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

Well, now we also have to add the pilot of NERV's super robot. Holy crap, what a chuunibyou setting! Add to that the widely circulated photo of Shinji Ikari being surrounded by cheerleaders and kissing, it's simply fulfilling every young man's fantasy!

Then, to her utter despair, Haruka Shito discovered that Ayato Kamina didn't seem to have any aversion to Shinji Ikari, nor did she think he might have ulterior motives. What could such a "hero" possibly want from me? She couldn't very well say he was attracted to men, after all, Ayato Kamina had met Ryoko Sakaki.

"What did you do? Cook?" Shinji Ikari turned to look at Ayato Kamina. According to the inspection just now, after completing this trip, Ayato Kamina had indeed received a lot of training. This unique training method shocked TERRA. It seemed reasonable, but wasn't it a bit too simple? However, because Shinji Ikari had set a precedent, they had no room for rebuttal. After all, the Babem Group had specifically requested Shinji Ikari to plan it.

“No, there are so many things: studying, physical exercise, and being an exorcist.” Ayato Kamina looked at Shinji Ikari. “I heard from Captain Haruka Shito that although there is no evidence, the ‘Eternal Emperor’ who has been making a lot of noise lately is also suspected to be you.”

“It really is me.” Shinji Ikari spread his hands after the opening thunderbolt. “On the one hand, compared to the official identity of an exorcist, this somewhat illusory identity can encourage more people. Don’t think I’m bragging, it’s really true. This world does need some people to become heroes.”

"And on the other hand?" Ayato Kamina crossed his arms, rested his chin on his hand, and nodded slightly. Shinji Ikari's words made a lot of sense; it was indeed true. After leaving Tokyo Jupiter, he realized that the world inside Tokyo Jupiter... was heaven! Just kidding. Without all this trouble, Tokyo was truly a place where people lived ordinary, peaceful lives. There was no need to worry about encountering ghosts while walking at night, or being kidnapped and eaten by demons...

"On the other hand, the production team provided the funding," Shinji Ikari said matter-of-factly. Director Tasaki's budget was much more generous than NERV's. Although Shinji Ikari wasn't short of money, who would turn down money?

"Huh?" Ayato Kamina felt his worldview being shaken.

Chapter 227 The Rules of Bathing

"No, no, no... I can move myself, ah... no, no, no, I can do it myself! Ah..." Ayato's screams were clearly in pain, but he didn't seem to object much, just telling them to let go. Although they were just passing by, the screams coming from the bathroom still piqued the interest of Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi.

"Hey! You guys! Don't bully people in there!" Katsuragi Misato shouted. "There are only ten minutes left, it's time to change people!" Katsuragi Misato stood outside the door, tilting her head and looking around, looking like she really wanted to go in and see. Not to mention her, even Akagi Ritsuko, who was much more composed than others, was very curious about what was going on inside.

Since the Yakujuhodo is not a proper hot spring inn, there are no super luxurious large hot spring baths. There are only two large square baths. However, perhaps considering that there will be a lot of people coming here, there is also a shower area. But the place is not very big. So if two people lift the curtain, they can almost admire the muscular bodies of a group of NERV male colleagues.

"We're helping Ayato Kamina stretch," a burly man from the engineering department replied. They didn't have as many rules as Shinji Ikari. After finishing their big meal, many of them smoked a cigarette and then headed to the well-known hot spring bathhouse of the Yakujuhodo. Everyone took a quick shower and then soaked in the bath. After all, compared to the women, there were quite a few men in the support team.

So after strolling around with Shinji and the others, even though it was just a few laps, they rushed to the bathroom to shower. But when they opened the door, the tub was already full of burly men. However, since they were the main characters of the day, and it was entirely thanks to them that they were able to come here for a stroll, the burly men from the engineering department were very considerate. After Shinji and the others finished showering, they all stood up and made room for Shinji and the others in the tub.

Everything here brought Ayato Kamina joy and relaxation. Isn't this the kind of enjoyment you should have at a mountain hot spring inn? A sumptuous meal, followed by soaking your body and mind in the warm hot spring water to relieve the day's fatigue. And then… and then the good times came to an end.

