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

It seemed the commotion was a bit too much, as many people cast disgruntled glances at Zi Donghui. Reservations at Ristorante F are notoriously difficult to get; today, because Shinji Ikari cut in line, one unlucky person was moved to the evening. Although there would be compensation for the food later, it still reflected the restaurant's value.

This made Zi Donghui immediately apologize with an embarrassed smile. After all, she hadn't expected that such a restaurant would be as quiet as a library, with only the slight clinking of cups and plates. As a result, she completely missed the exchange of glances between Shinji Ikari and Ayato Kamina! When she turned around, she saw the two of them rushing out of the restaurant and jumping onto their motorcycles.

"Ah! You two! Here we go again!" Zi Donghui jumped up in anger, about to rush out, but was stopped by the waiter that Ikari Shinji had just been trying to call to pay the bill.

"Ms. Shito Megumi, Mr. Shinji Ikari has ordered today's recommended set meal for you. Would you like to decline it? It costs 100,000 yen." See what a courteous waiter from the Totsuki Culinary Group looks like?

“Uh…” Zi Donghui immediately hesitated! Although TERRA is not stingy with its employees, a meal costing 100,000 yen is still out of reach for them.

"They're going to play ball at St. Lin Academy next, so you can finish your meal and go there at your leisure," the smiling waiter said.

"Okay... alright!" Zi Dong Hui felt that he had just started running around in Tokyo-3 looking for them, and he was a little hungry. It was only right that he should eat Shinji Ikari's meal, and it was definitely not because the meal was worth 100,000 yen.

Chapter 184 The Arrogant Girl (A Long-Awaited Third Update 11/20)

"So while we were all working ourselves to the bone, Shinji Ikari was playing basketball with the TERRA kids at St. Lin Academy? And having a lavish meal at Ristorante F!?" Misato Katsuragi, her face expressionless, angrily munched on her McDonald's burger. Shinji Ikari, you've changed! You used to take me to the Suzuki Hotel for buffets, but now you don't even bother inviting me to a fancy meal! So infuriating!

"By the way, Shinji seems to have made contact with the Spirit World. Their other Spirit Detective has arrived in the Human World." Ritsuko Akagi sipped her coffee, her faint dark circles suggesting that the buff she'd enjoyed at the Mountain God Festival was almost completely worn off. However, while she was in charge of negotiating with Gin Dojima, she secretly arranged for herself and Misato Katsuragi to attend the next "Himuro Festival" tasting event soon. Even if she could only have a bite of each dish, she felt like she'd made a huge profit.

“Yes, the other party has some things to take care of. After he finishes, he may come over to talk to Shinji. However, I heard that his relationship with Mei Isayama is not very good. Perhaps our large laboratory will come in handy again.” Misato Katsuragi nodded. The laboratory here refers to the room where Shinji Ikari used Unit-01 to control the berserk Unit-00.

"Hmph! Mei Isayama's egg will undergo its final stage in three days. I hope everything goes smoothly. Speaking of which, Shinji ordered a doll from the Onmyōryō?" Ritsuko Akagi said with a smirk.

"And it's said that it was sculpted based on the likeness of the one from the Himuro residence. Has our Shinji finally been unable to resist making a move on her older sister?" Misato Katsuragi covered her mouth and chuckled. (Kirie Himuro looked in the direction of NERV and frowned. Who is calling my name? Such disrespect! Then she touched the doll sent by the Onmyōryō, feeling the realistic texture, and smiled with satisfaction.)

"Say less, or you'll be in trouble with Shinji if Himuro Kirie holds a grudge." Katsuragi Misato's blunt words left Akagi Ritsuko speechless. Why did she have to pick such a provocative person to criticize? You did a great job criticizing the Commander yesterday, didn't you?

At that moment, the electronic door opened, and Kaji Ryoji and Soryu Asuka Langley walked in. The two seemed to have been arguing the whole way, and Asuka was clearly very unhappy. Katsuragi Misato and Akagi Ritsuko exchanged a glance; she looked like a troublesome little thing.

"So he doesn't need to train? And the pilot of Unit 00 isn't here either, not even a single one on standby? Is this the level of security at NERV headquarters?" To prove that this time it wasn't a ploy to trick NERV headquarters into handing over the data, Asuka was sent over before Unit 2, and NERV headquarters was allowed to send a specialist to the European NERV branch to supervise the process of packing up Unit 2.

