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

"Pervert!" Izumo no Okuni unexpectedly unleashed a combo.

"..." Asou Yuu's lips twitched, then she looked at Isayama Mei and stretched. "But it's good that Shinji is alright. Let that little brat stay in the hospital for a few days. I can also get some rest. The Mountain God Festival is coming soon, and there will be a huge wave of business then." The smile on Isayama Mei's lips was somewhat eerie.

Isayama Mei wasn't making this up. After each mountain god festival, the aftermath usually ended with a huge pile of corpses. The reasons were varied, ranging from seeking revenge to robbing treasures, from disliking you to asking what you were looking at. Although Isayama Mei didn't get what he wanted at the last mountain god festival, he still made a large sum of "preservation fees".

Although it probably takes less than 0.2 seconds for Mei Isayama to kill someone, she has managed to get almost all of her security jobs back home safely. That's enough. As one-off security jobs, the requirements aren't high. Just get them to a safe place. What happens after that depends on the luck of everyone involved. Judging from the fact that Mei Isayama successfully received all the money she paid, her employers are probably all alive and well.

"But there's something I'm quite curious about. What exactly is the relationship between Shinji and that former Spirit Detective whose name I can't reveal? After all, the connection to Holy Light is too strong." Gojo Satoru handed Aso Yuu a McDonald's hamburger. He had been in McDonald's for a while, observing what Maou Sadao was doing.

As a result, Sadao Maou simply ran the McDonald's store normally throughout the entire process. At most, he would make phone calls during his spare time to discuss moving matters. It seemed that he planned to move out of the cheap apartment where they used to live and move to Tokyo-3, where he now worked. Due to the series of battles, the rent in Tokyo-3 was now at rock bottom, and many landlords even hoped that their tenants would buy their houses directly. Naturally, Sadao Maou also got a price that he could not refuse.

With a large sum of money arriving in his account soon, Maou Sadao felt he could splurge and buy a detached house. The price was so good; missing out would be a shame, especially since the first payment had already started being made through some legal gambling scheme, gradually distributing "bonuses." Aside from the long processing time and hefty fees, the security was absolutely guaranteed. Upon hearing this, Gojo Satoru seemed to ponder something, but didn't say anything more.

"Shinji? He has nothing to do with that big shot. What he's connected with is that big shot's disciple, Honda Shinichiro, whom he personally killed. They were neighbors, and from what I've heard, their relationship was very good. When he had free time, that person would take young Shinji Ikari to train. That's the general outline. I don't know the specifics." Izumo Okuni tugged at her collar; the weather was a bit hot, and she was sweating.

"Furthermore, before heading to NERV, Shinji Ikari personally destroyed that person's grave, burning the remains inside to ashes, thus reducing the number of places the Onmyōryō (the Bureau of Yin and Yang) needed to inspect each year," added Asō Yuu, who knew more than the two beside him, having also accompanied Shinji to Honda Shinichirō's grave, which became more dilapidated each year…

“There’s such a thing…” Gojo Satoru was stunned. He never expected that Shinji Ikari could be connected to that legendary former top human powerhouse in such a roundabout way, although the connection was a little complicated. “Speaking of which, Shinji seemed to have mentioned before that he was also an apprentice Spirit Detective.”

“Yes, he provides reports to the Spirit World regularly, but since the Second Impact, Shinji Ikari said he has received very few responses. The last time he saw a Spirit World messenger was more than half a year ago.” Mei Isayama shook his head, revealing a little bit of the truth.

"Is that so? But as long as Shinji is alright, that's fine." Gojo Satoru stroked his chin. It had been a while since he'd chatted with someone as interesting as Shinji Ikari. It seemed Shinji still harbored secrets he didn't know about, just like the power that Unit-01 had unleashed today. He figured the world would be much quieter for a while. Gojo Satoru clapped his hands. "Later... I'll treat him to McDonald's! Let's celebrate his good health!"

"...Gojo family, I only found out today that you can be this stingy!" Izumo no Okuni looked speechless. Treating a patient who had just been discharged from the hospital to this? That's too stingy.

