Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

Although everyone was harmonious when things were peaceful, now, not only Hyuga Makoto, but everyone else looked at Ikari Shinji before them. His face was as hard as a glacier, and the crimson light flickering deep in his pupils carried an undeniable aura. No one wanted to meet his gaze at this moment; a fierce, spear-like aura silently spread outwards. Looking into those crimson eyes felt like someone was pointing a gun at your head.

Makoto Hyuga then remembered that Shinji Ikari was the head of the Inspection Department and the fifth GEHIRN. In Japan, a place that values ​​hierarchy and status, Shinji Ikari's words carried authority.

“Private Marseille, Hai.” Facing Shinji Ikari, who was much younger than him, Makoto Hyuga lowered his head and sat back down in his seat.

A few seconds later, the hatch of the simulated insertion plug opened, and yellow LCL liquid flowed out from inside, pouring into Asuka's throat. She kicked a few times to steady herself on the platform, panting heavily, her eyes filled with extreme terror.

"Experiment terminated, data archived, and no information regarding this mental test may be disclosed." Shinji Ikari scanned the room. "Dismissed."

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A black sedan pulled up in front of the staff apartment building. Shinji Ikari got out, opened a black umbrella, and took Rei Ayanami's umbrella. As Misato Katsuragi, who got out of the car next to him, opened her transparent umbrella to take Asuka's umbrella, she saw Asuka running quickly toward the stairwell with her head down.

Shinji Ikari waved to Misato Katsuragi, "You park the car in the garage first, I'll take Rei Ayanami back. I'll keep an eye on Asuka."

Back in his apartment, Shinji Ikari noticed the bathroom light was on; Asuka was probably taking a shower. Without saying anything, Shinji turned and went to the landline to make a call.

Ten minutes later, Misato Katsuragi returned home. She took the dry towel from Rei Ayanami and dried her rain-soaked hair, then looked at Shinji Ikari and asked, "What are we having for dinner tonight?"

According to the duty roster, Shinji Ikari is cooking today, and Rei Ayanami is doing the housework.

"Sukiyaki, I'd like something warming up. How about two bottles of Nabeshima and a bottle of Dassai plum wine?"

"Have you already bought the ingredients?" Misato Katsuragi asked, somewhat surprised.

"It's all booked. The chef from Taishi Man will also be coming over. He'll help us prepare the ingredients, plate them, and cook them before leaving." Shinji Ikari took off his jacket, revealing a white shirt and overalls underneath. "I'm a bit tired today. This kind of weather is perfect for hot pot."

"Are you really Japanese? How can sukiyaki be hot pot? Apologize to the sukiyaki spirit right now! Sukiyaki, sukiyaki, the burning is the soul!" Misato Katsuragi's eyes widened.

"Why not eat 'zaobo' hot pot?" Rei Ayanami was still thinking about the dishes Shinji Ikari served her the first time he treated her to a meal.

"Didn't you know that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has started discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the sea? After today, we won't be able to eat seafood anymore. We'll have to eat some vegetables and meatballs instead. If we really want to eat seafood, we'll have to eat imported seafood."

Half an hour later, the chef, dressed in a clean white chef's uniform, heated a pot with butter and arranged sliced ​​meat, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, glass noodles, and various vegetables in the pot, using a Japanese sauce made of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin as the soup base.

Afterwards, the waitresses on both sides prepared the dipping sauce for the sterile raw eggs, carefully placed them on the table, bowed slightly, and then packed up their things and left the room.

Asuka had already finished washing up. She sat cross-legged on a chair, wearing a tank top and hot pants, her golden-orange hair casually tied up. She had been depressed and unwilling to speak all day, but now she was eating heartily, her chopsticks moving rapidly as she devoured the food.

Sukiyaki involves cutting ingredients into small pieces and cooking them on a 30-centimeter-long portable gas stove. The heat from the ingredients comes from the bottom of the pot; no wonder Misato Katsuragi reacted so strongly when Shinji Ikari called him a hot pot.

