EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 74 Ayanami... Don't you believe me? [4000 words]

"I'm back—sorry I'm late...are you hungry?"

As he spoke, he opened the door of the apartment... He was so engrossed in chatting with that idiot Kaji Ryoji that he completely forgot that he had to go home and make dinner for the three hungry people and one bird.

"Stupid Shinji! It's too late—I'd starve to death waiting for you to come back!"

But Asuka's voice came from the kitchen.

"Asuka!? Are you cooking...!?"

Shinji Ikari scratched his head. This seemed to be the first time Asuka took the initiative to cook for him.

"Hey~ Asuka started busying herself as soon as she got home, saying...Shinji-kun stayed up all night yesterday to make bento for us! We can't let him tire himself out with dinner, let me do it! Then she dived into the kitchen."

Katsuragi Misato's snickering sound revealed something that Asuka least wanted Ikari Shinji to know... making Asuka instantly furious.

"No way—Misato, you...! If you still want to eat, stop talking nonsense! That weird bird is spraying on the balcony again! If you don't clean it up before dinner... I'll stew it for the next meal!!"

"How terrible, how terrible~"

Misato Katsuragi realized that she had really gone too far this time... She shouldn't play with the innocent heart of a girl like that, so she had to pick up a rag and go to deal with Panpan's feces.

Looking at this praiseworthy peaceful daily life before him, Shinji Ikari couldn't help but let out a satisfied smile... This is it! This is why he stood up again and fought no matter how many times he fell.

However, Ikari Shinji immediately realized something... Indeed, when he came back this time, the girl who usually came out of the room... and said welcome home to him, did not appear.

“…Hasn’t he come back yet?”

Frowning, he walked towards Rei Ayanami's room...but found that the door was ajar.

"Ayanami? Are you there—? Can I come in?"

I knocked gently on the door and could feel someone inside.

“…………Ikari-kun?”

There was clearly someone there, but there was silence for a long while... The door slowly opened... and I saw Rei Ayanami, still wearing her school uniform.

…didn’t change into home clothes…did he just get home, or…?
"Ikari-kun, I... I'm sorry, Ikari-kun... I didn't hear you come back."

Seeing Shinji Ikari's face, Rei Ayanami first raised her eyebrows, then raised her head with pleading eyes... She seemed to want to say something, but she swallowed the words back bitterly, and finally only said an apology.

"... "

Shinji Ikari looked at Rei Ayanami's expression... Although her expression seemed to be the same, her red eyes were less spiritual than before... Rei Ayanami must be very depressed now... or even confused.

If I'm not mistaken, it should be about... Gendō Ikari's plan to transfer her to Matsushiro.

"Ayanami, you're going to the branch base in Matsushiro with Professor Akagi this weekend, right?"

“!! You, Ikari-kun… you already knew…”

Rei Ayanami was still thinking about how to start the conversation, but she didn't expect Shinji Ikari to start the conversation first. She could only agree nervously, and at the same time, she couldn't help but raise her head slightly... to peek at Shinji Ikari's expression, wanting to know... how Shinji Ikari would react when he knew he was going to be transferred.

"Pretty good."

Shinji Ikari's casual answer pierced Rei Ayanami's heart like a thousand arrows.

"…………!"

In an instant, a deep sadness... a sadness she couldn't even fathom, enveloped Rei Ayanami's entire body. Her slender body couldn't help but tremble...

I forced myself to suppress my tears, not letting them fall in front of Ikari Shinji... Yes, even if Ikari-kun was indifferent to my departure, I couldn't cause him any more trouble...

"It just so happens that I'm going there too. Let's go and come back together, and just treat it as a trip there."

"what…!"

Shinji Ikari's next words... the sudden turn of events made Ayanami Rei's mood fluctuate like a roller coaster, and she couldn't help but ask more questions.

"Ikari-kun...are you going too?"

"Ah, it's not just me... there's Asuka, the squad leader, and Sakura too. After all, Touji has been away on a business trip for over half a month, so it's time to take the family to visit relatives."

Looking at Shinji Ikari who casually recounted the incident, Rei Ayanami opened and closed her mouth, but couldn't utter a word...especially the sentence directed at Shinji Ikari - we will go together and come back together.

