EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 41 It’s so hard to get along with girls

"Asuka~ I'll use your body wash."

"Huh?! Misato! No, give me the ones you bought yourself!"

"Ah~ Because German products are so comfortable to use! They're truly the precise German craftsmanship!"

"Just stop it!!"

…Then, there was the sound of Asuka forcing her way into the bathroom.

——After dinner, Ikari Shinji lay in his room, listening to the cheerful noise coming from the living room.

“…So relaxing.”

I smiled gently, this kind of day is not bad... Or rather, it is precisely in order to make such days last that I choose to join the battle.

But... in the previous battles, I only had to worry about fighting monsters... but in this world, the opponents I have to fight are not just apostles.

The bastard dad, Ryoji Kaji, Makiba... and that Kaworu Nagisa... it seems like they all have their own agenda... plus the secret of the final dogma that Kaworu Nagisa told me, hidden deep underground in NERV...

This isn't something that can be resolved by simply transforming into Tiga and defeating all the Angels or destroying the NERV headquarters. If I want a happy ending... I have to resolve these issues from the root.

Let's find time to talk to Kaji Ryoji tomorrow, at least make him behave himself... Don't let him be wiped out by Ikari Gendo without his knowledge, and then use Kenzaki as a starting point to slowly figure out what his father really wants... ?
“…What’s wrong?”

While I was thinking about my next move, I suddenly noticed a faint presence outside the door.

"... "

As Shinji Ikari called out, the half-closed door slowly opened, and a small aqua-blue head tiptoed in.

The person who came was Rei Ayanami. At this time, Rei Ayanami... was only wearing a loose, simple white shirt without any additional decoration... Her long and slender legs were not covered and were completely exposed to the air.

You can still vaguely see some residual water droplets on her snow-white skin and the ends of her aqua-blue hair... Misato must have just taken a shower.

After all, she lived next door to him, and he had met her by chance quite a few times, whether he was going out or going to the bathroom - but this was the first time she had taken the initiative to knock on his door...

"What happened? Ayanami. Come over here at this hour."

He sat up from the bed, patted the chair beside the bed, and motioned for Rei Ayanami to sit down and talk if she had anything to say.

Rei Ayanami sat obediently on the chair, but did not speak directly. Instead, she looked at Shinji Ikari's hands repeatedly with great concern, and spoke after a while.

"Hand, does it still hurt..."

"Hmm? Did you come here just to ask that? Everything is fine now."

Shinji Ikari casually showed off his hand which had regained its flexibility. His injury was not particularly serious to begin with, and after NERV's treatment, it no longer affected his movements.

“…What is that?”

Rei Ayanami's eyes fell on the Walkman on the bedside. Before she entered the room, Shinji Ikari had been playing with it while thinking.

"Ikari-kun, do you like songs?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean this... I quite like it - this thing..."

After a brief hesitation... Shinji Ikari thought about whether he should tell Rei Ayanami that this thing belonged to Gendo Ikari. After all, Rei Ayanami had told him that she left Gendo Ikari's glasses in the previous room.

She's not even obsessed with the glasses anymore...but she's still holding onto her dad's things, isn't that a bit...

But, on second thought... this is not something shameful. Ayanami trusts me so much, I shouldn't hide anything from her.

"This thing seems to be something my father used when he was a student. He stopped using it after he married my mother and it has been kept at home ever since. I took it and started playing with it."

"…Commander's?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Rei Ayanami's eyes, because she always thought that Shinji Ikari hated Gendō Ikari. After all, the two of them never gave each other a good look when they met... She didn't expect that Shinji Ikari would actually like the things left behind by Gendō Ikari.

"Okay, can you tell me? I want to... know what you like, Ikari-kun."

Mustering the courage to ask, it's quite rare for Ayanami Rei to...express her desires.

I'm very interested - whether it's Ikari Gendo or Ikari Shinji... I want to know what kind of songs they listen to.

Originally, it was rare for Rei Ayanami to ask him for help, so Shinji Ikari shouldn't refuse, but this time he waved his hand.