"Asuka, you've finally arrived!" Misato Katsuragi said with a smile. This wasn't the first time she had met or spoken with Asuka. The girl was somewhat proud and arrogant, but the very real problem was that the two things she was so proud of—being a college student and being chosen as the pilot of Unit-02—had now become insignificant.

Especially what happened now has greatly damaged her confidence, because she was a commodity. For Shinji Ikari's combat data, she was packaged up and sent to NERV headquarters by NERV's European branch, and no one cared about the feelings of this prodigy.

"Yes! But I was very disappointed when I arrived!" Asuka crossed her arms and tossed her head. She refused to admit that she was disappointed because she had been traded, and to the point of giving up everything she and Unit-02 had to exchange for something from the other party. In short, a sense of anxiety had been brewing in her chest, so when she saw Kaji Ryoji, instead of engaging in intimate conversation with him as before, she immediately started making a scene, which gave Kaji Ryoji a real headache.

“Shinji is playing basketball right now.” Ritsuko Akagi didn’t think they should spoil her. Simply put, NERV headquarters currently has no shortage of combat power. With Shinji Ikari as their super ace, unlike the NERV headquarters in the original story that was constantly under attack, their need for Unit-02 is rapidly decreasing.

This can be seen from Misato Katsuragi's attitude. If NERV really lacked combat power, then Misato should not have been indifferent to the news of Unit-02's arrival. She should have been very excited, especially since Unit-02 was accompanied by many spare parts and a large number of advanced weapons manufactured by NERV's European branch. This should have greatly enhanced and enriched the types of weapons used by NERV headquarters.

However, now, looking at the huge amount of paperwork involved in transporting, storing, storing, and maintaining these things, if it weren't for having Yoshiji Kaji to do the work, Misato Katsuragi might as well be scratching the wall.

Others were even more direct. The technical department and the maintenance department were almost unanimous: the new energy crossbow! Can't be used in close combat, what garbage! The new bayonet, what a toy! With such a small blade range, can it even kill an Apostle? Garbage!

Large rocket launchers and recoilless rifles are out of the question. The entire technical and maintenance departments treated them like trash, not even giving them a second glance!

In short, this situation gave Ritsuko Akagi a real headache. Even Shinji Ikari himself said that the biggest contributor to successfully resolving the problem this time was actually Rei Ayanami wielding an electromagnetic railgun, as well as the automated firepower on the outskirts of Tokyo-3 that was destroyed in large numbers.

To put it bluntly, his attack was only successful after the opponent's attention had been completely diverted. Otherwise, if he had tried to take that thing head-on, he would have been a roasted crayfish in no time.

However, in the minds of those technicians, Shinji Ikari's fighting ability had become a fixed mindset. Moreover, aside from Makoto Hyuga, who was ecstatic to the point of delirium, most of the other technical staff were also very excited by Shinji Ikari's "True Solar Blaze Bullet". In their view, this was a sign that Shinji Ikari had solved the problem of long-range combat.

They had previously been playing soccer with Shinji Ikari, an outstanding player who had participated in the national tournament at the junior high school level in Japan. So they decided to play a game of soccer to roughly determine that Shinji Ikari had a certain shooting accuracy within about 50 meters of the halfway line, and could guarantee a high degree of aiming accuracy at a distance of 70 meters.

Combined with their calculations of the power of the "True Solar Blaze" explosion, and the enlarged size of Unit-01 and the "True Solar Blaze," they believed that Shinji Ikari had absolute destructive power within a range of about 5 kilometers. What more could you ask for!

Of course, it was this very shot that directly killed the Raikou, which was actually a spirit ball formed from holy light energy. This shocked many people, so TERRA stopped asking NERV about the electromagnetic railgun. The European branch also obediently sent their Unit-02. Everyone was trying to get the data from Shinji Ikari when he piloted it from NERV headquarters.

Even the information revealed by NERV has already shocked the other NERV branches and left SEELE somewhat at a loss, unsure how to deal with Shinji Ikari, who has clearly exceeded their plans.

