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

And, a demonic vehicle that can devour spirits to grow! After all, this vehicle is currently mounted in the Himuro mansion, serving as a doorman for Himuro Kirie! Although it only looks like it, who knows if it actually uses that technology…

"Looks like we need to investigate this thoroughly, to make sure nothing gets out of these guys' hands!" Watching Shinji Ikari greet his companions, the agent pressed his earpiece and whispered, "It's cleared."

Chapter 149 The Narita Cleaning House That Was Taken Down

"Hmm..." When Shinji Ikari returned to NERV to report, Ritsuko Akagi looked at him with a very strange gaze, looking him up and down as if he were some kind of national treasure.

"So what's wrong?" Shinji Ikari looked at Ritsuko Akagi, who was clearly either on the wrong medication or had forgotten to take it, with a strange expression. Shinji also scrutinized this woman with whom he had a very good relationship with the same look he would give someone with intellectual disabilities.

After returning from Minakami Village, Shinji Ikari immediately received a call instructing him to report to NERV headquarters. This greatly annoyed Shinji, who gave the NERV intelligence staff at the convenience store downstairs a disapproving look. "So diligent now? Not bad! This Spirit Gun will be yours sooner or later."

These intelligence officers were also quite helpless. After all, monitoring Shinji Ikari's life was already a very important task, and there were two EVA pilots living in this house. Reporting on their daily activities was their routine task, not selling snacks and drinks!

Because Rei Ayanami was in class, Shinji Ikari threatened the unlucky guys from the intelligence department, then greeted Mei Isayama, who was cleaning across from him with his sleeves rolled up, before heading to NERV headquarters. However, before Shinji could even report to Misato Katsuragi, Ritsuko Akagi approached him.

"I'm waiting for the story you'll bring me this time; I feel it's going to be very exciting." Shinji Ikari had informed NERV about this mission beforehand. Misato Katsuragi and the foreman from the engineering department secretly packed up Unit-01 under the guise of combat training. The reason was simple: NERV had reaped great rewards from the last two emergency sorties, and everyone had received substantial bonuses. This made everyone look forward to Shinji Ikari doing something similar again.

As it turned out, Shinji Ikari handled it independently...

Great disappointment...

However, Misato Katsuragi, who originally planned to end the "exercise" and remove Unit-01 from the plane, was stopped by Kozo Fuyutsuki. TERRA had already begun to execute their plan and successfully entered Tokyo Jupiter. It seemed that, according to the plan, the other side would seize the key target in the next two days.

Meanwhile, NERV headquarters received an unquestionable order directly from the United Nations. NERV needed to be prepared for this operation, and in case of unforeseen circumstances, NERV would be required to provide direct support to TERRA. Clearly, the United Nations was somewhat dissatisfied with NERV and SEELE behind NERV, and now it seemed that TERRA was the one that the United Nations had higher expectations for.

Although NERV demonstrated even greater combat capabilities, it also showed a clear resistance when various countries requested data from it. This made the heads of state feel that something was amiss, since it was no longer a matter of pretense, but a straightforward rejection of the United Nations' request.

It seems that because they were too tough in the previous stage, NERV headquarters now wants to ease relations with the United Nations. Gendo Ikari and Kozo Fuyutsuki have decided to accept the United Nations' orders. This is why Kozo Fuyutsuki and Gendo Ikari tacitly allowed Misato Katsuragi's ridiculous so-called "exercise".

"A story? You want to hear a ghost story?" Shinji Ikari shrugged; this really was a ghost story. "But I did hear some things from the Countermeasures Bureau before I came back."

"What?" Ritsuko Akagi nodded, roughly understanding Shinji Ikari's meaning. What happened in Minakami Village either happened nothing, or something couldn't be openly discussed. Look at the scale of this incident; so many organizations were thrown into it. I heard that before Shinji even entered, over a hundred people were killed or injured inside.

Of course, this number is also rather mysterious and unpredictable, ranging from dozens to hundreds of people. Ritsuko Akagi chose a number that seemed relatively reliable.