But Shinji Ikari sees sukiyaki as just hot pot, and he has no intention of arguing about such a trivial matter.

Nabeshima's sake was crisp and mellow, while Dassai's plum wine was richly sweet, leaving a slight intoxication after a few sips. It's said that when one is well-fed and warm, one thinks of lustful desires, but Shinji Ikari didn't feel that way. He thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and life he was in. He watched Rei Ayanami secretly drinking his plum wine; after drinking, her pale face gained a slight flush, making her look even more vibrant.

The only sounds in the room were the bubbling of sukiyaki and Misato Katsuragi's smacking of her lips. Having spent so much time with Misato, Shinji Ikari had gotten used to it. "Let's go to the hot springs tomorrow," Shinji said.

"Now?" Misato Katsuragi asked. "Don't always choose to go out and play when the Angels invade."

"To be precise, it was when we went out for a trip that the Angels invaded," Shinji Ikari corrected. "Besides, that new Angel has already returned to the sea. If it never comes out again, we can't stay in Tokyo-3 forever."

"Then you'd better go to the volcanic hot springs in Hakone." Misato Katsuragi knew she couldn't change Shinji Ikari's mind, so she could only keep him by her side as much as possible.

"It's just the big spring in Hakone, it's not too far." Shinji Ikari looked at Misato Katsuragi across from him, who was smacking her lips. "Aren't you coming with us? You're not that busy with work right now, are you?"

“Adults always have all sorts of things to do.” Misato Katsuragi thought of headquarters and Ritsuko Akagi, and couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of her nose.

Some things are beyond our control.

Chapter 200: 桜流し

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Hikaru carefully examined her outfit. A dress, a plaid bag, and pastel-colored leather boots—her older sister said this combination looked softer and more natural, giving off a youthful vibe that boys would definitely love.

Hikaru Toki didn't quite understand either. The girls in her class were starting to look at fashion magazines and clothing, and she wondered if she should start learning too.

She pushed open the door and walked into the living room, only to be greeted not by the morning sun, but by a pile of dried bean curds on the dining table, and her mother holding a rolling pin, exuding an aura of invincibility.

"Hey, where did you go? Everyone else is resting at this hour, and you left at four in the morning!"

"I've told you so many times to put your clothes in the blue basket after playing soccer, and look at what you've done with them! Oh my god..."

"Hopefully, did you hear me... Oh dear, your cap and underwear match? Are you going out too?" The middle-aged woman wearing an apron sized up Hikaru Holmaki as he walked out of the room.

Seeing his mother holding a rolling pin, Hikaru instinctively shrank back. "Yeah, she went to Hakone for hot springs with friends. You remember her? She's Kaori, who came to my house to play before."

Compared to her three sisters and father, her mother was from Northeast China. But her imposing presence alone was enough to overwhelm the four Japanese soldiers. When she reprimanded them, she probably brought out her anti-Japanese spirit. Apart from her eldest sister, no one could resist her authority.

Dad probably went out on his motorcycle this morning. My sister was probably playing soccer and got covered in mud, so she scolded me. Right now, Nozomi is sitting upright on the sofa and is looking at me. But Hikaru doesn't dare to provoke Mom.

"You mean Yang Ni from your class? She's pretty, but her studies are a bit lacking. I told you to make stir-fried pork with black beans for lunch today, it's so nourishing, but none of you came back. Don't always make her spend money, remember to bring her a gift."

My phone beeped; a text message had arrived.

"We're downstairs, waiting for you." The sender was Asuka.

Hikaru's eyes lit up. "Hey, I'm going out!" Hikaru waved his hand, completely ignoring his little sister's hopeful gaze, and quickly opened the door and went out.

She pushed open the door, looked up at the scorching sunlight overhead, pulled her straw hat down to cover her head, and the door of the black Lexus sedan popped open. Hikaru rushed to the back seat, where she saw Sakura Suzuhara sitting inside. The passenger seat was no longer occupied by Rei Ayanami, but by Asuka.

