EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from the Dragon Clan

Chapter 223 221. The Fifteenth Apostle Attacks!

Shinji Ikari rarely suffers from insomnia.

When the sun rose in the morning and illuminated the apartment, he yawned while lying in bed, unable to fall asleep, and finally felt a little sleepy. Ayanami Rei had just woken up at this time, and the girl rubbed her eyes in his arms. Seeing his sleepy look, she rubbed his chest like a little animal and said softly:

"Ikari-kun, get some more sleep."

"Ah."

Shinji Ikari managed to catch up on some sleep.

He didn't sleep well that night. Rei Ayanami tried to keep the noise of washing and making breakfast quiet. When Rei woke him up and ate breakfast, he finally recovered a little. But the busy phone call last night still weighed heavily on his heart and he couldn't forget it.

Yes, that must be the call from Ryoji Kaji.

Blessings and good governance.

Will I ever see this man come back?
Shinji Ikari was not a stranger to him, but they were not close friends either, as they had not spent much time together. But in any case, it was still sad to think that an acquaintance might have died in an unknown place yesterday.

And now there is something important to do so as not to let down Jiazhi Liangzhi's good intentions.

…the watermelon patch.

I have to find time to go there today.

Although Kaji Ryoji should be confident that others will not find the things hidden there, there is no guarantee that something unexpected will happen, so the sooner the better. Ikari Shinji decided not to return to the apartment after finishing training this afternoon, but to go directly to the watermelon field to get the things. Presumably, all the information about the Human Completion Plan will be revealed to him soon.

On the way to school, he told Ayanami that he was going out that afternoon. The girl nodded to show that she understood, and after a long while she whispered,
"Ikari-kun, are you doing anything dangerous?"

"……don’t worry."

This is the only way Shinji Ikari can comfort her.

Of course he knew that he was doing something dangerous, but if he went to the end without knowing anything and then waited for others' judgment, Ikari Shinji could not rest easy. He had to know what the future would be like after all the apostles were annihilated. His own destiny had to be in his own hands. Ayanami Rei looked worried, and her beautiful eyebrows were slightly frowned. He reached out to soothe the girl's worried look, smiled and said,
"Just trust me."

"Ah."

But the beautiful girl was still a little worried.

This is not okay.

Shinji Ikari decided to use his ultimate move. He looked at the empty street and took advantage of a gap when no one was around to hug Ayanami. After a long and deep kiss, there was no worry on her face this time. The girl's face flushed slightly and she followed him obediently.

I took the tram to school.

There was nothing much to say about the school today. The only thing that surprised Shinji Ikari was that Asuka didn't seem to sleep well and yawned several times. Even after class, when the three of them got on the train to the headquarters, this young lady still looked very sleepy.

"Asuka, did you not sleep well?"

"It's because of Misato," she said unhappily.

"Ms. Misato?"

"Well, Misato cried so hard last night." Asuka said with a sleepy face and no energy, "She didn't say anything when I asked her. I really don't know what happened. In the middle of the night, she got up and cried again, which woke me up. As a result, I didn't fall asleep until dawn. Ahhhh, really! Shinji, what do you think is wrong with Misato?"

By the end, worry was evident on her face.

It was rare to see Asuka looking so worried. Of course, Asuka didn't expect Ikari Shinji to know why Katsuragi Misato was crying, she was just sharing the trivialities of her daily life.

It seems that Miss Misato already knows what happened.

Ikari Shinji sighed in his heart.

Compared to herself, Katsuragi Misato must be the saddest person, and she didn't know if she could get out of the sadness. At this time, Asuka next to her was already very sleepy. She slept for less than three hours last night. The morning class made her dizzy. She was already very sleepy, and the apostle erosion also made people sleepy. Now she was already forcing herself to stay awake.

"I need to catch up on some sleep, Shinji. Remember to call me when we arrive at the station."

Whisper this sentence quietly.

Asuka habitually rested her head on his shoulder, and the girl fell asleep peacefully as soon as she closed her eyes.

Shinji Ikari tried his best to keep his body stable so that Asuka could sleep more comfortably. The train soon arrived at the station. Asuka had only slept for more than ten minutes, so when he woke her up, she was still dazed. It was as if her soul had flown to the sky and was hanging on her body, like a zombie. She could put on bloody makeup to play the zombie in a TV show.

"I hope Misato gets better soon."

Asuka said half asleep.

At this moment, she hoped that Katsuragi Misato could get over her pain more than Ikari Shinji did, otherwise she might not get enough sleep at night... If this continued every day, she would have to move out.

In the headquarters.