“Someone is investigating a small company that used to be associated with the Ghasts. There may be some leaked experimental data and information in the hands of these related companies, so some very interesting things are happening,” Shinji Ikari said with a smile.

“This time, I must say, your news is a little late.” Ritsuko Akagi tapped a couple of times on the keyboard and turned the monitor toward Shinji Ikari. “This was found yesterday.”

"Oh? Isn't this interesting?" Shinji Ikari's lips curled into a smile. The photo showed a full-body suit of armor with a somewhat retro style. Judging from its appearance, it was heavy power armor, and the entire suit seemed to have an independent NBC protection system, making it look like a very good combat armor.

But this thing... it looks familiar!

"We meet again, Werewolf." Shinji Ikari muttered to himself. Why "again"? Isn't it just the literal meaning of "no friendship without a fight"? But when he looked at Ritsuko Akagi, Shinji Ikari said bluntly, "The Babem Foundation has also gotten involved? Their style can't be this... low, can it?"

“It’s not Babem, but it seems to have been leaked accidentally. There are no matching weapons or equipment, and its bulletproof performance has also been greatly reduced.” Ritsuko Akagi tapped a few times on the keyboard and showed Shinji Ikari several photos, all of which showed the condition of the power armor and photos of two dead bodies.

"An axe... a shotgun?" Shinji Ikari's face twitched; this equipment was truly outrageous.

"The deceased were the owner of the so-called Narita Cleaning Co., Ltd. and his employee." Ritsuko Akagi shrugged; this was hardly news anymore.

"So just how many things have happened recently..." Shinji Ikari frowned, looking at the armor cleaved open by a sharp weapon in the photo. This was something no ordinary person could do.

24 hours ago

"Damn it! This time I've really been screwed over by this bastard!" Inside a dilapidated flat-roofed house, Narita Kotaro had a pained expression on his face. Sure enough, he had been tricked by that damned Morishita Yamato! Because the other party had given him so much, he decided to stop after this job and even stole a car to deliver the goods. But he didn't expect that someone would still come looking for him. He had been hiding all the way, but they still found him.

Now, a large group of people in suits have begun to disperse the crowd. It's clear that they already know where they are, and clearing the area now is just to allow them to better concentrate their strength for the battle later.

"Hahahaha...isn't this perfect? ​​I'm so tired of hiding!" Yanaka Maru sat in a chair, taking big gulps of alcohol. He already had bipolar disorder, and under the influence of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot. "Come on, we have no damn way out now."

"Damn it... You're already dressed, what are you still talking about... Buddy, sorry, it was my misjudgment." The two who had been hiding had no idea what had happened at the Mountain God Festival or what those organizations were planning to do. So now Narita Kotaro looked ashamed. He felt that this time, it was because of his greed for money that he had decided to lay low for a while, but he still risked making this money.

"Hey!" Nakamaru didn't say anything, tossed his beer to Narita Kotaro across from him, caught the cigarette thrown to him, took two deep drags, and then put on his helmet. He then took two pistols from a nearby box and tossed them to Narita Kotaro. Narita Kotaro quickly checked them, then tucked the pistols into his waistband, also taking two magazines with him.

Yang Zhongwan's situation was more complicated. He hung the pre-loaded magazines of his shotgun and his usual fire axe in front of him, and then a muffled voice came from under his helmet, "There's a car behind us. I've already pried open the door. I'll stall for time here. When the time comes... you'd better hurry up, buddy. Thanks, I'm beyond saving. You have a family to support. You also know my secret account. The password is my birthday. Good luck."

"Thump!" Just as Yang Zhongmaru finished speaking, a dull sound came from downstairs. Two tear gas canisters were fired up, but Yang Zhongmaru knocked the first one back with an axe, and the other hit the armor Yang Zhongmaru was wearing and fell down.

Without a second thought, Yang Zhongmaru pulled the trigger at the swaying figure below. The first person who peeked out and rushed up was blasted down the stairs by the No. 20 shotgun shell. Then the second shot blasted a large pile of wood chips off another wall next to him!

