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

"You've eaten almost several days' worth of my food." Misato Katsuragi glanced at the few men in black from the Babem Foundation standing not far away, silently observing Shinji Ikari's situation.

“Yes, I have a huge appetite every time I use my ki. I think you’ve seen that before.” Shinji Ikari looked up at Misato Katsuragi in front of him. On their first day at the Suzuki Hotel, Misato Katsuragi couldn’t help but eat a lot more herself because she saw Shinji eating so happily.

Misato Katsuragi was a little embarrassed that day, after all, people had already started taking pictures of the plates Shinji Ikari had eaten! There was a high stack of plates, and the usually very diligent hotel staff in the restaurant next to them did not come over to clear the plates. In the end, they just smiled and counted Shinji's plates, and then asked with some regret if Shinji had any complaints about the food.

Shinji Ikari said he had no objections. He told them that he was very satisfied with the food at the Suzuki Hotel. The reason he didn't eat as much as he had before was simple: he was a little too hungry, which made his appetite less appealing.

“Yes, it seems that your strength comes at a heavy price…” Misato Katsuragi sighed. Ritsuko Akagi had once guessed that the “ki” Shinji Ikari described was some kind of adrenaline-like mechanism that squeezed out the body’s maximum power in a short period of time. However, the price was the rapid depletion of Shinji Ikari’s energy. After a period of fighting, Shinji Ikari felt a strong sense of hunger.

Shinji Ikari merely smiled at Ritsuko Akagi's speculation. "What you said makes some sense, but it's just your own opinion. It's a far cry from the actual situation. It's really difficult for people who study biology to understand something like ki, since it's somewhat mind-blowing."

"How many more days is this woman going to stay in the base?" Shinji Ikari asked softly. The expressions of the two remained largely unchanged, as if they were two close colleagues exchanging barbs. What Shinji had said earlier had given Misato Katsuragi pause for thought. She thought of the giant humanoid Lilith below the base, and it seemed that this was what caused her change in attitude.

"There are probably three or four more days. They said they'd be visiting the base to see how it's operating." Ever since Shinji Ikari had their casual conversation, Misato Katsuragi and Shinji seemed to have reached a tacit understanding: Shinji would investigate NERV, and Misato would provide assistance within her own safe limits or share information she knew. As for Misato's own actions, Shinji was still unaware of her thoughts.

"Visiting? They're probably here to spy." Shinji Ikari shook his head. He hadn't expected to encounter someone of the world's behind-the-scenes mastermind so soon, which caught him somewhat off guard. The feeling of being suddenly targeted by this behemoth made Shinji Ikari inevitably anxious, which directly led to his rather bad attitude during their previous exchanges.

However, given the Barbem Foundation's "good" reputation among the public, and Shinji Ikari's own identity as an exorcist, it seems only natural that he would express his fear and hostility towards the Barbem Foundation.

Helena Barbem didn't react much. After all, it was normal for these insignificant people to look up to them with a hint of resentment and jealousy. Their anger, in a sense, was a source of amusement for the upper echelons, represented by the Barbem Corporation.

So Helena found it very understandable that Shinji Ikari, who had previously struggled at the bottom of society, would have such an attitude. However, Helena quite admired Shinji's ability to suppress his own attitude and only offer lukewarm sarcasm to the two men, especially considering his age; the trouble they had caused in the past was far more than just this.

"Is that even a question?" Misato Katsuragi said calmly. The other party's purpose was simply to observe Shinji Ikari and Unit-01, a straightforward intelligence gathering tactic. Everyone at NERV remained calm in the face of this.

"So I can go back today?" Shinji Ikari shook his head and chuckled at himself. To be honest, he still wasn't as strong as his friends. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so wary of them. After all, the power he held in his own hands was the most reliable. After returning, he should continue to train hard. These past few days, staying at NERV headquarters, Shinji didn't want to be spied on, so he hadn't been training.

"So don't overthink it, just do what you want to do. Of course, the most important thing is to take good care of Rei Ayanami, who lives with you." Misato Katsuragi grinned mischievously. She used the phrase "living together" instead of "cohabiting" because she knew that Rei Ayanami lived on the third floor with Nagase Nagase. However, according to the intelligence department, it seemed that Ryuji Danma had been renovating the back room and furnishing it with a lot of things these past few days, so he might be planning to move downstairs.

