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

"It's hopeless, he's too cold, take him away!"

Chapter 289 The Promise with Kurosawa Aise

"This is... a promise we made a long time ago!" In a daze, Shinji Ikari seemed to hear a strange sound. Amid the sound of the rising tide, a woman's voice whispered in his ear.

This wasn't the first time Shinji Ikari had experienced something similar. In the past, it was all vague; he mostly felt the sensation of the tide floating around his body and vaguely heard some calls, but couldn't make out what they were. Unlike now, he could hear the woman's voice so clearly. For some reason, Shinji felt that the voice sounded very familiar.

"Huh?!" Perhaps due to his increased strength, Shinji Ikari opened his eyes directly in this dream and looked around at the surrounding environment. It seemed to be a beach with a very beautiful sunset, and he was lying in the water that seemed to be very shallow but also very deep.

Without any immobility or other discomfort, Shinji Ikari sat up smoothly. He immediately frowned. Without a doubt, he had been possessed by some kind of monster in his dream! He knew very well that at this time, he should be sound asleep in bed, not on the beach. Was he going to the beach alone to have fun, or was he not planning to get into Ryoko Sakaki's bed?

Shinji Ikari looked around suspiciously. The empty beach and the gently rippling black seawater seemed no different. Wait! Black!?

"Our appointed time!" The female voice appeared in Shinji Ikari's ears again, but what made him freeze and unable to move was that he felt a figure approaching from behind. A damp and chilling aura almost froze Shinji's bones! "They've arrived!" The gentle tone uttered the most deadly words.

"I'm doomed here!" Shinji Ikari's mind raced as he tried to find a way out of this predicament, but for the time being, he couldn't find any way to at least give him a little bit of room to fight back! Because what he felt was utter... rank suppression! His opponent was definitely a level above him, and being targeted at such close range, Shinji Ikari was completely unable to move.

Then he heard another, more familiar voice suddenly roar in his ear, "Get out!" Then the scene around him quickly changed. The tide that had been floating around him receded rapidly, and the environment changed to a place that Shinji Ikari was very familiar with. Then his mind relaxed instantly, and he sat down on the ground with a thud.

"Phew... Sis, you almost missed me!" Shinji Ikari had never felt so comforted by the cold floor of the Himuro mansion! Oh! Himuro Mimori, spinning around on the ceiling, was so adorable! He hugged his older sister's leg tightly!

"Hmph! I'll settle the score with you later!" Himuro Kirie glared at Shinji Ikari with annoyance, then turned to look at the opposite side. The Himuro mansion's land didn't occupy the entire area; about half of the space was still filled with undulating waves. There was no doubt that the opponent was powerful! They were completely capable of standing up to Himuro Kirie!

"You're his sister?" The situation before him was also very...unexpected! A fierce god who could rival him?! "He and I had a prior agreement! He's my lover!" the woman in black said calmly.

"Pah! My sister didn't agree! It doesn't count! My sister is the boss in the Himuro family! My brother has a girlfriend! Shameless woman who tries to steal someone else's boyfriend!" Himuro Mimori shouted from the side. The little girl may be naughty, but she is very smart about which side to take when it matters. She follows her sister and won't suffer any losses.

"Hmm?" The woman in black's eyes flickered slightly as she turned her gaze toward Himuro Mimori, who was making a ruckus over there.

"Hehehe!" She immediately flashed behind Himuro Kirie, peeked out from behind Himuro Kirie's shrine maiden skirt, and made a face at the woman in black.

"Hmph! Although Mimori was a bit rude, she wasn't wrong, was she, Shinji?" Himuro Kirie glanced at Shinji Ikari lying exhausted on the ground. Seeing Shinji's face turn pale rapidly, Himuro Kirie frowned and glared even more angrily at the woman in black opposite her.

"My sister makes the decisions! And I do have a girlfriend, are you mistaken?!" Shinji Ikari looked at the woman in front of him speechlessly. He had a rough guess, but he couldn't remember how someone else's big problem had fallen on him. The woman in front of him was most likely the one from Mount Hinoki, but whether in his past life or this life, Shinji Ikari didn't remember having any contact with her.

Hmm... besides taking beautiful photos of girls from various angles using a camera in games.

“Our combined power is too great; his willpower is no longer sufficient to sustain our existence. See you later; I believe you will remember!” The woman in black bowed slightly to Shinji Ikari, then turned and stepped into the sea, where the water receded as if the tide were going out.