"Go!" Yang Zhongmaru charged down. The infrared thermal sensing system on his mask, lacking professional maintenance, was not working very well, but it still gave Yang Zhongmaru a huge advantage. He kept pulling the trigger and firing bullets, and one attacker after another was hit by the shotgun.

Of course, the attackers wouldn't just sit idly by and take the beating without fighting back. Despite the presence of tear gas and smoke, which affected the gunmen's vision, they could only keep firing at the muzzle flashes. However, with such shooting, there was no point in expecting any accuracy.

However, as long as enough people shoot, bullets keep hitting Nakamaru. But the armor on Nakamaru's body is an original product of the Babem Foundation. Unless the pistol bullets hit a few spots, they cannot penetrate his armor and can only cause him some pain.

At this moment, already in a state of frenzy due to the effects of alcohol, Yang Zhongmaru became even more insane under the stimulation of pain. A ferocious smile appeared behind his mask. After changing his magazine, Yang Zhongmaru pulled out an axe from behind him and rushed towards the nearest person, swinging the axe down. The opponent clearly did not expect that Yang Zhongmaru, who clearly had a gun, would abandon his weapon and simply start hacking people down with a melee weapon.

Against a fire axe swung with all its might, ordinary bulletproof vests were practically useless. The sharp axe blade pierced through the attacker's vest and slid diagonally into his neck. Blood gushed into the air like a fountain, spitting out a sound that also made Yang Zhongwan cry out. Without hesitation, Yang Zhongwan kicked the attacker away. Covered in blood, Yang Zhongwan resembled a demon from hell, sending chills down the spines of his men.

Most importantly, the other side recognized what it was and were all stunned. The Babem Group had entered the fray? This was not interesting news. According to the Babem Group's usual practice, those who were competing with the Babem Group for their prey would soon face a hail of bullets. The Babem Group was a powerful organization in the United States and a notorious organization worldwide.

But soon they realized something was wrong. This guy was all alone. Although he was wielding a shotgun and an axe and was fighting fiercely, killing several people in a short time, he seemed to be covering for something.

They needed a little time to figure out the situation, but even that small time difference allowed Yang Zhongwan to kill many people. Without stronger firepower or other combat capabilities, these people really didn't have a good way to deal with the madman in front of them in a short period of time.

"So... this is your elite force?" In a luxury car not far away, a woman with pale skin stretched on the sofa and looked at the person opposite her. "The Eternal Life Society... I thought you would be a little stronger than the legends say."

"We really didn't expect this to happen." A masked woman smiled, seemingly unconcerned about the situation. "They were just two dogs running away, but they had the nerve to bite back. But I brought a backup plan, didn't I?"

"Ha... your only hope is a living dead? How boring." The woman scoffed. "Why not send your favorite? Shouldn't she be stronger?"

"You said it yourself, she's your sweetheart, so naturally she can't do anything dirty, right?" the masked woman said with a grin. "Go on, hurry back, and then you can go back and get some rest."

"..." The woman tilted her head and looked at the masked woman in front of her, then opened a box on the ground. "Aren't you afraid I'll draw my sword and chop you down?"

"If you wanted to chop, shouldn't you have done it already?" the woman laughed. "Go on, don't waste everyone's time."

"Hmph..." The woman picked up her belt, got out of the car, and walked directly toward Yang Zhongwan, who had just pulled an axe from an assassin. A smile appeared on her lips. Under the moonlight, her face was revealed. She was a beauty, but that was only if there wasn't that huge sword mark. The sword mark had completely cut across her face. Although it had been repaired, it was still deep enough to see the bone.

"Hey! Did you have fun?" She even greeted Yang Zhongwan with a grin, "Let's finish this quickly so I can go chat with another cutie~"

"1 yen, that's the most I can offer."

"What kind of rubbish is this?!"

Chapter 150 shouldn't be you, Fish Angel.

"A master swordsman?" Shinji Ikari looked at the photo with a puzzled expression, then cleaved through the heavy armor with his sword. "Are masters so worthless these days?" If he knew that Ochumaru had only offered this master 10,000 yen in aid, he would have laughed his head off.