Misato Katsuragi read the intelligence department's analysis and pursed her lips. She instinctively felt that this time, the intelligence department might be proven wrong again. Based on her judgment of Shinji Ikari's personality from her interactions with him over this period of time, the only person who could live downstairs could be Shinji Ikari himself. Living on the first floor would even make his attendance much more convenient. The intelligence department's judgment was just a judgment made from a conventional perspective.

"Should we attend classes as usual tomorrow, or come to report for duty?" Shinji Ikari asked casually. Now that he could go back, it seemed that things here had indeed come to an end, and he could finally relax a bit. He would send a message to Aso later to ask if there were any new developments in his investigation. Being locked up in the base these past few days had caused him to fall behind on a lot of things.

I wonder if Gojo Satoru, Dojima Gin, and Izumo Okuni have come up with any interesting conclusions. I need to contact them. Just imagining it makes me think of all the things that are waiting for me. I even need to investigate the Evil Soul Group, this gang that I have so many doubts about.

In Shinji Ikari's understanding, in this strange world, many gangs are involved in this kind of thing to varying degrees. Some of the more powerful ones even bribe folk exorcists to control weak spirits. And in a sense, most of these messy things end up as achievements and rewards for the Onmyoji Bureau or curse masters.

However, basically speaking, it is extremely rare for an organization like the Ghasts to have researched to such an extent that it has even mastered the ability to create organizations capable of causing large-scale casualties. Even Shinji Ikari and his friends were amazed by the creativity of the Ghasts that were subtly revealed in this matter.

It can only be said that these organizations that have committed heinous acts are basically a group of villains who do not value human life. You don't need to treat them as normal human beings at all. They are the type of people who would die to rid the people of evil.

However, Shinji Ikari also felt that he had to act quickly, otherwise some of his friends who were too proactive might start to act out of their own curiosity. If he dragged his feet, he might only be able to look at the remains of the unfortunate members of the Ghasts in a few days and sigh.

"Shinji, we've finally found you. This is your completed medical report, as well as some basic medications prepared for you by the infirmary. They hope you won't take any more medications indiscriminately; it's not good for your health." At this moment, Maya Ibuki entered the examination room, looked around for a while, and saw Shinji Ikari sitting in the corner.

"Hmm, this looks much better than the previous report, which was filled with signs of endangerment. Shinji Ikari, this one really does look much better than before." Misato Katsuragi snatched the report from Shinji Ikari and glanced at it. At least it wasn't like before where half a page of indicators were severely out of control. Most of them were just out of control, which was probably a positive sign.

"Perhaps." Shinji Ikari shook his head. He didn't want to be too optimistic, but the fact was that his situation was still not good. This wasn't because of any old injuries or other reasons. Rather, it was because his body was becoming stronger as he trained. In a sense, he was transforming from an ordinary human into an extraordinary powerhouse who could easily smash buildings with his bare hands.

In that situation, human medical examination reports would show all sorts of abnormalities if you dared to do anything. For example, that jerk Gojo Satoru went for a medical examination because he thought it was interesting. The hospital wanted him to calmly accept the reality that he could die suddenly at any time, but this guy told them about it as if it were something very interesting.

"Thank you. My situation is quite special, isn't it?" Shinji Ikari took the medicine prescribed by the infirmary and looked at it. It was a variety of vitamins and calcium tablets. Interesting. It seems that NERV is not completely ignorant, is it?

"You also need to take care of your health. Don't you still have many things you want to do?"

"Yes."

Chapter 69 I'm back~

"Shinji, you're finally back?" Hearing the familiar roar of a motorcycle engine, Nagase Nagase, who was preparing dinner, poked his head out of the kitchen, tilted his head to look, and then greeted Shinji Ikari, who had brought Rei Ayanami back, with a look of unexpected joy.

"Yes, you're finally back, Shinji." Ryuji Danma came downstairs, but this time he wasn't dressed in casual clothes as usual. Instead, he was wearing a work uniform, with a pair of work gloves that Shinji recognized very well tucked into his waistband. After coming over, he patted Shinji's head and skillfully took Rei Ayanami's schoolbag. "We just got back. Your Nagisa-nee is preparing dinner. Since we didn't have time to buy ingredients, we'll just have something to eat."

"I ate some before I came back, so it's not a big problem. But it smells so good, I obviously can't miss it. By the way, have they already started work?" Shinji Ikari looked at Ryuji Danma with curiosity. He was very familiar with Ryuji Danma's work clothes, except that they used to be covered in various machine oil stains. He could often hear Nagisa complaining while cleaning Ryuji Danma's work clothes.