"Come to the Himuro mansion yourself!" Himuro Kirie glared at Shinji Ikari with annoyance. He'd only been promoted to A-rank for a few days! Fine! You've even messed with the devil! Himuro Kirie felt a tightness in her chest. Why were her younger brother and sister such unreliable guys? She hadn't lived like a human for years, but what should she do if she suddenly felt like she had high blood pressure?

"Uh...oh!" Shinji Ikari nodded honestly. Could he dodge it? Impossible. Otherwise, next time the barrier rope extending from the Divine Mirror would just drag him away! And at most, he'd be hanging together with Himuro Mimori. "A few friends want to visit the Himuro mansion; we'll come together."

"...Whatever. That Tsukasa Eishi from last time is here too, so it's good that someone will cook for us." Himuro Kirie waved her hand, and a door that looked very much like the Gate of the Underworld sealed deep within the Himuro Mansion slammed shut. The shockwave sent Shinji Ikari tumbling over, and then Shinji Ikari bumped into Mother Earth with a crisp sound.

Yes, Shinji Ikari fell off the bed! He also knocked over several boxes in the corner that he had brought from his hometown as precious keepsakes, scattering their contents all over the floor.

Shinji Ikari, clutching his forehead and feeling his brain churning, was drenched in cold sweat. As a powerful martial artist, he hadn't felt anything like this in a long time. He even wondered if he was doomed. If it weren't for Himuro Kirie's sudden appearance, he would have been dragged back by Kurosawa Aise. He wondered if this counted as cheating…

Then, in the next instant, bathed in moonlight, Shinji Ikari suddenly saw something, and his back, which had just dried slightly, was instantly soaked with cold sweat again. It was an old photograph, showing a young girl in a Japanese wedding dress, smiling slightly, her head tilted slightly to the side, adding a touch of shyness to her already beautiful face.

Then Shinji Ikari's head buzzed as if it were about to explode, and a vague memory he had almost forgotten resurfaced from the depths of his heart...

In a certain month of a certain year, when my grandparents were still alive, they took me on a trip to a hot spring resort. The two elderly people had been frugal all their lives, so naturally they chose this hot spring resort, also because they had obtained a large discount coupon...

Needless to say, there's plenty of food, drink, and entertainment to be had here. The waiter told me that there's a shrine on the mountain, and the priestess is incredibly powerful. Because of Shinji's "illness" of always being absent-minded, his grandmother didn't care about anything else and insisted on going up the mountain to pray for protection. It's basically no different from an elderly person taking their child into a temple to pray for peace.

If they had simply gone in to offer a prayer, nothing ghostly would have happened. However, Shinji Ikari, still in a daze, naturally didn't know what was going on and just followed along the mountain in a daze, and then...

Then, Shinji vaguely remembered seeing a woman dressed in a pure white shrine maiden's outfit on the mountain. To be fair, Ayase Kurosawa's wedding dress form wasn't as distinctive as her corrupted state, but it was truly beautiful! At that time, Shinji seemed to have tripped and fallen for some reason, and Ayase Kurosawa helped him up. And then… well…

It's like hugging someone's leg and saying, "Sister, you're so beautiful. I want to marry you someday!"

Kurosawa Aise actually agreed! Although, given the circumstances at the time, it was mostly just to coax him since he was still a little kid, after all, the answer was always the standard "Okay, when you grow up, you can come and marry your older sister~".

As it turned out, Shinji Ikari, whose mind wasn't quite right at the time, wouldn't leave without making a pinky promise! This made his grandmother feel extremely embarrassed! How could someone hug someone like that and try to marry them? Fortunately, the shrine maiden from Mount Hikami wasn't angry and just joked around with Shinji Ikari with a smile.

However, the crucial thing happened next. Just before leaving, an old lady handed him the photo! Kurosawa Aise seemed to be taken aback at the time and wanted to stop her, but he happily hugged the photo and ran away. In the end, Kurosawa Aise could only wave goodbye with a blushing face.

The agreement is hereby made!

Damn it… what does it mean to be completely screwed over by your own actions? How crazy could I have been to provoke Kurosawa Ayase, a ruthless god who can interfere with reality on a large scale! It's really hard to say who's stronger between her and Himuro Kirie. This deadly agreement is truly going to kill me!

Tsk... Shinji Ikari sighed. He had just joked with Mei Isayama and Yuu Aso that he was going to Mount Hikami to have a heart-to-heart talk with the shrine maidens. He hadn't even left the house yet, and they had already come knocking on his door!