"Miri, aren't you guys being a little too lax? There's absolutely no defense in the entire base." Asuka sat down on a chair, dissatisfied. She and Misato Katsuragi had a fairly good relationship, so her tone was much gentler.

“Because everyone who can move is busy right now, the base is currently operating at a minimum. Most people are trying to rebuild and repair the equipment systems that were destroyed by the Seventh Angel. Shinji and Rei are on vacation these two days, since they can’t really help much.” Misato Katsuragi picked up her coffee cup and gave Ryoji Kaji a deadpan look.

Kaji Ryoji chuckled, slapped his thigh, stood up, and turned to leave. He had plenty of things to do, not to mention he also had to help Misato with some of her problems. The task of calming down the anxious little girl was left to Katsuragi Misato and Akagi Ritsuko.

"But what if the Angels attack!? At the very least, we need to ensure that there is at least one EVA pilot on standby at the base." Asuka, dressed in a classic pale yellow dress, stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes full of dissatisfaction.

"Shinji and the others... well, it seems only Shinji occasionally wanders off. Rei generally doesn't leave Tokyo-3. If an Angel really invades, we can bring them back anytime." Misato Katsuragi's lips curled up. This little girl is still a bit too mischievous, but her obviously defiant look is quite amusing. I'll let her go and cause trouble for Shinji in a bit.

"Huh? Running around like this again? This guy really has no sense of responsibility at all!" Asuka's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief. What was she compared to him, who had been locked up in the base for training?

“No, Shinji’s responsibilities are much heavier than you imagine. You should have seen his information. He is also an exorcist and has solved several major incidents in a row. In fact, the aftershocks have been echoing all over the world recently.” Ritsuko Akagi glanced at Asuka and explained on Shinji’s behalf.

"Yes, I know about that. The Mountain God Festival and the Evil Soul Group have really broadened the horizons of the whole world." Asuka's expression turned serious. "When I got off the plane, I heard gunshots and people shouting in the city. What was that... Metropolitan Police Department Special Affairs Division?"

"Yakushiji Inspector's department, huh?" Misato Katsuragi smiled amusedly. The latest news was that, thanks to Ryoko Yakushiji's antics, it seemed that the Rikuzō group of simpletons had been caught red-handed, and the power struggle between the two sides' superiors had become quite intense lately.

"Alright, now that I'm here, I'll handle it! After all, my Unit-02 was truly created to slay the Angels!" Asuka patted her chest and said proudly.

"Hey..." Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi exchanged a glance. "Then we'll have to rely on you~"

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

Chapter 185 Daily Campus Life

"How interesting. So Japanese students find amusement in scolding their teachers?" Kanzaki Reimi was pointing out Onizuka Eikichi's mistakes in class today. Before Onizuka Eikichi went berserk, Asuka, the newest transfer student, tilted her head and said sarcastically.

"This isn't scolding the teacher, it's scolding the good-for-nothing boyfriend. It's their business, what's it to you? Can't you just enjoy watching a comedy show?" She was listening to a foreign language radio drama with headphones on, scrolling through her test paper in front of her, and then casually undermining the two of them.

The whole class burst into laughter. Kanzaki Reimi wasn't shy at all; she immediately gave Shinji Ikari an upside-down thumbs-up gesture, followed by a throat-slitting gesture. On the other hand, Onizuka Eikichi frantically shook his head, insisting that he didn't, that it wasn't him, and that he knew nothing.

Asuka looked shocked. Teacher and student? Then she looked at Onizuka Eikichi on the stage with the eyes of someone looking at trash, and then turned around and stabbed Shinji Ikari with a sharp eye dart.

Unlike the original story where Asuka moved directly into Misato Katsuragi's house and practically lived with Shinji Ikari, NERV assigned Asuka a place to live. Instead of living in the base, she stayed in an apartment near St. Lin Academy. The intelligence department was responsible for cleaning the apartment, and Asuka was generally quite satisfied. So, after NERV finished the move yesterday, it was already quite late.

As it was Asuka's first day of class, she witnessed firsthand the unique characteristics of Class 4, Grade 3 at Seirin Academy. Kanzaki Reimi actually refuted Onizuka Eikichi word by word, and then the following scene unfolded.