However, right now, it's covered with common building materials like paint, cement, and putty. Clearly, Ryuji Danma has been busy with some kind of renovation project for his new shop. Shinji Ikari looked at Ryuji Danma with some surprise. "Renting or buying? You're moving very quickly!"

"I bought it. I'm cleaning the house these days. It's an old house, so I need to reinforce it." Danma Ryuji laughed as soon as he mentioned it. "Thanks to your battle, you scared the landlord quite a bit. The shop is quite far from the air-raid shelter. He went there first, but it was already full and he wasn't allowed in. That made him decide to leave! So the price is very low. Even if the rent doesn't increase, it's only equivalent to paying 15 years' rent, not to mention the land is included."

Speaking of this, Ryuji Danma smiled broadly, overjoyed. The landlord's original attitude was very clear: Don't even mention buying or not; if you want to rent, this is the price. My place has a long line of people who want to rent it! Rent it or don't!

However, things changed after Shinji Ikari piloted the EVA into battle. The two giants, each nearly 100 meters tall, were equally terrifying to humans no matter how they fought. Every step they took was a terrifying sight that shook the earth. The sound of Unit-01's punches hitting the Water Angel echoed throughout the entire city. The sound of gunfire made everyone in the shelter tremble with fear. (There is an anime about the civilians of Tokyo-3, not made by Dazi, in which the female protagonist can hear the sounds of Unit-02 and the Power Angel fighting while she is in the shelter.)

After the battle, there were countless buildings in that direction that were damaged in the battle or collapsed by the sea of ​​blood after being blown up by the water angels. Cleaning and sorting them out would take a considerable amount of time.

Everyone realized that this was no joke: this fortress city called Neo Tokyo 3 was a real city that would be attacked by giant monsters! Forget about potential property loss; their lives could be instantly lost if they got caught up in the battle. Look at those mountains charred by the energy impact of the Water Angels, look at those mountains completely leveled by the relentless attacks of Unit-01 under Shinji Ikari's control—what good are any shelters then!

Even though Shinji Ikari had tried his best to keep the battle outside the city, the horrific scene in that direction still terrified everyone! In the panic, the landlord stopped mentioning renting and started calling everyone who was interested, just wanting to sell the house, recoup the funds, and move out of this terrible place as soon as possible! Finding a quiet place in the countryside to live, away from this horrific scene, resulted in the house, which was originally highly sought after, now only having Ryuji express interest in buying it.

On the afternoon that Shinji Ikari was urgently recalled, Ryuji Danma signed the purchase contract for this house with a check. The landlord immediately packed his bags and ran away. Then Ryuji Danma put his arm around Nagase Nagase, and the two of them stood in front of the door and laughed for a long time. After all, they bought a pretty good house for about half the price, which was a huge profit!

After Eikichi Onizuka found out, he and Ryuji Danma spent most of their time after get off work renovating the house. Danma also brought back some materials to repair the woodshed on the first floor. Fortunately, the toilet on the first floor was not in the intelligence department's convenience store, so Shinji Ikari wouldn't have to worry about using the toilet after he moved in.

After experiencing the events of the past few days, Ryuji Danma and Nagase Nagase talked. Ryuji Danma decided to continue staying here. Perhaps Shinji Ikari didn't need them to do anything for him, but after staying here for the past few days, they realized that they could still help Shinji in some ways, so they decided to continue staying here, at least to look after the house for Shinji.

The day after Shinji Ikari was recalled, a few clueless scoundrels pretended to be thieves and tried to sneak into Shinji's room. They didn't know what they were looking for, but when the intelligence department on the first floor urgently reported it, the noise upstairs had already exceeded their expectations.

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Danma Ryuji pulled Shinji Ikari's metal baseball bat from his bag and started beating the guys from the third floor to the first, leaving them crawling on the ground begging for mercy. This also terrified the intelligence department's surveillance personnel who had originally planned to do something. After all, Danma Ryuji was incredibly strong, beating up four or five intelligence agents who should have received a lot of combat training, all while looking completely relaxed.

Moreover, when Danma Ryuji, in a fit of rage, smiled as he watched Nagase Nagisa, who had combed her hair and transformed into a demon, drag a bloodied, toothless man down from upstairs and dump him on the roadside. After taking a drag of the cigarette from his mouth, he squatted down and, grinning maliciously, extinguished the cigarette on the face of one of the beaten intelligence officers, warning them that if there was a next time, this place was very close to the sea, and Danma Ryuji assured them that no one would stand up for them.

