Shinji Ikari, the pilot of Unit-01 during the Spirit Awakening Era

“Okay! But it’s just a working lunch…” Hyuga Makoto said happily, but the next moment he looked at Ikari Shinji with a bit of embarrassment. After all, Ikari Shinji, who could solve B-level incidents, was a big shot, and his actions seemed to have been a bit offensive.

"It's nothing serious, it's just that I have a big appetite, so be prepared." After saying that, Shinji Ikari looked at the doctor next to him. "My physical examination should be over, right? Can I go next door to check on Rei Ayanami's condition?"

Because Shinji Ikari was present, there was no scene like Gendo Ikari's, who defied the high temperature and forcibly opened the door. Unit-01 simply grabbed the insertion plug that hadn't gone far, and Ritsuko Akagi, realizing what was happening, quickly had someone send a signal to stop the rocket boosters. Then she gently placed it on the ground, and the emergency response team, who were already on standby, rescued Rei Ayanami from the insertion plug and sent her to the infirmary. Naturally, it wasn't up to the NERV leader to rush down from the laboratory to rescue Rei Ayanami from the insertion plug.

In a sense, Shinji Ikari was quite disappointed that Gendo Ikari didn't appear; he was leaning against the side waiting for him to come out.

"Of course!" The doctor nodded to Shinji Ikari without any objection. Today, the boy had effectively prevented Unit-00 from going out of control, reducing the huge losses for NERV. Otherwise, there had been rumors that the failed EVA activation experiment had razed a NERV branch.

Although Unit-00 might not be that terrifying, the moment Unit-01 stopped it, many people breathed a sigh of relief, including the doctor in front of them. After all, even a NERV doctor wouldn't want to face a scene of death and injury.

"Let's go!" Shinji Ikari stood up, greeted Makoto Hyuga, and said he'd see him at the restaurant later! Then he walked towards the ward not far away. When he reached the door, the electronic door opened automatically. Shinji Ikari peeked in and saw that it was a very simply furnished ward.

In the pure white hospital room, a girl with blue hair and red eyes lay calmly staring at the ceiling. An IV bag on the wall was slowly injecting medicine into her wrist. Although there was a window, the view outside was a virtual natural environment displayed on an electronic screen.

"Hello, Rei Ayanami. I didn't have time to introduce myself just now. My name is Shinji Ikari. How are you feeling now?" Shinji Ikari walked to the window, glanced at the girl in the hospital gown, and raised an eyebrow.

“…It’s nothing.” Rei Ayanami looked at Shinji Ikari and said quietly after a while.

"Really? Fractured rib exoskeleton and multiple fractures in the arm. No internal bleeding, lucky you." Shinji Ikari pulled out the pathology report from the bedside table, glanced at the conclusion, and thought, "Not bad, lucky." After this incident, Shinji Ikari roughly determined his current timeline, which was probably the time before the Water Angels attacked, when EVA Unit-00 went berserk.

Although I don't know why I was recruited ahead of schedule, it might be a good thing for me. After a month of experience and learning, I will obviously be more proficient in operating EVA and will not be forced into the awkward situation of being on the battlefield.

"Hmm." Rei Ayanami looked at Shinji Ikari with her red eyes and gave a cold reply, then just stared at him indifferently.

"Mm," Rei Ayanami replied simply.

"Phew..." Shinji Ikari shrugged as he walked out the door. It was one thing to watch it in the anime, but it was quite another to actually face a girl with no emotions like that staring straight at you. It made him feel a little uncomfortable. Although he had a bit of social anxiety in his life, he still couldn't stand that kind of gaze.

"Phew..." After coming out, Shinji Ikari sighed. His childhood goddess was a bit hard to get close to. However, he didn't seem to have too many feelings for her. After all, he had just won his girlfriend over and she might come to see him soon. Besides, the Rei Ayanami here wasn't the kind of hot and mature woman from a certain "Let's Talk" movie, so she was less attractive to him.

However, Shinji Ikari genuinely wanted to help this girl who later began to live earnestly... After all, she had only recently learned how to live...

"Shinji-kun, I thought you'd be a little late coming out." Ritsuko Akagi, who was looking through some documents, looked serious. Then, after hearing the door open, she looked at Shinji Ikari. Shinji shrugged and didn't say much. This whole thing happened a little suddenly. He had just come to do a simple synchronization test, so how did things suddenly turn into this?