"Do you think someone with a girlfriend who studies at Totsuki Academy would lack anything good in his hospital meals?" Gojo Satoru said something that surprised everyone. Yes, his girlfriend is very skilled. "Besides, as a specialty of Tokyo-3, isn't it McDonald's? Everyone wants to try it. The lines have been getting longer and longer lately."

"Are you here to see the loser's fate?" The once bustling Morishita restaurant has been closed for several days. The last remaining members of the Evil Soul Group are basically just Morishita Yamato's die-hard followers in Morishita restaurant. All of Morishita's peripheral employees have been dismissed. Even if Morishita Yamato wins this food war, Morishita will not be able to continue operating. The best outcome will be imprisonment and exile.

Of course, there is a big difference between the two. The former can save his life, while the latter can probably only guarantee that Morishita Yamato will be alive before leaving the Japanese border.

"Of course not, I'm here to inform you about the details of this food battle." Dojima Gin looked at Morishita Yamato, who was dressed in traditional clothing and drinking tea in the courtyard, and smiled. "Senpai, you seem to have come to terms with it."

"Let it go?" Morishita Yamato was stunned for a moment. He had let it go? How could that be? "Just assume I've let it go." If Dojima Gin lowered his guard because of this, that would be a really good thing. He could win the food battle much more easily later.

"Here you go." Dojima Gin sat down next to Morishita Yamato. "This is the food for our food battle. I told them about it, and I brought it over specifically for you."

"Shrimp?" Morishita Yamato glanced at it and sneered. His Morishita restaurant had a famous dish: shrimp. The shrimp was lobster from Hokkaido, simply deep-fried and then seasoned with Morishita Yamato's secret sauce. They sold a lot of it every day and it was very popular. "A very simple question."

"Ah, yes, I hope our food battle will be a spectacular one." Dojima Gin smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly and gleaming with a hint of coldness.

"Does the Totsuki Group intend to take advantage of NERV to further expand humanity's suppression of Otherworlders?" Morishita Yamato took a sip of his dark green tea. If Shinji Ikari saw this, he might very well ask, "Is this the price?"

“Commander Nakiri must have had such thoughts. After all, no matter how much you say, it’s not as shocking as seeing those guys turn us into dishes, is it?” Dojima Gin shrugged. “Senior, your original ideas actually had some merit. After all, times have changed. It’s just that you went too far ahead.”

"Ideas?" Morishita Yamato shook his head with a smile, his face filled with reminiscence and sarcasm. "I'm already a villain. It's pointless for you to talk to me about this now, Gintoki. This world is far bigger than you imagine, and far dirtier than you imagine. Do you know why I lost my way?"

"?" Dojima Gin looked puzzled. Although there were some differences in their views on his senior, there was no doubt that Morishita Yamato, who was in his prime and full of vigor, was still full of fighting spirit when Totsuki Academy judged his thoughts to be too extreme and forcibly processed his leave of absence and expelled him from the school.

“Hey… After I left school, I opened a small shop, and business was pretty good. One day, someone approached me and said they wanted to cook a meal for me. If I cooked well, they would give me 20 million yen!” Morishita Yamato held up two fingers. “For someone who still owed the bank a lot of money back then, this was no small amount.”

"..." Dojima Gin frowned. After graduating, he went straight to work at the Totsuki Group's own hotel and had never encountered anything like this before. However, in conversations with some of his juniors who had started their own shops after graduation, he often heard them complain about how bankers were ruthless and exploitative. With a sigh, Dojima Gin found his voice to be somewhat bitter. "You agreed?"

"Do you think... they'll give me a chance to refuse?" Morishita Yamato laughed, a laugh so bitter it was hard for everyone to believe. "That was the first time I killed someone. She was 15, a woman. I don't know her name. All I know is that on that day, only one of us could live. No, I should say, if I didn't do it, I would die. She couldn't live anyway."

"..." Dojima Gin's face instantly darkened. "You're cooking for them?!"