"Here you go!" Onizuka Eikichi's class was the last one of the morning. After the class ended, it would be lunch break. Shinji Ikari, as usual, shared his lunchbox with his "little sister" Rei Ayanami, and then walked over to Asuka, who was surrounded by several female classmates. The lunchbox in his hand made his intention clear.

"Shinji is so handsome!" Several girls nearby immediately exclaimed with envy. Firstly, Shinji Ikari was definitely a superstar student at St. Lin Academy. When he led Nakiri Private Middle School to the National Tournament, the entire St. Lin Academy booed, believing that Nakiri Private Middle School had stolen their player.

On the other hand, Shinji Ikari's culinary skills were well-known at St. Lin Academy. Occasionally, he would bring some leftover cookies to school and distribute them in his classes. Most of them would be snatched away by Eikichi Onizuka for various reasons, and then reclaimed by Reimi Kanzaki in various ways.

"Don't think you can bribe me like this!" Asuka had indeed miscalculated today. She hadn't expected that schools in Japan didn't have cafeterias or anything like that. Most people either brought their own lunch or just went to the convenience store downstairs to buy something to eat.

Asuka had just planned to go check it out, but from her conversation with her female classmates, she learned that the convenience store only had some simple bread, biscuits, and ordinary drinks. Asuka resigned herself to her fate and bought some bread and milk to tide her over until she could have something better to eat later. However, having a proper meal would definitely be much better than pitifully munching on cold bread and milk.

“No.” Shinji Ikari smiled. “Although it’s just a simple cold meal, consider it my thanks for keeping watch on you yesterday.” Of course, he already knew all this. Yesterday, Ritsuko Akagi called, urging Shinji to quickly bring her important test subject—no… experimental partner—to NERV, otherwise they wouldn’t have enough test subjects. She casually mentioned to Shinji what Asuka had complained about in their office yesterday, which was also a reminder to Shinji that Misato Katsuragi was planning to mess with him again.

"Then I'll thank you for your hospitality." Asuka took the bento box from Shinji Ikari, her expression softening slightly. She opened it and glanced at it, somewhat surprised. The main dish was a hearty crab meat lion's head meatball buried in rice, with a side of shredded pork with garlic sauce and a side of stir-fried green peppers and eggs, and two cherry tomatoes that seemed to be considered fruit? "Is this Chinese food? I thought your bento box would be more Japanese."

"Since there were quite a few people preparing this morning, we only need to make one lunch, and then everyone can share it." Shinji Ikari opened his lunchbox and showed it to Asuka, revealing the exact same food. "I'll come get your lunchbox in a bit."

"Okay." Asuka felt her stomach rumble instantly from the aroma of the food. Actually, Shinji Ikari wasn't entirely right. Although Ryoko Sakaki had already gone back yesterday, he still managed to quickly prepare six lunch boxes that morning with the help of Rei Ayanami and Nagisa.

As for why it was for six people, besides Shinji Ikari and his group, there was also Mei Isayama, who lived across the street and was a regular freeloader. In addition, Mei Isayama had been busy killing various monsters awakened by the blood of the Angels near Tokyo-3 recently, so she was too busy to prepare her own bento (actually, she was just lazy). So she paid for the food and let Shinji Ikari cook for her and her newly recruited staff.

By the way, the new shop assistant that Mei Isayama hired can not only run the shop with her, but also take down those monsters while wandering around the city. However, this woman doesn't seem particularly interested in teaming up with Shinji Ikari and Yuu Aso for a hunt; she seems to be a pretty homebody (or so I thought).

"Oh! Can we share it together? I've wanted to try Shinji Ikari's bento for a long time." A girl said with some drooling. Several boys had tried Shinji Ikari's bento and said that it tasted much better than the so-called Chinese food on the street.

Shinji Ikari grabbed his lunchbox and slipped away. A few of his close friends, like Kunio Murai, ate and chatted on the rooftop. They often managed to sneak a bite from the extra lunchbox Shinji made. As for Rei Ayanami, with Reimi Kanzaki, that wicked dragon, nearby, who would be foolish enough to go near her?

"I really didn't expect that." Asuka took a bite of the crab meat lion's head and was surprised by its fresh and fragrant taste! Although Asuka did agree to share the bento without knowing the reason, the girls all restrained themselves from touching the lion's head and instead picked up some shredded pork with fish flavor.

