I participated in the development of EVA

"Did you go the wrong way?"

Ibuki Emi smiled slyly.

"No, didn't you say you would accompany me tonight!?"

"I don't think you have this need, that's not right! You are the one who is scared, I can accompany you, that's still not right! I said I was just joking."

"But I'm really scared. Look, my hands are shaking."

"You're not shaking your hands, you're shaking them off."

"it's the same."

"..."

Ikari Fumihiko was completely speechless and didn't know how to respond.

I can only bite the bullet and speak.

"It's bad for your reputation."

"You are afraid of affecting your reputation."

Ikari Fumihiko had no choice but to surrender.

"Sister, I was wrong...I shouldn't have said such big words just now."

Ibuki Emi knew that she should continue to pester him, but she still thought it would be better to stop.

"It's okay to know you were wrong."

After saying that, he left towards his dormitory.

Ikari Fumihiko breathed a sigh of relief.

If Ibuki Emi continued to pester him, he was really worried that he would not be able to control himself. After returning to the dormitory, he always had an illusion while lying on the bed. Although the sheets and quilts were newly changed, he still felt the scent of Ibuki Emi on them. He tossed and turned, looking at the photo of Fuyutsuki Kana, and strengthened his belief before falling asleep exhaustedly.

I want to sleep in, but I wake up at a certain time and never fall asleep again. It is obvious that my body has developed a habit.

First, he came to the Ayanami project team and checked on Rei Ayanami's situation.

It feels no different than yesterday.

After seeing Rei Ayanami, he didn't know what to do for a moment. If it were in the past, he would definitely hide in the office and pretend to be in a daze. There was no other way to do anything lazy except being in a daze when he couldn't go back to the dormitory. But now he felt anxious because he had nothing to do.

Just then I received a text message.

[Now that you are up, come to the minister's office for a meeting.]

After receiving the notice from Ikari Yui, Ikari Fumihiko was stunned.

no……

You are too cunning——

What does it mean to hold a meeting in the minister's office? This is clearly asking me to come over for an interview.

I wanted to play dumb and ignore it, but then I received another text message.

[I've seen you read the message, don't try to ignore it. ]

Fumihiko Ikari subconsciously looked up and pointed the camera at himself.

Reluctantly, he got up and went to the minister's office.

Today, Ikari Yui's smile was particularly cunning.

"You didn't expect that! Today's meeting is for two people."

Ikari Fumihiko smiled bitterly.

"I really didn't expect it."

Since he couldn't avoid it, he didn't bother talking nonsense and went straight to the point again.

"Tell me, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"The construction of Unit-0 is almost complete. I want to talk to you about Unit-01."

"Isn't it necessary?"

Ikari Fumihiko continued to act dumb and expressed his opinions.

"Although I don't know the construction cost of Unit-00 and its daily maintenance cost, judging from its size, it is definitely not a small number. Of course, I am not talking about the funding issue. I think that for such a high-cost creation, we should not only pursue quantity, but also quality, not to mention the need to consider the issue of the pilot.

We should collect enough data on Unit-0 now before considering Unit-01."

Ikari Yui put away her cunning smile.

"Next time you want to act dumb, think before you speak."

Ikari Fumihiko was a little slow to react and didn't understand the flaw in what he said.

Ikari Yui spoke again without waiting for Ikari Fumihiko to ask.

"EVA is a living being that has been transformed into a weapon. The power it can unleash has nothing to do with the technology we have mastered."

Ikari Fumihiko was stunned for a moment.

It was really an oversight...

However, he was still stubborn and refused to admit his mistake.

"I didn't ignore this point, I just didn't express it clearly just now. What I meant was to enhance the biological upper limit through machinery."

"Oh."

Ikari Yui responded without comment.

She didn't dwell on this point, as she knew in her heart that no matter how much she pressed Ikari Fumihiko he would never reveal his thoughts.

"The basic plan for Unit-01 was finalized last night. Once the body is grown, the construction of Unit-0 will also be basically completed. You will continue to be in charge of the construction work."

Fumihiko Ikari really doesn't want to have anything to do with Unit-01.

"Can I say no?"

Ikari Yui really couldn't understand why Ikari Fumihiko would resist Unit-01.