"Bang!" The door to Shinji Ikari's room was kicked open by Mei Isayama. Mei Isayama, dressed in simple pajamas, gripped her naginata and stared at Shinji Ikari with a ferocious look in her eyes. "What are you doing in the middle of the night! The aura here is keeping Yusa Emi and me awake! What happened!?" Yusa Emi, dressed in pajamas, was naturally standing behind her.

At the level of Mei Isayama and Emi Yusa, they are both people with extremely strong perception. So when Shinji Ikari was meeting Ayase Kurosawa in his dream, the aura leaked from Ayase Kurosawa's magic woke them up. Although there were a lot of scenes in Shinji Ikari's dream, it actually only took a moment. After Mei Isayama put on his pajamas, he and Emi Yusa rushed out of the room and ran over.

"A big shot from Mount Hikami has come to see me..." Shinji Ikari picked up the photo and placed it on the table, gesturing for the two not to approach.

"Hijamiyama? Those shrine maidens?! Tsk, what's going on this time?" Isayama Mei leaned his naginata against the wall, dragged a chair over from the table, and tried to explain what had happened.

"If you promise me you won't laugh, I can tell you." Shinji Ikari looked at Mei Isayama. This was a very serious matter; keeping it from his comrades was incredibly ungentlemanly. But to be honest, Shinji Ikari absolutely didn't want to tell them! Because…

"Hahaha..." Mei Isayama laughed loudly, "I can't take it anymore, give me the oxygen tank! I'm going to die! Hahaha..." Mei Isayama pounced on Shinji Ikari's combat bag, took out the small oxygen tank inside, took two deep breaths, and then continued to laugh.

"..." Yusa Emi covered her face and shook her head with a wry smile. Although she didn't have a clear concept of a fierce god, she could roughly understand the opponent's strength by thinking about Shinji Ikari's powerful older sister, who was a fierce god.

Based on the fighting strength that Himuro Kirie had displayed that day, Yusa Emi roughly assessed that if she were in her prime, she could launch a surprise attack on Himuro Kirie. In a one-on-one situation where the opponent did not have a geographical advantage, she would have about a 3% chance of winning! This was assuming she had made all the necessary preparations, since the opponent's fighting strength was no joke.

Now she's being told that Shinji Ikari has apparently provoked another powerful figure on par with his sister, and that they've even seemingly entered into a marriage agreement... a marriage agreement with a fierce god! Yusa Emi feels like she can't hold back her laughter any longer.

"That's awesome! Shinji! I'll prepare a big red envelope for you! Wow, I have to call all my friends and have a good time! That's awesome!" Mei Isayama seized the opportunity to loudly mock the idiot in front of him! Although children are bound to be innocent and say whatever comes to mind, when someone is being so innocent as to say something so blatant, Mei Isayama can only say that this is a death wish, and he really thinks it's awesome.

"I have to go to Mount Hikami, but before that, my sister asked me to go to her place. Urameshi, you guys came too?" Shinji Ikari was saying when he saw Yusuke Urameshi walk in.

"Was it your sister who just arrived?" Yusuke Urameshi frowned. The other party didn't seem to have any ill intentions, but her aura was terrifying.

"Not only that... We're leaving for the Himuro mansion tomorrow. Please inform Hiei and Kurama."

"So urgent?"

"This is a matter of life and death. If it weren't for the fact that it would be dawn in two hours, I would have set off right now!"

"Uh, okay."

Chapter 290 Ritsuko Akagi's Strange Movements

"What should I say?" Misato Katsuragi listened to Shinji Ikari's description on the phone, her expression very strange. "As an older sister who has experienced similar treatment, I understand what you're going through. I understand. Unit 3 will arrive in a week, so you should be able to make it back and forth quickly."

"There are only two outcomes to this: I'll be back soon, or I won't be. But I'm curious, which brat is so reckless? Why aren't you holding on tight?" Shinji Ikari grumbled at a woman with a rather messy private life, and also sarcastically remarked on her earlier arrogant laughter.

"Ritsuko has something to say to you." Just as Misato Katsuragi was about to retort, Ritsuko Akagi reached out to Misato Katsuragi for the phone receiver. Misato Katsuragi knew that it was probably something important, so she handed it to her directly.

"Shinji!" Ritsuko Akagi had only one question, "Although I didn't hear everything just now, it seems like you've provoked another evil spirit?"