Some of the trembling intelligence agents suddenly realized something: the two people who moved in as Shinji Ikari's good friends were not the loving and harmonious young couple they usually saw... When they started fighting, they were a pair of monstrous freaks.

Then, Danma Ryuji signaled to the intelligence department staff to call the police, saying whatever they wanted. Then he and Nagase Nagase went upstairs to clean the room. When Rei Ayanami returned in the evening, the two had cleaned the room spotless and everything was back to normal. Nagase Nagase even cheerfully prepared some late-night snacks for Rei Ayanami.

"I heard, thanks!" Shinji Ikari said with a smile. Was there no risk in what Danma Ryuji did? How could there be! There's no doubt that a gunman must have put the crosshairs of a scope directly on Danma Ryuji that day, but Danma Ryuji was only using his fists and a metal rod, so the other party naturally couldn't fire, because once they fired, it would mean the incident would escalate, and NERV would definitely not sit idly by. At that point, it wouldn't be enough to stop it just by a few people dying.

"Don't mention it! I was just helping you beat up a bunch of bastards, they're no match for you." Ryuji Danma said with a smile. The guys downstairs reacted quickly; before they even realized what was happening, the other guys were already banging on the pipes, drawing their attention. While they were beating the bastards, these guys were already loudly calling the police and reporting the situation. Under these circumstances, Ryuji Danma wasn't afraid that the other guys would actually come after him. "How have you been at NERV headquarters these past few days?"

"What else can I do? Endless inspections, never-ending tests, it's driving me crazy, and on top of that, some big shot came to watch me. I can't take this anymore." Shinji Ikari lay on his motorcycle, thinking of Helena, who always had an air of superiority and a perpetually impeccably polite smile, and felt a chill run down his spine.

This woman isn't strong; her fighting ability is weak at all. Shinji Ikari felt that taking her life would only take a finger, no more. But if she wanted to, the Babem Foundation's trump cards would definitely make Shinji suffer a lot. Just throwing money at him would give him a terrible headache.

“Big shot, huh… what are you afraid of? If they really want to cause you trouble, shouldn’t it be your superiors, that NERV, who should step in first?” Danma Ryuji chuckled and patted Ikari Shinji on the shoulder, signaling him to relax. “And what about all those friends who come running whenever you call them? Is there something wrong with that newly opened McDonald’s? Why do I see them all going there to eat? When did McDonald’s become so popular?”

"It's not that McDonald's is popular, it's that the McDonald's manager is popular. If one day, I mean, if something really happens, you and Nagase can just hide in that McDonald's." Shinji Ikari took off his helmet, stretched out his arms, and looked at Nagase Nagase, who was leaning out again to urge them to go upstairs for dinner. A smile appeared on his lips. Compared to his father, who always wanted to punch him a few times, living with Ryuji Danma and Nagase Nagase made Shinji feel more at home. "I'm back!"

"?" Danma Ryuji was clearly taken aback, then grinned at Ikari Shinji and said, "Welcome back! Let's go, or your Nagisa-neechan will come crashing down!"

"Oh!" Shinji Ikari nodded, got off the motorcycle, and quickly ran upstairs. "Nagisa-nee, what's good to eat? I'm feeling a little hungry!"

"Idiot Shinji, go wash your hands first! Don't use your hands to eat hamburger patties! Aren't you afraid of getting burned?" Nagase Nagisa's yelling came down from upstairs.

"This silly boy has had a tough time..." Danma Ryuji flicked away his cigarette and rushed upstairs. He was hungry too, and he was pretty sure that Shinji Ikari wouldn't leave him any food.

Chapter 70 I never expected you to be this kind of demon king.

"Snap!" Shinji Ikari slammed his phone shut. After finishing the late-night snack Nagase had made, he received a message from his friends. A group of them were already waiting for Shinji at the only restaurant, or rather, fast food restaurant, that was currently open in Tokyo-3 (that's right, McDonald's, the only restaurant currently open in Tokyo-3). You could only say that these guys were really quick with their information. Shinji had just returned from NERV, and they were already waiting for him. I wonder if they had been active in Tokyo-3 these past few days, gathering intelligence.

"I'm going out for a bit," Shinji Ikari said, leaning back in his chair and turning to the other three people in the room.

"Is that Okuni and the others? Remember to call Ryoko! You were planning to go to the beach this weekend, but you've put it off until now." Nagase Nagisa wiped his hands, preparing to go upstairs. Ayanami Rei had already quietly cleared away the dishes and was about to go upstairs to take a shower. Ayanami Rei, who originally lived alone, had a very low concept of daily life. Nagase Nagisa had taught her almost everything about daily living. Now, Ayanami Rei was very used to helping Nagase Nagisa with housework.