"Let's walk and talk together. I want to talk to you about what happened yesterday." Ritsuko Akagi didn't ask any more questions. She had a lot of contact with Rei Ayanami, and in a sense, it was related to the cause of her mother's death.

"Yesterday? Was it a ghost from the mountain?" Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow. Hmm, I'm familiar with this topic. "When I came out just now, I thought Ritsuko-nee was waiting for me. Now it seems I was just getting excited for nothing?"

"You little rascal, you'll get retaliated against for messing with the adults!" Ritsuko Akagi laughed. After being scolded several times, the intelligence department quickly reconfirmed Shinji Ikari's information. Then the first officer revised the original information, and Shinji Ikari's image in NERV finally became clearer again, roughly from being completely pixelated to being lightly pixelated.

After reading it, Ritsuko Akagi almost died laughing. Because she was a helpful and kind student at school, the chocolates she received every year could supply her entire club. At the same time, because she had to hand out so many cookies every year, she was practically trained to become a pastry chef. It is said that her girlfriend was won over by her pastry skills.

"I'm just telling the truth, so Ritsuko-nee, you can also tell the truth," Shinji Ikari said with a grin.

"..." Ritsuko Akagi glanced at Shinji Ikari a few times and shook her head. This little guy was actually waiting for her here. "Not cute at all." The two strolled towards the elevator not far away. "Let me ask you something that's not so relevant to what's going to happen later. You've already met Rei Ayanami. I want to ask you a rather offensive question."

"Hmm?" Shinji Ikari looked at Ritsuko Akagi, who had turned slightly to the side, and nodded. "I also have a lot of questions about Rei Ayanami, but go ahead and ask."

“Rei Ayanami, is this normal? You know what I mean, compared to those things below.” Ritsuko Akagi looked at Shinji Ikari. It should have just been a very simple synchronization training session, but Unit-00’s loss of control not only embarrassed her, but also caught her attention. It should have been completely impossible for a girl like Rei Ayanami, who was almost a blank slate, to have too many distracting thoughts and fail in the mental link.

"There's no other aura on her, she's not contaminated, I can confirm that." Shinji Ikari shook his head. Shinji really hadn't expected Ritsuko Akagi to suspect in this direction. However, it seems that Ritsuko Akagi's understanding in this area is somewhat superficial, because Rei Ayanami is special. Contaminate her? Even Kirie Himuro probably couldn't do that!

“Alright, then I have a few questions for you about what happened that day.” Ritsuko Akagi wasn’t quite satisfied with the answer Shinji Ikari gave her, but she immediately turned her attention to something else. In some ways, Shinji was also an expert on this topic, and the two of them discussed it as they entered the elevator car.

"Ding..." Just as the elevator doors closed for the two of them, another elevator next to them opened, and Gendo Ikari walked out and went straight into Rei Ayanami's room. The expression on his face, which had been as unchanging as a dead man for thousands of years, softened instantly.

"Rei... are you alright?" Gendo Ikari asked with concern, his tone completely unlike the coldness he displayed when speaking to Shinji Ikari.

Rei Ayanami didn't say anything, but nodded silently, her expression becoming more animated.

Chapter 29 Lend a Hand

"Hey! Shinji! There's something I really need to ask you today..." Murai Kunio took a deep breath, grabbed Shinji Ikari who was about to enter, and said cautiously. It has to be said that most young people's conflicts are actually very superficial. Without a conflict of interest, they can't really talk about any life-or-death conflicts. However, those scumbags who bully students in schools still need to die.

Meanwhile, the students, including Kunio Murai, who had gathered around Eikichi Onizuka, had helped Shinji Ikari move his things. After that, Shinji led them to have a barbecue feast, and the group of young people quickly became very familiar with each other.

After all, Shinji Ikari, as a graduate of Nakiri Academy's junior high school, had focused all his culinary skills on Western-style pastries. While his skills in grilling and meat preparation at school were only average, he had at least seen and experienced the world of cooking. The girls who had once given him chocolates were happy to share their recipes with him. "Hey, you want to get the girls involved in a social event? Want to? Give me your recipes!"