Misato Katsuragi's eyes were a little swollen.

She put on heavy makeup today to cover up her puffy eyes a little, but she still looked a bit tired. After waking up in the morning, Asuka, who was full of curiosity, kept asking her what happened, but she could only answer perfunctorily. And no matter what she did after arriving at the headquarters today, Katsuragi Misato was a little absent-minded.

She is not a child anymore.

If she was a teenager, she could cry to her father; even if she was older, she could cry to Kaji Ryoji. But now she is almost thirty years old, and there is no one in the world to cry to. People grow up in an instant. Now she not only bears the life of her father, but also the life of Kaji Ryoji. Misato Katsuragi's expression is quite cold. She rubbed her face to make it softer. It seems that she has become the unreliable person again.

She recalled the conversation she had with Ritsuko Akagi when she first came to the headquarters today.

"Miri, you..."

"I'm fine, Ritsuko."

Ritsuko Akagi, who was smoking, looked at her friend's red and swollen eyes and found it hard to believe her saying that she was fine. It was the first time she saw Misato Katsuragi look so cold. Ritsuko Akagi knew the reason for this yesterday. She sat in the chair for a long time before she came to her senses. Now she was also very upset, so she smoked to relieve her boredom.

Ryoji Kaji is one of her few good friends.

The two women were silent.

The office was filled with the unpleasant smell of cigarettes. Akagi Ritsuko had quit smoking for several months, but today she started smoking again. The ashtray was full of burnt ashes, as if she was smoking all the cigarettes she had smoked for several months at once. Katsuragi Misato did not question her good friend why she did not tell her about Kaji's whereabouts, because she had realized during her crying last night that this was something Kaji Ryoji had decided on his own.

Countless things that happened before have shown that this man had already wanted to commit suicide.

"He asked me to apologize to you."

Katsuragi Misato suddenly said.

Akagi Ritsuko remained silent. The only way she could suppress her depression was by smoking non-stop. She knew why Kaji Ryoji wanted to apologize. He was just apologizing for not listening to her warning and embarking on this road to death. But she didn't need this apology. Rather, the best apology was that Kaji Ryoji could come back intact.

After the conversation ended, Misato Katsuragi continued to work as if nothing had happened.

The office was eerily silent today.

The depressing atmosphere did not ease until the three drivers arrived.

As soon as the drivers arrived at the office, they all frowned because the smell of cigarettes in the office was too strong. Asuka, who was still confused, suddenly woke up with disgust. She covered her nose and immediately left the office. Ikari Shinji and Ayanami Rei also covered their noses.

"Ah sorry."

Ritsuko Akagi had a bitter expression.

Shinji Ikari could understand why Miss Ritsuko started smoking again and said nothing. At this time, Ritsuko Akagi also stopped smoking. The ventilation system in the office started working and the smell of smoke finally dissipated a little.

"Let's start training."

Ritsuko Akagi said.

Even if I am not in high spirits now, I still have to fulfill my duties as the person in charge of the experiment.

She was wearing a white coat, and there was still a lingering smell of cigarettes on her clothes. I don't know how many cigarettes she had smoked. She took the drivers to the training ground. Anyone could see that Ritsuko Akagi was in a trance today. As for Misato Katsuragi, she had been staying in the office and hadn't come out.

long time.

Finally completed the training.

The three pilots gathered in the lounge.

"Why is everyone acting weird today?" Asuka asked confusedly.

"Have it?"

"Of course." The German lady looked at him and blinked, "Shinji, you're weird too. It's as if everyone is hiding something from me."

"Don't think too much." Ikari Shinji said, "By the way, I have to go out for a while."

"Is there a problem?"

"It's important."

Asuka looked over suspiciously.

Obviously, Shinji Ikari was hiding something from her, but the young lady didn't ask any more questions. There was the honor student in the lounge, so she couldn't get any information out of him. She could ask whatever she wanted when the honor student was not around. However, if Shinji didn't leave with her, that meant she would have to leave with the honor student, right?
Just thinking about it, you know how embarrassing it is. Asuka thought to herself whether she should walk slower later... No, why should she walk slower? It should be the top students who should walk slower.

Today is clearly not going to be a peaceful day.

Shinji Ikari originally planned to go look for the watermelon field after leaving the headquarters after the training.

But plans often fail to keep up with changes.

beep--

"All personnel enter level one combat readiness..."

The sudden alarm sounded, and the sound echoed throughout the underground city. The drivers who were resting in the air-conditioning looked at each other in surprise. There was only one possibility for such an alarm to sound at the headquarters.

no doubt.

The new apostle.

(End of this chapter)