"Are we driving there directly?" Hikaru asked.

It's more than 50 kilometers from Hakone Onsen. Hikaru Toki calculated that if he drove there, he would arrive in the afternoon. It seemed like it would be just right to have a quick dinner and then go for a soak in the hot spring.

"It's a two-hour Shinkansen ride, but if you don't want to take it, you can take a private jet." Asuka handed her a bottle of Hakone mineral water. "No need to be polite with that idiot Shinji."

“There’s no need for that. It’s only fifty kilometers. I don’t think it’s that far to drive there,” said Dongmu Guang.

“Then let’s set off,” Shinji Ikari said.

Shinji Ikari released the brake and pressed the accelerator, the engine humming softly. This Lexus was completely unsuitable for a young man like him; he was clearly not old enough to drive, yet he seemed perfectly natural sitting in the driver's seat. The car sped into the sunlight like a lightning bolt striking through the clouds.

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Hamburg, Germany: A secret meeting exclusively for SEELE.

"The sixteenth apostle has finally appeared, and there are only two steps left before the final horn is sounded."

"Therefore, according to the Dead Sea Scrolls, there was one apostle. This is the correct historical progression."

"The prophetic moment is approaching, but the road has been far too long and the sacrifices too great."

"That's right. After Unit-01's awakening, this kind of thing happened again. NERV must have done something behind our backs."

"Yes, the apostle left on his own initiative. What exactly happened?"

"Does Gendo Ikari think we don't have a suitable reason to dismiss him? With his intelligence, he should understand what we mean by letting Fuyutsuki Yukimasa go back."

“After Kaji Ryoji and Fuyutsuki Kosuke, we need a new sacrifice. And it must be someone who knows the inside story.”

"That leaves only Misato Katsuragi, the head of NERV's operations department, and Ritsuko Akagi, the head of NERV's development department."

As for Shinji Ikari, they tacitly excluded him from the selection. Partly it was due to concerns about the power he possessed, and partly because SEELE didn't think the newly appointed head of the oversight department could possibly know anything.

At that moment, in the development department's director's office, Ritsuko Akagi gently pressed the Enter key.

The computer screen lit up, displaying what appeared to be a family photo of the three of them: her mother smiling happily, herself wearing a black sailor uniform with a cold expression, and Gendo Ikari standing behind her, looking gaunt.

"Truly, I am incredibly ugly," Ritsuko Akagi thought, lighting a cigarette.

"Hello, hello, are you there? I hope I didn't disturb your good deed." Misato Katsuragi's voice sounded from behind.

Ritsuko Akagi shifted her desk, spun her office chair, and watched Misato Katsuragi walk in through the open door.

"You're smoking so much again, be careful you don't get a stroke when you're old. What are you looking at?" Misato Katsuragi moved closer to her, staring at the computer screen. "Is it Asuka's mental health test?"

“Yes, her self-psychological map is very chaotic, and mental pollution can exceed the critical threshold in three seconds,” Ritsuko Akagi said.

“But wasn’t her mental health testing interrupted?” Misato Katsuragi asked.

“It’s interrupted. We only have information about the beginning of the connection to the nerve at point A, but that’s enough for us to see something.” Ritsuko Akagi moved her desk to the computer.

Specialized mental health testing differs from ordinary testing. Although both involve simultaneous examinations, they each emphasize different aspects of mental health: mental endurance, depth during deep diving, and mental contamination.

“The second qualified pilot has an outstanding level of mental stability with the machine, but look here.” Ritsuko Akagi pulled up the test records from that time.

The icons on the computer screen flashed repeatedly between red and green, indicating that Asuka's mental state was constantly fluctuating between disconnection and connection. But at that moment, the screen turned completely red, and the chart that had been rotating in a spiral pattern on the computer screen suddenly lengthened and plummeted to a new level.

