"Captain Kishimoto, welcome."
Hattori Kojiro gave a faint smile as he looked at Kishimoto Ishiki. Then he leaned back on the sofa, crossed one leg over the other, and continued slowly,
"There are some matters that I'm not in a position to handle personally, so I'd like to ask you to act on my behalf."
"If it's the Speaker's request, I'm honored to take care of it," Kishimoto replied with a mysterious smile. "Would this matter, perhaps… have something to do with your son?"
"Oh? You already know?"
Hattori Kojiro looked slightly taken aback, staring at Kishimoto with a trace of shadow in his eyes.
The fact that Kishimoto already knew why he'd been summoned—before anything had been said—made Hattori feel uneasy, as if he were being watched constantly.
"Hehe, no need for concern, Speaker," Kishimoto said lightly. "The one who injured your son happens to have a… personal grudge with me as well. That's why I've been paying extra attention to this matter."
"Is that so?"
Hattori's expression darkened. "So, even you have a score to settle with Kitazawa Ryota? Seems that boy really is despicable. Just how vile must his character be for so many people to loathe him?"
"You're not wrong," Kishimoto replied, his tone casual and cold. "That Kitazawa Ryota fellow—he's NERV's so-called ace pilot, and he flaunts it every chance he gets. Arrogant to the extreme. He disrespects everyone, especially us in the military. He's even clashed with the General on multiple occasions. It's only due to the General's magnanimity that he hasn't been dealt with already."
"I see. That settles it then."
Hattori's fist slammed onto the armrest of the chair, his face growing darker.
"Captain Kishimoto, I'm entrusting you with this mission. Ensure that Kitazawa Ryota disappears from this world. Permanently."
"But of course." Kishimoto nodded. "Though, I'd like to ask the Speaker for a favor in return. Kitazawa Ryota's a high-profile individual. To eliminate him cleanly will require your cooperation."
"I'm listening," Hattori said, interested. "So long as you take care of Kitazawa Ryota, rewards won't be an issue."
"It's nothing complicated," Kishimoto said with a smile. "All I ask is that during my operation, you mobilize the police to lock down the streets and suppress any information from leaking out. If that's done, the rest is in my hands."
"Ah, I see. That's easy enough," Hattori replied, nodding repeatedly.
In his heart, he was already thinking: Kitazawa Ryota… this time, you're done for. You've made too many enemies. Even the heavens can't save you now.
And so, an invisible storm began to stir over Tokyo-3.
At that same time, both Gendo Ikari and Kouzou Fuyutsuki were still absent—the whereabouts of the two Commanders were now one of NERV's highest-level secrets. Everything was unfolding… almost too coincidentally.
Since the day Kitazawa Ryota beat up Hattori Narumi at First Municipal Junior High, the entire school had been buzzing with rumors. But after Narumi was hospitalized and no further action followed, the incident slowly faded from public memory.
One thing, however, remained firmly etched in everyone's mind: Kitazawa Ryota had a serious temper. That alone was enough to make even the most arrogant of political elites' children think twice. They all dialed back their usual brash behavior. No one wanted to end up on the wrong side of that guy.
As a result, a strange calm settled over the school.
But it was the calm before the storm—the silence that precedes disaster.
Each day, Kitazawa Ryota followed his routine: attend school, head to NERV for training, then return to Misato's apartment. Asuka followed a similar schedule. Yet whenever she saw Kitazawa's unnaturally calm expression, she couldn't help but feel a strange, twitching unease in her chest.
"That bastard."
That was what Asuka had taken to calling him.
Ever since he saved her, she'd wanted to repay him somehow. But Kitazawa never asked for anything, never said anything, never even acknowledged it—this quiet indifference only made Asuka grind her teeth in frustration.
Still, peace never lasts.
And less than two weeks later, the silence finally shattered.
---
The sky was dark.
It looked like it was about to rain.
In Class 2-A, today was exam day—the subject: Classical Japanese.
Aida Kensuke rubbed his temples and yawned lazily, lifting his head from his papers to glance out the window at the looming black clouds.
Looks like a storm's coming, he thought. Might even be a heavy one.
Still, he wasn't too worried. There was an umbrella in his bag, and in a place like Japan, sudden downpours were just part of life.
Kensuke finished his paper early and glanced around. Everyone else was still heads-down, scribbling away—even Asuka.
He looked at her from the side, feeling momentarily captivated. Asuka really was beautiful. Her mixed European and Asian features blended into something truly striking.
Girls like that… there's no way I could ever reach her.
He sighed quietly. A girl like Asuka, he figured, could only end up with someone like Kitazawa Ryota—one of the top of the top.
That thought made him sigh again.
He turned his head back toward the window.
His desk was right by the glass, giving him a clear view of the school gates and the empty courtyard beyond.
And then—
His eyes locked on something strange.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a fleet of black cars tore through the front gates—speeding straight into the school without so much as slowing down.
BANG!
The school gate was smashed clean off its hinges.
One car after another surged in, storming across the school grounds like a swarm, quickly surrounding the courtyard.
"…What the…?"
Kensuke stared, stunned, muttering to himself.
"What the hell is going on…?"
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