Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

Hikari was also somewhat anxious about Asuka and Shinji's relationship. As her best friend, she knew Asuka liked Shinji, but she herself had an ambiguous relationship with him. Hikari didn't know what her relationship with him was, or what kind of feelings she harbored for him. She didn't want to think about it, but she didn't want to think about it.

She felt that once Asuka and Shinji clearly defined their relationship, she would also be clear about her own identity. She wouldn't be trapped in the quagmire of being associated with Shinji, sinking deeper and deeper.

Just then, the cell phone on the tray by the pool rang. Asuka picked it up and glanced at it; it was a text message from Shinji Ikari.

“We’re at the Yumoto Bathhouse next door. The view is great there, you can come and take a look. Shinji Ikari.”

"Is it a text message from Shinji Ikari?" Hikaru Toki leaned closer.

"Don't worry about him, we'll only let him take advantage of us." Asuka put down her phone, lay back down in the bath, and reached out to grab Hikaru's waist in the water. "I love a waist like yours. If Shinji Ikari saw it, he would definitely have bad intentions. I suspect he invited us to the hot spring just to feast his eyes on us."

Right next door, Shinji Ikari put down his phone and stepped into the hot spring.

Shinji Ikari immediately spotted Rei Ayanami sitting on the outside. Rei Ayanami bathed very quickly; she had no other requirements, just to wash herself clean and come out immediately, so clean and efficient that Shinji felt she treated him like a change of clothes.

This also led to her arriving here faster than I did.

"What are you looking at?" Shinji Ikari waded over to her side.

“Mountains, sky, and Lake Ashi,” Rei Ayanami said.

Shinji Ikari followed Rei Ayanami's gaze, admiring the picturesque, rolling mountains up close and overlooking the babbling Hayakawa River... Just as Hakone's name suggests, this is the best place for sightseeing. Waves of leaves swaying in the wind create a vast sea of ​​trees, and dozens of brightly lit art galleries are scattered throughout the mountains. Overlooking the natural beauty embraced by mountains and water, one's mood is incredibly relaxed.

“I’ve dreamed about this place before,” Rei Ayanami said.

“That’s normal. Dreams are all pieced together. Maybe you’ve seen familiar scenes or photos of this place somewhere before.” Shinji Ikari didn’t take it seriously.

"I dreamt about it during the body exchange experiment."

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P.S.: Guys, you can't eat seafood right now! I ate salmon sashimi at a Japanese restaurant and now I feel terrible. That fish must have been contaminated by radiation from nuclear wastewater, which turned me into a lolicon. I'm sorry, but it's not my fault. Blame it on those despicable and vulgar Japanese people who are as disgusting as frogs peeing.

201: Shinji Ikari: There's a mole, Silver Party canceled!

Shinji Ikari also remembered the body-exchange experiment. To be precise, he remembered it vividly.

When he was trying to synchronize with Unit-00, Unit-00 also went berserk. Memories of Rei Ayanami flooded his mind like a tidal wave. Although they were just fragmented memories, the feeling was unforgettable for Shinji Ikari.

Only through Rei Ayanami's perspective did he realize what he meant to her.

Shinji Ikari gently placed his hand on her shoulder and sat down beside her. "Hakone is a group of active volcanoes. Ancient geological changes created the mountains, lakes, and the high-quality hot springs we have today. Although they are soothing and therapeutic, you shouldn't soak for too long."

The location here is high and unobstructed; on a clear day, you can even see the outline of Mount Fuji to the north. The view itself is luxurious; a hot spring suite with such a view would cost at least tens of thousands of yen per day. But right now, the entire hot spring hotel only has these five guests; everyone else is just a staff member responsible for welcoming them.

"Are you leaving now?" Rei Ayanami looked up, her face expressionless but her eyes blinking like a child's.

"Let's soak for another fifteen minutes, then go to the observation deck to see Lake Reed under the moonlight. But we'll have to wear yukatas, as it's a bit chilly in Hakone at night." Although Shinji Ikari had never seen Rei Ayanami catch a cold, her health always made him a little worried.

If there's anyone Shinji Ikari cares about the most and is most worried about, it's definitely Rei Ayanami.