"His girlfriend is said to have been specially selected by Totsuki Academy and will be a student there next year. And Shinji is said to have gone straight to Totsuki Academy if it weren't for NERV's recruitment. There are so few outstanding boys like him in the class," a girl next to her said enviously.

"..." Asuka remained silent. Although she had complained a lot about Shinji Ikari yesterday, Shinji Ikari's reputation was legendary, even back in NERV's European branch. Even if Asuka was not convinced, she had to admit one thing: Shinji Ikari's excellence.

"His excellence is probably one in a million." Asuka shook her head as she watched Shinji Ikari mingling with a group of obviously silly middle school students. She couldn't understand Shinji's choice. Although playing with peers was understandable, he should have moved beyond such low-level interests. "He just looks like a little kid."

"You can't say that~" Kanzaki Reimi suddenly appeared, "I heard you're a graduate of a German university." Kanzaki Reimi suddenly leaned close to Asuka, "I'm curious, do you also work at NERV? Or are you just like Reimi and the others?"

“Indeed, I’m a pilot just like them, but since I arrived, NERV headquarters’ combat capabilities have been greatly enhanced.” Asuka glanced sideways at the girl who had moved closer to her, chopsticks in one hand, and tilted her head to look at Kanzaki Reimi. “And, are you trying to warn me not to offend your best friend?” Asuka pointed her chopsticks at Rei Ayanami behind her, her eyes filled with amusement. “A mother hen?”

"!" Kanzaki Reimi's eyes narrowed slightly. It had been a long time since she had met such an interesting person. "Yes, that's right. Aren't you envious of Reimi for having a good friend like me?" Kanzaki Reimi herself was a very proud person, so she naturally knew very well what kind of reaction would occur when the other person was also proud. Kanzaki Reimi was very familiar with this. Pride was their original sin, and naturally, they could not tolerate any good friends around them.

The reason why Kanzaki Reimi and Ayanami became friends was entirely because Kanzaki Reimi was dissatisfied with Shinji Ikari and wanted to make trouble for Shinji by causing him trouble. However, she did not expect that her actions would be completely ignored by Ayanami. Then, what started as a battle of wits between Kanzaki Reimi and Shinji gradually turned into a better relationship between the two.

"Hmph! Boring!" Asuka sneered. "If that's all you wanted to say, then think whatever you want." Asuka found it boring and then lowered her head to eat.

"Do you want to know why everyone is speaking up for Shinji Ikari?" Kanzaki Reimi wasn't annoyed by her being ignored, because she suddenly remembered Shinji Ikari's way of making her furious for no reason.

"..." Asuka, who was about to turn back to eat, looked at Kanzaki Reimi.

"Use your own eyes to see." Kanzaki Remi turned and went back.

“This woman…” Asuka’s lips twitched. She admitted that she was somewhat envious of Shinji Ikari. No matter how hard she tried, others always shook their heads when they looked at her stats, which hurt her a lot.

"Don't be angry. Kanzaki Reimi has always been like this, and now she's even getting along quite well with Shinji Ikari because of Rei Ayanami," a girl next to her whispered, trying to comfort her.

"Is that so? But that's none of my business!" Asuka shoveled rice into her mouth. "What they do is their business! But Shinji Ikari is indeed a pretty good cook..."

Chapter 186 Social Interactions

Unbeknownst to Asuka, Shinji Ikari was currently leaning against a pole on the rooftop, making a phone call. He made several calls every day around noon.

"So Yusuke woke up?" Asou Yuu sounded somewhat tired, but this matter had nothing to do with Kurosawa Rei, and most likely nothing to do with Kurosawa Sae. His current fatigue was more mental than physical, but the mental fatigue was also heavy; anyone who had worked overtime for more than ten days in a row would look like this, completely exhausted.

This matter is quite easy to explain and understand. In the Minakami Village incident, it wasn't Shinji Ikari who actually showed his prowess. His brawl with Sae Kurosawa might have seemed alright to the real big shots, but for most people, they were amazed by Yuu Aso.

Asou Yuu's complete set of "automated exorcism equipment" can be said to be shining brightly in Minakami Village! It is a set of two devices consisting of an exorcism camera that is already very useful in the underworld, combined with image recognition, dynamic shooting equipment, and spiritual energy storage facilities using modern digital technology.

