Shinji Ikari returns from Warhammer

Asuka took a deep breath and felt bad all over.She turned her head and looked at Shinji Ikari, who had a calm expression, and then locked her eyes on Rei Ayanami next to her.

"Then why don't you hide Unit Zero? It's still being repaired!"

"Because the management rights of Unit [-] belong to Europe. As the pilot of the European branch, Asuka, you should know the answers to these questions. You shouldn't ask us." Ritsuko Akagi put away the notebook and looked in front of her. The orange-haired girl was shaking with anger.

Of course Asuka knows it, but she is unwilling to do so.

"The driver has not yet been decided. You have to wait for the next order from Europe." Ritsuko Akagi said.

"There is no one else piloting Unit [-] except me." Asuka tilted her head.

"EVA is a combat weapon. Everything has backup, including the driver." Ritsuko Akagi said extremely cold words.

"What?" Asuka's chest heaved violently. She rushed to the railing and looked at Unit [-], which was gradually disappearing at the end of her field of vision. "Obviously, that is my only place."

"There is no other way. I can only hope that high-level discussions will allow you to still serve as the pilot of the new machine." Ritsuko Akagi looked at the devastated Asuka in front of her and rarely said words of comfort.

"Shut up, what a shabby new machine, I only want my No. [-] machine!" Asuka lowered her head and knocked away the hand that Ritsuko Akagi stretched out, turned around and walked towards the bathroom.

Asuka walked into the bathroom, closed the door, leaned her back against the door, and punched the partition next to her.

Damn, damn, damn... Even though the three of them were EVA pilots fighting against the invading apostles, they were all trying their best.But after all, he is the outsider!

This is where she really feels powerless.

Even if she was rejected by Shinji Ikari, she would not be so sad.Because she felt that even if she didn't rely on others, as long as she could still drive EVA, everyone would still compliment her.

As Asuka took a deep breath, she tried to adjust her mentality. She didn't want others to see her weak side.

When she regained her composure, she stood up and walked towards the elevator shaft.This time, she had nothing to do to face the Night Angel. She planned to go home and play PS4 all day long, waiting for new orders to arrive.

But the moment the elevator door opened, her face turned frosty again.

Ayanami Rei was standing inside the elevator in her school uniform. Asuka didn't want to ride in the same elevator with her for the time being, but turning around and leaving at this time made her feel guilty.She snorted and walked into the elevator.

As the elevator moved, the only sound left in the elevator was the breathing of two people.Asuka leaned against the elevator wall with her arms folded, while Ayanami Rei stood upright with a notebook in her hand.

Suddenly Asuka snorted, but didn't say anything.

"Asuka, EVA is the mirror of your inner soul." Ayanami Rei said.

"What?!" A very ordinary sentence instantly angered the sensitive girl. Asuka glared at Rei Ayanami in front of her like a provocative tabby cat, "What on earth do you want to say?"

"You don't really need EVA. You can be happy without relying on others." Ayanami Rei said softly.

"Don't give me lessons! You are the commander's illegitimate daughter!" Asuka shouted angrily.

However, Ayanami Rei still had her back turned to her, her whole body standing like a straight wooden stake at the elevator entrance.Ayanami Rei's bland reaction further angered the extremely sensitive girl.

"I can be a driver because I'm very good! I'm a genius! It's different from someone like you who got it through connections!"

Asuka still doesn't understand why it was Rei Ayanami who executed the Sword of Damocles when fighting against the Grave Angel.Is it because her mood is more stable?If it were her, she would definitely be able to penetrate the core of that shabby Unit [-] with one blow, and there would be no need for idiot Shinji to take action!

And if this is the case, the so-called Unit [-] will not come to Hakone.Even if she comes, it will only be Unit Zero, not her Unit [-]!

"I can only contact people through EVA, which is different from you." Ayanami Rei said.

"Muji Sai! You're only here because you're just a doll with a baby face and you do what idiot Shinji says!"

"I'm not a doll." Ayanami Rei said.

"You are it! I said you are it! You are a little self-aware, doll!"

Asuka raised her arm and wanted to hit Ayanami Rei in front of her, but before she could fall, she suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Asuka's face was a little ugly after the slap was blocked. Although she waved her hand to hit her, it was just a temporary intention, but she did not expect that the other party would raise her hand to stop her.

At this time, the elevator door opened and Ayanami Rei let go of her wrist, but she did not leave immediately.

"I'm not a doll." Ayanami Rei repeated what she just said in a calm tone, her scarlet eyes like the ocean calmly staring at Asuka's face that was ferocious because of anger, "And compared to you, Shinji She does like me more."

Asuka opened her mouth wide and watched Ayanami Rei leave.It wasn't until a long time later that he punched the wall of the elevator next to him.

"Damn it, are you kidding me! You're obviously a puppet, but you're still so arrogant!"

After calming down, she kicked the elevator door, still wondering why the elevator hadn't moved yet.It turned out that I didn't press the floor key at all.

At this time, in the elevator shaft on the other side, Misato Katsuragi's anxious left toe repeatedly stepped on the floor, and then suddenly looked at Shinji Ikari standing next to her.