"I already called and told her, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, Reiko's cruise has been postponed to next week. I can totally wait." Shinji Ikari almost laughed himself sick when he received Sonoko Suzuki's apologetic call. This young lady had taken her best friend to visit an art museum when they encountered some inexplicable events, resulting in several people dying on the spot. Then, Sonoko Suzuki displayed her extraordinary abilities, revealing the secret while asleep! Case solved!

Shinji Ikari was utterly disillusioned with the Japanese police system. He could accept that their investigations and evidence gathering were completely incompetent, and that high-ranking superintendents like Inspector Megure were either actors or utterly incompetent. He could tolerate the "Sleeping Kogoro" incident—that's what made him famous—but seriously, Sonoko Suzuki, the heiress of the Suzuki family, was pulling the same stunt? Exactly the same? Didn't they have any doubts?

The end result was that Sonoko Suzuki was confined to the Suzuki family home and underwent a series of examinations by her private doctor. However, the doting grandfather of the Suzuki family also postponed everyone's trip, and the cruise ship simply announced a one-week delay in departure, citing the no-sail order issued by the US and Japanese militaries.

In Shinji Ikari's eyes, this also reflects the cold-bloodedness and indifference to others of that brat. Hypnotic needles are something you can only watch in anime. In reality, something that can achieve rapid hypnosis with a small dose is definitely not something you can use casually, let alone directly targeting the neck, a place with dense nerves and blood vessels. If you do it wrong, the risk of becoming a vegetable or paraplegic is not small.

So, anime is anime, but in real life, Shinji Ikari didn't have much affection for that pretentious detective game enthusiast brat at all, not to mention that this brat had been targeting him for quite some time, subtly leading various clues towards him on several occasions.

He had simply forgotten his room key when he went out, and then climbed through the window to get it. This guy said that it was impossible for a person to jump directly to the fourth floor, and then Shinji Ikari jumped once in front of him. He had taken down the criminals who attacked him and their accomplices, and this guy said that it was almost impossible for a teenager to fight multiple prepared and much stronger thugs. Shinji Ikari then took down half a squad of police officers to prove that he hadn't even broken a sweat.

Shinji Ikari is now just waiting for this brat to say that demons don't exist. Then Shinji plans to put in some effort to summon his sister, and even if he can't kill her, he'll at least help her return to a normal lifespan! He's doing a good deed, after all, the underworld is quite busy, and messing up the Book of Life and Death is a very troublesome thing, isn't it?

Back to the point, Ryoko Sakaki knew about the changes on Shinji Ikari's side very early on. Before Shinji could even say anything, Ryoko's message had already arrived. Gin Dojima had made a special trip to see her, not only telling her that because Helena had booked a banquet for the Totsuki Group, Shinji might be urgently recalled, but also giving her thousands of merit points. The huge number of points left Ryoko Sakaki stunned.

Gin Dojima, who returned directly to Totsuki Academy by helicopter, brought back the "blood of God," which was proven to be not only edible but also to have a considerable strengthening effect on the human body. However, it required a certain foundation; otherwise, it would be like poison to ordinary people. Coincidentally, the training method left behind by Shinji Ikari helped the students lay this foundation.

However, if the blood plasma is not preserved properly, all its special effects will dissipate in about half an hour, and even after ten minutes, the effects will drop rapidly. The blood plasma that Dojima Gin brought back in a special container has been made into a series of special delicacies after adding a series of precious ingredients. Because of the special relationship, Dojima Gin gave Sakaki Ryoko a small piece of the extra blood sausage he made himself so that Sakaki Ryoko could try it.

Ryoko Sakaki was also happy that their date was postponed, since she hadn't chosen a swimsuit yet. She was still struggling with her style; a lace-up one would be too daring, while a schoolgirl one would feel too conservative! Although Ryoko knew that no matter what she wore, she was still craving it like a jerk.

Recently, Ryoko Sakaki has also clearly felt that with the arrival of Ryuji Danma and Nagisa, Shinji Ikari's coldness has significantly lessened, and he smiles more often. This makes Ryoko very happy. She was worried that he wasn't eating well over there and always had a deadpan expression. It seems that he still needs to be with people.

"Be careful on the road. You can ride my bike to school tomorrow. Some of my tools have been delivered. I'll check your falcon and change the oil for you." Ryuji Danma greeted Shinji Ikari with a smile. What else could Shinji be going out for now? In a sense, wasn't this the opportunity for him to get to know Shinji?