"Them? It's not just them!" Morishita Yamato sneered. "And then I had everything: low-interest loans, TV interviews, introductions from big shots, all sorts of honors." As if recalling those days of living like a human by day and a ghost by night, Morishita Yamato grabbed a teacup, gulped down the tea like it was wine, and then threw the cup far away! "This is the world we painstakingly protected, this is the bullshit truth! They don't even deserve it!!"

"..." Dojima Gin clicked his tongue, speechless. After a moment's hesitation, he asked another question, "Then why did you join the Evil Souls Group?"

"Why? What else could it be! For power! They come looking for me every year! But after I joined the Evil Souls, they stopped coming! Those bastards can be scared too!" Morishita Yamato's voice rose. "Don't you understand? How could that stupid old man in the Evil Souls, whose head was chopped off by the Countermeasures Bureau, possibly wield such terrifying power!"

Dojima Gin fell silent again. He naturally knew what Morishita Yamato was talking about. When the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau attacked the Evil Soul Group's hiding place that day, to be honest, the resistance was no match for the heavily armed agents of the Countermeasures Bureau, and they were quickly killed.

But what came out after that was the real feast. A group of powerful, painless, and fearless creatures with pale skin rushed out from inside. These creatures caused the Countermeasures Bureau a lot of trouble. However, because the Countermeasures Bureau's ace was indeed present, after a round of fighting, Isayama Mei's former rival in the Isayama family, Isayama Yomi, wielding the Lion King Blade, stormed into their headquarters and beheaded the leader of the Evil Soul Group with a single blow.

Not long after, the US military appeared... Yes, the US military stationed in Japan, and they forcibly expelled everyone.

"You're thinking……"

"Yes, I want revenge, mine! And that girl's too!"

Morishita Yamato untied his kimono, revealing his back. Japanese Yakuza people often have tattoos on their backs, each with its own meaning. Morishita Yamato's back tattoo was a lifelike female ghost with her belly ripped open... and this female ghost was embracing a man. Morishita slightly turned his head, a cold glint in his eyes, "Gin! I won't hold back."

"……Me too!"

Chapter 116 Shinji Ikari in the Coffin

"These bastards should all die! The security forces are a bunch of bastards!" Ritsuko Akagi cursed as she walked into the infirmary, clearly furious. She turned her head and saw Shinji Ikari lying in a coffin-like container—no, a life support pod—receiving treatment, looking at her. "Shinji? How are you feeling?" Ritsuko Akagi tossed the board in her hand aside impatiently and quickly assessed Shinji's condition.

Shinji Ikari's health remains "terrible" as always. According to what Ritsuko Akagi knows, Shinji is already a corpse. If Shinji can still breathe, it is a challenge to modern medicine. EMMMM... this challenge has been going on for months, to the point that the entire medical department has become numb.

"It will probably take another half a day or so," Shinji Ikari said with a hint of helplessness. To be fair, lying in this coffin was indeed quite comfortable. Shinji felt he had rested quite well, and his internal energy had basically returned to normal. The only problem was that his meridians were still swollen and painful, requiring rest. He estimated it would take at least another week to fully recover. Shinji simply didn't want to stay in this coffin any longer. Going out for a walk and moving around would be very beneficial for his recovery.

“Okay, Shinji, I’ll release you at four in the afternoon. Ryoko should be here by then.” Ritsuko Akagi shrugged. The young couple, even though Ryoko Sakaki had only been gone a short time, hadn’t hesitated to ask for leave from school again after hearing that Shinji was injured.

Perhaps because the Totsuki Group was also eager to know Shinji Ikari's physical condition, it was somewhat related that Ryoko Sakaki was able to easily take leave despite having to prepare a food battle for Gin Dojima and Yamato Morishita, and even had a driver specially sent to take her over.

"What's she doing here? Isn't she supposed to be preparing for the food battle? If she loses, Ryoko will be traumatized, won't she?" Shinji Ikari was taken aback. Although he knew that this girl was just worried and confused, and that she wouldn't be able to prepare for the battle if she didn't come, Shinji Ikari really didn't expect her to actually come.

"What do you think, Shinji?" Ritsuko Akagi rolled her eyes at him. You think that girl went through all that trouble to run over a hundred kilometers to get here? Was she just bored? It's all because of you, you heartless little brat, who got injured again.

