Hawks from the Land of Light are calling me a dove and an undercover agent in the chat group.

Although she possesses that potential, if she can be treated with sincerity, she will eventually reciprocate with sincerity, thereby developing her own interests and initiative. At that time, she may be able to break free from the shackles of cloning and incompleteness and become a real person.

Even if the soul evolves to the point where it can embrace freedom, this cloned external body still seems to have many problems. It looks like it would develop serious issues and dissipate if it didn't receive some kind of nourishment or adjustment over a long period of time.

Although we don't know why Rei Ayanami was cloned, or who cloned her, one thing is certain: the person behind it all doesn't care about Rei Ayanami, the clone.

Judging from Rei Ayanami's physical condition, the person behind it all probably already prepared to clone a large number of Rei Ayanami's bodies for backup, just waiting for the current Rei Ayanami to be used up before bringing in a new one.

Although this is by no means the darkest thing Casa has ever seen, bad will never stop being bad just because it is not the worst. As long as it is below the average, it is meaningless to compare the bad to the good.

Shinji Ikari, who had been feeling agitated, noticed the grim expression on Kasana's face, which had turned grim after witnessing the truth, and couldn't help but feel nervous. "What's wrong, Uncle Kasana?"

Could there be something wrong with Rei Ayanami? Could she actually be an Angel?

No way! He has a strong liking for Rei Ayanami!

"Hmph!" Asuka snorted heavily from the side, then hesitated to speak.

The two, one big and one small, were completely captivated the moment they saw Rei Ayanami. Judging from a woman's ordinary perspective, what else could it be but because they were attracted to Rei Ayanami's obedient doll-like appearance?

That's so vulgar, so despicable!

Asuka originally wanted to launch into a scathing critique, but when her gaze fell upon Casa's face, all those vulgar criticisms she had in mind were suppressed.

It must not be defiled.

Shinji is an idiot, but to impose one's own presumptuous and vulgar ideas on Kassadin feels like defiling a holy and immaculate god.

Kassa did not answer Shinji, nor did he pay attention to Asuka. He slowly walked up to Rei Ayanami, half-squatted down, and looked the girl in the eye as an equal, asking, "Child, do you know the concepts of father and mother?"

"Dad? Mom?" Rei Ayanami tilted her head. "I know."

Kasa then asked, "So, in your understanding, who is the person who best fits the image of your parents?"

Upon hearing this, Rei Ayanami seemed to freeze, standing there for several seconds before finally muttering softly as if she had successfully rebooted, "...Commander Ikari?"

Gendo Ikari, it's him again?

He was responsible for gathering information about the Angels in NERV, he built EVA, he deliberately abandoned his responsibilities as a father to create Shinji's isolated inner wall, and now he cloned Rei Ayanami.

Now you understand, right? This is the root of all evil in this world.

"I understand."

"What do you want to do?" Rei Ayanami tilted her head, a slight wavering appearing in her usually calm voice, without her even realizing it. "Do you have any ill intentions towards Commander Ikari?"

Kasa shook his head slightly. "Whether I have any ill intentions towards him or not depends on me, but on him."

Upon hearing this answer, Rei Ayanami became just like Asuka had been earlier, hesitant to speak.

She was a blank sheet of paper, belonging only to Commander Ikari, obeying only Commander Ikari, and living only for Commander Ikari's orders.

Therefore, when she sensed someone's almost malicious dissatisfaction with Commander Ikari, she should have immediately tried to stop them and prevent them from taking any actions that might be detrimental to Commander Ikari.

However, the body is beyond control.

Even though she wasn't under the control of the AT field—no, it wasn't that her body couldn't control her, it was that she was preventing herself from informing Commander Ikari. She didn't want this gentle-looking man to be attacked by Commander Ikari.

Rei Ayanami tilted her head, completely unable to comprehend her current emotions.

Because this man didn't do it intentionally, but rather instinctively, he half-squatted down to talk to her and make eye contact, showing her 'respect'?

The book said that respect is very important. Although she had never known what it meant before, she now seemed to understand it a little bit.

But that's not all.