However, this is probably why the result of Oochu Maru being cleaved in two by the opponent's sword can be explained, while Narita Kotaro on the other side was simply stabbed to death with a single sword, without much fanfare, and was just killed in a straightforward manner.

"So, what's your story?" Ritsuko Akagi said with a smile. "From now on, stop laughing at your colleagues with Misato. They're doing their jobs seriously too, at least for now." Ritsuko Akagi shook her head and then listened attentively to Shinji Ikari's description of the information they had collected in Minakami Village.

As she listened, Ritsuko Akagi took notes, asking questions whenever she encountered something she didn't understand. "What does 'trusted by Benizuka Matsuri' mean? The twins merging into one?"

"Nonsense, it was a human sacrifice, and a blood sacrifice at that. Moreover, judging from the aftermath, there was no soul fusion. If two souls were forcibly merged, their memories, thoughts, and so on would all collapse. The most direct manifestation would be uncontrollable limbs, memory confusion, and a whole host of other problems! Simply put, it would be very difficult for them to be normal people." Shinji Ikari shook his head with a smile, thinking it was too naive.

"Hmm... So, is this 'divine disappearance' a kind of space folding or space discontinuity technology?" Ritsuko Akagi asked a question that left Shinji Ikari completely bewildered. Although he was considered a top student, such a profound physics question was far beyond his comprehension.

“I don’t understand exactly what those two things you’re talking about are, but they feel completely different from the AT field.” Shinji Ikari clicked his tongue and gave an explanation that he felt was close enough: “Minakami Village has always been there, you just can’t see it.”

“Interesting, very interesting.” Shinji Ikari’s words made Ritsuko Akagi’s face show interest. “It’s just a pity that we have too much work to do right now and don’t have time to do more research. Otherwise, I would definitely go and see it for myself.”

According to Shinji Ikari's description, the main problems of Minakami Village have been solved. Given that this is currently the largest known site of ghost disappearances in Japan, and there are signs of human construction, how could Ritsuko Akagi not be interested? However, with the recent development of affairs, the research department has not had much energy to study these things, so let's talk about it when we have time.

"By the way, Misato Katsuragi told me on the phone that we need to prepare for a mission to support TERRA? What's going on?" Shinji Ikari had never expected this to happen. When he first heard about this organization, he was still a bit confused. But when he heard that they were planning to infiltrate Tokyo and cause trouble on Jupiter, Shinji became somewhat nervous.

This means that another person (or rather, one of the two players, theoretically Kisaragi Hisahito is also qualified; by the way, his voice actress is Kuwashima Houko, which seems to have been predetermined from the beginning?) could theoretically be one of the people who can decide the direction of the world's restart. In the end, the two sides might have to fight each other. Of course, nothing has happened yet, so we cannot presume guilt.

“Yes, NERV headquarters did receive orders because the confirmed intelligence indicated that the sudden appearance of the MU army instantly overwhelmed the resistance of the Ground Self-Defense Force and the Air Self-Defense Force, and subsequently successfully controlled Tokyo and raised this giant dome. This is a thorn in the side of humanity. Now that a method has been found, the United Nations has decided to give it a try and find out what is going on inside Tokyo’s Jupiter.” Ritsuko Akagi briefly explained the current situation to Shinji Ikari.

"Maybe it's already turned into a Tokyo monster story." Shinji Ikari shrugged. As we all know, there are several cities in the world that are very popular. Tokyo, the monster paradise, and New York, where superheroes are everywhere, are the best of the best. It's hard to say whose good fortune it is that Tokyo has been swallowed up.

“Maybe…” Ritsuko Akagi heard the door open behind her and turned her head slightly. It was Misato Katsuragi who came in. “Why are you only coming now? I thought you would have come sooner.” Ritsuko Akagi said with a smile. She knew very well that Misato Katsuragi was looking forward to Shinji Ikari doing something so that she could pay off her sports car loan at least a month earlier.

"I thought you would take Shinji straight to the medical ward, but we were disappointed." Misato Katsuragi said with a grin, without saying much, delivering a very straightforward verbal attack. While speaking, she didn't forget to wave at Shinji, making Shinji roll his eyes in exasperation.

