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

"Ah...that's wonderful! They look like a married couple!"

"No way... Sister Xiaozhu and Brother Long are the real ones!"

"Ryoko, why are you blushing?"

"Feeling refreshed!"

"Shinji, what are you talking about...?"

"Hahaha……"

Chapter 38 A speech like that of the mistress

"Oh! Ryoko! You came today?" The roar of a motorcycle came from downstairs. Not long after, the sound of footsteps on the old staircase came from the small corridor. The moment Ryuji pushed open the door, he smelled the aroma of food inside. When he looked up, he saw Nagase Nagisa trying to learn to cook from Sakaki Ryoko, who was tossing and stirring the stir-fried pork in the wok. "Nagisa, give up. There's no way you can do it."

"Heh! Ryuji! I just wanted to learn how to make it at home! After all, Ryoko is the most virtuous and kind girl I've ever met! Shinji-kun is so lucky!" Ryoko smiled and leaned behind Sakaki Ryoko, poking Sakaki Ryoko's cheek with her hand.

"Yay!" Shinji Ikari, who was inspecting (and eating) the braised pork belly, high-fived Nagase Nagase, then jumped back to dodge Ryoko Sakaki's waving spatula, whose face was slightly flushed. Shinji would always have a few drinks with Ryuji Danma after returning from missions. Sometimes, when the freezer was empty, the two men would use four bricks as a makeshift grill, placing a rack on top, and grill some convenience store food as snacks. Ryoko Sakaki would occasionally join them; they were all very familiar with each other.

In a sense, thanks to Shinji Ikari, many "staff" of the Nakiri Group know that Shinji has a friend who runs a repair shop and will bring them vehicles that have been damaged after missions. So, in a sense, Ryuji Danma not only knows how to repair cars, but also some simple car repair skills. His business is good, but he earns his money through hard work.

"There's some newly brewed rice wine in the fridge, let's drink it later!" Ryoko Sakaki looked at Shinji Ikari, her eyes narrowing coquettishly, then poured out the stir-fried pork, its aroma filling the air. "Dinner's ready, try it and see how it tastes? Shinji, that idiot, cut way too much meat!" After finishing the dishes, Ryoko Sakaki took off her apron and placed them on the table, while Shinji Ikari simply used his ruthless iron hand to take out the steaming braised pork belly.

"Don't forget the offerings, okay? I always rely on Himuro-nee's help." Sakaki Ryoko teased Ikari Shinji, who then gestured to her with a bowl of rice and four small bowls of side dishes that had already been plated. All the cooking utensils and trays were specially crafted by the Onmyōryō (Yin-Yang Bureau) to ensure that Himuro Kirie could be reused repeatedly without breaking.

"Let's eat!" The four of them sat down at the small table, happily put their hands together and shouted, and then began to eat. Meanwhile, some soft rustling sounds came from the other side. Xiaozhu felt that the temperature, which had been a bit hot because of cooking, had instantly disappeared, and the room was cool.

"How were the mushrooms I brought last time?" Shinji Ikari picked up a piece of braised pork, wrapped it in rice, and put it in his mouth. Suddenly, he remembered that a few days before he came, after Himuro Kirie finished eating, there were a lot of mushrooms on the bowls and chopsticks she brought back. They felt cool to the touch, and he didn't know where they came from. After being dumbfounded for a while, Shinji Ikari had no idea what to do with them. He simply put them in a jar, put a talisman on it, wrapped it tightly in a garbage bag, and handed it to Ryoko Sakaki so that she could give it to the staff of the Nakiri Group.

In a sense, the Nakiri Group collects all sorts of bizarre "ingredients" from around the world. The students and chefs who provide these ingredients are recorded as merit points, which can then be used to retrieve the "ingredients" they need from the Totsuki Academy's "ingredient database".

“Speaking of which, one mushroom is worth 50 points! The giant wild boar they brought back from hunting only cost 800 points.” Ryoko Sakaki said with some surprise. A few hours after she handed it in, a group employee rushed to her and carefully inquired about the origin of the mushroom she submitted. After learning that it was a gift from Himuro Kirie, the group looked at each other and immediately offered an extremely high price, calculated per mushroom.