"Alright! That'll be of trouble then." Shinji Ikari nodded, grabbed his helmet from the doorway, and went downstairs.

"What a busy kid! Ryuji, you can't just help him fix his car tomorrow, the house seems to be almost finished, isn't it?" Nagase Nagisa followed Rei Ayanami upstairs, like an older sister, and after arranging everything for Rei, she came downstairs and saw Shinji Ikari coming down the stairs. Shinji waved to her as a greeting.

"It should all be done by tomorrow. You've been running back and forth to the shop these past two days, thank you for your hard work." Danma Ryuji said with a smile. To be honest, seeing Nagase Nagisa revert to his fierce-looking self that day had scared him. He was worried that his wife might have had another relapse. But when the Yaksha leaned against him and gave him a strangely meaningful eye roll, he immediately felt that everything was alright. And soon, the Nagase Nagisa he knew better returned.

After Shinji Ikari went downstairs, he didn't hesitate and started his motorcycle. The others were already waiting for him there, and Gintoki Dojima had come all the way from so far away. It would be impolite of him not to go over there as soon as possible.

The road wasn't particularly long. As Shinji Ikari rode his motorcycle through the city, he gained a deeper understanding of what Ryuji Danma had said about the city becoming much more desolate. Even though it wasn't a brightly lit city before, now, a few days after the Water Angel invasion, there were no lights at night, only the dim yellow light from the sun lamps on the construction sites everywhere.

It used to be a bustling commercial street, but now only one McDonald's remains. As a result, this McDonald's is almost bursting at the seams with hungry construction workers after get off work, making its business quite good.

As for how good the business was, it was so good that Dojima Gin couldn't bear to see the staff running around in chaos in the kitchen. After taking off his coat and saying a few words to Maou Sadao, he went straight into the kitchen to help.

"To be honest, I think this burger is incredibly good value for money!" Shinji Ikari smiled as he looked at the super big meal that Sadao Maou brought him. As a top chef at the Totsuki Culinary Group, Gin Dojima running a fast food restaurant was a piece of cake for him. After he entered the kitchen, the efficiency of the entire kitchen increased dramatically under his adjustments, and the speed of food service increased significantly.

This greatly increased Maou Sadao's goodwill towards the burly man in front of him, who was more like a Shaolin monk than a chef! When Dojima Gin came out after adjusting the kitchen, Maou Sadao specifically thanked Dojima Gin and thanked him for his guidance to his employees. After all, it was almost impossible for a fast food restaurant like McDonald's to get guidance from a chef from Totsuki Culinary Academy.

"It's nothing! It's nothing! You're too kind. Let's be friends. This is my business card. If there's an opportunity, the Totsuki Group would be very happy to exchange ideas with you. We have a lot to learn from you!" Dojima Gin handed over his business card with both hands and exchanged contact information with Maou Sadao, who was standing next to him.

"Ah... the cunning Totsuki Group is using this method to seduce powerful people again!" Totsuki Okuni, leaning back on the sofa, said with a look of disdain while holding a "Eternal Emperor" co-branded seasonal beverage cup.

"How dare you say that to him?" Shinji Ikari shook his head. If we're talking about shamelessness, which one of you has ever been shameless? Ah, why is the kitchen such a mess? Don't you have any self-awareness? Shinji recognized them all: a sorcerer from Kyoto and two young girls from Izumo Taisha Shrine. They've never done this before.

One is skilled at using spirit-infused tracking explosive arrows, while the other, although not as graceful as Izumo no Okuni's naginata dance, is incredibly skilled at wielding a kodachi to cut things.

The result of these two helping in the kitchen was that they only made things worse, probably even hindering each other occasionally. It's truly appalling. We at NERV are much more honest; we just sit there watching the news. And you two actually want to make money off this?! That's going too far.

"Don't say that. The two beautiful new ladies have helped us attract quite a few customers, and they're working very hard! Please don't speak ill of my staff." Maou Sadao brought over a plate of drinks, which he considered a complimentary gift.

"I never expected you to be this kind of person..." Shinji Ikari covered his face. Your dignity as the Demon King is ruined!

"Well, as a store manager, the pressure to achieve sales targets is quite significant."

Chapter 71 Small meeting 6/20

"You collected the blood of the Angels and made something edible?!" Shinji Ikari's face was contorted with rage. It was something Shinji couldn't accept at all. He had joked about waiting for Totsuki to make Angel sashimi, but they were actually seriously preparing to eat the Angels? Well, this was something that seemed both reasonable and somewhat unexpected to him.