"Alright," Shinji Ikari closed his eyes and tried his best to adjust his state. He couldn't let Ryoko Sakaki see him still looking weak and frail, that would be too embarrassing. So he honestly started to adjust his internal energy as soon as possible, trying not to make Ryoko Sakaki worry.

"Speaking of which, the Evil Soul Group has been completely uncovered, but I heard that on the eve of the raid, they were attacked by some thieves from who-knows-where, and a large sum of money was stolen." Ritsuko Akagi recounted a news item she had heard from the intelligence department during a meeting. The countermeasures bureau was furious. They had finally managed to seize this opportunity to get some compensation. After all, so many agents had died in the battle in Tokyo Bay. Even if the living had their wages deducted, the compensation for these fallen comrades could not be reduced by a single penny.

So the mission to raid the Evil Souls' gold mine was carried out by their own people. But what they didn't expect was that after they broke in, they found that someone had rushed in ahead of them and stolen nearly one-sixth of the money. This was simply defying the Great Lord.

"Wow, whose information came so fast, and with so much money, how did they manage to get it out?" Shinji Ikari opened his eyes and glanced at Ritsuko Akagi, smoothing her short hair behind her ear. "Didn't the Countermeasures Bureau have to dig three feet into the ground to find people?" Shinji Ikari, one of the bandits, revealed curiosity in his voice, wanting to hear what Ritsuko Akagi had to say about the follow-up.

He had just returned when he received a warning to be on alert, so he ran back to sleep. After getting off Unit-01, he was locked in a coffin because of his injuries. So he really doesn't know what happened after that, and he's very curious about how the matter was handled. However, considering that Aso Yuu has always been quite reliable, Shinji Ikari isn't too worried.

“Yes, I don’t know where these people came from, but they obviously already know something. The Countermeasures Bureau has started investigating all underground banks and depositors, trying to find out about this situation by looking for large deposits, but so far, they haven’t found any trace at all.” Ritsuko Akagi smiled. “Everyone is waiting to see the Countermeasures Bureau go crazy.”

“I’d go crazy too,” Shinji Ikari said with a laugh. “But I’m still curious. It was probably all cash and physical goods, so how did they take it? Did they just rip off the roof and use a helicopter? And then transfer it to the open sea?” Shinji thought for a moment, pretending not to know, and then gave a seemingly very reasonable explanation.

“I don’t know. The other party destroyed the monitoring room and even had time to manipulate all the surveillance cameras to look directly up at the sky. Apart from the destroyed vault door, there were no traces. So now, what many people want to understand most is how they did it. The stolen cash is not a small amount, and the volume is not small at all.” Ritsuko Akagi took a deep breath. “It is said that when the chairman found out, he didn’t know what to say. He stood there in a daze for a long time and almost ran away before being cornered by the countermeasures bureau.”

"Looks like a lot of money," Shinji Ikari remarked. How did he manage that? Well, it's simple. You need a mage with terrifying magical power, like a demon king capable of conquering the entire continent. You can trust him to deal with all the random traps along the way. He can set up teleportation arrays, so throw in whatever money you want! Then you need a group of teammates who, while not necessarily trusting each other, won't let you down during operations. That should be about it.

“It’s a huge sum of money. I probably couldn’t earn a fraction of that in my entire life working here. That’s why the Countermeasures Bureau is going crazy. If these people get involved, you’ll be badly hurt, if not killed. You’re one of them, so you should understand their style of doing things.” After reading all the reports on Shinji Ikari’s health, Ritsuko Akagi rested her chin on her hand, pondered for a long time, then covered her face and asked a question, “Shinji… are you really Commander Gendo Ikari’s son?”

"I really hope not." Shinji Ikari pursed his lips. As a transmigrator, the most embarrassing problem is that I suddenly have another pair of parents, but Shinji Ikari really doesn't have any parents! He just died young, so whether Gendo Ikari exists or not makes no difference. "Perhaps you can tell me this good news?" Shinji Ikari's tone was very bad.