There is no official exchange rate between merit points at Totsuki Academy and Japanese yen. Generally, you can only buy points from people who are willing to help. This depends entirely on the relationship between the two parties and fluctuates greatly, ranging from 1,000 yen to 50000 yen. So in a sense, it is possible that Himuro Kirie saw the mushroom she casually picked for Shinji Ikari and gave him several million yen in one go.

"Oh, you've struck it rich! Little rich girl! Remember to take care of me from now on!" Shinji Ikari said shamelessly. That day, there were dozens of sticks in a small bowl. Before Ryoko Sakaki even joined Totsuki Academy, she already had a huge number of points in her hands. Basically, it was a smooth ride for her to enter Totsuki Academy after that.

Then Ryoko Sakaki rolled her eyes at her. When Shinji Ikari asked her to hand it over, Ryoko was actually a little embarrassed. After all, it was true that she and Shinji Ikari were boyfriend and girlfriend (it just so happened to be Valentine's Day, and while others gave flowers, Shinji gave mushrooms). But she didn't have the guts to chat with a fierce god like Shinji did, and she basically provided him with a hot meal every day.

Previously, when Shinji Ikari didn't have time to cook, he would simply buy the ingredients from Yukihira's restaurant. Perhaps he'd have to do it himself from now on? Sakaki Ryoko, her mind wandering to strange thoughts, clicked her tongue, feeling a little apprehensive. Don't let Himuro Kirie's easygoing nature fool you; she's a fearsome figure! Even the Divine Mirror, when open for a while, starts to frost over the room's glass—what terrifying power! But if it's just offering food…

"But how come mushrooms are sold at such a high price?" As someone from the area where Nakiri Private Middle School is located, and having dealt with the Nakiri Group a lot, Ryuji has a very clear understanding of the value of their achievements, which are often sighed over by the chefs of the Nakiri Group.

"They say it contains extremely pure death energy. They've never seen such high-quality food containing death energy before. They've labeled this mushroom 'Yomi Mushroom,' considering it a top-tier ingredient, and estimate it will sell for 120 to 200 points." Ryoko Sakaki seemed to grit her teeth, then sighed. "Then several staff members started complaining about Totsuki Academy's shady practices, because many chefs wanted to try the effects of this mushroom, but the terrifying price deterred most of them."

"It's as if these chefs aren't dishonest themselves." Shinji Ikari gave this to Ryoko Sakaki so that she wouldn't have to worry about a lack of ingredients when she was at Totsuki Academy. Otherwise, as Shinji knew, the reason why many chefs at Totsuki Academy were so good at fighting was simply to earn money for ingredients.

In a sense, Shinji Ikari thought that perhaps when he went on missions in the future, if he encountered anything that looked strange but was edible, he could bring some back to Ryoko Sakaki. After all, whether something was edible or not was not for Ryoko Sakaki to decide; it could be left to the Totsuki Group to decide.

"Mmm...it tastes really good!" Nagase Nagisa's face bulged as he ate. Shinji Ikari may not have contributed much, as he doesn't seem to have any particular talent for pastries or desserts. However, Ryoko Sakaki's cooking skills are excellent, and the delicious flavors received praise from everyone. The four stir-fried dishes and the bowl of braised pork belly on the table were all eaten up.

"So full! I'm so full!" Ryuji slumped in his chair. "Sakaki Ryoko's cooking is terrifying, Shinji. You really need to work out properly in the future, or you'll get ridiculously fat." Ryuji patted his belly contentedly, the feeling of fullness bringing him a sense of happiness, and he smiled very happily.

“Yes, yes! Let us move a little, let us clean up!” Nagase Nagisa stood up with a smile, tapped Danma Ryuji, signaling him to get up and do some work. Living in Shinji Ikari’s house and eating the meals cooked by Shinji Ikari and his girlfriend, it would be too embarrassing for them to do the dishes and clean up.

“No need, how could I let the guests…” Ryoko Sakaki glanced at Shinji Ikari, signaling him to be more considerate, but before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Nagase Nagisa, who was standing next to her with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Oh! A guest! Ryoko, you're getting a little... into character!" Nagase Nagisa looked at Sakaki Ryoko, whose face had instantly turned slightly red, his eyes full of amusement, and a mischievous smile crept onto his lips. "This kind of hostess-like talk is not good! Ah! Um! Um! Ryoko should be turning 16 in a few months, right?"