Another person waded into the water, the sound of bare feet slapping against the tiles growing louder as they approached. In the rising mist, a slender little foot tentatively touched the water's surface to test the temperature, then gently pushed aside the ripples and came to stand behind them.

"Ha!" A somewhat childish voice suddenly rang out, the owner of the voice seemed to want to play a prank, but neither Shinji Ikari nor Rei Ayanami were frightened.

"You finished your bath so quickly?" Shinji Ikari continued to ruffle the girl's hair, pushing the floating tray toward her. "You should like the white peach flavored juice."

Shinji Ikari didn't need to turn his head to know that it was Sakura Suzuhara, because she was half a head shorter than Rei Ayanami, and her figure, somewhere between a loli and a young girl, was Sakura Suzuhara's most distinctive feature.

"Don't treat me like a child, I want to drink this." Suzuhara Sakura reached out and picked up the tray next to her.

Even with his face slightly turned to the side, Shinji Ikari could see Sakura Suzuhara's face and her exposed right shoulder out of the corner of his eye.

My gaze traveled down her dark brown hair, which was tied up with a towel, across her slightly shy face, her slender neck and delicate skin on her shoulders, and then down to her torso wrapped in a bath towel.

While Shinji Ikari was watching, Sakura Suzuhara had already picked up the ice wine from the tray and filled a glass with dried plums.

"It's sweet and has a peach aroma, it's quite delicious." Suzuhara Sakura pursed her lips. She wanted to say something nice, but she found that she had absolutely no experience in wine tasting. Even when she recalled lines from TV dramas, she couldn't say anything.

“This one is 15% sweet, so you might easily overlook the alcohol content because of the sweetness.” Shinji Ikari flicked her head. “You’ve never had it before, have you? You could easily get drunk after just one drink.”

"Don't underestimate people." Suzuhara Sakura stuck out her tongue, her face flushed. "Even if you're weak, you're not so weak that you can't handle one cup."

“Next time you lie, remember to look in the mirror,” Shinji Ikari reached out and pinched her nose. “You’re already blushing.”

"That was from a hot spring too." Sakura Suzuhara retorted stubbornly, much like Asuka, before turning and snuggling into Shinji Ikari's arms.

In Shinji Ikari's style, he would never push any girl away. Regardless of weight, age, or gender, he would never hesitate to lend her his shoulder to lean on when she was feeling down or drunk.

However, it was a little awkward to sit directly on each other's laps like that, especially since both of them were only wrapped in bath towels.

Shinji Ikari's gaze automatically shifted downwards. Her thighs were surprisingly slender, tracing smooth curves. Below her small, rounded knees, her long, shapely calves connected.

Her legs, just above the groin, were neatly covered by a white bath towel, causing Shinji Ikari to freeze for a moment. Despite feeling ashamed of his own potential for being a lolicon and finding the towel in the way, his gaze continued upwards. The towel tightly wrapped around her almost shapeless body, and not far above the knot where it might come undone at any moment, delicate collarbones could be seen against her tender skin.

Just then, the girl suddenly raised her head, her clear pupils reflecting the moonlight, giving Shinji Ikari a feeling of being caught red-handed. But the girl lying in his arms rubbed against his chin like a kitten, and her pale cherry-colored lips exhaled a sweet, peach-scented scent of alcohol.

Their eyes met, and surprisingly, Shinji Ikari was the first to look away. "Four hundred thousand years ago, the Hakone area was a volcanic crater spewing lava, but here it is surrounded by verdant peaks and babbling streams, a truly beautiful place. Lake Ashi, with its shimmering blue waters, is a volcanic lake, covering an area of ​​seven square kilometers and reaching a depth of forty-five meters at its deepest point, its waters clear and azure..."

Shinji Ikari changed the subject, one arm around Sakura Suzuhara's slender waist, not wanting her to continue squirming in his arms. His other finger pointed to the moonlit lake in the distance, which seemed to be coated with a layer of silver frost.