"Ah...yes..." Shinji Ikari rubbed the bridge of his nose. Let's not talk about this and we're still good friends.

"Given that you didn't die immediately, can we assume that the evil spirit who wants you to fulfill your marriage vows is on the friendly side?" Ritsuko Akagi's analysis was reasonable and well-founded.

"..." Shinji Ikari took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry I didn't die right away... I'm sorry I let NERV down!"

"Alright, stop joking. I'm not Ryoko Sakaki, nor your fierce wife, nor even Mei Isayama. Shut up and get down to business." Ritsuko Akagi gripped the microphone tightly, quickly interrupting Shinji Ikari, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Misato Katsuragi was laughing uncontrollably. When it came to bantering with Shinji Ikari, Misato Katsuragi was far too ladylike. Ritsuko was the real professional, leaving Shinji almost speechless with her sharp retorts.

"Well, from yesterday's conversation, I get the feeling that at least they don't intend to kill me immediately. I don't know much else." Shinji Ikari said helplessly. Kurosawa Aise's wedding was more about sealing him in a box together, meaning they would be together forever! "But in a sense, this is the ritual of a ghost marriage! If there are no accidents, my participation will inevitably result in death, and it will be the kind where my soul is taken away."

“I see,” Ritsuko Akagi said, slightly disappointed. “I was thinking of trying to get her to come over and do some tests…” Ritsuko Akagi’s words were filled with regret.

"...You invited a fierce god here? Aren't you afraid of being contaminated?" Shinji Ikari wasn't surprised that Ritsuko Akagi had set her sights on a fierce god. However, based on his previous observations of Shinji's residence, it was possible that Kirie Himuro often received Shinji's offerings through the Divine Mirror, so Kirie Himuro's power was permanently stationed there. As a result, some phenomena of "assimilation" with the Himuro Mansion had occurred.

Based on this result, if Himuro Kirie were to arrive at NERV headquarters, her residual power would undoubtedly have a certain impact on the headquarters, what the exorcists call "resentment contamination." And this is only because Himuro Kirie is relatively stable and easy to talk to! If it were any other malevolent spirit, NERV headquarters would probably fall under its control!

“We’ve made some preparations, and besides, Shinji’s here, isn’t he?” Ritsuko Akagi said matter-of-factly. “If all else fails, we can just have Shinji pilot Unit-01 and fire a True Solar Beam at the contaminated land, right?!”

"You want me to destroy the NERV base with a Solar Beam? Ritsuko-nee, are you serious?" Shinji Ikari was somewhat incredulous. If this shot didn't destroy a third or a quarter of the base, then he would really be lying and faking it. The image was too beautiful for Shinji Ikari to imagine!

“That’s the worst-case scenario approach. If it really came to that, the entire base would probably be in chaos.” Ritsuko Akagi shook her head. “So you couldn’t bring it here?”

"I've never even met that person from Mount Hikami, so I can't possibly judge the consequences of your request. But why don't you ask my sister?" Shinji Ikari asked somewhat strangely. After all, his sister had been here before, and if we're talking about help, Himuro Kirie would obviously be more reliable.

"You're getting married soon, and you still don't know her well?" Ritsuko Akagi was taken aback, then said in a very earnest tone, "Shinji-kun! You can't be a scumbag, or you'll drive away excellent women!"

"..." Good grief, I thought you came to talk to me about serious matters, but you just came to tease me too. Listening to Misato Katsuragi's loud laughter as she pounded the table, Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes and felt like he couldn't catch his breath. "So now I'm planning to ask my parents to come, and then go to Mount Hikami to have a good talk with that person. Marriage is a serious matter, and it can't be taken too lightly."

"Parents?" Now it was Ritsuko Akagi's turn to fall silent. She and Mimi Katsuragi looked at each other and hesitated for a while before Ritsuko Akagi said hesitantly, "...Shinji, you should just finish the punch you have left. Taking the Commander to Mount Hinoki is too cruel."

"What nonsense... I was talking about my sister. If I didn't have my mother's surname, I would definitely change it to Himuro." Shinji Ikari was also taken aback by the question. What the heck? Gendo Ikari? What are you taking him there for? To perform a ritual to seal the hole? Then Shinji realized that when meeting a marriage partner, the parents usually bring their own parents. "Oh, is that so?! Why don't you guys ask him for me? If he's willing to go, it seems like a good idea."