Compared to her anxious self, the boy who was her companion in front of her was wearing headphones and listening to music, seemingly not paying attention to Asuka who was now out of control again.

"Should I say you are cold-blooded, or should I say that men are really ruthless animals, even a little boy like you is no exception."

Shinji Ikari took off his headphones, "It's useless for you to be anxious, Misato. Compared to Asuka, you might as well pay attention to the spherical life form with a very special shape and ability."

Indeed, Shinji Ikari was very interested in that spherical life form.Even higher than the previous Thunder Apostle, Sky Apostle and Grain Apostle.

If this black spherical life form is really an apostle, then his ability may really involve the imaginary number space.The reality that unfolds may bring you unprecedented surprises.

"It's a shame that I got you together, you're so irresponsible." Misato Katsuragi gritted her teeth, inserted her thumbs into Shinji Ikari's mouth and pulled outwards.But Shinji Ikari, whose face was being rubbed in her hands, had no expression on his face.

"Do you think I'm important? Compared to Unit [-], or my status as an EVA pilot, I don't matter at all."

Shinji Ikari saw this very clearly. Asuka liked him, but if he told her one day that he would elope with her and stop driving EVA.Then Asuka will not hesitate at all and will definitely choose to be the driver.

At least now it seems that driving EVA is the meaning of her life, not herself as a man.

Katsuragi Misato also cares about chaos.

"Don't worry, I will take care of her. If the new machine does not have a designated pilot, or the driver's quality is not enough, I will let Asuka become the pilot of the new machine." At this time, Shinji Ikari expressed his thoughts .

"How do you verify a driver's quality? Does it depend on his grades? Or does it depend on his breast size?"

Listening to Misato Katsuragi's teasing, Shinji Ikari suddenly thought of the big-breasted woman who fell from the rooftop at the sports meeting that day, and then smiled softly without answering.

It is taboo for an amateur to command an expert. If Unit [-] really has its own pilot, Shinji Ikari will not interfere with SEELE's decision.

But if you say your grades are average, or you are just a novice, just like Suzuhara Toji.Then he naturally wouldn't mind using his newly acquired rights to force Asuka to become the pilot of the new machine.

Although Asuka talks about the broken machine, she would be happy if she could be the pilot again.

As time went by, Shinji Ikari actually felt a bit cute about Asuka's arrogant and unfrank character.But he didn't know that the dispute that happened in another elevator not long ago would further deepen Asuka's mental internal conflict.

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

"Shinji, good morning."

Shinji Ikari met Ayanami Rei head-on in the corridor. Ayanami Rei had already put on her combat uniform, with an expressionless face and a notebook in her hand.

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

Looking at the girl who greeted him normally, Shinji Ikari thought that he had promised to sleep with her last night.Thinking of this, he couldn't help but have the urge to slap his forehead.

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

Looking at Ayanami Rei walking away, Shinji Ikari wanted to raise his hand to call her, but in the end he said nothing.

Because he suddenly felt that sometimes he still needed to take the initiative.

One Thirty: Before Darkness Comes

Asuka, with a gloomy face, was leaning back in the elevator with her arms crossed;

Rei Ayanami, with a calm face, was walking towards the Development Department Research Institute in District [-]; and Shinji Ikari was walking slowly in the opposite direction.

At this time, Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi gathered in the war conference room, but they just nodded slightly and looked at the latest investigation report.

Regarding the spherical life form that suddenly appeared not long ago, NERV has always been the focus of attention, but so far no trace of it has been found. "Miss Misato, are you a little tired?" asked Hinata Makoto next to him.

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

Hinata Makoto stopped talking when he heard this, but Ritsuko Akagi next to him said, "Is that Asuka's kid?"

"Asuka, you are not a child I can let go of." Misato Katsuragi sighed, rubbing her head.

But suddenly, a blazing wind blew in my face, and the darkness seemed to be swallowing me up like a tide... with a touch of warmth and moisture, and it seemed like it had slipped into the intestines of some giant beast.

Everyone fell down in unison, because at that moment something pressed so hard that their hearts almost stopped.It's similar to facing the apostle directly, but in essence it's closer to the weightless feeling of falling into some hell, which makes people gasp in horror.

Then, everyone opened their eyes in unison.

What came into view was the slightly familiar white ceiling.The feeling of oppression was fleeting, but for just a short moment, they felt like they were in a burning hell, and the aftertaste like the flapping wings of tiny bees still lingered in their minds.

"What...happened?" Misato Katsuragi asked in horror.

"I don't know..." Ritsuko Akagi's eyes widened.

This was the first time she encountered that special situation.Except for some kind of mental coercion that would bring about visions, there seemed to be no special circumstances. "MAGI, what happened?" Undecided, Ritsuko Akagi decisively asked the headquarters' supercomputer.

The crystal chandelier above the conference room suddenly lit up, and the bright light drove away the darkness and cold atmosphere.

"Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, Director Misato Katsuragi, did not notice any trace of the intruder. No blue wave of the apostle was detected. I just observed your emotional changes." A mechanical female voice echoed above the hall, "In short , There is no problem in reality, it’s just that you have problems.”