"I don't quite understand why you refuse. The construction of Unit-01 is not much different from Unit-00. It's nothing more than some technical optimization. Well... to be honest, it has nothing to do with you. Whether the technology is optimized or not, the main work will still be undertaken by Emi. To put it bluntly, you are the nominal person in charge."

Ikari Fumihiko gritted his teeth and made an excuse.

"In that case, why not just let Emi be promoted to team leader and be fully responsible for the construction of Unit-01."

Ikari Yui knew that Ikari Fumihiko was not telling the truth, but she could do nothing about it.

He rolled his eyes at Ikari Fumihiko and spoke unhappily.

"Do you think anyone can be a team leader!?"

"She has the ability and experience, so there shouldn't be any problem for her to be the team leader, right? Well, I became the team leader without knowing why."

"Your situation was an exception, and you have the qualifications to be a team leader."

"What qualifications?"

"prestige."

"What prestige did I have at that time?"

"The aura of genius and the fact that the director is your cousin are enough to convince everyone. Huimei does not have enough connections or scientific research results to convince everyone. The so-called abilities and experience you mentioned are all in the category of clerical work. If it weren't for Professor Yamaki, she would not even be qualified to be the deputy director."

Ikari Fumihiko sighed.

"Ok."

126. Do you have to be so exaggerated?

"Besides the matter of Unit-01, there is another matter."

"what's up?"

"Take some time every day to do firearms training and LCL adaptation training."

"???"

Fumihiko Ikari felt his scalp tingling.

"No way...are you serious!?"

Ikari Yui's expression was extremely serious.

"You think I'd joke with you about this?"

"will not."

Although Ikari Fumihiko knew that this preparation would not be actually used, he was still a little panicked.

"I really can't do this. Let's change the team! Even if you don't consider me, you should consider Shinji."

After a pause, he added another sentence.

"Professor Yamaki was only experimenting with a brief fusion with EVA, and part of his soul was devoured. This is all good luck in my opinion. You..."

Ikari Yui interrupted what Ikari Fumihiko was about to say.

"I know that once this plan is activated, I may be completely swallowed by EVA."

Ikari Fumihiko hastily corrected him.

"No! It's not just possible, I will definitely be devoured. There is absolutely no hope of survival."

"I know."

"Knowing that you still made this plan?"

"What else? Do you have other candidates?"

Without waiting for Ikari Fumihiko to speak, Ikari Yui continued speaking again in a calm tone.

"Be reasonable."

"It's easy for you to say that. I also want to be rational, but how can you let me stay rational in this matter?"

"Relax, I'm just letting you be the driver. Don't act like I'm asking you to switch places with me."

At this moment, Fumihiko Ikari understood.

Why am I feeling anxious because of having nothing to do? The source of all this is Ikari Yui.

Every time they talk, Ikari Yui creates anxiety and adds to the burden on him.

He really couldn't understand what Ikari Yui was trying to do.

"My small body can't bear such a heavy burden."

After a moment's silence, Ikari Yui spoke.

"We have to fight even if we can't bear it."

After the concept of soul injection came up, she had the idea of ​​merging with Unit-01.

Because Unit-01 is the key to the high-level human completion plan, she wants to stop the human completion plan in this way so that Shinji can have a future. Even if she cannot maintain self-awareness after the fusion, she can hand over the decision-making power of human destiny to Fumihiko Ikari. She really can't see through what Fumihiko Ikari is thinking, but she is still willing to believe in him.

She would have such thoughts, except that she didn't want the fate of mankind to end here.

It’s more because of Shinji Ikari.

as well as……

The burden was too heavy for her to bear.

The increasingly dark circles under his eyes are not caused by being too busy and having no time to sleep, but by insomnia. Once he has free time, he will feel anxious and is often awakened by nightmares. Sometimes, those who died because of his decisions are seeking revenge on him, and sometimes he dreams of the destruction of the world and Shinji dying without knowing anything.

Fumihiko Ikari couldn't figure it out, so he gave up thinking and asked directly.

"You've been putting pressure on me lately, can you tell me why!?"

"Professor Yamaki has lost his scientific research ability. Someone must take his place. You are the most suitable candidate. No! You are the only one who is capable of taking over."

This is not what Ikari Yui really thinks.

She wanted Fumihiko Ikari to take over her position, so she was so eager to force Fumihiko Ikari to grow up.