Rei Ayanami didn't dare look directly into Shinji Ikari's eyes... She didn't want to tell him that maybe... she would never be able to come back with him.

It’s okay—

Yes, it's okay—

It’s okay for me…

Even if I die, there will be a replacement... So, I can't let Ikari-kun feel uneasy... I can't let Ikari-kun feel sad...

Looking at Ayanami's expression, Shinji Ikari sighed helplessly.

Originally... I didn't want to say so much, but... looking at this girl's face, I knew she was daydreaming again... There was no way, I could only increase her favorability to help her build up her mental strength.

"Ayanami."

"...?"

"Wait a minute, I'll go get something... Never mind. Just follow me."

Shinji Ikari originally wanted to go back to his room to get it, but he realized that he should not leave this silly girl alone even for a moment, so he simply took Rei Ayanami's hand.

Just having Shinji Ikari hold her hand, warmth enveloped Rei Ayanami's heart, which was filled with depression. Without any resistance, she followed Shinji Ikari towards his room.

Obedience and consideration as if it were a matter of course... Ayanami didn't know what would happen, but she had already made up her mind.

Tonight - no matter what Shinji Ikari does to me... I will not resist at all, even if I don't understand... and have no experience, I will do my best... to cater to and respond to Shinji Ikari's desires.

"Come, sit down—"

But Ikari Shinji just let him sit on the bed... then sat next to him and handed the thing on the bedside to him.

"…This is…?"

Looking at the DAT-DT1 Walkman in her hand... Rei Ayanami recalled the song promise she made with Shinji Ikari the last time she came to this room.

"Have you finished singing?"

A smile finally appeared on Ayanami Rei's face. She picked up the earphones and was about to put them into her ears - she was satisfied... She was able to finally hear the song that Ikari-kun prepared for her... She no longer needed anything else.

"......?" However, Shinji Ikari shyly held out his hand to stop him.

"Ayanami, if possible... don't listen to it yet. I'm lending this to you... It's a bit embarrassing to listen to my singing in front of me... Can you wait until we go to Matsushiro... or when you encounter something that makes you unhappy... then take it out and listen to it."

"Unhappy...things?"

Rei Ayanami blinked in a daze... She vaguely felt that Shinji Ikari was silently conveying something to her. But -

"Ayanami, we've only known each other for a few months... but you've really changed a lot in those few months. Do you remember?"

Shinji Ikari raised his head and looked at the stars outside the window... Without asking for Rei Ayanami's response, he spoke as if whispering to himself, pulling Rei Ayanami into a sea of ​​memories.

"I remember the first time I met you—you couldn't show any emotion at all... At that time, you were wrapped up like a mummy, but you still had to fight. It really made me angry."

"…………sorry."

Although she apologized, when Shinji Ikari picked up the quicksand of their memories bit by bit, Rei Ayanami's heart couldn't help but drip with warmth.

"Then, I went to your house and saw you struggling to put on your underwear with one hand, so I helped you. At that moment, I felt that you weren't a prisoner in jail. Your injuries... were caused by protecting humanity. There was no reason, no excuse... to allow you to have such a hard time."

Hearing this, Rei Ayanami blushed... The scene at that time is still vivid in her mind. Really... Why didn't I have any special reaction at that time, but feel so shy now!
"Then there was the celebration party when we all moved into the new apartment. You obviously don't like meat... but you still ate a lot that day and ended up running to the bathroom to vomit in the middle of the night."

“…Ikari, Ikari-kun! How do you know…!”

Rei Ayanami couldn't help but wail - her reaction now was completely different from the Ayanami Rei before... It could be described as a world of difference... It was definitely not the emotion of a doll, but of a living human being.

"Of course I heard it, idiot... None of you guys give me peace of mind. Of course I heard something unusual in the middle of the night and had to get up to check. Luckily, you only vomited twice... If you hadn't vomited continuously, I would have dragged Mr. Jiaji out of his sleep and asked him to drive you back to the base infirmary."

Ayanami Rei opened her mouth... but couldn't say anything. It turns out... it turns out... even if it was just such an insignificant little detail in life... the slightest detail... Ikari-kun was always watching her -

So warm...

Deep in my heart, a surge of warmth that I had never experienced before... nourished my heart, which had just been cracked by grief and sorrow.