So after they were almost done cleaning up, Shinji Ikari had a few boys and girls buy a lot of beef, lamb, pork tenderloin, and large eggplants, as well as some things like oysters. Then, right in front of them, he quickly chopped them into pieces, threw them into a bowl, and prepared the sauce to marinate them! In short, the students who came to help were very satisfied with the barbecue feast. At the end, their joint denunciation of a certain unscrupulous teacher for taking food and money brought them closer together very quickly.

As for Murai Kunio finding Shinji Ikari as soon as he got to school today, there really wasn't anything else going on. Today was just the midterm exam at St. Lin Private Academy, and the exam was in a very practical subject. After all, if you can't do math, you just can't!

“I understand. I’ll wed the answer key side of the test paper on the corner of the table. Your eyesight should be alright, right?” Shinji Ikari was very familiar with the matter of proxy testing. Back in Nakiri Academy, many people had asked him for help. “But if you have time, I’ll teach you. Middle school math is actually quite simple.” This was Versailles, the academic genius.

"Oh! This is a huge help. If you're willing to teach me later, I'll try my best. But first, help me get through today. If my grades aren't good, my mother will nag me again." Murai Kunio clasped his hands together and bowed to Ikari Shinji, beaming as he thanked him. As a poor student, his grades were so bad that Onizuka Eikichi and his young and beautiful mother had a long talk all night... "Anyway, thank you! Did you bring lunch? If not, I'll treat you!"

"No need. If you really want to thank me, just buy me a can of Coke." Shinji Ikari smiled and shook his head. Although he didn't know why Japanese people liked to bring their own lunchboxes to school, Shinji Ikari preferred to eat something freshly made.

Shinji Ikari sized up Kunio Murai a few times. Although he was a bit simple-minded, this guy was a really good friend. But to be honest, he really didn't think Kunio Murai was suited for the path of college entrance exams. This simple-minded guy should train hard and try to become a sports student, or learn a trade. In this chaotic society, there are job opportunities everywhere.

At this moment, the school bell rang, signifying the start of the exam! For students, it marks the beginning of the most crucial moment, while for those who have finished their student years, it may well be a memory filled with nostalgia and regret.

"Here you go!" Murai Kunio handed a can of cola to Ikari Shinji with a smile. Many students nearby gave Shinji a thumbs up. Shinji rolled his eyes. A bunch of idiots. Although his actions seemed to be helping them so that they wouldn't be hung up and slapped by their parents when they got their report cards later.

There's not much to say about the entire exam process. Shinji Ikari quickly finished the test paper, placed it on the corner of the table, and then pretended to check it. Every ten minutes, he would flip it over. The students nearby noticed and copied the entire paper with great enjoyment. However, Shinji Ikari hoped that the guys around him would have some self-awareness.

Their teachers are naturally very aware of their grades, and it would be strange if the unlucky students whose grades suddenly skyrocketed in this exam, especially those right next to them, didn't understand what had happened, given their experience.

At that time... I hope that Murai Kunio can remain calm and rational about having another long talk with his mother. Being too irritable is not good for his not-so-bright brain. After all, Shinji Ikari is very sure that compared to Onizuka Eikichi, who used to run rampant in Shonan under the name of Oni Baku, he is just a piece of cake.

"Thanks!" With the exam over smoothly, a beaming Kunio Murai bought Shinji Ikari a Coke. Shinji nodded, took the Coke, opened it, and started drinking. "By the way, it seems like Aizawa Miyabi didn't come today. Is that alright?"

"You're interested in her? She's a real problem." Murai Kunio glanced at an empty seat in the classroom and sighed. They used to be in the same group, but this woman was undoubtedly a huge nuisance. "It's best to keep your distance from her."

"What are you thinking? Are you really okay with not taking the midterms?" Shinji Ikari shook his head. Wasn't Rei Ayanami better? Why would he want to find a woman with mental problems? Wouldn't that be exhausting?

"She made her own decision, didn't she?" Kunio Murai shook his head, then immediately clasped his hands together. "Shinji! Please take care of the next class too!"

"...If possible, I hope you won't say that in front of the proctor, or at least not so loudly..." Shinji Ikari sighed. That idiot! A certain chemistry teacher nicknamed "Chihuahua" had just stepped in and witnessed this scene, so his eyes widened in anger. Without a doubt, this teacher would be watching him intently during the English exam.

"Please! Please! Just let me go! Five million! No! Ten million! I'll give it to you! Just let me go!" Wright pleaded frantically, his face filled with fear and desperation.