They even created two different models for him: one was a fixed turret, and the other was a powerful shooting device that could inflict massive damage on spirits in a short time.

The former can effectively monitor certain places. Because there is no life, most evil spirits will completely ignore such devices. Then, the moment they are activated, the evil spirits will realize that the times are progressing.

As for the latter, it's already confirmed that while Kurosawa Sae is not actually S-rank, when she unleashes her Great Compensation technique with the Hollow's power, she can unleash S-rank power. And this "3000 Life-Taking Strike"—oops… "Wide-Area Annihilation Soul Strike System"—not only forcefully pushed back the opponent's power but also severely injured them. In essence, this is a replicable S-rank power, although it's limited to spirits… and it's probably a relatively low-level S-rank, but it's still quite remarkable.

After all, for humans, monsters with physical forms are not particularly troublesome in a general sense. Once, a large sea monster tried to cause trouble, but it was dealt with instantly by Dongfeng, Minbing, and Baiyang, leaving not even ashes. Therefore, in the eyes of many high-ranking humans, powerful monsters are just a matter of strength as long as they are prepared and have time. However, spirits are not so easy to deal with.

Now, Asou Yuu has solved this problem, or at least come up with a fairly reliable solution. After all, most evil spirits don't need that ridiculously expensive "wide-area annihilation soul strike system"—the damage is too high and completely overkill. The automatic shooting platform is enough to handle most problems. Just place these cameras in the areas where the evil spirits are causing trouble during the day! The next day, check the film to see if the problem is solved. If not, it's just a matter of replacing the film and batteries.

In a sense, this is a revolutionary product for exorcism, which can greatly reduce the mortality rate of exorcists. Sometimes, even very experienced exorcists will occasionally stumble on some low-level paranormal events, after all, the highlight of paranormal events is their eeriness.

So during this period, in order to meet the requirements of the Yin-Yang Bureau and various parties, Asou Yuu has been busy hand-making these devices. Yes, because many parts were handcrafted by Asou Yuu himself, there was no such thing as mass production.

"Yeah, I told you back then, Yusuke wouldn't be the kind of person who dies in such a boring way." Back then, Shinji Ikari and Yuu Aso, who were struggling to make ends meet, met Yusuke Urameshi before Mei Isayama. When the two of them had just started working together on exorcism, they encountered this guy who was supposed to be a delinquent, but who actually had a bit of enthusiasm in his heart.

Yusuke Urameshi had some spiritual power from the beginning. Theoretically, Shinji Ikari and Yuu Aso weren't much stronger than him at the time. Of course, Shinji Ikari was the main one who felt that Yusuke Urameshi was particularly straightforward and easy to get along with. Moreover, as a hot-blooded young man, Yusuke Urameshi wasn't really afraid of ghosts or monsters, so he was very interested in exorcising spirits together.

However, before they could discuss the matter in detail, news of Yusuke Urameshi's death suddenly arrived. Yuu Aso was stunned, while Shinji Ikari felt it was alright, at least they had already established a connection with a cheat-like character before he came online. Sure enough, now that Yusuke Urameshi had returned, he immediately approached the two of them, stating that he was no longer the same as before and was ready to do something big with them.

"Can I get the money I was given back?" Asou Yuu was speechless. She could only say that there were indeed many strange and wonderful things in this world. "To be resurrected from the dead, that's something so many people envy." Since ancient times, death has been an insurmountable problem. Why is it that just mentioning immortality makes "Exorcist Queen" Yakushiji Ryoko and Shinji Ikari feel so troubled? It's because there is a great terror between life and death.

“Isayama Mei’s egg needs surgery tomorrow, so I probably won’t be able to get away. Why don’t you go and talk to him first?” Shinji Ikari suggested. “Seeing an old friend is a good way to relax. You do need some rest, don’t you?”

“Good idea. I do need a break. I might have to come see you soon. By the way, could you arrange for Kurosawa Rei’s office to be temporarily relocated? He thinks the current one is a little inappropriate.” Aso Yuu said casually.