————Is this feeling called... happiness?

"Later, um... when Unit-00 went berserk... I rescued you, and you didn't even smile at me... You even had to teach me what expressions to make."

"...At times like this, a smile is enough...right, Ikari-kun?"

Recalling that time, Rei Ayanami's eyes couldn't help but fall on Shinji Ikari's hand again... However, it has been a long time and there is no trace of the burn on her palm.

In just... less than three months, I... and the boy in front of me... have accumulated so many bonds called memories.

"Yes... and this."

With a satisfied smile, Ikari Shinji extended his hand towards Ayanami Rei—

"?"

Looking at the hand that Shinji Ikari extended to her, Rei Ayanami tilted her head in some confusion...for a moment she couldn't understand what Shinji Ikari meant.

Shinji Ikari didn't continue to beat around the bush. He simply held Rei Ayanami's hand and covered this slender and somewhat soft little hand in his palm.

"!"

This feeling was completely different from my own hand... rough, large, and hot... like the beating, fiery heart of Ikari Shinji... Just by holding it, I could feel Shinji Ikari's presence, his heartbeat...

Last time... I had cautiously, as if testing... cautiously held Ikari Shinji's hand. And now, with a rude... yet powerful smile, he took my hand.

Along with those treasured memories, etched deep within Rei Ayanami's soul is the touch of the flaming hand of a young man named Shinji Ikari... This is a reflection and embodiment of the lifestyle of this courageous young man.

"So - Lingbo. I have a request for you."

Realizing that the atmosphere had reached the most appropriate moment... Shinji Ikari held Rei Ayanami's hand tightly and looked into her crimson eyes with passionate eyes.

"...?"

Rei Ayanami nodded in a trance. She was already intoxicated by Shinji Ikari's eyes filled with determination... At this moment, no matter what Shinji Ikari asked for - even if it was to let her die for him... she would not hesitate at all.

"My request is this... Please always remember—the person holding my hand... is you; the person I made a promise to sing with... is you; the girl whose underwear I helped change, the girl I asked to live with, the girl I rescued from Unit-00 and taught her to smile—not anyone else... only you, standing before me right now, vivid and alive."

"!!!"

Shinji Ikari's voice exploded in Rei Ayanami's mind... These words, these words... Could it be that Ikari-kun has already...

Realizing that only the last layer of window paper remained, Ikari Shinji added the last sentence with a confident smile.

"No matter who appears, no matter if she looks like you or has the same body shape as you... she will never be you, and she can never replace you... You are you, the one and only you—this is my request, this one thing... please, never forget it."

As he said this, Shinji Ikari let go of Rei Ayanami's hand and stood up.

"I'm hungry. Why hasn't Asuka finished cooking yet? I'll go check..."

"Ikari-kun!!"

Realizing that Shinji Ikari was about to leave, Rei Ayanami quickly stood up... wanting to ask, ask... if he already knew that she was a clone... and that even if she died, there would be countless replacements, so that's why he said these things to her.

But——realizing that Shinji Ikari just didn't want to make everything clear...that's why he was hinting at it...Ayanami Rei swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

When he realized what Rei was about to ask... Ikari Shinji turned around, and the unshakable smile on his face, which was full of confidence and determination, fascinated Rei.

"Ah, speaking of which...Misato-san told me she found a great ramen place. I made an appointment with her... Let's go there together next week after we get back from Matsushiro Base."

"I…"

"Ayanami, you should have noticed that I'm a very conceited and arrogant person... Once I decide to do something, I have to do it - if I can't achieve it, I will be very, very unhappy. Now, I have made a promise... Next week, we will all come back to eat ramen... and I will definitely bring you and Asuka back... Could it be that, Ayanami... you don't trust me?"

"...!"

Strong! Powerful! Dominant! Undoubted! Indisputable!
Just a word and a smile from Shinji Ikari completely shattered Rei Ayanami's original certainty of facing a sad ending.

"Ikari-kun..."

"how?"

“…I want garlic ramen without meat…”

"Wow! What kind of high-tech way of eating is this..."

The two of them... smiled at each other—

——The desire for a new and beautiful tomorrow has been ignited!

(End of this chapter)