After Shinji Ikari left the pool early and exchanged a few words with several burly men from the engineering department, the men grinned and walked up to Ayato Kamina. Before Ayato could react, he was already surrounded by a group of men. Looking at the well-defined biceps and the white teeth revealed in their grins, Ayato blinked, completely bewildered. He was grabbed by the hands and feet and pulled out of the pool by the men, who then began to forcefully stretch his limbs and abdominal muscles. This was the state that Misato Katsuragi had heard about.

"Our engineering department at NERV is still very enthusiastic." Ritsuko Akagi covered her face, sighed, and tried to save face.

"I give up... Ouch! I give up!" Ayato Kamina started pounding the floor and shouting loudly. Although she could clearly feel that the soreness in her body was getting better as the group of strong men pulled and stretched her in various positions, the soreness in the process was still very subtle for her. To put it simply... it really hurt, but it also really felt good.

"Yay!"

"Huh! Ha!"

Whether it was from hearing Ayato Kamina's screams or not, a group of burly men from the engineering department glanced at Shinji Ikari and then let Ayato go. They then struck a series of muscular poses. Since they often handled heavy equipment, most of them were indeed very muscular. The atmosphere in the men's bathroom instantly became... unbearable to look at.

"Is NERV really that scary?" After moving his limbs, he found that his body had indeed improved from the previous situation where even the slightest movement would cause him great soreness. No, although there was a playful element to these big men's actions, they had indeed helped him stretch the muscles and tendons that had been tense from walking on mountain roads all day.

"How can you say the big guy is scary? You seemed to be enjoying yourself just now." Shinji Ikari tossed a bottle of chilled milk to the person in front of him. Although he didn't quite understand why many people in anime liked to drink a bottle after taking a bath, without worrying about getting diarrhea, Shinji Ikari himself felt that after soaking his whole body and getting warm, drinking a bottle of chilled milk was indeed a bit intoxicating, so he naturally followed suit.

"When did I ever feel good!" Ayato Kamina tried to argue. The intense soreness he felt earlier was indeed very satisfying, like a skilled masseur giving him a thorough massage, relieving most of the day's fatigue. But as for enjoyment? Forget it, his orientation is perfectly normal!

"Hey! Time's up! Stop lingering in there, come out now! It's just the two of you left!" The little demon knocked on the door and started shouting. A group of women had already begun to gather in front of the door. While the Yakujuhodo (Entertainment Hall) wasn't a typical hot spring inn, its hot spring had a feature that drove women crazy: whitening and exfoliation! For women, it was an irresistible attraction!

"Alright, shift change!" Shinji Ikari, wearing a yukata, walked out with his sleeves rolled up and a speechless expression. Ayato Kamina also changed into her yukata and came out. "Please, ladies."

"Stop dragging your feet!" Mei Isayama glared at Shinji Ikari, then swaggered in with a large group of people.

"So why do women last so long?" Scratching his head, Ayato Kamina returned to their residence with Shinji Ikari and asked his question. After all, it was hard not to have some thoughts about why women lasted half as long as men.

"From what I know, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the men here generally don't have any other tasks after bathing, while the women bathe and change clothes before going to the main hall to pray," Shinji Ikari said casually.

"Is this your own wild guess, or did someone tell you?" the little devil said slowly from behind. "This is such an ancient saying that even my granddaughter doesn't know about it anymore. This time rule hasn't been mentioned for a long time."

“Heh…” Shinji Ikari chuckled. How did he know? Although he had indeed visited this shrine when he was Kanda Junichiro, the shrine that was supposedly related to Ennozuno was different back then, and the Ennozuno in front of him wasn't there. However, the priest at the time had told Shinji about this, and when Ayato Kamina asked the question just now, he casually mentioned the answer.

"I just overheard someone mention it." Shinji Ikari didn't intend to reveal the reason, after all, his experience was very special and he couldn't share it with others. He didn't want to be caught up in the fragile nerves of the Countermeasures Bureau.

"Is that so?" The little devil shook his head. They were quite different from other god communities. Someone who could accurately say something like this was no ordinary person. The little devil glanced at Shinji Ikari. "Get some rest. I don't know why I felt a little uneasy today."