"But there aren't any songs I like in this thing right now. The songs in it are all a bit too pessimistic... They don't suit my taste."

After all, it was Shinji Ikari's old self who used it to escape from others, to isolate himself from the outside world... Expecting a self-enclosed person's Walkman to be filled with positive music is unrealistic. It suited the young Gendo Ikari and the previous Shinji Ikari... but it wasn't for me, and I didn't want to lend it to Rei Ayanami. Who knew if it would close the heart that had finally opened up to this little girl again?

"...That's it."

Although she said so, Ayanami Rei's mood visibly weakened... The pupils that had finally sparkled with spirit also lost their luster.

"Ah, it's not impossible! It's not impossible! Wait a few days, wait a few days and I'll lend it to you. During this time, I'll see if I can record some... songs I like. If that doesn't work... I'll find a recording studio and sing a few songs for you myself. Is that okay?"

"Ikari-kun...are you singing?"

His tone was still as indifferent as ever, but... the light in his eyes suddenly brightened.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll find a time... Wow!"

Without giving Shinji Ikari any time to be polite, Rei Ayanami moved directly to his face, shook his hand solemnly, and looked straight into his eyes.

"Please!"

"Okay, okay, I didn't expect Ayanami to be interested in this. What kind of music do you like?"

It was originally just a casual question from Shinji Ikari, but unexpectedly it seemed to hit a sore spot, leaving Rei Ayanami speechless.

"style…?"

For Rei Ayanami, who hasn't even started her own life yet...hobbies and choices are too much of a luxury.

"I'm sorry, I... Ugh?!"

Without giving the guilty Rei Ayanami any chance to apologize, Shinji Ikari quickly put his finger on her lips to stop her.

"Don't apologize, we were just chatting among friends... No one apologizes for chatting."

Looking at the eyes flashing with a dazed look and the tearful face in front of me... Nagisa Kaworu's words during the day suddenly flashed through my mind.

—Because that girl was filled with grief and anger, she hated herself. EVA is a mirror of the soul. With such a tormented heart, how could Unit-00 possibly start normally? —

…For a moment, I felt a little heartbroken.

Rei Ayanami is just a pure and innocent girl, literally like a blank sheet of paper... Why does she have to suffer so much?
It makes people unhappy——

Unpleasant—

Unpleasant——

Perhaps because he was in his own room, he neglected to control his facial expressions... Because of the sudden and unreasonable violence and tears from Ayanami Rei, and the indignation in his heart, Shinji Ikari's brows twisted involuntarily...

"Ikari-kun?"

When he reacted, Shinji Ikari found that Rei Ayanami was looking at him with an uneasy expression...

"Is there something... upsetting?"

"Yes—because, Ayanami, you're clearly sad, but you're unwilling to tell me anything. This really hurts me."

"…!?"

Looking at Rei Ayanami's sad expression, Shinji Ikari knew that he had said the wrong thing in an instant... Originally, he wanted to take advantage of the good atmosphere... and try to get Rei Ayanami to tell him in person... what the shackles that had been binding her all this time were.

But - without even answering, Shinji Ikari could tell from the expression on her face... that he had already entered a realm that Ayanami Rei didn't want anyone else to touch.

"—Just kidding. Well, it's getting late... We have classes and training tomorrow, so we should get some rest."

Faced with Shinji Ikari's question, Rei Ayanami was at a loss, nodded as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw, and then turned and left.

But then he seemed to think that it would be bad to just leave without saying anything, so he turned his head and spoke again.

"Goodnight, Ikari-kun—Uta, I'll be waiting with great anticipation."

After saying that, he forced out a slightly stiff smile... before leaving anxiously.

"well…………"

After Rei Ayanami left, Shinji Ikari collapsed on the bed weakly and sighed deeply... When he thought of the sad expression on Rei Ayanami's face just now, he couldn't help but regret his recklessness.

"Captain~~Sister Lina~~It's so hard to get along with girls~~"

(End of this chapter)