There are many, many more indescribable and inexplicable emotions shining in all directions from this seemingly radiant person, like an inexhaustible spring slowly flowing out, nourishing vast tracts of barren land and bringing vibrant life.

Rei Ayanami slightly widened her blank eyes. She didn't understand, she didn't understand anything, but it was as if something was different.

The world, which was originally just a pale expanse except for Commander Ikari being a unique black, began to display a variety of colors.

Rei Ayanami's gaze shifted, staring blankly around before finally settling on another girl in the room. Her voice was still ethereal, not yet fully immersed in the world, but it sounded somewhat different from before: "Do you hate me?"

"Tch, needless to say, I hate you the most!" Asuka, who scoffed at Rei Ayanami, made no attempt to hide her feelings.

If you don't hate the girl who stole the attention of Uncle Kassa and that idiot Shinji, then she wouldn't be Asuka!

"I see." A bewildered Rei Ayanami nodded, she was beginning to understand what it meant to dislike.

Some feelings are being reborn, some are being revived, not starting from scratch, but rebuilding and repairing from the ruins of something that was once built but destroyed.

Still bewildered, Rei Ayanami looked at Shinji Ikari again: "Do you like me?"

"Eh?!" Shinji Ikari screamed, his face turning bright red instantly. He was completely flustered, unsure of what to do with his hands, which annoyed Asuka.

"This is a feeling of goodwill, not love."

Replacing the cowardly Shinji, Kassadin replied precisely, "Love at first sight is too early for you two. Let's start as good friends. Important feelings need to be experienced slowly."

"Eeya————"

Asuka immediately let out a sharp explosion.

According to this logic, wouldn't it make it seem like the idiot Shinji and the seemingly innocent Rei Ayanami are a perfect match? This is a tacit decision, a biased referee, and it's unfair!

Although she had liked Mr. Kaji before, she had already seen him when she got up to get a drink of water last night. Mr. Kaji was having sex with Misato Katsuragi, and there was no room for her between them.

And after meeting Uncle Kasa... well, she meant after meeting Kasa, she seemed to realize that her feelings for Mr. Kaji weren't love.

It seems to be just a simple father complex, a case of being attracted to older men.

Although I don't know what's wrong with me, I've never been able to confuse my feelings for Kasa from the very beginning... or it seems more like I subconsciously and actively distinguished them, not daring to use "love" to taint Kasa. It's just that I've developed a thing for older men, and sometimes I accidentally treat him like a combination of my father and mother.

So she doesn't have anyone she likes in a romantic sense anymore. Of course, she's not that easily in love with that idiot Shinji yet, but Shinji is still okay. Well, she can observe him for a while, though.

What the hell is going on? A well-behaved girl who suddenly appeared out of nowhere has been chosen? This is just too much!

Asuka almost blurted out the expression from the classic painting "The Scream," filled with indignation.

In response, Misato Katsuragi, who was observing from the sidelines, could only say, "Your circle is really messy."

Sigh, love, sigh, the love triangle.

Of course, if possible, she would love to continue watching to see how Asuka would retaliate against Rei Ayanami, but it wouldn't be good if it severely affected the synchronization rate between these children and EVA.

Let's do some testing first.

Misato Katsuragi said by name, "Never mind that for now, Rei, you go first."

Rei Ayanami was momentarily dazed before slowly nodding. She glanced around at everyone before dragging her body, already dressed in a combat suit, toward Unit-00.

"Uncle Kassapa, what are you trying to do?" Shinji Ikari quietly crept up to Kassapa's side and asked in a low voice.

He was still shy, of course, but he also knew that important matters were more important than his shyness. Although he didn't know what Uncle Casa had seen or what he wanted to do, it was obvious that Uncle Casa had a clear dissatisfaction with something.

Is it directed at his father, Gendo Ikari?

Speaking of which, Rei said that her father was the person closest to her parents. What does that mean? Does it mean that Rei was an orphan that her father picked up and raised?

Shinji Ikari's divergent thinking.

Kassa glanced at him, then reached out and ruffled Shinji's black hair. "This is not something you should know right now. Go change into your battle suit first."

"Hmm..." Shinji Ikari was still curious, but in the end he didn't pursue the matter any further and turned to do as he was told.

