes from the sun and recognized the girl in front of him.

Hikaru Toki, who seems to be fourteen years old (the same age as me), is the class representative. He has a strong sense of responsibility and is highly trusted by his classmates. He seems to dislike the "idiot group" consisting of Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida, but after they were beaten up and hospitalized by Shinji Ikari, he was the first to visit them as the class representative.

Thinking about it this way, I'm quite qualified to be a class monitor.

The girl next to him seemed to be a minor celebrity in the class. Shinji Ikari stared at her short, ear-length hair; it was Ichika Nakano.

"Oh, it's the class monitor. What's up?" Shinji Ikari lay on the grass with a smile, even shifting his buttocks a little to the side.

"Oh, thank you, I won't sit." Hikaru Toki waved his hand. "But it seems that Rei Ayanami has taken sick leave. What's the reason?"

"She accidentally hit her arm while moving things," Shinji Ikari said with a smile.

The details of NERV's internal simulation training were naturally confidential, so Shinji Ikari made up a random excuse to get away with it. However, this squad leader named Hikari was clearly not a spy, and Shinji's casual excuse satisfied her, even putting her at ease.

She glanced sideways at her friend beside her; she was actually a little afraid of the famous Shinji Ikari. After all, although he had a handsome appearance, he liked to act tough and violent at school.

On his first day at the new school, he beat up his classmates Suzuhara Toji and Aida Kensuke, sending them to the hospital. But it was because those two idiots deliberately provoked him, so being beaten up was understandable. In the month that followed, he went around picking fights with the class bullies from all grades, acting like the dragon among dragons in junior high.

But after meeting them today, I found them to be quite kind and friendly. I was actually a little scared, and I specifically brought a good friend with me, but now it seems that was completely unnecessary.

"Mainly, we want to go in and visit them."

"Well, this is a bit tricky." Shinji Ikari looked troubled, but his gaze remained fixed on the girl's face. "But if it's the class president's request, then it's not..."

But before Shinji Ikari could finish speaking, his friend Hikaru Toki, who had come with him, interrupted.

“Rei Ayanami lives in Hakone, right? We can’t get in there, so we’ll have to trouble Shinji to visit her on behalf of our class.” At this moment, Nakano, who was clasping her hands together, winked at Shinji Ikari. “Please, please, we’ll buy the gift in advance.”

"There's absolutely no reason to refuse," Shinji Ikari chuckled.

"So you agree?" Nakano Ichika asked with a broad smile.

"Of course, a noble knight who refuses a beautiful girl would be disqualified from all human life."

…………

…………

Late at night, in a bar in Anding District.

This bar in the An Ding area was clearly a quiet place; under the burgundy lighting, everything seemed exceptionally ambiguous. The background music was the classic Scarborough Fair. It was just a pity that two women were sitting at the bar.

"You're actually a little nervous? Haha, are you some kind of innocent young girl, Ms. Katsuragi?"

Hearing her friend's teasing tone, Misato Katsuragi, cupping her face in her hands, closed her eyes.

"Ha, this is different from eight years ago. Besides, Shinji and I don't have any romantic relationship."

"That's hard to say." Ritsuko Akagi pursed her lips, took a drag of the cigarette between her two fingers, and exhaled a long puff of white smoke. "Shinji, that kid, he only has a nominal father-son relationship with the Commander. Maybe the reason he chose to stay is because of you."

"Not really."

Ritsuko Akagi turned her head in surprise; she rarely heard such a certain tone. Misato Katsuragi swirled the wine in her glass and spoke softly.

"I feel it's more likely that he likes EVA. Just like the combat data of unknown origin, just like the inexplicable reason why he is so good at piloting Unit-01, he has an inexplicable strong sense of responsibility and mission. Although he has never said it, as the operations commander, I can feel that he has a belief that no one else can do it."

At this point, Misato Katsuragi downed the swaying cocktail in her glass in one gulp, her face flushed.