“…Oh, that’s easy?” Shinji Ikari agreed almost immediately. Asou Yuu’s reason for saying that was basically that she estimated her investigation had aroused the other party’s suspicion. Although Asou Yuu herself was not too worried, Kurosawa Rei was powerless, and if the other party really had their eye on her, it would be a very troublesome matter.

As for how to arrange it, Shinji Ikari felt that it was still manageable. Although there were a few relatively safe places in Tokyo-3, there obviously wouldn't be much business there, which was a bit of a pity for Rei Kurosawa.

However, they are no longer fighting alone like they used to. Now they have many people to contact, and they can even be directly placed opposite them, such as the Spellcaster Association and Yakushiji Ryoko's newly established Special Affairs Division. Especially the latter, Yakushiji Ryoko will definitely be looking forward to the other party coming to cause trouble, it's practically a reason to come to their door to cause trouble.

"Is it urgent?" Shinji Ikari asked.

"If possible, as soon as possible; summer is her peak business season." Aso Yuu's answer wasn't so good, and Ikari Shinji narrowed his eyes.

"Understood, I'll do it as soon as possible." After hanging up the phone, Shinji Ikari's eyes were somewhat murderous. If the Evil Souls were just greedy for money, then the Immortal Society, based on the information Shinji Ikari had just seen, was somewhat incomprehensible to him. The leader of the other side did not seem to have much desire, and it seemed that he really wanted to crack the secret of immortality.

Shinji Ikari narrowed his eyes. It was funny to think about it. When his grandparents had just passed away, he had met some Eternal Life Cult missionaries who came to offer their condolences. It was funny too. They talked to him about all sorts of random things about life and death, talking in a very mystical way. He asked them, "Do you need to pay? I don't have any money." They turned around and left. It was hilarious.

"Buzz...buzz..." Just as Shinji Ikari was reminiscing, his phone rang again. He glanced at the caller ID and answered, "Sonoko?"

"Yo~ Shinji! How have you been lately?" Sonoko's voice was still full of energy.

"Not bad. Why are you planning to sneak out and have some fun again?" Shinji Ikari shook his head. He wanted to try this boring and tedious life, but it seemed that he was not short of money. However, all sorts of things called "responsibility" had begun to come knocking on his door.

"Haha...it's nothing much, just that my company is planning a huge carnival in New Tokyo, and I'd like to invite Ryoko and Rei-nee to come and have some fun~" Sonoko Suzuki said with a smile. "Oh, right, weren't you asking Conan to come over? We can drop Conan off at NERV and then go have some fun~"

"That's a brilliant idea!" Shinji Ikari immediately laughed. Conan wouldn't be around when they went out to play? The safety level would skyrocket.

"Then it's settled~ My grandpa is really something, saying we can't go out to play without security! What happened last time had nothing to do with us, right!" Sonoko Suzuki complained loudly. But the content of her complaint made Shinji Ikari suddenly begin to suspect something: Could it be that the Suzuki family patriarch decided to organize this carnival to appease Sonoko, who was getting restless at home...?

“That’s right! But Sonoko, shouldn’t you have their phone numbers? Why are you asking me to relay them?” Shinji Ikari asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Because I need to confirm that you’re going first! I can only go if you go. You’ll definitely go, right?” Sonoko Suzuki’s voice was full of slyness.

"This is something you really can't do as a bad person." Shinji Ikari shook his head. Could he say no? He'd get kicked to death by a bunch of girls! Shinji Ikari pursed his lips.

Then Shinji Ikari heard Sonoko Suzuki loudly proclaim, "Grandpa! You heard that, Shinji is going! So I can go, right?" Then his grandfather gave his approval with a helpless yet indulgent expression.

"Oh, by the way, there's something I need you to ask. Does your hotel have any storefronts available for rent? Sister Lian seems to be looking to move her studio recently. Remember to ask for a quote."

"What need is there for a quote? Ms. Kurosawa Rei will be our collaborative photography studio starting tomorrow. The New Tokyo Hotel will prepare a separate house for her as her studio! Please don't worry about security."

"...Thank you!"

"Hahaha... Shinji, you're too kind. How about arranging a fancy meal for me at the nearest Totsuki Hotel sometime?"

"I'll make the call now, but you can't eat too much, you know that."

"Don't worry! I understand!"

Chapter 187 The Ritual of Mei Isayama