EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from the Dragon Clan

Chapter 252. The Disappearance of Little Rei Ayanami (Part 250)
He said he was going back, but Shinji Ikari still had something to do.

That is to visit Asuka today.

After the young lady was hospitalized, visiting her every day gradually became a habit for Shinji Ikari. Especially after the Sixteenth Angel's invasion yesterday, she suffered new injuries. He originally came to the hospital to visit the two hospitalized girls, and after finding Rei Ayanami, he naturally had to go see Asuka as well.

Shinji Ikari was very familiar with the place, and soon he arrived at Asuka's hospital room. He was about to push the door open when he quickly stopped and looked at the girl following closely behind him.
"Ayanami...?"

"..."

Rei Ayanami tilted her head slightly.

A hint of confusion appeared in her bewildered eyes, her short blue hair scattered across her fair face.

Shinji Ikari was somewhat surprised.

Previously, when he visited Asuka, the girl would always refrain from coming to the hospital room. Later, Rei Ayanami even stopped coming altogether, staying in her apartment waiting for him to come home. To be honest, the relationship between the two girls wasn't particularly good; they relied entirely on him as a connection.

Although the two of them usually talk to each other, their relationship is only at the level of nodding acquaintances.

But today, Rei Ayanami seems to have broken through that level.

Judging from her expression,
Are you going in with me?
If he and Rei went in at the same time, what expression would Asuka, who was lying in the hospital bed, have? Just thinking about it gives me a headache, but Shinji Ikari can't exactly say something like, "If you go in, Asuka might be very unhappy." Besides, because of his two or three seconds of silence, Rei Ayanami looked a bit lost, even her eyes were somewhat unfocused, like a child abandoned by their parents. Since she wanted to come in, she must have something to say to Asuka.

…Since we're already here…

He pushed the door open and went in.

The conversation in the ward stopped for a moment. Shinji Ikari looked up and saw Asuka sitting half-upright on the bed, and Hikari Toki, who came to visit her good friend every day.

The two girls were just chatting and laughing.

"Shinji."

"Ikari-san."

Upon his arrival, the two greeted Shinji Ikari.

After a day of rest, Asuka looked much better than yesterday's pale complexion. She was about to speak when she saw Shinji Ikari, but Rei Ayanami, who followed her in, immediately made her swallow her words. Seeing the unexpected honor student, Asuka's eyebrows shot up. She seemed to be startled, and her previously lazy expression instantly became focused, like a mother cat that had been stimulated and turned into a hunting mode.

Her voice was momentarily louder than that of the class monitor, Hikaru Toki, standing next to her.

"A top student? What are you doing here?"

"Ayanami-san?"

Faced with the two girls' confusion, Rei Ayanami's eyes remained blank. Wearing her school uniform, she followed behind Shinji Ikari, her ankles, encased in black socks, shifting helplessly from side to side. She subconsciously turned her pleading gaze to Shinji, as if asking him, "What should I do?"

—Who knows what to do?

Shinji Ikari was also puzzled. Rei Ayanami had followed him in, and now she was asking him what to do. However, the girl's action made Asuka turn her gaze to him as well. The beautiful blue eyes of the German young lady were fixed on him. The corruption of the Angel had made her left eye shine with an astonishing light. Although it could be covered with colored contact lenses, there was no need to do so now that she was hospitalized.

The two communicated with their eyes.

Asuka: What's wrong with her?

Shinji Ikari: I don't know.

The two stared at each other for only two or three seconds, but it plunged the entire ward into silence. Fortunately, class representative Hikari Toki broke the ice in time. The girl with a few freckles on her face smiled gently and asked, "Ayanami-san, are you here to visit Asuka too?"

"Ah."

Rei Ayanami finally reacted.

Receiving no response from Shinji Ikari, she looked blankly at Hikaru Toki and nodded in a soft reply.

"I didn't see you at school this morning, Ayanami-san. I thought you were in the hospital too."

"Ah."

"Hmm, are you alright? Are you feeling well?"

"Ah."

"Oh well... Anyway, it's great that you're alright, Ayanami-san..."

Dongmu Guang spoke softer and softer.

Her smile froze, and she looked at Rei Ayanami's calm face with some nervousness. Hikaru subconsciously thought that she might have said something wrong. After all, the Rei Ayanami she knew, although she was taciturn in daily life, was also emotional and would show a beautiful smile, instead of just mumbling "uh-huh" like a machine that could only repeat itself.

Asuka's brows furrowed even more deeply.

Hearing the conversation between the honor student and Hikaru, for some reason, a surge of irritation welled up inside her, making her want to explode. She hadn't felt this way in a while. She took a deep breath and exhaled slightly to release the restless air from her chest. At that moment, Asuka subconsciously looked at Shinji Ikari, but he was staring intently at the honor student's face, seemingly lost in thought.

hateful!