"You'd better prepare to give the Commander two punches," Ritsuko Akagi said irritably. She had already compared the samples, and there was no doubt that Shinji Ikari and Gendo Ikari were father and son. As for why Gendo, who was clearly the epitome of social anxiety, would actually have a social butterfly like Shinji, especially since, even though Shinji had a girlfriend, Ritsuko Akagi felt he still had many options...

"That's quite an appealing suggestion. How about we arrange a meeting sometime?!" Shinji Ikari had made similar requests to countless people, and a few people actually agreed to help him report it, including big shots like Kozo Fuyutsuki, the second-in-command of NERV. In the end, well, a whole bunch of people just stood by and did nothing.

"Who told you to go around yelling? I'd give your dear father a couple of punches. It would be strange if he even saw you." Ritsuko Akagi laughed. She didn't know when it started, but she realized her relationship with Shinji Ikari had become very strange. The atmosphere of their conversation felt very relaxed to her, which surprised her greatly. "You should rest well first. I'll come back this afternoon. By the way, you really made a mess of Unit-01. Do you know how much disgusting stuff the engineering team dug out of the gaps in the armor plates?!"

"Fine!" Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes, then closed them and continued to regulate his ki. But after a while, he suddenly thought of something. "Those bits of meat and bones, maybe we don't need to throw them away. I'll call Totsuki Academy and ask if they'll take them. After all, these are monsters that were killed alive, aren't they?"

"...Can it be like this?" Akagi Ritsuko, who was about to leave, looked at the medical staff in the room, who exchanged bewildered glances. It was a suggestion that seemed reasonable, yet also not so reasonable. These things did seem to be things that the Totsuki Organization had been collecting and hunting. But then again, these were pried from the seams of the armor plates of Shinji Ikari's Unit-01... Hmm...

"Make a call first, it won't hurt, right?" Shinji Ikari, inside the coffin, chuckled as he assigned his colleagues a very awkward task.

"Okay, I'll ask, but everything's mixed up... Will it even work?" Ritsuko Akagi felt a bit of a headache.

"Don't worry about that. They're the experts when it comes to cooking, so you don't need to worry about them. Just remember to remind the person in charge not to offer too low a price." Since he didn't have to worry about it, this was a genuine demon beast that hadn't died from consuming a mouthful of Angel blood, so its level was definitely not low. Shinji Ikari wasn't worried at all about whether Totsuki Academy would refuse it. He figured they'd start having a headache once they got their hands on it. The calcium content of this meat pie filling was really high; if they ate it directly, they might not only pierce their mouths but also break a few teeth.

"Understood. When Ryoko arrives, remember to tell her I'm coming to bother you tonight!"

"That's really disrespectful to your elders! Sister Ritsuko! That's so unfair of you."

Chapter 117 Picking up the goods

"Hey! What a rare guest, Mr. Morishita! I thought I'd never hear from you again. How have you been lately?" Narita Kōtarō, the owner of Narita Cleaning House, had just finished showering and was taking a can of beer out of the freezer. He had just unscrewed the cap when his phone rang. He was quite surprised when he glanced at the caller ID.

As a cleaner, he deals with all sorts of people; snakes have their paths, and rats have their ways. A couple of days ago, someone mentioned to him that it would be best to collect all the debts owed to the Evil Spirits group recently, and that he shouldn't take any more jobs from them, as some important figures were going to cause them trouble.

This warning immediately alerted Narita Kotaro. Why bother asking for money anymore, especially since there wasn't much money left to begin with? So Narita Kotaro simply assumed that the Evil Souls Group, a prestigious organization in Japan, no longer existed. Recently, he has also stopped making any moves and stopped doing any activities. After all, he had already made enough money from the previous few cases.

But he never expected that he would receive a call at this time from one of his favorite clients from his time with the Evil Souls Group. He never imagined that he would receive a call from Morishita Yamato at this time. However, he guessed that Morishita Yamato wanted him to take him somewhere and then board a ship to escape. This kind of thing was not a big deal. It was a lucrative job, and it was worth taking the risk once in a while.

"Very good, excellent, as good as it gets..." Morishita Yamato's smile was perfectly natural. Of course, he was very happy. He was surrounded by layers of guards, and all he did every day was eat and sleep. His life was simple and fulfilling. How could it not be good? It couldn't be better. He was confined to this small area.