"That's right, I'm going to sleep now, so I'll be in good spirits no matter what happens later." Shinji Ikari smiled and left.

"It's right here! The secret treasure left behind by En no Kaku! It can help you win in the Dark Tournament, which is supposed to be easy! This is what we need..." One tall and one short, two wild mages stood in front of the sealing point deep inside the En no Kaku Hall. They looked at the object in front of them with great interest and excitement.

"If you really had a master, he should have warned you never to believe in anything with a wish-granting mechanism." Shinji Ikari leaned against the door, coldly looking at the two people in front of him. In the original story, it was these two wild monks who, after breaking the barrier, directly awakened the former demon due to their excessively strong greedy willpower, and that was what they had just fought.

"Who are you!" Hearing the voice behind them, the two wild mages immediately tensed up. After all, they were currently committing burglary, and now they'd been caught red-handed. And after seeing who it was, their expressions worsened. "Shinji Ikari of the Onmyōryō?? We advise you not to meddle. We're just taking what we need and leaving!"

"Leave?" Shinji Ikari sneered. He really was a fool who could get away on his own. Shinji Ikari chuckled to himself. He didn't even know how to comment on such a ridiculous idea.

"Hmph, as long as we get the little horn treasure right in front of us, we'll leave immediately. Of course, if you're willing, it's not impossible for us to share some with you!" The short wild mage looked at Shinji Ikari, seemingly hoping to see some hesitation on Shinji's face. After all, a person's reputation is like a tree's shadow, and Shinji Ikari himself is a well-known rising star in recent times, completely different from these unknown wild mages.

"This is really interesting. Didn't you hear a word I said?" Shinji Ikari sighed. They looked like a pair of foolish thieves who had been blinded by greed. If this so-called treasure was really a wish-granting machine without any cost, would it even be their turn? Don't be ridiculous. Every wish-granting machine comes with a price!

"You won't be able to stop us!" The shorter man hid slightly behind the taller man, then suddenly sprang up, his vajra pestle stabbing directly at the barrier rope outside the "treasure"!

"Sigh, good advice is useless against a damned devil." Shinji Ikari shrugged and shook his arm. He hadn't broken a sweat during the day, so this mountain path was nothing to him. He still had plenty of energy, but these two good-for-nothings would become stronger after being transformed into demons. Since verbal persuasion was ineffective, it was time to resort to "physical" persuasion.

Chapter 228 Ghosts and Gods Before Ghosts! They have arrived!

"Thump!" The tall wild mage was kicked off the roof and crashed heavily into a big tree in the courtyard. He fell to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.

With this noise, everyone in the entire Yiju Magic Hall was awakened! Even Yi Xiaoming, the granddaughter of Yi Xiaogui who had been busy all day and was already half asleep, sat up from her bed. Yi Xiaogui immediately jumped up, opened the window, and looked into the courtyard. After taking a look, she realized that they had been attacked.

"Get up quickly! Someone has sneaked into the sealed chamber!" The little demon hurriedly put on his robe and rushed into the sealed chamber. Inside, besides the great demon left behind by the great ancestor Enno-zuku, there was also something extremely dangerous!

"Grandma, who could be attacking us!" As Yi Xiaoming put on his loose shrine maiden outfit (I'll post a picture; it's basically a style that goes past the thighs, with a very short front hem, um, very short...), he rushed out with his grandmother, asking questions all the while.

"There are too many possibilities! Even today's guests... Hmph, they haven't moved for too long, people are almost forgetting the prestige of our Yi family." Grandma ran ahead frantically. The sealed chamber could not be lost at all. What was inside was far too deadly. The ancestors left behind more than just Lord Former Demon!

"Ha!" But when they rushed into the sealed chamber, they saw the wild mage inside attacking Shinji Ikari like a storm, his staff wielding like a tempestuous rain.

However, Shinji Ikari's movements were clearly very effortless, easily dodging the opponent's attacks, obviously waiting for something. But after catching a glimpse of the arrival of the two, Yakuza and Akira, Shinji easily dodged their attacks, but they used the momentum to rush straight towards the sealing chamber!