"The mental testing of the second child is considered complete, but it's enough to prove she has a serious problem." Ritsuko Akagi looked at Misato Katsuragi with a grave expression. "The worst possibility is that she has been corrupted by the Angels. If we allow her to continue piloting Unit-02, it could lead to the entire unit being corrupted."

“But you said it was the worst-case scenario, right? I don’t think things are that bad.” Misato Katsuragi changed the subject. “Are you free at noon? I found a really good yakitori place. Let’s go there for a little get-together.”

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Hakone is a famous hot spring resort and health retreat in Japan, renowned for its hot springs, most notably the "Seven Hot Springs of Hakone," seven hot springs considered essential for relaxation and rejuvenation. Of course, for those who prefer anime and manga, the most memorable aspects might be the numerous adult anime and visual novels such as *Hitsuyu Meguri*, *Kami no Yu*, *Otome no Yama*, and *Yohachi-mura*, which speaks volumes about the prestige of Hakone's hot springs.

When Hikaru arrived, it was only noon. After having lunch in the antique-style tourist street at the foot of the mountain, Shinji Ikari took him to visit Hakone Hachiri. They visited all the famous historical sites, from Sounji Temple to Senjo Falls, Sengokuhara, and Kuzuryu Shrine, which made up for the regret of not having a good time in Okinawa.

It wasn't until late afternoon that I boarded the Hakone Tozan Railway, famous for its hydrangea trams.

The night sky was a deep blue, while the mountains and forests below were black. It was nearly midnight; the moon had just risen from the distant lake, illuminating the millennia-old forest in a deep, emerald green. From the mountains came the shouts of hikers releasing their pent-up emotions, and from some unknown direction, a flock of sleeping birds was startled, fluttering up from the dark woods. Their hot spring resort was nestled in a mountain hollow at an altitude of seven hundred meters.

Hikaru and Asuka soaked in a hot spring pool surrounded by smooth stones. Under the moonlight, the water was crystal clear, with wisps of steam rising from the surface. Hikaru scooped up a handful of water and casually sprinkled it onto the distant mountains.

"Ah, this feels so good. Now I finally understand why you Japanese are so obsessed with hot springs." Asuka lay on the edge of the hot spring pool, a neatly folded white towel draped over her forehead, her face full of contentment. She felt that the negative emotions that had accumulated over the past two days were being gently dissolved by the hot spring.

"To be honest, this is my first time here." Hikaru Toki folded a white towel and placed it on his forehead, then sat down next to Asuka.

"You're from Tokyo and you've never been to a Hakone hot spring?" Asuka asked, somewhat surprised.

"There must be some attractions that even locals haven't been to, and strictly speaking, I should be considered an Osaka native, since my dad is from Osaka."

Asuka thought of those Osaka aunties online, "So, you'll grow up to be an old lady with exaggeratedly dyed perms, wearing leopard print clothes, always carrying various flavors of candy, and being friendly with everyone?"

Hikaru was about to say no, but then he thought of his mother's bold and forthright manner from Northeast China. With Osaka blood combined with Northeast Chinese blood, it was impossible to say for sure.

So he proactively changed the subject, "How are things between you and Shinji?"

"What do you mean, 'how about it'? You haven't answered yet." Asuka became a little hesitant when talking about the idiot Shinji.

"That's how it is, you two haven't kissed yet, have you?"

"Of course there are, but girls have to be reserved, you know. Japanese culture is all about being introverted, like 'The moon is beautiful,' I can't be too forward." Asuka snorted.

"But sometimes you just need to take the initiative, and you might get unexpected rewards."

Speaking of taking the initiative, Asuka certainly wouldn't admit to it. Until Shinji Ikari gave a clear response, she told everyone that Shinji was pursuing her, and she was still considering it.

But thinking about this makes Asuka angry. Sometimes Shinji Ikari is so good that he makes her feel happy, but other times he's so scummy that she wants to cut off his annoying root with a knife.