"Several portions have already been deposited into Ryoko's account, but unfortunately, even with all our efforts, they can only be preserved for about a month, and the effects will weaken over time," Dojima Gin said regretfully. Yesterday, a group of top chefs worked together to prepare more than a dozen dishes, and then a tragedy occurred. They could only eat a few bites before their bodies became extremely hot, and they clearly felt they couldn't hold on any longer. If they ate any more, something bad might happen.

With only his loincloth left, the old man Nakiri looked at the almost untouched food in front of everyone with a regretful expression. He could only quickly order the kitchen to prepare more food and distribute it throughout the cafeteria so that the students of Totsuki Academy and Nakiri Private Middle School could enjoy a taste of the food.

"How terrifying, the chefs at Totsuki are really scary~" Gojo Satoru said, munching on fries, tapping his left foot on his right, leaning back on the sofa, examining the McDonald's ceiling lights. "Even though I already thought you guys were pretty crazy, I never imagined you would actually eat them... Be careful, you might mutate into some strange thing."

"You can rest assured about this. Apart from the fact that it contains extremely high levels of energy and must be diluted before consumption, there's nothing else to worry about. We've conducted thorough testing experiments," Dojima Gin said with a smile. "We even invited sorcerers to do the testing, and they came over and happily ate it!"

"Ah!" Gojo Satoru suddenly looked up at Dojima Gin. "I didn't even know there was such a good thing! If you ever need a taster next time, please let me know. After all, spending over ten million yen on a meal at your place is too expensive!"

"Stop, stop, stop... Let's not talk about this thing that challenges my values ​​anymore, okay? At least consider my feelings as the person involved. After all, I just fought this thing to the death and finally managed to kill it. And now you're telling me it tastes good? I know, I'm a student at Nakiri Private School, and as long as the seasoning is right, I can eat anything, but, but..." Shinji Ikari took a deep breath, stopping the group's discussion about whether something made with Angel blood tasted good.

"There's really nothing wrong with it. This thing is a powerful monster. What's wrong with killing a monster and eating its flesh? Just like you humans eat lions, bears, tigers, and other ferocious beasts, right? Do you feel disgusted just because they have a human form?" Sadao Maou seemed to be listening to Shinji Ikari and the others' conversation with great interest after finishing his work.

"..." Shinji Ikari, Okuni Izumo, and Gin Dojima exchanged glances. It wasn't that they were ostracizing Satoru Gojo; this guy was wearing an eyepatch, so you couldn't communicate with him through eye contact. This A-rank or higher powerhouse had finally figured something out today. The phrase "you humans" had exposed a lot of problems. Weren't they even human?

Okay, actually Shinji Ikari knew, McDonald's! The Demon King has brought you glory!

"The key point is that Shinji Ikari just fought him, right? He devoured his opponent and stuff..." Gin Dojima turned to Shinji Ikari.

"Worthless pity and inexplicable empathy." Maou Sadao shrugged and said this before returning to the counter. As a demon king, he had seen it all. The reason his race was called the demon race was precisely because, due to a lack of resources, they adhered to the absolute law of the jungle! The strong win! The weak die! And then become food in the mouths of the victors. This was not surprising at all.

“A description of a big shot,” Gojo Satoru said, shaking his head. “Very high status, inhuman, very strong. Although he hides it very well, he is extremely strong. Where did McDonald’s find such a treasure? A store manager’s salary can hire a strong person of this strength.” Gojo Satoru stroked his chin. Although he was very surprised when he first came, he was much calmer than others. He watched Izumo Okuni, who went up to him and chatted with him in a flirtatious tone, with a look of amusement on his face.

"Anyway, there are already a lot of people watching him here, so don't worry about these details." Shinji Ikari shook his head. You guys should stop now. We at NERV are honest. All the people who came to monitor him were men. The pretty girls you two sent over, ha, it's obvious what you're up to.

"So, this is my impression of EVA. You can take your time to look at it when you get back." Gojo Satoru smiled and tossed a USB drive to Shinji Ikari. To be honest, when he came over that day, although the shopkeeper in front of him was very strong, it was still not as shocking as witnessing EVA unleash the Blazing Finger in the final stage! They invited Shinji Ikari over today because of the agreement they made last time to exchange information. The information exchange between the three of them had been completed, and it was time to give it to Shinji Ikari.