"Oh! Yes! You guys already have this plan... Hmm~" Danma Ryuji also got excited for a moment. He knew very well that Shinji Ikari was not short of money, and they also knew that it was basically certain that Ryoko Sakaki would also enter Totsuki Academy. In the future, what these chefs lacked was merit points to exchange for high-grade ingredients, not ordinary yen.

From this perspective, Shinji Ikari and Ryoko Sakaki have already met most of the basic requirements. Their conditions are even better than those of Nagase Nagisa and Danma Ryuji when they got married.

"Nagisa-nee, if you keep tormenting Ryoko, she'll probably just run away since it's already night," Shinji Ikari said with a twitch of his lips.

"Even if you don't run away, you still want to sleep with me tonight? You two men are sleeping together tonight! And tomorrow morning, Shinji, you should leave early and take Ryoko back!" Before Shinji could finish explaining his earlier attempt to help Ryoko out of the predicament, Nagase Nagase, who was standing up to clear the table, started teasing Ryoko, who was covering her face and didn't want to talk, without any politeness.

"As expected of a married woman, she's going too fast! I can't keep up." Shinji Ikari raised his hands in surrender. He couldn't keep up with the teasing from Nagase Nagase's side at all. "Let's stop this topic. I believe that at the right time and under the right opportunity, everything will fall into place."

"That's a great statement!" Danma Ryuji said with a smile while washing the dishes. "Shinji could definitely do it."

"That is!"

"Hmph, that's not necessarily true!"

"Ryoko will regret it later!"

Chapter 39 A Nighttime Talk Between Two People

Shinji Ikari held his girlfriend's hand as they looked down at the lights below. Ryoko Sakaki smiled, enjoying the night breeze, and gently sat on the railing with her long hair tucked behind her ear. "From here, you can see the entire Third Tokyo City very clearly."

Shinji Ikari rode his motorcycle to the place where Misato Katsuragi had previously taken him to see the location where the Third New Tokyo City had been unsealed.

"How would you feel if I told you that these skyscrapers can rise and fall?" Shinji Ikari sat down next to Ryoko Sakaki. The Third New Tokyo City under the night sky was different from all other megacities because the buildings in the core area were all dark, while the buildings on the periphery were still brightly lit.

"Wow..." As a girl, Ryoko Sakaki was somewhat surprised, but that was all. She glanced back at Tokyo-3 behind her. The city in the night resembled a giant sleeping in the darkness. She pursed her lips slightly. "Baka Shinji!" "So you've gone from an exorcist to a hero always ready to save the city?"

"A hero?" Shinji Ikari thought for a moment. In his past life, in order to stop the King of Hearts, Master Asia, from going crazy, after all his pleading failed, he decided to gamble his cultivation and fight his master one-on-one, only to be beaten to death. He wondered if Domon, whom he had sent away, would be able to successfully stop his master. When he was beaten to death, Domon couldn't even beat him...

Leaving aside his previous life, Sensui Shinobu suddenly turned evil, giving himself no chance to prepare before their deadly battle erupted abruptly. Having witnessed the evil of humanity, Sensui Shinobu suddenly began to think that the people of the Demon Realm were much simpler, and then he started to want to go to the Demon Realm. He also felt that humanity was beyond saving, and the ruthlessness he displayed was beyond words. As his long-term assistant and follower, he was left to be the last one...

In his two previous lives, he truly stood before demons who intended to abandon or annihilate humanity, all for the sake of humankind. And then? He was crushed... Was he a hero? Perhaps, but aside from seemingly moving himself, it was utterly meaningless...

"What's wrong? Isn't being a hero a good thing?" Ryoko Sakaki laughed. What attracted her to Shinji Ikari wasn't some inexplicable title like "star student," nor was it his ability to cook interesting meals. Rather, it was the unbelievable maturity that would occasionally erupt from him, and... his unwavering determination to never back down when facing challenges. Isn't that what a true man should be like?

"A hero means others' expectations, it means responsibility. If you do something wrong, you will face overwhelming criticism. But I only want to shoulder your share." Shinji Ikari shook his head, gently hugged Ryoko Sakaki, and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

"How corny!" Ryoko Sakaki tapped Shinji Ikari on the head, but she was laughing happily. Just now, while she was eating, she had remarked on Totsuki Academy's point system, but there was something she didn't say. When the Totsuki Academy staff came to talk to her, they had already told her that Shinji Ikari had transferred all the merit points he had accumulated at Totsuki Academy to her.