"On a clear day, you can take a boat ride on the lake and see Mount Fuji, which is covered in snow all year round. The reflection of Mount Fuji in the light blue lake water is called 'White Fan Hanging Upside Down in the Eastern Sea,' because the shape of Mount Fuji is similar to an upside-down white fan. Owakudani is a volcanic remnant that has been shrouded in morning smoke for two thousand years. The mountainside is always surrounded by white smoke, which looks like white clouds emerging from the mountain when viewed from a distance. It is also one of the wonders of Hakone."

"The eruption of Owakudani must have been spectacular," Suzuhara Sakura suddenly asked.

“The volcano emits gas and steam every day from cracks in the earth’s crust, but it rarely erupts. Since its steam eruption in the 13th century, there has been no record of a large-scale eruption. However, small-scale clusters of earthquakes and eruptions still occur repeatedly.”

“Like now, because of volcanic activity, it will rise by more than ten centimeters.” Suzuhara Sakura snuggled deeper into Shinji Ikari’s arms, seemingly looking for a better spot to watch the rising volcano.

“It doesn’t always rise up; at least small-scale crustal movements won’t affect it,” Shinji Ikari said with a serious expression.

“But it is indeed active now, it is expanding. Many geographical and natural landscapes will follow the laws of nature, and will not change because of individual will.” Suzuhara Sakura raised her head high, her face close to Shinji Ikari’s chin, and exhaled the fragrance of white peach.

"However, due to the continued occurrence of volcanic earthquakes, access to the area around Hakone Owakudani has been restricted, making it impossible for any incidents to occur..."

Before Shinji Ikari could finish speaking, he felt the girl in his arms suddenly stand up. He felt both relieved and a little regretful, but she simply turned around, straddled Shinji's lap, and hugged his neck.

At this moment, the towel tied around her hips had slipped from its original position due to Suzuhara Sakura's deliberate rubbing, and she was now sitting on her own hips. This position was extremely dangerous, but it was intentional on Suzuhara Sakura's part.

At such a close distance, where even speaking would make one hesitate, came the alluring words of Suzuhara Sakura.

"Just passing through Hakone, surrounded by green trees, should be enough. Owakudani itself has exposed rocks, and the slightest stimulation to the earth's crust will cause large amounts of sulfurous gas to gush out from the cracks in the rocks, which can heat the spring water to boiling point. If you put an egg into the sulfurous spring water, even a raw egg will quickly turn into... ouch!"

Sakura Suzuhara suddenly exclaimed. She looked up at Shinji Ikari's profile, who was staring calmly into the distance, as if it had nothing to do with him.

A few years later, or even just a while later, if she dared to flirt with him like that, Shinji Ikari would teach her a lesson about discipline. But for now, he could only pat her bottom as punishment, and since they were in the water, he could only pinch her buttocks.

“You can see the volcanic eruption in Owakudani, but younger people should be aware of the health effects of volcanic gases. Early exposure can affect normal physical development,” Shinji Ikari said, pulling her towel over her shoulders and gently patting her shoulder.

She suddenly laughed, a laugh like a cat's. This was the first time Shinji Ikari had seen a hint of girlish cunning on this seemingly cute girl's face.

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"Hikari-chan, have you heard? The eggs boiled in Hakone's geothermal water are very famous. The sulfur in the hot springs combines with iron powder to form iron sulfide, which adheres to the eggshell, turning it black. It's said that eating a black egg can extend your life by 7 years." Suzuhara Sakura lay on the bed looking at the magazine provided by the hotel, her legs crossed high.

"Really? This is the first time I've heard of that." Hikari Toki replied absentmindedly, clutching the edge of the bath towel with both hands, and hesitated to get into bed.

"Are you going to take a bath? You must have showered before taking a bath, right?" Suzuhara Sakura glanced at the other person.

Hikari Toki couldn't say for sure; she couldn't very well say it was because Shinji Ikari was coming.

After parting ways with Asuka, Hikari realized what would happen tonight. After several intimate moments and thousands of times they were inseparable, Hikari's last bit of hesitation had been completely worn away, and she even looked forward to Shinji Ikari's arrival. However... Hikari glanced at Sakura Suzuhara on the bed next to her, who was reading a magazine.

Before she went to sleep, Hikaru was always a little reserved.