"Shinji, you bastard!" As the conversation between the two gradually fell silent, Asuka raised an eyebrow and interrupted.

"Hey, top student, are you sure you don't need to be hospitalized?"

She asked a question similar to Shinji Ikari's.

Class monitor Hikari Toki didn't know how serious the honor student's injuries were, but she was well aware of it. With such a large wound on Unit-00's chest and abdomen, this guy would need to be hospitalized for at least half a month.

How come you're standing here perfectly intact now? And you look completely bewildered?

"Ah."

Rei Ayanami turned her face towards her.

Is that doll-like stupidity again? All that "uh-huh" and "yeah-yeah"—is that a deliberate reaction? Asuka felt the irritation rising within her growing stronger. If the conversation continued, she was about to unleash her long-absent princess temper; she wasn't exactly a good-natured obedient girl! She bit her lip, glaring at Rei Ayanami with hostility, but could only see that pure, innocent, baby-like gaze.

If Shinji Ikari and Hikaru Toki weren't in the ward right now, Asuka would definitely have started arguing with this guy. But since the two of them were there, she restrained her temper a bit.

However, if the top student stays in this ward any longer, she might explode.

Hikaru Toki had already shut his mouth, looking at the scene before him with concern.

Even the most oblivious person could sense that something was off. Rei was behaving strangely today, reminding Hikaru of what happened a few months ago when she first transferred to the class. Back then, Rei was just as emotionless as she was now.

"Top student, you today—"

"Sorry, Asuka, I'll take Ayanami with me now."

Just then, Shinji Ikari suddenly spoke up.

He reached out and grabbed Rei Ayanami's slender wrist, preparing to leave the ward. Rei followed him closely, as if she had found her pillar of support. But after only a few steps, Shinji Ikari stopped, turned back, and gave Asuka an apologetic look. Unfortunately, the German young lady crossed her arms, rolled her eyes at him irritably, and tossed her long golden hair aside, showing no sign of forgiveness.

…Something's wrong with today's top student.

Asuka sensed something was amiss, but Shinji Ikari didn't explain. Instead, he simply pulled Rei away. There must be some secret hidden behind this. Despite her anger, she still called out to Shinji before the hospital room door completely closed, her tone triumphant, as if deliberately trying to provoke him:
"Hey Shinji, remember to come tomorrow."

"it is good."

It was still very hot outside.

Shinji Ikari let go of Rei Ayanami's hand after pulling her out of the ward.

The two were walking back, following the shade that prevented them from being directly exposed to the sunlight. This time, they were truly back... back to the apartment he shared with Rei Ayanami.

On this road back.

He would occasionally glance at Rei Ayanami.

The girl was walking behind him with her head down, walking obediently. Each step seemed to have been carefully measured so that the intervals between her strides were consistent. Even though his peeking was obvious and anyone could have noticed, if it were the old Rei Ayanami, she would have curiously met his gaze at this moment. But the girl was still immersed in her own world.

"Ayanami, what's wrong with you today?"

He finally couldn't help but ask.

Hearing Shinji Ikari's words, the girl seemed to finally be pulled back to the world.

Rei Ayanami gave him a slightly questioning look, as if to confirm whether he was calling her.

"It feels... how should I put it, very strange."

Shinji Ikari tried to lighten his tone, but it still sounded quite heavy. "I feel like Ayanami and I are much more distant today... as distant as strangers. I initially thought it was because of Lilith, the Angel, but after spending this little time together, I completely dismissed that idea. Ayanami, you seem to still know us. So, is there some reason why you've suddenly become like this?"

Rei Ayanami is acting quite strangely today.

She was like a newborn animal, instinctively following the "mother" who provided a sense of security. He had only ever seen Rei Ayanami in this state of emotional detachment when he first met her. Moreover, only a little over a day had passed between her serious injuries and her discharge from the hospital... Shinji Ikari wasn't stupid; everything about this seemed eerie.

She was becoming more and more like a normal girl, but after just one day apart, she reverted to her old self.

And facing his question.

Rei Ayanami still looked clueless and naive.

She seemed unable to grasp the meaning of Shinji Ikari's question. The two stared at each other for a moment, and unlike Asuka's stubborn refusal to back down, Shinji quickly succumbed to the girl's pure red eyes. He continued leading the way, and Rei Ayanami followed, seemingly knowing subconsciously what she was about to do.

Amnesia?

Is it possible for something so vulgar to happen?

Or was there another reason? The girl looked almost the same as when he first met her a few months ago, and his intuition didn't point to anything else wrong, so Shinji Ikari's pace gradually slowed down.

The apartment building is just ahead.

(End of this chapter)