"So? Where should I pick you up?" Narita Kotaro said with a smile. "For the sake of a regular customer, I'll offer a reasonable price for this deal." Narita Kotaro fiddled with his fingers on the other end of the phone. He had a feeling that this deal wouldn't be easy to make, but if it succeeded, he and Oochu Maru could relax for a month or two.

"Hmm? Why do you think I'm going to run away? It seems your information is a little outdated. I'm going to participate in the food battle at the Mountain God Festival." Morishita Yamato spoke very gently on the phone, then said with a smile, "There are still a few days left, but I have a special ingredient that I need to get. It's a bit inconvenient for me to do it myself, so I need someone to run an errand for me. How about that? It shouldn't be too difficult."

"..." Narita Kotaro paused for a moment, "To be honest, I'm quite surprised... Someone as important as you wouldn't have no chance in another place, would he?" Morishita Yamato is rich, very rich. His Morishita-ya business is incredibly lucrative, and he also runs many other profitable businesses, including construction and transportation. If it were just about picking up some things, there would be no need for him to make this trip.

“Where to go? I’m not planning on going to the mountain god festival. Besides, it’s not that I don’t want to give you a discount.” Narita Kotaro was silent for a moment, but in the end he decided that fortune favors the bold. His rent was due soon, so why not take the two of them, Okamaru and the others, to lay low for a while?

“Three streets ahead of my tavern, there’s a house with the name Yamato on the door. Go inside, the door isn’t locked, and there’s a black package stuck to the toilet seat on the second floor. The contents are yours.” Morishita Yamato said, then sighed. This was one of the safe houses he had arranged for himself, but today, he could no longer use it at all.

"There's a bank card with at least 30 million yen in it, and a storage box on the second floor with about 5 million yen in cash, as well as some jewelry... I almost forgot, you run a cleaning service, so find it yourself, it's part of the fun. Anyway, everything in that house is yours! I reckon 40 to 50 million yen shouldn't be a problem." Morishita Yamato presented a safe house he had prepared to the person in front of him, someone he could probably still command, offering a price that the other party would definitely not refuse.

"...Fifty million yen." Honda Kōtarō took a deep breath. There was no need to hide it; he was shaken by Morishita Yamato's generous offer. He had just said he wanted a higher price, intending to refuse. But he hadn't expected the other party to be even more decisive. You want a higher price? Fine, I'll just bury you in money!

After all, what Morishita Yamato lacks most right now is time. As for money, at this point, it's all meaningless to him. As long as he can achieve his goal, a little money is no big deal.

"So?" Morishita Yamato laughed. He heard the other man swallow, and he was almost certain that greed had firmly gripped the mind of the person in front of him. This way, he wouldn't feel any guilt, since it wasn't him who killed him, but the greed of the person in front of him.

"Alright, I'll take it. Go get what!" Gritting his teeth, Honda Kotaro decided to go get the money first, and then go make the trip. He definitely couldn't skip this trip, but if he didn't get the money, well, Morishita Daiwa himself was in dire straits, why would he be afraid of him?

"One order of ingredients. I'll send you the address in a bit. The sooner the better. Thank you for your hard work." Morishita Yamato's lips curled into a smile. See, this is yet another person who has fallen into trouble because of greed, just like himself before.

"Okay! Can I just leave the stuff at the entrance of Morishita-ya?" Honda Kotaro didn't think now was a good time to deliver the goods to Morishita-ya in his pickup truck. He had looked through binoculars from afar and saw that the entire Morishita-ya was completely surrounded. He was afraid that once someone went in, they wouldn't be able to come out. So Honda Kotaro decided to use a more forceful delivery method.

“No problem!” Morishita Yamato immediately agreed. He understood Honda Kotaro’s idea. Wasn’t this just about making money in the least risky way? It was no big deal.