"The Fruit of Possession!" The imp's expression changed drastically as he looked at the broken seal; this was a huge problem...

"Hahaha... You're all dead! You're all dead! I will become the new Dark God of this world! Ahahaha!"

"I've never seen such a stupid thing. It's already doomed, but it still thinks it's struck gold." Not far away, Izayama Mei was polishing the claws of his other hand with his own claws, suppressing his restless demonic power. It's really not easy to not find something to do. "Hoo..." He blew away a bit of nail polish dust, then rolled his eyes, which had turned into vertical pupils, and stared at the Possession Fruit held in the wild mage's hand. "This is really a good show."

The NERV team skillfully produced some talismans that were clearly from the Onmyo-ryo (Bureau of Yin and Yang) from who-knows-where and affixed them, instantly creating a simple barrier. At the same time, under Ritsuko Akagi's command, they quickly deployed observation instruments, as if similar things had happened many times before... Something just felt off.

"Ah...ah!" Whether it was due to some kind of stimulation, the Possession Fruit, which opened its eyes instantly, immediately devoured the wild mage who had released it. Amidst the screams, the thin wild mage was transformed into a possessed beast, and his short stature suddenly swelled into a giant monster more than two meters tall.

"Yakuya." Shinji Ikari, who had somehow sneaked in, suddenly called out to Yakuza, who was standing there stunned, and then threw something at him.

"Huh?" En no Akira caught the thing Shinji Ikari threw at him with a blank look on his face. It was a magical artifact that looked like a bracelet.

"The Guardian Bracelet?" The little devil was taken aback, then looked up at Shinji Ikari, who had already jumped out. "Where...where did you find it!"

"This thing is sealed together with that fruit. Releasing the seal on the surface of the fruit will trigger its release." Shinji Ikari shrugged. He had originally thought it would be like in the story, but he was completely surprised to find this thing inside the sealed chamber. However, he didn't have much to say. Taking advantage of the moment when the unfortunate creature was being devoured by the Possession Fruit, he slipped in, grabbed it, and ran. "But shouldn't we get down to business now…?"

"...Xiao Ming! Mobilize your spiritual power and draw a pentagram! Then repeat after me! I will release the immovable bondage and summon the former demon! Then form the hand seals!" The little demon stared intently at Shinji Ikari. Izumo no Okuni wasn't joking; she had indeed called. However, the decision to release the former demon still made the little demon very hesitant. After all, the guardian bracelet that could control the former demon wasn't in their hands. It was really hard to say what the former demon would be like after being released from its long-sealed state. Therefore, the little demon didn't make a move.

"Shinji-kun is amazing!" Izumo no Okuni, who seemed to have jumped down from nowhere, landed next to Isayama Mei, flicked his long hair slightly, and his eyes were full of praise.

"When did Shinji become yours?" Mei Izayama glanced sideways at Okuni Izumo. This woman was a source of trouble. "You arranged this?" Knowing Shinji Ikari as he did, Mei Izayama knew he disliked taking risks. If things had gone according to his usual practice, those two wild mages would probably have been eliminated by Shinji in the very first moment.

Even so, it was weakened. Just like that tall wild mage who was tied up by the NERV engineering department, otherwise, if he had received the Possession Fruit from two sacrifices at the same time, his strength should have increased even more. It's just that the skinny wild mage became the sacrifice.

The tall, wild monk was now standing at Isayama Mei's feet, staring in terror at Isayama Mei's claws, trembling with fear.

By now, even if he was truly stupid, he understood that what Shinji Ikari had told them before was true. They weren't lucky ones chosen by fate at all; they were sacrifices tricked into being delivered. The evil entity sealed by En no Ozuno—how could it be a good thing? Don't be ridiculous. Neither the Possession Fruit nor the former demon were benevolent or good.

"Huh? Oh!" Yi Xiaoming was startled when she heard her grandmother's words. She realized that the guardian bracelet she had just caught was now on her arm. But this was not the time to worry about it. Following her grandmother's instructions, she mobilized her spiritual power, drew a five-pointed star, and quickly chanted the incantation: "I will release the immovable bondage, and summon back the former ghost!"

