At the same time, a hangar for Evangelions.
Misato just turned off the microphone. I chuckled to myself. Maybe I shouldn't have scared them with such a sharp increase in synchronization, but alas, the synchronization process is too simple for me, almost as natural as breathing, the experience of merging consciousnesses with emblems has an effect, and there were no auxiliary means of contact there. And yet, who am I kidding? I myself like to feel the world through the body of Evangelion. Otherwise, outside this capsule you feel blind, deaf, and even paralytic, and that's if you forget about all the restrictions that visiting this world imposed on me. Eh...
There's Rei, standing near the glass and looking at me. Even if you don't pay attention to Eva's vision, the angel is felt quite distinctly. A pleasant "aroma". I can't say what exactly, but it's very attractive. And again this feeling, the sensation of something familiar, close, necessary... I don't understand. What is it about you that hooks me so much, Ayanami Rei?
Now her condition is clearly better than at our first meeting. Although I still can't see auras, I only feel them, but it's definitely better. And there's Lilith, in the very depths of the Geofront, she's really emitting radiation, no wonder with such wounds. Hmm... But Eve's sensitivity to Lilith's radiation is artificially lowered, practically torn out completely. Which means you won't feel other Angels in advance either. The only thing that saves her is the absorbed Angelic Core, which has somehow restored her natural abilities. Curious... Although not surprising. Much more important...
The smooth flow of my thoughts was rather rudely interrupted, trying to cut me off from Eve's control. Have they gone crazy there? Hmm... It doesn't look like it. Or does it? Stop poking the button already! It's useless anyway, I synchronize with Eve not only through the biological interface. I can hardly restrain myself from shaking Eve's head. The signal beating on my brain, with the command to cut off the nerve connections, is terribly irritating, as if a mosquito has crawled into my ear and is squeaking.
Damn it! You've completely lost your minds! Why increase the LCL pressure? So that I can be crushed here? That's it! Enough! I'll hold out for another three minutes and if you don't stop, the Hulk will start smashing! I'll simulate a signal going off, my own loss of consciousness - and go berserk! And then it's the end of Akagi's labs, they'll have to restore it until Asuka arrives!
I jerked my head, LCL's face, excited by the sharp movement, slightly refreshed. I need to lower the synchronization and generally get out of here. Shinji's emotionality affects me too much, even though he is my guide for contact with Eva, but I now perceive the world through the prism of his feelings. Such strong emotions for such a trifle, especially foreseen, are clearly not good. It is clear that the pilot control systems will be checked first. And now they know that these systems will not work. Of course, no one will think about me, they will decide that the whole problem is in Eva. But still, the situation is delicate. For now, I am the only pilot, but when Rei finally recovers and restarts Eva-00, and then when Asuka arrives, someone might come up with the "smartest" idea that the impudent lieutenant Ikari is no longer needed, especially if he cannot be controlled. However, such a threat existed in any case and it does not particularly frighten me, or rather does not frighten me at all. It would just mean that I would have to change my plans a little, that's all. Of course, I remember that Eva-01 and Shinji in particular are key figures in both Gendo's and the committee's plan, or rather the committee only needs Eva. But how irreplaceable these figures are is still a question. But be that as it may, the situation could become very interesting.
Well, it seems like they've calmed down. I massaged my eyes and face, then relaxed and leaned back in the cradle. They're silent, not asking about my health. That means they're sure I didn't notice anything and don't think about me at all. It's good that all of Eva's systems are available to me now, including those that monitor the pilot's condition, I can turn them off, I can deceive them. Again, it's good that I was keeping an eye on them now and when they started trying to cut me off, I immediately blocked the real information. The last thing I needed was for someone to notice my increased heart rate and so on when they were analyzing today's incident.
I closed my eyes, completely detaching myself from the surrounding world. The main thing is not to raise the synchronization, and not to accidentally deploy the AT-field. And yet, what a stupid world... Is it really true that in all technoworlds the apocalypse, with divine participation, happens like this? Horror...