"Heh..." Ritsuko Akagi and Misato Katsuragi snorted in annoyance. "Anyway, because the experiment is somewhat risky, we don't want your sister to help. After all, she has already helped us a lot in many other things." Ritsuko Akagi explained that people have feelings. Although Kirie Himuro was essentially helping because Shinji Ikari asked her to, that didn't stop Ritsuko Akagi from avoiding Kirie Himuro when she saw the risk.

“Scheming against a fierce god is not a wise move, Ritsuko-nee. I can’t help you with this.” Shinji Ikari shook his head. He was in a predicament. Perhaps because he had been in contact with his sister at NERV for a long time, he felt that fierce gods were rational in a certain sense, so they were relatively easier to talk to. Ha... illusion! The reason why fierce gods are called fierce gods is because of the reputation they have built up with countless bones. If you want to make such a move, Ritsuko Akagi is just overthinking it.

"Is this your judgment? I understand. I will suspend the relevant preparations. I'll fill out the leave application form here when I get back. Go and come back quickly." Ritsuko Akagi was slightly disappointed, but Shinji Ikari's judgment was very reasonable. Before he made this judgment, Ritsuko Akagi had already mentally prepared herself for Shinji Ikari to refuse directly.

"Okay." Shinji Ikari hung up the phone with a belly full of doubts. Before today, although Ritsuko Akagi would occasionally cause trouble, she would not do anything with too much risk most of the time. What Ritsuko Akagi did today was completely out of character for him.

"So what happened?" Shinji Ikari was a little confused. He carefully recalled all their conversations just now, but he still couldn't figure out what the problem was. After hesitating for a moment, Shinji Ikari made a phone call to a kid whose relationship with him had recently started to improve.

"Hello?" The call was answered in just a few seconds. The voice was slightly off; it wasn't Conan's childish voice, nor was it the voice of a high school student. Instead, it sounded like someone going through a transformation phase.

"Conan? It worked?" Shinji Ikari said with some surprise. "Wow, Ritsuko Akagi actually managed to pull it off?"

"Yes...not entirely!" Conan cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound more normal. "It's because they recently did some experiments on me using extracts from other things. Although it was a success, well...it didn't quite achieve the expected results."

"There's a time limit?" Shinji Ikari roughly knew what it meant. He'd only given Ritsuko Akagi the Time-Time Fruit a few days ago, and she'd already used Conan for experiments?!

"Yes... it's too short, and the time is getting shorter and shorter. It seems like drug resistance has developed. This is terrible." Although Conan said this, Shinji Ikari could feel his joy. After all, at least he could wear high school clothes and stand in front of the full-length mirror to see his reflection.

"Please follow the doctor's orders; you can't just drink that stuff." Shinji Ikari shook his head, silently labeling the person in front of him as Test Subject A. Although Shinji knew that Conan himself might not mind, in his special case, there were often really no other options.

"I will, so did you call today because you discovered something interesting?" Conan sat on the sofa, somewhat sentimental, but still felt that the person in front of him was the real him!

"Help me analyze this person's psychological state." Shinji Ikari briefly described his question to Conan.

"Did she mention anyone in the conversation?" Conan thought for a moment. Shinji Ikari's description omitted a lot of details and seemed somewhat incoherent, but it was enough for him to understand the situation.

"The key?" Shinji Ikari frowned. Who was mentioned? It was probably only when he mentioned taking his parents to meet Ayase Kurosawa that he mentioned his father?

"That should be the key. During this period, Dr. Akagi was clearly very anxious. Every time I went to see her, I had a feeling that she might... turn evil at any moment."

"Is that so?" Shinji Ikari was somewhat taken aback. "Alright, I have one more thing to say."

"Oh, by the way, Sonoko's been debating whether or not she should invite you to her birthday party. After all, the two times we went out together before weren't very pleasant," Conan teased with a smile. "Do you want to go?"

"First, are you going?" Shinji Ikari was taken aback. Sonoko Suzuki had previously inquired about his schedule, but Shinji had been incredibly busy lately and hadn't had any time to go out. However, for Shinji, the biggest problem with Sonoko's invitation wasn't whether he had the time.

"What do you mean by that! I've already said that matter has nothing to do with me! Don't make things up without evidence." As if his sore spot had been hit, Conan immediately complained loudly.

"Really? All you need is evidence, right?" Shinji Ikari said with a smile. "At least I have witnesses here."

"..." Conan choked for a moment, "You mean Yuzaki? It's still baseless!"