"So what brings you here besides insulting me?" Shinji Ikari said with a bored expression.

"Yes, Ritsuko, I'll just borrow this little boy~" Misato Katsuragi made an apologetic gesture, then stretched out her arm, circled Shinji Ikari's head, and carried him away.

"Let go! Can't you walk properly?" Shinji Ikari shouted in dissatisfaction, but his shouts seemed meaningless as the woman in front of him continued to drag him out of the electronic door.

"Ugh... I have to help edit the footage again. That stupid woman, she doesn't even know how many cameras are watching from NERV headquarters." Ritsuko Akagi shook her head. She knew a little about Shinji Ikari and Misato Katsuragi's antics. Shinji seemed to know quite a lot. Ritsuko Akagi sighed, hoping that this little rascal could be smarter than his father.

“It seems that SELLE’s plan and TERRA’s plan have clashed greatly. This time you will probably receive some suggestive orders…” Misato Katsuragi quietly revealed this to Shinji Ikari.

"This is really not good news." Shinji Ikari shook his head. This so-called implied order meant that if he failed, he would commit seppuku himself. There was no such order from above. But if he didn't do it, then without a doubt, Shinji would be tormented by the other side.

"But don't worry, TERRA thinks the UN's move is unnecessary. They probably won't agree to let our EVA board their supercarrier, so be prepared to be thrown overboard. After the battle, you'll probably be thrown onto a merchant ship to come back." Misato Katsuragi's words were quite direct.

"Even if it's a life-saving favor, is this how they treat me?" Shinji Ikari sighed. This really is TERRA's style. After rescuing Ayato Kamina, they immediately locked him up, which made the little guy's attitude towards TERRA very bad for a while.

However, NERV's record in this regard is also excellent, with practices like sending new recruits to face Angels on their very first day being top-notch. At least they didn't lock Shinji Ikari up as a guinea pig right after he boarded the ship; according to the original records, he should have immediately started living with Misato Katsuragi.

"By the way, when will Unit-2 arrive?" Shinji Ikari frowned. He didn't know what kind of bizarre world this was. If nothing unexpected happened, he should be facing the Angel of Thunder next, but after hearing what Misato Katsuragi had just said, Shinji had a bad feeling. The order shouldn't be messed up, right? This was supposed to be a movie, not a TV series…

Hmm... But thinking about it again, Shinji Ikari suddenly felt a little relieved. I, Shinji Ikari, have a fierce older sister who can easily smash a car with her fists... Thinking about it this way, it seems that nothing bad happens is too strange?

"The Germans are doing everything they can to delay; they don't want to let this EVA go. It's all thanks to your efforts!" Misato Katsuragi smacked Shinji Ikari on the head. Isn't this your fault? Don't you have any self-awareness? The EVA's current deterrent effect against all sorts of monsters is all thanks to you!

"So you're saying Unit 2 still can't be delivered these next few days?!" Shinji Ikari frowned deeply. Hmm, if it weren't for Unit 2, probably... probably... the Angel wouldn't come to join the fun, since Unit 2 and the tsundere aren't here.

"At least the issues we received were similar, including the accommodation and meals for the dedicated pilot of Unit 2. They all asked us to provide a report." Misato Katsuragi spread her hands, her face full of helplessness. Although these matters were not directly related to her as the Chief of Operations, she felt quite helpless seeing Maya Ibuki's increasingly agitated expression every time she received emails from the German side.

"I roughly understand what's going on now." Shinji Ikari sighed, covering his face. "But we don't lack fighting power for the time being. Is Rei Ayanami's combat training still as rigorous?"

“Yeah, you really are a sinful little bastard, you know that?” Misato Katsuragi wrapped her arms around Shinji Ikari’s neck like a good buddy. “If it weren’t for the Danma couple living at your place, I would be doing surprise inspections all the time.”

"Hey... don't treat me like some thirsty animal, okay?" Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes, then, as he turned around, slipped a USB drive into his pants pocket. He also handed a document he had previously compiled to Misato Katsuragi. Although the Countermeasures Bureau was monitoring Shinji, they had given him the NERV data they possessed. "Where to now?"