"Our problem?" Ritsuko Akagi frowned.

"Maybe it's a change that cannot be monitored, and only living things, or only humans, can sense it." Misato Katsuragi said quietly.

As if a black fear exploded in her heart, Ritsuko Akagi felt that her blood had gone cold. She understood what Misato Katsuragi meant. He also knew what kind of mission this seemingly hilarious headquarters actually undertook. He is decisive and never hesitates too much, standing at the forefront of mankind.

The biggest difference between humans and apostles is wisdom and the science they can rely on.But if science doesn’t work, what can we rely on?

Ritsuko Akagi took out her cell phone from her pocket and dialed the number of the commander-in-chief, but did not dial it immediately. She looked at Misato Katsuragi through the lenses. She was still waiting for the judgment of her old friend. After all, as the minister of the combat department during the war, she She is the one in charge, so you should listen to her opinion first.

"We will first recruit qualified people, at least when a situation arises, they can respond to possible crises in the shortest possible time." Misato Katsuragi said, "Especially Shinji Ikari."

"What about... Asuka?" Ritsuko Akagi asked.

Misato Katsuragi thought for a while, "Let her rest first."

"No need to inform, we are already here." A cold voice came to mind at the door, and when he looked sideways, he saw Shinji Ikari walking towards here with long strides.

Everyone looked away at the same time. Shinji Ikari was gentle and gentle under normal circumstances, but during the war, he had an essence similar to Misato Katsuragi. The smell of blood coming from the bones made people shudder inexplicably.

Only Misato Katsuragi came forward with concern, "Are you okay? You two?"

"I'm fine." Ayanami Rei nodded slightly.

They had also experienced the kind of heart palpitations and hallucinations just now, as if they were facing the apostle directly, but also as if they were falling into hell and abyss.But Ayanami Rei was rarely frightened, partly because Shinji Ikari was right next to her, and partly because of this feeling... She had experienced it many times.

She was never pampered and grew up slowly like a puppet in the way the commander and Ritsuko expected.There were no surprises or expectations in her life, except for the appearance of Shinji Ikari.Ayanami Rei still remembers lying in the dark concrete dormitory and him opening the curtains like light.

Even if I really go to hell, I won't be afraid if I'm with Shinji Ikari.

Misato Katsuragi was relieved, "It seems that only living things will be affected. Invite the person in charge of the environmental department. I want to know what changes have happened to the flora and fauna in Hakone."

Hakone is not just Area 23, but also a huge underground world.With the underground pyramid as the center, it covers an area of ​​more than 2 square kilometers.There are quite a lot of flora and fauna in it, and many staff speculate that this is the fire used to prevent the world from restarting if it is really destroyed by the apostles.

"It seems like I have to live in Hakone these days." Shinji Ikari had returned to normal at this time, smiling and holding Katsuragi Misato's hand, comforting her.

"I will ask the school for leave for you and Rei Ayanami." Misato Katsuragi said.

"Isn't there Asuka?" Shinji Ikari suddenly frowned.

"It's not necessary for the time being, and the apostle whose form and ability are still unknown this time is too dangerous, so let her have a good rest." Katsuragi Misato said.

Shinji Ikari took a sip, although in his opinion this might increase Asuka's mental burden.

From the first time he saw this girl as red as the sun in Yokohama, Shinji Ikari knew that she was a good girl who was not afraid of danger.But her heart may be more fragile than the average person of her age.

It is this contrast between strength and fragility that maintains balance that attracts me.

——Hakone, District [-], staff dormitory.

Toys floated in a pool of foam.This is a huge oval ceramic bathtub.Soft light casts from the ceiling of the bathroom, shining on the girl's clear skin.

"Asuka, you should have a good rest these days. The pilot of the new machine is still under discussion, and you should be made the new pilot. Shinji Ikari and I will help you."

"Okay, I understand. I will stay home well." Asuka hung up the phone without saying any provocative words.After ending the call, he threw the phone into the basket filled with his clothes.

Then she slowly sank her body into the water.

"Are you stupid? I just want to drive EVA." Asuka's lips were just submerged in the water, and she was blowing bubbles like this.

Asuka didn't know much about Japan's traditional bathing culture before, and why Japanese people are so obsessed with taking baths.No matter how narrow the bathroom is, there must be a bathtub that can accommodate one or two people.

She didn't know why, but when she talked about the two people, she thought of Shinji Ikari again. She didn't bother to think about the reason, she just thought of him, "What an idiot."

She poked the floating toy into the water with her fingers, watching it float again. Sometimes she blew on it to blow it away, and then stretched out her legs from the foam to pull it back.Asuka had been in the shower for an hour, most of which was spent playing with toys.But a grown girl like her obviously shouldn't be interested in such a bath toy, but in some ways her mental age seems to be stuck in the past.

Especially when encountering pain and setbacks.

Asuka instinctively put her hands into her legs in the water, then raised her snow-white swan neck and gently touched her body.Just like last night when Shinji Ikari touched himself.

This is the second time since returning home.Sometimes she knew it wasn't good, but she just didn't want to think too much about it.