Even if Shinji Ikari's EVA Unit-01 wasn't, as NERV claimed, a "machine" designed to counter the Angels, and when the Blazing Finger was activated during the battle, Satoru Gojo and Okuni Izumo stared wide-eyed. Who were they trying to fool?

They had known Shinji Ikari for quite some time, and they had both witnessed him unleash his Blazing Finger technique. Although he usually didn't unleash his full power—after all, ordinary cursed spirits and evil spirits weren't worthy of it—when Shinji Ikari really went all out, he could indeed melt iron and gold. His Invincible East style was full of mystery and awe-inspiring.

Thinking of this, Gojo Satoru glanced at Dojima Gin sitting opposite him. To be honest, most of their families had been helped by Shinji Ikari to varying degrees. Gojo Satoru's acquaintance with Shinji Ikari stemmed from his student's unexpected encounter with an overly powerful cursed spirit. Shinji Ikari stepped in and dealt with these guys. This was the first time a strong person like Gojo Satoru had met Shinji Ikari. However, what attracted Gojo Satoru at that time was the Spirit Gun that Shinji Ikari kicked out. This was not something that just anyone could do.

However, the one who actually benefited the most was undoubtedly the Totsuki Group, represented by Dojima Gin. Clearly, they received something tangible from Shinji Ikari: a systematic training system that could be used to lay the foundation for students on a large scale. This was something that all the other factions envied immensely. If it weren't for the Onmyo Bureau being busy currying favor with Shinji Ikari's sister, the bigwigs at the top might have had a serious talk with Shinji Ikari. "Look, our Izumo no Okuni is so devoted to you, why don't you give me something good in return?"

"Okay... Is there anything else I need to add?" Shinji Ikari asked habitually. He casually picked up two more USB drives from the table. He would check these things when he got back, and if there were no problems, he would give them to Ritsuko Akagi. Who knows, he might even get some extra funds. He was about to go on a trip, and Ryuji Danma's motorcycle shop would soon be restocking. The Mountain God Festival was only a week or two away, and all of these were places where money was needed. He could try to get some money out of them.

"I'm a little curious. I have a question for you. Did you feel anything different before and after you took off?" Dojima Gin said softly. The life form of the Apostles is so special. After their core shattered, they almost instantly shattered into a sea of ​​blood. This is not a normal natural phenomenon.

“No.” Shinji Ikari shook his head. “But the biggest change is probably that I’ve been targeted by the Babem Group.” Shinji Ikari glanced at Izumo Okuni, thought for a moment, and decided not to tell these two about the Demon Soul Group. Otherwise, they might take care of it on their way back, which wouldn’t be fun. However, for some reason, Shinji Ikari tapped his palm twice with his index finger, took out a USB drive from his waist bag, and then flicked it, sending it sliding in front of the three of them.

“The Babem Group? That’s not unusual, considering you’re also manufacturing your own EVAs in the US, and we all know the Americans have huge ambitions. They want more than just this little bit of work here.” The three of them already knew what Shinji Ikari was saying. “However, I’ve heard that TERRA seems to be doing something big lately. They’ve mobilized a considerable amount of resources, so Helena might just be passing through and stopping by to see you.”

"Why won't they let me go..." Shinji Ikari leaned back on the sofa. Luckily, Aso's investigation hadn't yielded results yet, otherwise, this recent storm of events would have driven this unlucky guy crazy. It really was bad luck that Tokyo-3 was in the city; how wonderful those days of slacking off at Nakiri Academy were. Shinji Ikari felt a pang of nostalgia for his simple, unpretentious student life.

"Yes, she really didn't let you go! I really didn't expect that such a big shot from the Babem family would come to a fast food restaurant where ordinary people eat." Izumo Okuni, who had already casually stuffed the USB drive into the mature woman's four-dimensional pocket while tidying up her clothes, said sarcastically. Although she knew the answer herself, the woman in front of her was not after anything else. Since she was already here, how could she not come and see Maou Sadao's McDonald's?

“Some ordinary little shops become incredibly valuable because of their owners. It would be impolite to pass by without paying a visit.” Helena glanced at the four people huddled together, clearly having a private meeting, and nodded slightly. She casually ordered a few things, bowed to Maou Sadao, and then walked over. “Although it’s a bit of an overreaction, NERV’s intelligence department is much more dedicated than before, but there are still some oversights. The Babem Foundation has already plugged those oversights, and no one will bother us. I look forward to the next meeting.”

"Thank you!" Shinji Ikari smiled. No matter how much he disliked the Babem Foundation, they had at least solved his problem, hadn't they?