"Let's go to the infirmary! You haven't clocked in yet since you came back! Let's go!"

"..."

Chapter 151 A Sudden Memory

"What? A master swordsman?" Shinji Ikari ran out of the NERV headquarters infirmary and immediately clocked out without hesitation. He went back to his residence, where Rei Ayanami had just arrived and was helping Nagase Nagase cook. According to Nagase Nagase, there was still some time before dinner. Shinji Ikari promptly said goodbye and slipped across the hall to chat with his theoretical supervisor, Mei Isayama.

"Yes, the photo has been sent to your email. Download it yourself. Babem's equipment was cleaved in two by a single sword strike." Shinji Ikari shrugged. "Can you do that?"

“A sword probably won’t work. The range and scope of the strike are severely limited. I’m not kidding.” Isayama Mei frowned, gripping the broom in his hand and demonstrating a slashing motion before shaking his head. “It’s not a matter of strength. We’ve all seen that technique. If you just use a regular sword, there’s a high probability that your sword will get stuck in that thing. We all know that unless it’s a few vital points, if someone is seriously injured, they can easily launch a final counterattack. This counterattack is almost like that person burning their last breath. That’s why Japanese swords are rarely used like that.”

Shinji Ikari was referring to what he had just learned from Ritsuko Akagi: a master swordsman had appeared in the organization that was hunting down those associated with the Demon Souls. Since Shinji's fighting skills were all close-quarters combat techniques, he obviously had to ask a master in this field.

Although Mei Isayama doesn't use a sword, but rather a long-handled naginata, as a member of the Isayama family, their family heirloom is a tachi. So, asking Mei Isayama whether she can use a Japanese sword is a very practical question.

“That’s how it is.” Shinji Ikari nodded. “He was almost cleaved in two.” Nakamaru’s body was nearly split in two, the sword cleaving him directly in the waist. Shinji felt that the enemy might come looking for him, and he needed to know something. “There can’t be many skilled fighters who can do something like that, so are you sure?”

"I don't have any leads yet, but I can investigate. Normally, someone capable of this wouldn't need to get involved in something like this. It's too strange!" Izayama Mei put his hands on his hips, indicating that he had stopped. "I'll let you know if I have any news. I'm going to eat!"

"Huh? You don't cook for yourself?" Shinji Ikari was a little surprised. Although Mei Isayama could spend tens of millions of yen on eggs at the mountain god festival, he was very frugal in his daily life. So when Shinji heard that Mei Isayama was going out to eat, he found it hard to believe.

“Yeah, let’s go to McDonald’s. Although the Yin-Yang Bureau didn’t give us much, it’s still more than enough for food.” Isayama Mei nodded confidently. “And I also got a voucher for that Italian restaurant across the street. I need to use it quickly.”

"This is really interesting." Shinji Ikari burst out laughing. What was going on?

"Because of your connections! Their boxed lunches are delicious, it's just a pity they're a bit expensive, otherwise I would really grit my teeth and order them monthly." Mei Isayama patted Shinji Ikari on the shoulder, indicating that he had high hopes for Shinji.

"Shinji! Dinner's ready!" Nagisa called from the second floor. She had prepared the food, and while Shinji and Rei ate at home, she packed up her own food to take to the shop. The shop that Ryuji Danma bought wasn't very big. To make up for the lack of space, some amenities had to be reduced to the bare minimum. So there was no kitchen, and the staff's break area was in the same corridor as the office. Naturally, there was no kitchen, which was a bit of a luxury.

If Suzuki's main store caught him cooking in front of the shop, he would definitely get a hefty fine. Even NERV's influence wouldn't help. So, after a while, Nagase Nagisa had to come back and cook, and then deliver the food to him.

"Thank you for your hard work, Nagisa-nee!" Shinji Ikari walked to the table. It was a very Japanese meal consisting of one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a soup, along with a small bowl of rice. According to Shinji's memories from his previous lives, this was a portion that wouldn't even be enough to feed a cat. However, he was probably used to it now. After all, if it really wasn't enough, Shinji could just go to McDonald's and chat with Sadao Maou.