Her chanting clearly attracted the attention of the possessed beast that was confronting Shinji Ikari, or rather, confronting Shinji Ikari and the absent-minded Mei Isayama. "Former demons? You are descendants of En no Ozuno, I will devour you!"

"Why isn't there any reaction?" Looking at the possessed beast that roared and whose entire body was bursting with demonic power, Yi Xiaoming was a little panicked.

"Die..." The possessed beast raised its leg and charged forward.

"Ah!" Yi Xiaoming instantly crouched down to protect himself, and then in the next instant, the gem on the huge protective wrist emitted a golden light. A huge stone pillar near the main entrance of the Yiju Magic Hall suddenly shattered, and a crimson... little devil fell to the ground.

"Pfft..." Izayama Mei suddenly laughed, glancing at Izumo no Okuni beside him out of the corner of his eye. Is this all the fighting power that the Onmyōryō has to offer?

"Woman! What are you laughing at!" Former Oni shouted at Isayama Mei, pointing at him. "Hurry up and beg for mercy. I've finally escaped after a thousand years. I'm in a good mood now, so I might spare your life."

"You little brat? A former demon?" The possessing beast laughed loudly, clearly courting death. He was so excited. Yes, while they weren't exactly terrified to the point of losing sleep and appetite, they definitely considered the former demon a mortal enemy... and he'd actually become a little brat?! He couldn't afford to miss this opportunity! "A thousand years of hatred! You'd better die!"

"Idiot..." Izumo no Okuni and Ikari Shinji uttered the two words simultaneously.

"Hey! You piece of trash!" The former demon jumped up without hesitation, and was promptly punched away by the possessed beast, almost instantly dying.

"What are you still looking at?" The little ghost beside her was also at a loss. She only knew this part of the incantation, and she knew nothing about the rest of the incantation. At this time, she could only rely on this group of people who seemed to be in complete control. But just as she turned to ask for help, she heard the firm voice of the little ghost behind her.

"Unseal the seal with the blade of the secret incantation, break the oath of the curse!" A powerful spiritual energy erupted from En no Akira's body, causing her shrine maiden robes to billow wildly. "I command you to appear! You, Zenki!" En no Akira, who had formed a hand seal, simultaneously unleashed a burst of light from the protective bracelet on her wrist and the bead on the forehead of the blasted-away Zenki. The incantation that En no Akira had struck Zenki in ancient times now manifested itself.

As Yi Xiaoming's spiritual power surged in, the power binding the former demon was dispelled. Amidst the former demon's roar, a crimson light erupted, and the former demon, who had once swept away evil, returned to his rightful form.

"Thump!" The massive body crashed into the pillars in the courtyard. The beast's attack had been utterly relentless, but now, amidst the billowing dust, everyone was staring in that direction.

"At least an A-rank, looks like it needs some recovery." Isayama Mei frowned, she withdrew from her combat stance, it seemed that it wouldn't be her turn to make a move today.

"The strongest demons and gods a thousand years ago, the two shikigami of En no Ozunoka..." Izumo no Okuni looked at the figure who stepped on the pillar and slowly stood up from the dust, a smile on his lips.

"You really hit me hard!" Even the smoke and dust couldn't stop his overwhelming killing intent. "Ghosts and gods, appear here! You little punk, are you ready to die?"

"..." Terrifying memories from a thousand years ago began to flood back, and the possessed beast subconsciously took a step back.

"Just die!" The ghost lunged at him again!

Chapter 229 Touching

"Ora!" A fierce charge sent the possessed beast flying. The tall, imposing demon charged forward again with a ferocious expression, grabbed the possessed beast's arm with one hand, and kicked it hard. The immense force sent the possessed beast flying again, and at the same time, tore off one of its arms!

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a bloody fighting style." Misato Katsuragi walked out of the safe zone set up by the engineering department and stood next to Mei Isayama. Looking at the battle in front of her, she was not just a little amazed, but quite shocked. The monster, which was already on the verge of being a B-rank monster, was actually being played around with by this thing that was supposedly a demon god... But it seems that my Shinji could do that too.