"Okay, let's go to sleep," Hikaru said with a smile, then turned and got into bed.

Suzuhara Sakura looked at Hikaru Holoki lying quietly in bed with some suspicion. She stared at the slightly raised quilt and, when she was sure that there was no one else hiding inside, she said softly, "Then I'll turn off the light and go to sleep."

"Mmm," Hikaru Tomohisa murmured.

Unbeknownst to her, as the room lights went out, the glow from her phone screen under the covers revealed her secret actions.

Meanwhile, in the north-facing room, only Shinji Ikari, with a towel wrapped around his crotch, emerged. After showing them the night view, Shinji soaked in the hot spring alone for a while before going to the sauna for another half hour.

When he returned to his room, he saw that his phone screen was lit up with two missed text messages.

Shinji Ikari shook the water droplets off his head, dried his hands with a towel, and opened his text message: "Shinji-kun, this might be a bit sudden for you, please don't come over. I'll wait until Sakura-chan falls asleep, and then I'll come to your room in half an hour..."

Shinji Ikari was slightly surprised that the overly rigid class president would make such a decision, but he welcomed the president's actions.

Shinji Ikari smiled and replied to her text message before lying in bed scrolling through the news.

"Breaking news! Emperor Xiaochuan has recovered from his burns and is now suing Ms. Xiaomizhou for allegedly harboring a high-temperature biological weapon inside her body!"

"Latest progress in room temperature superconductivity: LK-99 verification sparks another wave of 'reproducibility'!"

"Japanese supermarkets stop buying seafood! Japanese companies are devastated!"

"The sound of the Liberation Drum will resound throughout the summer: TFBOYS Xi'an concert is trending at number one on social media?! So this is what the Liberation Drum is all about?"

"Did Tang Jia San Shao steal energy from the Seer's World, causing Zhou Zi's amniotic fluid to rupture? Rumor has it that Yang Zhi was behind it?!"

A knock came at the door, and Shinji Ikari got up to open it. Asuka walked in carrying a tray, glancing around Shinji's room: "Wow, why does your room have a fish tank and a computer? It feels so much nicer than mine..."

Asuka didn't greet Shinji Ikari and walked straight in. She and Hikari Toki weren't seen at all while she was soaking in the hot springs. That evening, she was wearing a red and white striped tank top and loose shorts, with hotel slippers on her feet. Simple yet refreshing, her body swayed like a slender bamboo shoot in the wind.

"What's with that expression?" Asuka glanced around before fixing her gaze on Shinji Ikari's face, his expression frozen in her clear pupils.

"I just didn't expect you to come," Shinji Ikari said honestly, then closed the door, still maintaining a faint smile on his face. But inside, he was in turmoil.

"Hmph, I couldn't sleep, so I waited until the top student fell asleep before coming to find you." Asuka sat openly on Shinji Ikari's large bed, leaning back and unabashedly exposing her body curves in front of Shinji.

Shinji Ikari thought to himself, "You two really are best friends, aren't you? You're all the same." Shinji couldn't help but glance at the clock. It was 11:11, nineteen to forty-nine minutes before Hikaru Toki said she was coming.

There was still plenty of time, so Shinji Ikari wasn't worried. He just needed to find an excuse to go to the restroom and then send a message to Hikaru Toki informing him that there was a mole and that the Gin Party was canceled.

Then he saw Asuka holding her phone. Shinji Ikari's eyes widened in anger; his phone was still lit up and unlocked! Just as Shinji Ikari lunged forward to stop her, he saw Asuka's slender, white fingers tap on a text message.

Two hundred and twenty: Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone.

Before Shinji could stop her, Asuka had already opened the text message.

[MAGI: The General Affairs Department has replied, the mission has been approved, and the Third Child Shinji Ikari, the First Child Rei Ayanami, and the Second Child Asuka Langley Soryu have been appointed as the commissioners for this event. The path of righteousness is for the common good; under the same sky and on the same soil, let us join hands and strive for comprehensive common prosperity. We hope the Hakone journey will once again resonate with the spirit of the SCO.]

Have a pleasant trip, your loyal MAGI.

Asuka raised her eyebrows in surprise, "There's a mission? What's the mission?"