How could he not be anxious? When he saw the light of day again, the sea was calm in Tokyo Bay, but he couldn't move at all. This wasn't because the other party had restrained him to torture him; they simply didn't care. Instead, they used a traditional Japanese gangster technique on him, sealing him in a gasoline drum with cement, leaving only his head sticking out.

The moment Wright awoke from his coma, he frantically begged the gangsters for mercy, hoping they would let him go. But no matter how many sweet words he used, he couldn't sway them even a little.

"Oh? You actually have so much money? That's really impressive! 500 million yen! That's a lot!" A gang leader-like figure said gleefully. "But don't worry, Boss Morishita only said he wanted your life, so you can keep your money for your family! Of course, if they don't need it, we can help them out, right?"

A group of gangsters let out a chilling laugh. Clearly, the man's pleas and promises had brought trouble to his family. These gang members were already used to using any means to extract value from their targets, and wealth was obviously their favorite.

"You...you...you will die! You will all die! The vice president will find out I'm about to succeed! Then you will all be sacrificed! You will all be fed alive to vengeful spirits as nourishment, you damned lowly people, you will all die!" Since begging for mercy was useless, Wright began to curse wildly!

His curses, however, did not intimidate the gangsters at all. Instead, they were delighted by his curses, even laughing and high-fiving. "Oh! Say a few more words, college student! We all know! You graduated from a prestigious university and then went to the United States for further studies! Ha! Hahaha..." The group laughed wildly and swung their arms to frantically slap Wright.

One of them picked up a large adjustable wrench, seemingly wanting to give this person who had once looked down on them a hard time, but he was held down. After all, Morishita Yamato had asked him to witness the true meaning of greatness firsthand, so he had to live.

"Don't waste time, we're almost there!" A man wearing sunglasses said seriously. He exuded a chilling aura, and the moment he spoke, all the gangsters bowed to him and fell silent.

When this person appeared, Wright, who had been cursing, suddenly fell silent. His lips trembled as he stared in horror at the person before him. "This is impossible...you...you should, you should already be!" He couldn't be mistaken, because the long scar on this person's face was one he had cut himself. He must be a corpse!

"Hmph..." The man in sunglasses snorted coldly, looked at him, and said with a sneer, "Yes, I never thought we would meet again. I really have to thank you. Lord Morishita Yamato pleaded with the Eternal Life Society for my sake, so I came back from hell! Make your move! The one below should be hungry too! Give him a hand and send him on his way."

"Yes, sir!" A group of henchmen lifted the gasoline drum and threw it directly into Tokyo Bay.

Wright held his breath, raised his head, and let out a silent, bitter laugh. He watched the light above him, swaying with the ripples of the water, slowly recede into the distance. He cursed, cursed angrily, and then suddenly noticed a huge dark shadow slowly approaching him...

"Pfft..." Terror made him exhale his last breath. He looked at the enormous thing in front of him, unable to believe the last message his eyes were giving him.

Chapter 30 Ryuji is coming

"Hey! Two fried noodle buns, one cream bun, a carton of milk, and two servings of luncheon meat! Here you go~ That'll be 800 yen in total!" Sakurai, the head of the school store, smiled and handed Shinji Ikari the lunch he had chosen, then rested his chin on his hand and looked at Shinji, "How did your exams go this morning?"

"It's a bit easier than Nakiri's exam." Shinji Ikari smiled as he spoke about something that might really mess with these students. But to be fair, the difficulty of Nakiri Private Academy's exam wasn't exactly a secret. After all, it wasn't exactly a place for training normal people. If you weren't smart, how could you cook well? How could you get those deadly ingredients?

"Oh! Is that so!" Sakurai Ryoko's eyes flickered for a moment, unsure whether to have a serious talk with the principal or the discipline master next. She just hoped the two unlucky students could withstand the scolding. "So, how are you getting used to life in Class 4?"

"A very good teacher, and a group of students with some interesting ideas," Shinji Ikari said with a smile. After all, it was quite something to encounter a female classmate bullying a boy in his class on his second day of school.