"Pfft..." After taking another heavy punch, the possessed beast spat out a mouthful of blood. He was now filled with regret. He should have run away the moment he woke up! Instead of wasting time there, even when this former demon had just awakened, he should have run away! Why did he just stand there stupidly and wait?! And even launched an attack?! Now look what's happened! He probably can't leave now!

"Useless, useless. Useless!" The former demon viciously tore at his chest, leaving bloody gashes everywhere. "To thank you, you piece of trash, for forcing them to awaken me, I'll show you my Vajra Horn!" With the former demon's roar, a crimson horn suddenly extended from the tip of his elbow, slicing through the possessed beast before him.

"I...am not reconciled!" The dying possessed beast rapidly turned to ash and shattered, its broken body collapsing to the ground like a collapsing sand sculpture. And this final utterance—it was unclear whether it was the possessed beast's or the wild mage's last thought.

"Hmph!" The former demon picked up the Possession Fruit, which had exhausted all its strength, from the ground, threw it into its mouth, and chewed it vigorously.

"Snap! Oh! So this is how you destroy something!" Izumo no Okuni's eyes widened. This kind of Possession Fruit, which could create a demonic beast with a certain fighting power using negative emotions in a short time, had been abused more than once. After the Onmyo Bureau killed many rebellious demonic beasts, they would obtain this thing.

However, after testing, it can be said that this thing is of no benefit whatsoever. The dark power it can grant is extremely limited, making it a prime example of waste. But if this thing is not properly stored, it can easily attract people with negative emotions to actively touch it, just like these two useless wild mages, one tall and one short, who foolishly came to offer their heads as sacrifices after believing in the so-called Little Horn Treasure.

However, they couldn't ignore it. After all, ordinary people had little ability to resist these possessed beasts. Almost every time these things caused trouble, many people died. Even Conan had seen these things before. (Conan and the Possession Fruit exchanged a glance and silently closed their eyes.)

So it's something that needs to be sealed, but it has to be sealed very carefully. There still needs to be someone to patrol it. The person who patrols has to do a test first, and then do another test after the test. It's a hassle. And every time you're even a little bit careless, something will go wrong and make things difficult for you in no time.

The sight of the former demon chewing on this troublesome thing like candy made Izumo no Okuni's heart flutter with joy. Shinji was absolutely right to send her to witness this. Moreover, it seemed that the former demon really liked eating this stuff. Heh, the Onmyōryō's decades of accumulation is enough for him to eat for a while.

"Hmph! How come it was you, little girl, who summoned me? Is En no Kaku already dead?" The former demon looked at En no Kaku in front of him. "Hmph, fine, since you're the one holding this guardian bracelet now, then you're just unlucky! I'll take your dog's life in a moment! Then I'll be free!"

"Ah..." Mei Isayama yawned, looking a little impatient. The former demon in front of her was indeed an opponent who seemed capable of fighting her, but the main reason was... this guy's body looked very tough and durable. The strength she displayed was still somewhat weak, and there was still a considerable gap between him and the legendary powerful former demon.

"Woman! I've been extremely annoyed with you ever since this happened! After I kill her, you'll be next." Seeing Isayama Mei's nonchalant attitude, the former demon instantly recalled her disdainful look just now, and his anger flared up. He pointed at Isayama Mei and roared.

"Then hurry up! Go, mighty Lord Zenki, hurry up, I need to finish this so I can go back to sleep, otherwise I'll be hungry again." Izayama Mei rubbed her arms and pounded her back, acting like she was in a rush, which immediately annoyed the Zenki in front of her. However, Izayama Mei's actions weren't without reason. She understood perfectly well that since En no Kakuzu left a sealing technique for future generations, there was no doubt that the Zenki could only unleash his power in battle, and that his current power was likely still suppressed, so he could only exert this limited amount of power.

"Ah... I'm so angry! I want to kill you right now!" Although the former ghost shouted this, he pounced on Yi Xiaoming. Obviously, he also realized that this arrogant woman was not the only strong person among the people present.