The situation is actually quite easy to understand. When Shinji Ikari goes out to slay demons, he always manages to collect some extra items, such as monsters that have already gained some power or strangely shaped plants. Shinji usually notifies the staff of Totsuki Academy to collect these items. As a result, the Onmyōryō (the Bureau of Onmyō) often deducts from his commission. After all, for the Onmyōryō, these demons, while they may not necessarily be edible, can be used to make medicine, talismans, or weapons, among other things. In short, they have many uses, and the loss of corpses obviously means a significant loss of income for the Onmyōryō.

“Hey.” Shinji Ikari chuckled. “But NERV is much more interesting than I thought. We’re definitely not just facing simple Angels. There are probably many more secrets hidden inside, though I haven’t even gotten close yet. After you go straight to Totsuki Academy in the second half of the year, I have nothing to worry about.” Shinji put his arm around Ryoko Sakaki’s waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Smack!" Ryoko Sakaki slapped Shinji Ikari's restless hand hard as he groped her lower abdomen. "Hmph! Have you seen your father yet?"

"No, obviously this guy doesn't want to see me." Shinji Ikari shrugged. For a shut-in who planned to destroy the world just to see his wife, seeing his son who looked somewhat similar was indeed quite painful. But did this guy deserve sympathy? No, he didn't. Even disregarding his grandparents who raised him, even those ordinary people he had never met, Gendo Ikari deserved to die a gruesome death.

"Are you planning to give your father a beating when you meet him again?" Ryoko Sakaki was completely shocked when she first heard Shinji Ikari's plan to treat her father. Her eyes widened in disbelief! What? He was going to give her father a good beating when they met?

Ryoko Sakaki had some understanding of Shinji Ikari's fighting prowess; he was a shameless powerhouse, a fake all-around athlete, and a despicable scoundrel who could easily beat any ordinary person! As a result, Nakiri Private Middle School seemed to have officially entered the Totsuki Culinary Group's potential talent training program because of Shinji Ikari. Starting from the second year, Nakiri Private Middle School clearly received more investment, and the students began to learn things that seemed to have little to do with academic performance.

Shinji Ikari, standing before them, left behind a set of basic physical training exercises and an aerobic training method with mixed basic breathing techniques. This greatly excited Mr. Nakiri of the Totsuki Group. Although Shinji Ikari would not eventually join Totsuki Academy to become one of the Totsuki Group's "chefs" who went from mountain to sea, the Totsuki Group had already given Shinji Ikari a very high evaluation and assessment. When NERV came knocking, they naturally received a rather tough rebuff.

After the new batch of students from Nakiri Private Middle School entered Totsuki Academy, they realized the value of what Shinji Ikari left them. It can be said that from the moment Shinji Ikari left these techniques, the entire Totsuki Group owed Shinji Ikari a huge debt of gratitude, because Shinji Ikari laid a simple and easy-to-understand foundation for all of them, enhancing the physical qualities of these potential students.

Of course, Ryoko Sakaki didn't learn those two things. She only learned them after she and Shinji Ikari established their relationship. Shinji was naturally willing to teach her the real stuff, not just the superficial stuff. If it weren't for Izumo no Okuni interrupting one day, Shinji would have been able to trick Ryoko Sakaki into going home and learning the two... cough cough, harmonious society, turn the page.

“Of course! He deserves it, doesn’t he?” Shinji Ikari said with a smile. On the surface, Shinji Ikari was using his grandparents’ name as a cover, intending to have a proper physical conversation with his father.

But in reality, did NERV truly want to protect humanity? Yes! And the vast majority of them did! However, all their efforts were destroyed by the plan led by Gendo Ikari and Kozo Fuyutsuki. And the SEELE group, who were the masterminds, were the ones who were obsessed with the "Human Instrumentality Project," leading humanity into this damned death spiral in one cycle after another.

In a sense, as long as they are gone, the world will continue to move forward. This so-called Human Instrumentality Project is, in fact, merely an obstacle to humanity. Some people are trying to complete their own version of instrumentality. So, for the sake of all humanity, you should all die, shouldn't you? And the most advantageous thing about destroying this project is that you are the key to triggering the third or fourth...