Shinji Ikari went to the restroom before school ended yesterday and saw a girl named Kyoko and her two followers cornering a boy who wasn't very noticeable in the class. It seemed like they were bullying him. Shinji sighed, walked over, hooked his arms around the shoulders of the two girls who had pulled out markers, and asked them what they were doing with a smile. Then, with a smile, he made up a little story on the spot about a restroom, bullying, and a hanged ghost visiting, which scared the three girls away.

"Thank you..." Noboru Yoshikawa, who had a face almost identical to Shinji Ikari's, stood up and thanked Shinji.

"It's alright, but I can only save you once, not forever. You still need to become strong yourself. What can three little girls really do to you?" Shinji Ikari handed him his handkerchief to wipe his somewhat disheveled face.

"I... understand, thank you." Shinji Ikari's words seemed to touch Noboru Yoshikawa somewhat, but after looking at Shinji, Noboru's emotion was quickly shattered! After all, the simplicity in the eyes of a winner in life is not the simplicity in your mind. However, Noboru Yoshikawa was still very grateful for the other person's kindness.

As a result, the principal of Nakiri Private Junior High School called directly, and Chairman Sakurai realized that his legend was far more than what it seemed on the surface. He was a dream rider who sped at 330 km/h on the Tokyo Expressway to save time, and the entire Suzuki company was frantically searching for him, which directly led to the urban legend of the GSX1300R model selling like hotcakes.

The reason he was rushing to save time wasn't anything else, but rather that after completing a low-level mission, he discovered another urgent incident about to erupt dozens of kilometers away. A large number of Tokyo police officers, attracted by his reckless speeding, arrived and managed to contain the situation. Then, for a moment, they all went blind and failed to catch the "speeding criminal"! Watching Shinji Ikari escape, they even reminded him to remember to wear a helmet next time.

For Chairperson Sakurai, this phone call shattered her worldview. The boy who called her a student was more than just a star student; calling him a hero wouldn't be an exaggeration at all.

"Everyone has their own way of living, right? Like me, maybe I'm just destined to save the world!" Shinji Ikari smiled, greeted Chairman Sakurai, and left.

"Come again if it's not enough!" Chairwoman Sakurai greeted Shinji Ikari with a smile. She was willing to work at the convenience store not for any other reason than that it was the best place to interact with the young people in her academy. She liked this feeling because it brought her a great sense of accomplishment as an educator.

With a sigh, Shinji Ikari stuffed a fried noodle bread into his mouth in a few bites. He thought that if he were in the mood, he might consider cooking some food for himself every morning after he finished cleaning up his house. But his cooking skills were still terrible compared to even Yukihira's casual cooking... Shinji Ikari suddenly realized that his taste had been spoiled. Oh dear.

"Yo! Shinji!" While Shinji was munching on bread, Eikichi Onizuka, who was eating a bowl of instant noodles, grinned and approached Shinji. "Ryuji said he closed the shop today to come and check things out, so let's go together tonight?"

"No problem at all. It's been a few days since I've seen Brother Ryuji." Shinji Ikari smiled and shook his head. If we're talking about who helped Shinji the most back in the old town, it would be Seiichiro Yukihira, followed by Ryuji Danma. In terms of relationships, he was closer to Ryuji Danma in some ways.

The main problem is that Shinji Ikari constantly wants Seiichiro Yukihira to cook for him properly, and Uncle Yukihira is getting annoyed with him to no end. Seriously, cooking—I mean, is that an easy thing to do? You little brat, you just want to get something for nothing, starting at millions of yen per meal!

For Shinji Ikari, the temptation of increasing spiritual power and ki through a single meal was simply too great. If he could get freebies every day, he could probably quickly rise to the ranks of top masters, then crush all sorts of monsters and demons! And then go find his master, who might still be alive in this world, for a good chat.

"I haven't seen Ryuji in a long time either. How's he doing over there?" Onizuka Eikichi didn't seem to have heard that Danma Ryuji had obtained the designated dealership license for Suzuki motorcycles. He was still talking very happily. Becoming a teacher at a fairly well-known school was definitely a good job, which gave Onizuka Eikichi a great sense of superiority. He was planning how to brag about it to his good brother later.

"Business is alright, enough to eat and live on. It's a motorcycle shop in a small town, and we occasionally help out with repairs. But since there aren't many expenses, life is pretty uneventful. I heard they came here this time because they want to take a gamble." Shinji Ikari didn't intend to say much more, after all, they had their own ideas, and he would let his good friend talk it out.