"Ah!" Yi Xiaoming frantically put his hands in front of him, and then the guardian bracelet on his wrist flashed, and the huge demon turned back into the tiny guy, and even made up for the previous backside-falling goose pose.

"Huh? That damned old man, Ebisugi!" Maekiri roared angrily. Maekiri understood, he understood everything. The seal on his body had always been there. Just now, Ebisugi had only slightly opened the dam gate to release water. There was no possibility that he could escape.

"Alright, that's good news. Congratulations on waking up, Senki-senpai. It happened so suddenly, and this is all I have on hand." Shinji Ikari walked over, helped Senki up, greeted him with a smile, and took a cheap cream bread and a bottle of juice from Ritsuko Akagi as offerings, placing them in front of Senki.

"Hmph!" The former demon turned his head, looking quite arrogant, but still obediently accepted what Shinji Ikari had given him. "Human, you are very strong."

"It's alright, I guess. There must be more than one layer of seals on you, senpai," Shinji Ikari said with a smile. Ritsuko Akagi, standing beside him, smiled and took out a cup to pour some water into the little guy in front of her. She then took the opportunity to observe the little guy up close. The scene of the former demon changing size just now made Ritsuko Akagi feel that her eyes had been opened.

"Yes, that old bastard Ennosuke!" After eating the cream bread and juice, Maekiri leaned back and complained loudly.

"Is this... Shinji's everyday world?" Ayato Kamina stared wide-eyed at everything before him. This tiny thing was the demon that had easily torn that ferocious giant apart? But why did it seem like such a childish little devil, so easy to coax?

Since the matter was over, everyone from NERV who came today had come down. Only Rei Ayanami went home after confirming that everything was resolved, as she was quite tired today.

"Yes, although he's a nice guy, and a bit of an idiot, he's a fool who walks on thin ice because he has a heart that wants to save others! Although he claims he has no interest in being a hero, well... you know he's the Eternal Emperor." Asuka sighed, then concluded with a single sentence, "Baka Shinji!"

Asuka naturally knows far more than Ayato Kamina, who is only here as a temporary student and hasn't had much contact with Shinji Ikari. Through his own efforts, Shinji has made friends with various forces in Japan, including the Metropolitan Police Department. The power he occasionally mobilizes by making a phone call is already astonishing even with a fleeting glimpse.

"That's truly an unbelievable answer." Ayato Kamina wholeheartedly agreed with Asuka's statement. "Perhaps... that's the difference between him and me."

“Shinji told me something when we were chatting before: there are many truths that you simply won’t listen to when others tell you, but when you figure them out yourself… the price will be unacceptable.” Misato Katsuragi chimed in from the side, “You two haven’t experienced enough. Many times, not knowing is a kind of luck… Alright, you two should go to bed early.”

"I wonder if it will be a stroke of luck?" Ayato Kamina was somewhat incredulous, but then seemed to remember something, and his expression turned somber.

"But running away won't help you hold onto anything." Asuka turned and went upstairs, leaving behind these words, then casually stabbed Ayato Kamina in the heart. "And also, you can guess whether tomorrow morning's training will disappear?"

"Ah..." Hearing Asuka's words of criticism, Ayato Kamina felt all his exhaustion surge back in an instant, and he yawned as he went upstairs to sleep.

"These kids..." Misato Katsuragi sighed as she watched the two figures walk away. Ayato Kamina's responsibilities were no less than theirs. Tokyo Jupiter was right there, and the responsibility of the entire TERRA was enormous. Moreover, it was quite obvious that Babem, the backer of TERRA, had sent Ayato Kamina to NERV. Their patience still had some, but it was running out. This was a pressure on NERV, and also a huge pressure on Misato Katsuragi.

"Alright, Lord Zenki, please come with me. A room for you to rest has been prepared." The little demon walked up and spoke to the Zenki in front of her. She had a bad feeling. Shinji, who had just acted strangely, was chatting so well with the Zenki, while her granddaughter couldn't even get a word in edgewise.

"Hmm! I'll reluctantly accept your offerings! But remember this! I will take back my freedom sooner or later!" The demon followed En no Miki, swaying as he went.

"Tell me... when should I make my move?"