"That's good. I'll wait for your address to arrive." Honda Kōtaro breathed a sigh of relief. At times like this, he was afraid that Morishita Yamato would stick to his guns. Even a broken ship has some nails left, but Honda Kōtaro didn't want to gamble. He wondered if the Evil Soul Group had many hidden forces. He wondered if Morishita Yamato would obey his orders. His small body couldn't withstand many cuts.

"Oh, right, one last reminder: don't open it! Keep it sealed. If you have ice, you'd better fill my package with ice." Morishita Yamato made a seemingly normal request, and Honda Kotaro didn't think much of it.

"So it's seafood?" Honda Kotaro smacked his lips. To be fair, he made a seemingly reasonable guess. Seafood transportation requires ice throughout the entire process for safety, right? As for not opening the box, that's even easier to understand. Who knows what's inside? Maybe it will swallow the food and run away. Besides, there might be issues with sealing the ingredients.

"I suppose so." Morishita Yamato was pleased. This guy's explanation seemed reasonable and close, but sometimes a small difference can make a huge difference, even though he hadn't deliberately praised or explained anything.

"I'll let you know before I arrive." After saying that, Kotaro didn't wait for Morishita Yamato's reply. He turned off his phone, removed the SIM card, cut it, and flushed it down the toilet in one go. "Maru! Maru! Where the hell did he run off to again?" Honda Kotaro shouted into the room a few times, but no one responded. This annoyed Honda, so he got up and went to look for the people in the Central Maru.

"Hey..." Morishita Yamato also closed his phone. At this moment, a henchman pushed the door open and came in, carrying some microwaveable rice balls and the like, obviously a lunch prepared for Morishita Yamato.

"Big brother..." the younger brother called softly, a little ashamed on his face, "They didn't agree to let us go out to buy things, so this is all the stuff we ordered from the nearby convenience store."

“No…” Morishita Yamato stood up, looking at the midday sun, his shadow stretched long. “I should be the one apologizing. As a head chef, I can’t even prepare a farewell meal at the very end.”

"Brother, please don't say that. We are grateful for your shelter. We are weak and have no power to take revenge! You gave us the opportunity to take revenge. It was all of our own free will!" As the sliding door behind them opened, more than 50 of Morishita Yamato's subordinates from the Evil Soul Group knelt neatly outside the door, their expressions as firm as ever.

"Shh...don't be too loud. There are still a few days left. We can't let anyone notice." Morishita Yamato put a finger to his lips, gesturing for silence. "Everyone, get some rest. We might have one last dish to prepare. Food War, huh! Food War! We can't let those who are looking forward to it down, can we?"

"Yes, Big Brother!" Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere seemed to suddenly lighten. The material difficulties seemed to be completely unimportant to these people.

Morishita Yamato waved his hand, signaling his underlings to step back. He then lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and sat there silently. Suddenly, the rice ball in front of him floated up, as if someone had taken a bite out of it, and a large piece was missing.

"Hey! This date is perfect, isn't it?" Morishita Yamato smiled. "Eat slowly, it seems that day happens to be the anniversary of your death, Michiko."

Chapter 118 The Gift from Shinomiya Kojiro

As soon as Shinji Ikari returned to his residence, he smelled the rich aroma of food and heard Nagase Nagisa's laughter. He also seemed to hear Kanzaki Reimi praising Sakaki Ryoko's cooking. Going upstairs, the somewhat cramped little house was now full of people, but Shinji saw a pile of things that looked like gifts. It seemed that they had come to visit Shinji, who seemed to be injured, and not to freeload off Sakaki Ryoko's meal (who would believe that?).

"Shinji-kun! Welcome home!" Onizuka Eikichi, carrying a bowl of noodles, saw Shinji Ikari first. He looked Shinji up and down, but since Shinji didn't even have a band-aid on his face, he seemed to be in good health and looked well. Onizuka immediately smiled warmly and asked, "How was your recovery?"

"Ryoko, you shouldn't have let these freeloaders eat like this," Shinji Ikari said irritably. His girlfriend had come to visit him, and these guys were already eating! He was so annoyed!

"Looks like we're having cold noodles today. If we want some more, we won't need to buy vinegar!" Nagase Nagisa said with a sarcastic expression. Shinji Ikari's complaint was clearly an expression of dissatisfaction that his girlfriend was busy cooking for them.

