EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from the Dragon Clan

Chapter 254, Section 252: The Disappearance of Little Rei Ayanami (Part 6)
The living room was filled with the morning sunlight, which streamed through the windows and onto the floor like scattered gold.

For the past two or three months, the sun has been rising very late. Although the daytime temperatures in Tokyo-3 are still as hot as in summer, it's gradually starting to feel like winter. Shinji Ikari stretched, then habitually went into the bathroom, where the sound of running water filled the air.

I was too busy thinking about things last night.

I even forgot to wash up.

Brushing his teeth, washing his face, and taking a shower—time passed remarkably quickly. Even Shinji Ikari himself didn't know how he managed to do all of this, feeling remarkably calm. Unexpectedly, he showed neither anger nor anxiety; he simply tidied himself up and changed into new clothes.

When he returned to the living room, the apartment was still quiet, without a sound of cooking or smoke. Usually, Rei Ayanami would be up by this time, preparing breakfast. And by the time he came out of the bathroom, it would be time for the girl to go in—a little unspoken understanding between the couple.

There was no one in the kitchen, so he glanced in the direction of the bedroom.

The door was tightly shut, showing no sign of opening. Shinji Ikari thought for a moment, then called softly in that direction, "Ayanami, are you awake?"

"..."

There was no answer from the girl.

The apartment was empty; only his echo could be heard.

It makes sense. If what Shinji Ikari thought yesterday is true, and the current Rei Ayanami is another clone, she would probably still be clueless about what to do—she is not the "Rei Ayanami" he knows. Shinji Ikari realized this clearly once again.

He then walked a few steps to the bedroom door, knocked, and waited a few seconds before pushing the door open and going in.

"...Ayanami?"

"..."

Shinji Ikari had expected to see the girl still sleeping in when he came in.

Unexpectedly, Rei Ayanami wasn't lying in bed sleeping. Instead, she sat quietly on the edge of the bed with her head down, her blue hair obscuring her face. The girl didn't make a sound, as if she were in a daze. No one knew when she woke up or how long she had been sitting on the edge of the bed... Seeing Rei Ayanami like this so early in the morning was like suddenly seeing a female ghost.

At this moment, the beautiful female ghost raised her head.

Shinji Ikari looked at those red eyes.

The two looked at each other.

The girl's red eyes were devoid of any emotion; "lifeless" would be the most apt description. After a long period of eye contact, she seemed to finally notice someone in front of her, her pupils gradually focusing, a hint of confusion appearing on her face.

"Go wash up."

Shinji Ikari spoke slowly.

He moved and turned to leave the bedroom, and Rei Ayanami obediently followed, even wearing her usual slippers. Fortunately, she had some common sense and wasn't like a baby who needed to be taught how to eat, drink, and put on shoes.

Shinji Ikari confirmed this on the way back from the hospital yesterday.

Upon entering the living room, he pointed towards the bathroom. Rei Ayanami looked in the direction he was pointing and seemed to understand—though even Shinji Ikari wasn't sure if she understood him—the girl obediently walked towards the bathroom.

...The sound of water could be heard.

Although she didn't even close the bathroom door, and he could see her taking off her clothes, it seemed she would take a shower by herself. Shinji Ikari breathed a sigh of relief. He walked towards the kitchen, but his attention remained focused on the bathroom, just in case anything went wrong. The sound of cooking fumes slightly interfered with the sound of water. After about half an hour, he finished cooking breakfast and brought it to the table. At that moment, the sound of water in the bathroom suddenly stopped.

Shinji Ikari looked over.

Rei Ayanami walked out of the bathroom naked.

A few droplets of water trickled down the girl's smooth calves onto the floor, her beautiful body laid bare before Shinji Ikari. Clearly, she still had much to learn. Facing the stunned Shinji, she merely blinked, her red eyes filled with bewilderment, obviously asking what to do next and awaiting his instructions.

Shinji Ikari sighed.

He went into the bathroom, took out a towel, and helped Rei Ayanami clean her body. Then he went to the bedroom to find the clothes the girl always wore, and came back to put her school uniform and skirt on her. If it were the first time he had seen Rei Ayanami's body, Shinji Ikari felt that he would definitely have all sorts of thoughts, but the two had become very close over the past few months, and his heart was completely unmoved. In the end, he even brought over a hairdryer and dried her hair.

Rei Ayanami's short blue hair was wet.

It needs to be dried quickly.

Just as he was holding the hairdryer, suddenly, like an animal drenched in a downpour, she shook her head back and forth, shaking off the water droplets. Shinji Ikari quickly raised his hand to block her, and the water droplets from the girl's hair fell onto his hand. As if sensing that shaking her head would splash water on him, Rei Ayanami immediately stopped doing so.

A few minutes later, I finally finished blow-drying Rei Ayanami's hair, who was as quiet and still as a quail.
"It's time for breakfast."