"There's still rice and soup! Help yourselves if you want more." Nagase Nagisa greeted Shinji Ikari, then picked up two large insulated boxes and hurriedly went downstairs.

"Let's eat~" As Shinji Ikari went to get more rice, Rei Ayanami clasped her hands together. This was taught to her by Nagase Nagase and was considered a pre-meal etiquette.

"Oh~ I'm starting too!" Shinji Ikari himself wasn't really into this. Eating is eating, why all this fuss? But since Rei Ayanami did it, Shinji just joined in the fun and started eating. It has to be said that after a while, under Ryoko Sakaki's guidance, Nagase Nagisa's cooking skills have made great progress.

"Shinji-kun." Rei Ayanami finished eating quickly; she didn't have Shinji Ikari's appetite. She turned her head slightly to look at Shinji, seemingly thinking for a moment about what to say next, "Was the mission successful?"

Shinji Ikari's lips curled slightly. Wasn't that enough? Although Rei Ayanami in the anime seemed as beautiful as a porcelain doll, driving men crazy, in real life, such a lifeless porcelain doll was a fragile thing. She only showed a little bit of humanity when she risked her life for Shinji and faced the Angel of the Womb (and then Anno, that old scoundrel, casually stabbed all the boys in the heart. What the hell was that Gendo Ikari illusion?!).

But now, things are different! Although she lacks that cold, aloof beauty, Shinji Ikari actually feels, "Ah, this is a living, breathing young girl." Shinji himself can't say whether this change is good or bad, after all, in the very end, Lilith's appearance is exactly like the girl before him.

"It went fairly smoothly. It was a village with decent scenery, and the villagers were quite hospitable." Shinji Ikari blatantly lied. If Minakami Village was considered to have decent scenery and hospitable villagers, then Gotham City must truly have a simple and honest folk culture. "And we made quite a bit of money on this trip. Is there anything you want to buy?"

"..." Rei Ayanami stared at Shinji Ikari, making Shinji's back tingle with unease. "Is it dangerous?"

"Um... this trip was a bit dangerous." Shinji Ikari scratched his head. For some reason, he felt like he was being watched by his mother. This was just too boring. Shinji twitched his lips. "Anyway, everything has been resolved smoothly. I heard that Ryuji and the others offered you pocket money, but you refused?"

"Yes, they are having a tough time. NERV gives me a monthly allowance." Rei Ayanami explained simply. Her allowance was naturally not as high as Shinji Ikari's, but it was indeed enough. After all, she didn't have to pay for food or transportation, and NERV covered all her communication expenses. Rei Ayanami didn't really like buying clothes, so there was really nothing for her to spend money on.

Shinji Ikari looked at Rei Ayanami, clicked his tongue, and for some reason, suddenly remembered an old game called "Rei Ayanami Raising Project." In it, the protagonist played a staff member responsible for taking care of Rei Ayanami's daily life. You could give Rei Ayanami all sorts of gifts, buy her all sorts of clothes and tools, cultivate her various interests and abilities, and then... you could cultivate Rei Ayanami to have an extremely low ability index...

Shinji Ikari remembered that he had already trained Rei Ayanami to a 400% synchronization rate by the middle of the game. In the simple battle scenes of the game, when Unit-01 and Unit-02 were polishing the Angels, Rei Ayanami's Unit-00 basically took away half of its health with a single shot and was knocked down in three attacks...

Interestingly, the game's ending wasn't about the Human Instrumentality Project. On the contrary, Shinji Ikari remembers that the game had a ton of endings, each representing Rei Ayanami's future. Besides the inevitable marriage ending, there were also a whole bunch of career endings like a repeat student, a policewoman, or a scientist, which made Shinji feel like he was constantly finding things to complain about while playing.

But now that he thinks about it, Shinji Ikari's lips curled into a smile. It seems it's the weekend, and he doesn't have anything planned for a while, so perhaps…

“I refuse.” Rei Ayanami said calmly, which surprised Shinji Ikari.

"What are you refusing?" Shinji Ikari asked with a strange expression. Rei Ayanami can read minds?