Once I catch them red-handed, I can decide what they'll think! The power of organized human forces in this world is indeed formidable, but there are also forces beyond organizations! And unfortunately, I happen to know a few of them, these old monsters probably don't want me to be eliminated.

"You!" Ryoko Sakaki was at a loss for words when it came to persuading Shinji Ikari. After all, even Ryoko herself, after hearing Shinji's account, felt that Shinji's father was far too heartless. It was normal for Shinji to harbor resentment; it would be strange if he didn't react at all. However, since Shinji hadn't explained the full picture, Ryoko still felt that the so-called two punches without holding back seemed a bit... outrageous.

After all, Ryoko Sakaki had witnessed Shinji Ikari fight against the Cursed Spirit. The enormous Cursed Spirit was being beaten like a punching bag in front of Shinji. The whole scene was quite mind-blowing for Ryoko. If this were done to a normal human, Shinji would probably be dead with the first punch if he wanted to, and the second punch would be the finishing blow.

"What?" Shinji Ikari tilted his head and looked at Ryoko Sakaki. He had already vaguely told her something, and he hoped that she would understand later.

"What an infuriating bastard!" Ryoko Sakaki shook her head and lightly pecked Shinji Ikari on the cheek. "Let's go back quickly, or we'll make a fool of ourselves in front of Ryuji and the others."

"What are you laughing at?" Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes. Danma and the others were just discussing when Shinji and the others would get married. What's there to be afraid of? It's nothing! Then he grinned mischievously and hugged Ryoko Sakaki.

"You bastard." Sakaki Ryoko poked Shinji Ikari's chest with her forehead pressed against his. "Shameless scoundrel."

"Hey! Does that mean I can do something?"

"Get lost! I have class very early tomorrow morning, and I need to catch the first bus back. Next time, please?"

"Ha, I shouldn't have taught you this."

Chapter 40 Exorcist Queen

"Yo! Good morning! Superhero!" As soon as Shinji Ikari sat down, Kunio Murai came over to greet him.

"So, showing you the answers makes you a superhero?" Shinji Ikari took out his stationery and textbooks, yawned, and although it was said that Ryuji Danma had stayed overnight at his house last night and he went to bed early, he still couldn't resist getting up at four o'clock in the morning to take Ryoko Sakaki back and then rush back to class. Shinji Ikari was now quite sleepy.

"What did you do yesterday? I heard someone saw you shopping with a beautiful woman?" Murai Kunio leaned closer to Shinji Ikari and whispered with a chuckle. "So the rumors are true, the superstar student at Nakiri Academy has a girlfriend?"

"Yes, I do have a girlfriend." Shinji Ikari didn't deny it. Young people always like to gossip about these things. After you turn 25, if you have one, you have one, be open and honest. After you turn 30, not having one is the beginning of the real trouble. An endless journey of blind dates awaits you.

"Wow, that's impressive!" Murai Kunio looked on with obvious envy. He did have a crush on someone, but unfortunately, she had no feelings for him at all. And despite Murai Kunio's seemingly carefree demeanor, he was actually quite timid in this regard.

"The teacher is coming in! Grades are being released today. You guys didn't just copy everything, did you?" Shinji Ikari glanced at the scenery below. The students from the academy were making quite a racket as they streamed in from the school gate. As the bell rang, the students outside the gate quickened their pace, because being late would be too embarrassing.

Shinji Ikari looked at the stern-faced Dean of Students, Uchiyamada, at the school gate. He was yelling at the students to hurry up, or he would ruthlessly treat them all as late and make them stand in the corridor as punishment! He closed the gate a few minutes late, letting all the running rascals and girls into the school.

"But I noticed you brought a lunchbox today?" Shinji Ikari's act of hanging a lunchbox on the table caught Kunio Murai's attention. Previously, Shinji had been too lazy to cook for himself because he was constantly traveling between school and school. For lunch at school, he would usually just buy something from the convenience store and make do, instead of bringing a lunchbox like most people. Therefore, Shinji's lunchbox attracted their attention.

As for why Shinji Ikari brought a lunchbox today? That's because Ryoko Sakaki had already prepared the food for him when she cooked last night. When she took Ryoko Sakaki back to Nakiri Private Middle School this morning, she put it in the rice cooker to keep it warm, so he could just pick it up when he came back.