The meal was eaten quickly.

The two finished their breakfast in silence at the dining table.

Nothing unexpected happened. Although Shinji Ikari felt that the Rei Ayanami he was seeing was not the real Rei, some of her small habits showed traces of her, even small actions that had only appeared in the last few months, such as eating. The new clone also knew how to eat... Shinji was a little unsure of his own thoughts. After all, before she met him, she seemed to have been relying on drugs to maintain her body and had never tasted normal food.

Could it be that I'm mistaken?
The thought popped into his head again.

He washed the dishes... even something as simple as washing a dish, and Rei followed him around like a newborn chick mistaking him for its mother. It was unclear whether she even understood the meaning of washing dishes. The apartment was unusually silent today. Shinji Ikari remained silent, and Rei was even more so. He wasn't usually this silent, but if he said something and the girl didn't respond, he thought he might lose control. In any case, asking Ritsuko Akagi should clarify the truth.

Shinji Ikari arrived at the apartment door while thinking to himself.

I glanced at the calendar hanging in the entryway.

There are less than two weeks left until the new year.

To be honest, Shinji Ikari felt that his rationality was on the verge of snapping, and he was trying very hard to control his emotions. He even called his teacher at school to ask for leave, and also asked for leave for Rei Ayanami.

Even so, he took several deep breaths before stepping out of the apartment.

It was a blazing sun outside. Shinji Ikari was fine coming from the air-conditioned apartment into the sweltering street, but Rei Ayanami seemed to be feeling unwell. He had to deliberately walk in the shade, so the two of them kept stopping and starting. The girl's condition made him worry that she might get lost. Several times, Shinji wondered if he had left Rei behind, and only after turning back to see that she was still following behind did he breathe a sigh of relief.

And so we arrived at the tram platform. There weren't many people at the platform during the morning rush hour.

Before long, the tram arrived at the station with a clang.

in the carriage.

The two people on the bench were a full body length apart.

If it were the previous Rei Ayanami, the two would usually sit close together. But although the current Rei Ayanami also tries to sit next to him, Shinji Ikari still maintains a certain distance.

The journey to headquarters did not take long.

After getting off the tram.

Shinji Ikari then took her to headquarters.

Although it wasn't the usual time for pilots to train, the two pilots passed through without any hindrance, and no one even asked them what they were doing there. What Shinji Ikari didn't know was that the staff at headquarters, seeing the two pilots arrive so early in the morning, couldn't help but murmur amongst themselves—had an Angel invaded?

After all, the pilots are usually in school in the morning, and they only appear at headquarters if there is an attack by an Angel.

But there should have been a notification from above in that case.

It's impossible that they were kept in the dark when the apostles arrived.

So it was quite a rare sight for the pilots to appear at headquarters at this time. Although they were curious, they had no intention of asking any questions. For some reason, the pilot of Unit-01 today gave off a feeling that made people want to keep their distance. Just looking at him from afar gave them a strange sense of pressure.

Someone watched the two drivers' departing figures and muttered:
"what's the situation?"

"Perhaps the minister is conducting some kind of experiment?"

"I think so. That direction is Dr. Akagi's office." Suddenly, someone patted their chest with lingering fear. "Is there something wrong with the ventilation system? I feel like I can't breathe properly."

"..."

soon.

Shinji Ikari arrived at the office door.

He knocked lightly on the door, and without waiting for a response, he pushed the door open and entered.

Inside, a blonde woman in a white lab coat was sitting in an office chair with a computer screen lit up in front of her. The screen did not display complex data, indicating that the Minister of Science and Technology was not working.

"Katsura, you're here so early today..."

The office was filled with the pungent smell of smoke, which made people's nasal passages extremely uncomfortable. Early in the morning, Ritsuko Akagi was smoking, and the ashtray on the table was piled with cigarette butts and had not been cleaned up. She thought it was Misato Katsuragi who had come, and her tone was very lazy, but she quickly realized that something was wrong, so she turned her head to take a look.

The person who arrived was none other than Shinji Ikari.

Ritsuko Akagi subconsciously changed the subject and asked:

"...Shinji-kun?"

"..."

Shinji Ikari looked at her with an inquiring gaze.

Rei Ayanami, following behind, also looked over, a hint of doubt in her red eyes, probably wondering why they were here. When Ritsuko Akagi saw Rei Ayanami following Shinji Ikari, the previously somewhat languid expression of the Minister of Science and Technology suddenly tightened.

"Dr. Akagi".

This was the first time Shinji Ikari had used such an unfamiliar form of address to call her.

His voice was calm, yet slightly forceful. Despite his appearance being that of a mere boy, he instilled a strong sense of unease in Ritsuko Akagi, an adult.
"...Is there anything you want to say to me?"

(End of this chapter)