As for this franchise license, although NERV is considered an outlier and strange organization among such mysterious entities, it is still a legitimate research institution with armed forces and considerable power. Helping to obtain a franchise license and settle the families of its employees is not a particularly troublesome matter.

“Let’s take a gamble…” Onizuka Eikichi nodded. “There are quite a few people around here who ride motorcycles, so it’s a good option.” After finishing his noodles, Onizuka Eikichi thought about it and realized it made sense. They were nearing middle age, not the carefree youths they once were. Besides, that bastard Ryuji was married; he was definitely thinking more deeply than he was. “Let’s go together tonight!”

"Okay!" Shinji Ikari nodded. Since Uncle Ryuji had come all this way, it was only right for him to treat him to a meal. Shinji didn't think much of it. "But it seems like you're not worried about my grades at all. Aren't you afraid I'll do badly on the test? That seems to directly affect your job."

Shinji Ikari overheard the disciplinary headmaster, Uchiyamada, making a stern threat to Eikichi Onizuka at the school gate that day. He knew that if Shinji, a star student, caused any trouble, then without a doubt, Eikichi Onizuka, as his homeroom teacher, would be finished! Uchiyamada was determined to expel him from the school, staking his entire life's beliefs on it!

"Huh? You mean Uchiyamada~" Shinji Ikari's words made Eikichi Onizuka laugh. He was a rather complicated person, and to be fair, he was also a good teacher. "As someone who's been through it all, who are you studying hard for? If you don't have a clear purpose for doing something, then you can't muster the backbone of a man."

“But there are just too many people in this world who can’t understand,” Shinji Ikari laughed. “Surprisingly, you understand perfectly.” Shinji finished the last sip of milk, cleaned up the trash, and said, “See you tonight!”

"Good luck on the exam!" Onizuka Eikichi smiled and gave Shinji Ikari a thumbs up. "With your level, you should have no problem. Do your best!"

"You bastard!" Shinji Ikari chuckled as he stood up and walked towards the trash can, intending to throw away the garbage beside him. Onizuka Eikichi was definitely not someone who could be described as simply handsome, but when it came down to it, he stood firm until the very last moment. "By the way! You'd better look into Yoshikawa Noboru being bullied; those girls went a bit too far."

"Kyoko and the others, right?" Onizuka Eikichi stood up and said with a smile. As a former bad guy, Onizuka Eikichi could see through a lot of the mess between these kids at a glance. "I know! I'll handle it."

Chapter 31 Encounter

The afternoon's English exam was even easier for Shinji Ikari. After all, his first life practically gave him a good command of English, so the only obstacle preventing him from getting a perfect score was probably the grammatical difference between spoken and written English. Therefore, Shinji didn't find it particularly difficult. If he wanted to, he could speak not only quite good American English but also Maoist English, for reasons mentioned earlier.

"Watch out!" Just as Shinji Ikari was swaying and preparing to run a couple of laps around the stadium to warm up, so that he could eat more of Eikichi Onizuka's food when he treated everyone to dinner that night! He remembered how much of his reserves he had consumed at that party.

Suddenly, I heard someone shout. It seemed that someone had kicked the ball off course and it flew diagonally in my direction, but it probably landed not on me but on a girl next to me.

Shinji Ikari turned slightly to the side, assuming a position ready to perform a bicycle kick. The reason he joined the soccer club was that playing soccer felt similar to kicking a Reimaru. If he wanted to be as precise as his former master, he would definitely need to train his footwork properly.

"Ah!" But soon a high-pitched scream came from behind. Shinji Ikari frowned subconsciously and then turned his head slightly to observe. Obviously, the girl had noticed him, but she was already terrified and could only instinctively let out a scream. Shinji Ikari helplessly prepared to block with his hands, but a figure flashed by and someone kicked the soccer ball away.

"Hmm?" Shinji Ikari looked at the boy in sportswear who had landed with some surprise. This boy's skills were astonishing. When did St. Forest Academy have such a powerful student? Shinji Ikari was somewhat curious.

"Oh! Thanks! Yuujin! Shinji-san, you're here too." As the soccer ball flew back onto the field, several soccer club members, who seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, quickly ran over. Similar to the sports student system in China, in a sense, if you don't do well in school, but you are really good at sports, you may still be able to go to college or even get scholarships. So, the sports programs in good schools are really competitive.