"Shinji-kun!" A girl wearing glasses walked over, stood in front of Shinji Ikari, and said with a smile, "We have a social gathering tonight. You haven't had a chance to get together with everyone since you came to school..."

"Did Aizawa send you?" Looking at the girl before him, speaking to him with a shy expression, Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow. He had already seen Aizawa's gloomy face that day. Without a doubt, this woman had already included Shinji in their attack plan. Please, he's just a comedian. What does your fighting with Onizuka Eikichi have to do with me? If you really want to know Shinji's thoughts, it's simply: "Go on, attack!"

"Eh... Aizawa Miyabi will indeed be attending. If you'd like, we can..." The girl with glasses was somewhat surprised that Shinji Ikari had guessed it. She looked at Shinji with some astonishment. Wasn't he just here? How did he guess that Aizawa Miyabi wanted to invite him and then play a little trick on him to see if she could control him? Of course, the things that girls of this age could think of were really just a few.

"Oh, I have to work at night, so I basically don't have time to go out." Shinji Ikari interrupted the girl with glasses, who seemed to be surnamed Shirai, again. Sorry, this old man is a corporate slave, and there are just too many people who want to trick him, but it's only a few times, so he doesn't want to pay any attention to them. "By the way, a reminder to Aizawa Miyabi, I'm pretty good at fighting, at least not worse than Onizuka Eikichi. If you want to ambush me, I suggest you find a few more useless fools." Shinji Ikari revealed a bright smile.

"..." Shirai Chikako left with a somewhat unpleasant expression. Clearly, with Shinji Ikari having said all that, how could she not know that their scheme had failed from the very beginning?

"You actually know that she and Aizawa Miyabi have a good relationship?" Murai Kunio was somewhat surprised that Shinji Ikari had dismissed Shirai Chikako with just a few words. How did Shinji Ikari know all this? He had only been in this class for a few days.

"Want me to practice badminton with you so it'll be easier for you to join the badminton club?" Shinji Ikari teased Kunio Murai with a smile. Although his memories of GTO were quite hazy, and he certainly didn't remember the details, he still had some recollection of information about the main characters.

So Shinji Ikari really knows Kunio Murai in front of him. Don't be fooled by the fact that he seems to be teased by Eikichi Onizuka from the beginning of the hunt. In fact, he has two girls who like him, and it seems that the so-called school beauty also likes him, but she has never expressed it directly. That makes him a real winner in life.

"Hey! Don't say anything more!" Murai Kunio hurriedly tried to cover Shinji Ikari's mouth. How did this guy know?

"Can you please not be so easily fooled?" Shinji Ikari grabbed, twisted, and lifted Murai Kunio by the arm. Murai was begging for mercy. Since the guy meant no harm, Shinji immediately let go and freed him.

"You rascal!" Murai Kunio wasn't angry. "The teacher already asked me to inquire about it the other day, and he praised my efforts during this period! What you said is indeed useful. Perhaps I should consider a better direction for my future."

"Then let's do our best!" Perhaps it was Shinji Ikari's unintentional encouragement during their meal that worked, because Murai Kunio started to try his best. After all, if he didn't, then in the future, it would be a pipe dream for him to get into a good company.

"So they claim they're fishing here, is that right? Have they found anything?" Ryoko Yakushiji, a renowned exorcist in the Japanese police force and a counselor in the Criminal Investigation Department of the New Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, was looking around Tokyo Bay with binoculars.

"Yes, the boat belongs to a nearby yacht association and they chartered it. No contraband was found on board. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, a lawyer has already come to bail them out, and they should be released in a few hours." Inspector Junichiro Izumida, Ryoko Yakushiji's assistant, glanced at the time on his watch and said with a hint of helplessness.

That day, they were working on another case, a very cunning cleaning company. However, on their way to investigate, when they passed a small dock where people were getting off work, Ryoko Yakushiji suddenly stopped them, revealed her identity, and stopped a group of people who were returning. Then, she made up a ridiculous excuse and had these guys, who were obviously a bunch of thugs, detained.

They then boarded the yacht and investigated to see if there was anything suspicious in the cabin. However, they only found some suspicious traces on the boat and nothing else. There was nothing illegal inside, not even a few bottles of liquor.