Asuka blinked, her eyes a little dry, and looked longingly at Kasa's palm. Damn it, what should I do if I suddenly feel like my hair is being ruffled?

Hmph, she's not some childish brat like Shinji, she doesn't need that!

Asuka gave a soft snort, crossed her arms, and turned her head away in a huff.

Meanwhile, Misato Katsuragi and the other NERV employees watched as Rei Ayanami entered Unit-00 and began testing, checking real-time data. "Is the synchronization rate higher than before? No, lower? No, higher again? The fluctuations are huge!"

As Rei Ayanami's data fluctuated, their hearts pounded. Fortunately, things didn't get out of control throughout. Although Rei Ayanami's synchronization data continued to fluctuate wildly until the very end, at least the driving was still okay.

Asuka frowned: "What's wrong with that obedient girl? She can't even maintain a stable synchronization rate? She's so useless! Such a weakling should just leave EVA!"

To put it another way, using this kind of synchronized data to fight the Angels is too unsafe. Asuka should handle the battle to avoid Rei Ayanami dying.

"That's because her heart is changing." Kasa, who had appeared beside her at some point, looked intently at Rei Ayanami and also at Unit-00.

He's trying to uncover the secrets of the EVA series.

The secret here doesn't refer to the technological details, but rather to a feeling he vaguely gleaned from EVA, a mystery that might relate to human sacrifice.

"Your heart is changing? Hmph!" Asuka scoffed. "You're just making excuses, you idiot uncle. Just watch my performance. Asuka-sama is much better than that obedient girl!"

Asuka tossed her long hair, passed Rei Ayanami who was disembarking, and stepped proudly onto her own Unit-02.

"The synchronization rate of Unit 2 is normal and stable!"

The voices of NERV employees rang out.

Outside Unit 2, Kasa focused his gaze. With the demonstration of Unit 00, he could see it more clearly this time. When Asuka went to pilot it, Unit 2 seemed to exhibit a fluctuation of a half-dead soul.

This soul's aura has many similarities to Asuka's, like mother and daughter? But this soul also seems incomplete, just like Rei Ayanami's soul.

Is the so-called piloting of an EVA supposed to involve sacrificing a father or mother, making their souls the soul of that EVA, and then having their child act as the pilot, so that the machine can be controlled under the proper urging of the mother and daughter?

If that's the case, then the soul of Unit-01 should be Shinji's mother.

Was it Gendo Ikari who made these people, including his own wife, sacrifice themselves, or were these people who voluntarily sacrificed themselves so that humanity could obtain the power to fight against the Angels?

In either case, it's too cruel for the victims. Whether it's the former or the latter, it only affects Gendo Ikari's moral bottom line and doesn't hinder the darkness of these EVA units.

After reviewing the situation of Unit-01, he must immediately go to Gendo Ikari to find out the details. Once he has a clear understanding of the situation, he should try his best to come up with a way to bring peace to this place and allow humans and Angels to permanently cease hostilities, thus freeing the souls imprisoned in the EVA units.

Even if it might be voluntary, this practice is still really too bizarre.

Only in that way can the burden that should not belong to Shinji, Asuka, and Rei Ayanami should truly be lifted off their shoulders.

Although Asuka feels that she just wants to pilot an EVA to fight, if her mother could come back, she would probably be willing to live a more youthful life.

While Kasa was pondering, Asuka had already returned from Unit-02 with a dashing air, hands on her hips and snorting, "Heh heh, how was it? Asuka-sama's debut!"

Is that humming too frequently? Maybe that's just being a little tsundere.

"You're really amazing, Asuka." Kassadin snapped out of his daze, clapped his hands lightly, and praised her generously.

Even without EVA, with Asuka's courage and her ability to control Unit-02 with ease, she would be no less capable than anyone else in piloting fighter jets or aircraft carriers. As an adult, she could perform perfectly in any military, which is truly impressive.

Asuka smugly smiled, barely suppressing her laughter, her joy overflowing in her voice, "Hmph, this is just a small show. The real skill is yet to come. I'll show you when the Angels invade!"

It's best not to do that then, let's just leave it at that.

"Next up, Unit-01!"

"coming!"