"I thought you saw me on the sidelines and were planning to deliberately pass the ball to me so I could show off, but it seems I was just being presumptuous." Shinji Ikari smiled at the person who had kicked the soccer ball so far. There was one other person in the school who could do that, but Eikichi Onizuka wasn't there. "Not bad. I've never heard of such a strong player in your school. I'm..."

"Shinji Ikari! Of course I know!" The young man smiled brightly. "I'm Hisahito Itadori from Class 2!" The young man's smile was very cheerful, and upon hearing the name, Shinji Ikari knew who he was! It seemed he needed to thoroughly check his school, otherwise, if that unlucky guy Eikichi Onizuka got into trouble here, he would feel a bit guilty towards Ryuji Danma.

"Anyway, thank you for your help. Would you like to come over for a visit sometime?" the soccer club president said expectantly. One was a former national tournament MVP player, and the other was a vagrant in the school who was a multi-talented sports genius. If the two of them could join their soccer club, it would be a dream come true.

"No! I'm in a hurry to get back to dinner." Shinji Ikari shook his head decisively. This guy's gaze was too direct; he didn't want to be caught in the middle.

"I don't have any plans to join any clubs for the time being." Yuuji Itadori also declined apologetically. Although he was very athletic, he had no intention of joining any clubs, so he, like Shinji Ikari, refused the invitation from the soccer club leader, which was very straightforward.

"Anyway! Thanks!" The football club president had already expected to be rejected, so he didn't seem too disappointed and left without a word.

"Nice to meet you all, let's chat sometime!" Shinji Ikari shook hands with the future top troublemaker in front of him, and then Shinji Ikari and Yuujin Itadori each made their own way, leaving the little girl who wanted to thank him completely bewildered, not knowing which side to chase after.

Since he'd been caught, Shinji Ikari didn't plan to linger there. He decided to run straight home instead of his planned workout. The town wasn't big; it was only about 2 kilometers away, a decent warm-up.

Shinji Ikari had planned it that way, but when he got to the school gate, he realized that his previous idea was ruined. Ryuji Danma did not go directly to his residence according to the address he had given. Instead, he and his wife rode a motorcycle to the gate of St. Lin School and were currently chatting happily with their mutual friend, Eikichi Onizuka. Both sides were busy at work.

"Shinji! Why did it take you so long to come out!" Ryuji Danma greeted Shinji Ikari with a smile, then tossed a cigarette to Eikichi Onizuka beside him. "I looked it up, and St. Forest Academy is a pretty good school in the country. Oh, and your buddy, I rode it over for you!"

"Uncle Ryuji, so you've already checked out the surrounding area? What do you think?" Shinji Ikari smiled as he got on his motorcycle. Some things don't need to be explained in detail. Back-to-back friends don't need you to deliberately show off your daily trust. In crucial moments, you don't need to say anything; just being there is enough.

"We wandered around the neighborhood and found a pretty good barbecue restaurant. Shall we sit down and talk?" Danma Ryuji said with a grin. Dressed in a shirt and trousers, Danma Ryuji was no longer the thug from the Oni-Baku duo. He looked like an ordinary, honest working uncle.

However, Shinji Ikari remembered that Ryuji Danma's family background seemed quite impressive, and his wife Nagisa's seemed to be in a similar situation. Under these strange circumstances, the two were considered a good match. Of course, Shinji Ikari didn't think much of showing concern for him, after all, every family has its own troubles.

"Okay! I'll ride in Nagisa's car!" Onizuka Eikichi grinned and approached Nagisa from behind, seemingly about to hug her, but was ruthlessly shooed away by Danma Ryuji's side kick. He then chuckled and rode out on his motorcycle.

"Hey buddy! You're finally here!" Shinji Ikari patted the GSX1300R Falcon, which already had some scratches, and sat on it. The familiar feeling immediately returned. Then the four of them rode three motorcycles to the restaurant that Ryuji Danma had found.

"Is this the place?" Shinji Ikari looked up. "Genghis Khan BBQ?" That's a pretty imposing name. Although Hakone has been developed into the NERV's supporting sniper town, Tokyo-3, bringing together the residents of the surrounding towns, there are still some scattered shops on the outskirts of the city, such as this BBQ restaurant with a bunch of motorcycles parked in front of it.