“Then let them go on bail! The only abnormal traces we can find on the ship are drag marks. These Black Soul Group trash are just small fry. Did they collect information on everyone?” Yakushiji Ryoko, who seemed to be admiring the scenery, said without turning around, “Let them go back. At least it will make them think we got nothing.”

Ryoko Yakushiji was absolutely certain that they had manipulated the ship to do something, and it certainly wasn't a trivial matter. She had recently encountered several troubles caused by the Evil Souls, a gang that theoretically shouldn't have a very strong foundation. Some time ago, she even successfully quelled one incident, but the leader very bravely committed suicide, taking the blame with his own life.

However, what truly made Yakushiji Ryoko remember them was what happened next: the body of the executive who had died right in front of her, cutting off all the clues, mysteriously disappeared from the morgue of the New Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, which was quite interesting.

“Okay, then I’ll reply to the Metropolitan Police Department!” Junichiro Izumida nodded and sent a message back.

"Yes, there's absolutely no problem visible on the surface, so the problem lies beneath the water?" Yakushiji Ryouko looked at the murky waters of Tokyo Bay and shook her head. In the short term, it seemed there was no good way to conduct a search. Even with JACES behind her, it was impossible to conduct a search throughout Tokyo Bay, especially after the second impact. The land was already in such a state, and the ocean was even less friendly to humans. Who knew what a large-scale search would encounter?

You should know that before, when the Chinese were at a beach near Hainan Island, they killed several huge sharks that had rushed onto the beach and were trying to prey on humans. It is said that they happily ate them for quite a while.

"So..." Junichiro Izumida secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Inspector Yakushiji was unusually easy to talk to today!

"So I'm even more certain of what the Evil Souls did here. It's so clean! Isn't it? And there doesn't seem to be a single fish in the vicinity."

"The water quality in Tokyo Bay is quite poor..."

"No! I think it's the more critical reason."

At the bottom of Tokyo Bay, a crimson eye suddenly opened...

Chapter 41 The Newly Opened McDonald's

After school, Shinji Ikari ran a few laps on the track to warm up, then planned to buy something to eat in the shopping district before heading to NERV. Although NERV had a cafeteria with relatively affordable prices, Shinji didn't like eating there. One day, he overheard the technical department analyzing his food and suspecting there might be some secret involved, so they decided to create a control group. This was utterly ridiculous! I only ate a few extra slices of bacon! Why the fuss?

"Huh? There's a McDonald's here?" Shinji Ikari was riding his motorcycle when he suddenly noticed a newly renovated McDonald's. He blinked and stopped his motorcycle. Although it had been a while since he had eaten such carbohydrates, Shinji, who used to rely on McDonald's cheap meals to survive, decided to reminisce. He went in, bought a few meals, and then left.

Just as Shinji Ikari was about to get off the train, the electronic doors of McDonald's opened to the left and right, and it seemed that someone was about to walk out.

The instant the door opened, Shinji Ikari felt a terrifying sense of crisis. A chill ran from the top of his head to his tailbone. The last time he felt this way was when he first saw Himuro Kirie, who was still unconscious. Last time, Shinji ran away, and this time, the sense of crisis made him react almost instantly.

Shinji Ikari performed a backflip, leaping directly from the motorcycle and landing several meters away. Fortunately, there weren't many people on the shopping street at that moment; otherwise, Shinji's actions would have caused a huge panic, because the only possibility for such a superhuman appearance is that something is about to break out here.

Just as Shinji Ikari was about to mobilize his spiritual power to prepare for the unexpected event, he suddenly felt a strange touch on his hand. Looking down, he saw that a discount coupon had just been stuffed into his hand.

"Why are the guests reacting so strongly? Here's a tasting voucher for this season's new products, it's a rare find!" The smiling man in front of Shinji Ikari bowed very formally from a step away, and then silently slipped the voucher into Shinji's hand.

"...Oh?" Shinji Ikari glanced at the young man before him, his face filled with disbelief. Someone who gave him such a terrifying sense of danger was actually working at McDonald's? Was this the real McDonald's? Could he afford that kind of money? Shinji scrutinized him for a few moments, his smile flawless, then gave him a strange look before nodding. "Then I'll have to give it a try! What's your name?"

"Sadao Maou, please!" Sadao Maou, with a gentle smile, gestured to Shinji Ikari and then led him into the McDonald's restaurant. "Our store just opened today, and since there are no customers, we're handing out flyers right now."