"Here! Drink this first. This is a special thank-you gift from Shinomiya-senpai after he heard you were injured. It's a French onion cream soup that he personally cooked, so consider it today's main course." Ryoko Sakaki smiled as she listened to Shinji Ikari's complaints and Nagase Nagase's sarcasm. She then squatted down, took out a thermos from the package she had brought, and handed it to Shinji, which surprised him greatly.

Because of preparing for the Food Wars with Gin Dojima, Ryoko Sakaki has been in a lot of contact with the graduates of Totsuki Academy. Everyone is willing to give her a few pointers. Naturally, Ryoko Sakaki knows very well where she gets such a big reputation.

"Eh? Shinomiya?" Shinji Ikari was very surprised. The Shinomiya that Ryoko Sakaki was talking about was obviously none other than Shinomiya Kojiro, the former top student of Totsuki Academy, just by looking at the name of the dish.

Although Shinji Ikari is somewhat sociable, wasn't he always in France? I don't think I've ever had any interaction with him at all, so how come... he's such a good friend that he's cooking for me? Shinji Ikari was completely bewildered.

"Oh! This smells so good! But I'm really full from what I just ate, and I can't stand it anymore!" Onizuka Eikichi rubbed his stomach, feeling his cravings being tempted again, but his stomach clearly told him that he was already very full and couldn't eat anything else, which made him feel uncomfortable.

"Compared to this soup, which is clearly for the sick, this clear broth pork rib noodle soup is a real bargain for us. Thank you for the treat!" With her hands clasped together, Kanzaki Reimi stood up and took the bowls of noodles in front of her and Onizuka Eikichi. Murai Kunio handed over his empty bowl, only to be kicked by Kanzaki Reimi. "Take it yourself! Lazybones!"

"What? Why did you help Onizuka take it?" Murai Kunio looked displeased; this favoritism was a bit too much.

"Hmm?" Murai Kunio's complaint was met with a disapproving look from Kanzaki Reimi. Her fierce gaze made Murai Kunio feel intimidated for a moment, just as Kanzaki Reimi raised her foot to kick him, he immediately dodged.

"The ribs are stewed until they're so tender! Just a gentle bite, and look, it's like magic!" Nagisa grinned mischievously at Shinji Ikari. After living together for so long, she knew Shinji quite well. He was a carnivore; even Rei Ayanami, who didn't eat meat before, had been influenced by him to start eating a little. So, the biggest torture for him was definitely telling him that meat was delicious! But... that's it~

"..." Sure enough, Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes at Nagase Nagase, then looked at Rei Ayanami, who was about to move the bowl of noodles over to give him the ribs, when a small, fair hand intercepted her halfway and pushed the bowl of noodles back.

Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow, looking at the bowl of noodles that was getting further and further away from him. He wasn't particularly craving it; after all, Ryoko was here, so there was no worry about not having enough to eat. However, he still looked at Reimi Kanzaki, who was pressing her hand on the table with annoyance. This woman and he had almost made a habit of undermining each other at school, so it was no surprise that she was stopping Rei Ayanami from feeding him.

"Reimi is so thin, don't you think she should eat more meat? Don't you claim to be her brother?" Kanzaki Reimi said, still glaring at Shinji Ikari with a condescending look.

"Hi~ Here's the French bread for the main course, which was also made by Shinomiya-senpai herself." With a smile, Sakaki Ryoko directly stepped between the two who were staring at each other like bulls, and handed them a basket of sliced ​​bread with butter and jam inside. The last plate had steak, mashed potatoes, and a few fries on it.

Nagase Nagisa, standing nearby, had an expression that said, "This is going to be interesting." Danma Ryuji and Onizuka Eikichi exchanged a glance, and Danma Ryuji sighed helplessly. His sister-in-law was very wary.

"Why... these fries look so familiar..." Shinji Ikari picked up a fries and smacked his lips. Although he wasn't very confident in his claim of being a chef, there was no doubt that he had seen these fries in NERV's lunch cafeteria almost every day at noon. They weren't exactly the same, but they were almost identical.