"Alright, if Sonoko mentions it, just say so for me. I'll go if I'm free, but I have to leave as soon as I get there." Shinji Ikari sighed. "I've had too many problems lately, it's really killing me."

"Oh? Is there anything else I can help you with? Let's leave it at that since what happened just now involved your NERV internal affairs." Conan shook his head. He'd been going to NERV quite often lately because of its involvement in experiments, but, "You'd better be a little careful."

"You noticed that? That's impressive." Shinji Ikari was somewhat surprised, but he didn't say anything and prepared to hang up. "Thanks for your suggestion."

"Um... I really don't want to say it, but for a moment just now, I really wanted to come find you. You understand what I mean, right?" Conan hesitated for a long time before subtly reminding him.

"Don't worry, at least this matter shouldn't have anything to do with NERV." Shinji Ikari said with a wry smile, "That's all, there's no point in saying more."

"...Understood! Please be careful!" Shinji Ikari's words made Conan's heart skip a beat. Was it something that would get him into trouble just because he knew about it?

"So it's Gendo Ikari..." Shinji Ikari closed his phone, then hesitated for a moment. "Perhaps I should really bring Gendo along? Or... is it related to Gendo? Mari is here too... Could it be SEELE?! Are they planning something big? That shouldn't be the case. Given the current situation, where else could they be causing trouble, and who would deal with the Angels?! With that EVA they have?!" Shinji Ikari thought about it suspiciously.

"Shinji! You're still not ready! How much longer are we going to have to wait?!" Mei Isayama's shouting came from outside. "Is asking for leave really this complicated?" Because everyone who could go was supposed to go to the Himuro mansion.

"Let's go!" Shinji Ikari grabbed his bundle, stood up, and rushed out. They still had a long way to go today, and arriving at the Himuro mansion at night wasn't exactly a pleasant experience. "Looks like I'll never have the chance to be invited to dinner by Misato Katsuragi."

"It's not like she paid the bill, so how can it be considered her treat?!"

"Right!"

Chapter 291 Mist Painting's Opinion

"Shinji, you're here early. Shall I prepare breakfast for you?" Tsukasa Eishi comes to the Himuro mansion every week for one day, and today happens to be his training day. So when he sees Shinji Ikari, he greets him very happily. After all, Shinji Ikari is the one who helps him come here to train every week.

The training Tsukasa Eishi received during his time here was beyond his expectations. It allowed him to avoid many of the disturbances at school and focus on honing his culinary skills. What surprised him most was that the fierce god was not difficult to get along with and would carefully guide his training.

Yes, I guided him in the training of the Himuro style...

Of course, he would also offer his own opinions on the dishes, so that Tsukasa Eishi could make targeted improvements. As a result, Tsukasa Eishi now possesses a very professional understanding of the tastes of spirit creatures, and even some senior students at Totsuki Academy often consult him for various information before providing offerings to Himuro Kirie.

"No need, I ate a little something on the way, so I'm not really hungry now. You go ahead with your work. The girls waiting for their food over there are already glaring at me." Shinji Ikari pointed to the Onmyōryō shrine maidens standing neatly to the side, staring at him. Although your morning training hasn't started yet, it's not appropriate for you to be staring at me like that.

To be fair, Tsukasa Eishi is handsome, and as a chef under the Totsuki Group, his future is practically guaranteed—he's destined to own a famous restaurant. Such a young, wealthy, good-looking, and talented cook could be a huge help to their training! A handsome, rich husband—if they don't seize this opportunity, they'll be out of their minds!

The next second, Shinji Ikari understood why the priestesses were staring intently in his direction.

"Oh~ I'll eat it! Shinji, if you're not going to eat it, go find your sister!" Mei Isayama took off his helmet from behind, tossed his hair, and slightly pulled down the zipper to reveal his great figure. Yusa Emi behind him couldn't help but twitch her lips. She didn't care about anything else, but those massive breasts were something she really couldn't imitate.

"...Alright, please." Shinji Ikari turned his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. So that's how it is. Mei Isayama probably just wanted to have some breakfast made by the chef, but obviously, the girls from the Onmyōryō didn't see it that way. They thought she was here to steal him away! Otherwise, why would you be dressed so provocatively?

Of course, Shinji Ikari really wanted to tell them that even if they used all their strength, the person in front of them might not even give them a second glance. After all, this person was truly focusing all his attention on food. Women? Women would only delay his cooking!