An hour after I climbed into the capsule, the microphone in the control room turned on again and Misato announced that I could get out. Which surprised me a lot. And even made me a little nervous. But a thorough check of the surrounding corridors with Eva's senses did not reveal a single capture group or any concentration of employees. When the LCL began to decrease and my head was above the surface of the liquid, a discharge pierced my chest, the source of which, apparently, was the chest panel of the suit, after which I myself was twisted in a vomiting spasm. The next few seconds allowed me to fully enjoy the process of LCL leaving my lungs. Not a very pleasant process, I must say.
After I got out of the Eva, the expected capture group didn't show up either. Either I don't understand something, or one of two things... Surely Akagi couldn't suddenly repent of her abuse of the "working samples" and get back on the right path, really? Or was it Misato who got busy? Too bad...
The door to the hangar opened with a rustle and Rey came out to me.
"Captain Katsuragi sent me," the girl said, stopping in the passage. "You need to take a shower, I'll show you where it is." And she fell silent, looking expectantly into my eyes.
"Okay," I ran my hand through my wet hair, brushing away the drops of LCL as I walked toward Ayanami. "Thank you, Rei," she looked away and nodded, then turned around and began to lead the way.
- Rey, why did Doctor Akagi let me out so quickly?
- Captain Katsuragi convinced her.
– Sure...
We walked to the shower in silence. It was funny that the room was not divided into male and female sections. At the same time, it was only slightly smaller than a school gym. The locker room was also here and judging by the number of lockers, it was designed for about thirty people. By the way, about the locker room. My things were left in the other locker room. No, of course, I can walk around the headquarters naked, I won't catch a cold, but I'm unlikely to find understanding from the staff. I was about to turn to Rei, but I noticed a sign on one of the lockers with the name "Ikari Shinji". Inside, I found the already familiar uniform set, with everything I needed, right down to the underwear. For about ten seconds, I literally froze, stupidly looking at this picture. that is, in three days, our advanced and terribly serious institute did not find the time to install at least some kind of set of safety belts in Eve, and to buy me underwear and socks in my size, and then leave them in a locker where I may never look at all, did they deign to do this? Great Darkness, where have I ended up?!..
Having finished washing myself, I slowly put on my uniform, which turned out to be surprisingly comfortable, and smoothing my damp hair back with my palm, I went out into the corridor. The corridor was empty.
"It's getting stranger and stranger..." I commented on Rey's absence literally under my breath, slowly looking around the corridor.
However, I remembered how to get to the control room and, without thinking twice, headed there. Having walked only about ten meters, I heard quiet steps ahead and already at the next turn I met Rey nose to nose. The girl stopped and stared indifferently at the unexpected obstacle. Unlike her, I walked absolutely silently, although I did not specifically strive for this, but an old habit took its toll, and the slow pace contributed to it. Only a moment passed and Rey's eye widened slightly in surprise and dropped from my face to my jacket, lingered there for a couple of seconds and returned back.
"I brought clothes," the girl said, looking me straight in the eyes and handing me the bag she was holding in her healthy hand.
"Thank you, Rei, you're just a smart girl," I smiled warmly at Ayanami and took the bag, she blushed slightly in response and looked away, turning her head slightly. "But someone already left their uniform in my locker, so I won't change for now. Did Misato say anything?"
"Captain Katsuragi said that when you get dressed, we should come to her," Ayanami said without looking at me.
- Okay. Let's go.
- Oh, there you are? Quickly. I was about to follow you myself... - Misato greeted us as soon as the door slid aside and Ayanami, whom I had let through, walked forward, and then the captain's gaze fell on me. - Uh... You look great, Shin! Just like an officer! Hey, Ritsuko, look at this handsome lieutenant who came to see us!
- Hm? - the doctor, tearing herself away from the monitor, turned slightly in her swivel computer chair and glanced at me. - Uh-huh. Good, - and turned back.
"Here, Misato," I began instructively, "this is the correct reaction of a business person, learn."
- Impudent! How impudent, huh? - Katsuragi threw up her hands, dramatically bulging her eyes. I didn't react to the girl's remark in any way, looking with an indifferent look at Eva's head visible through the bulletproof glass. - Okay, let's go, we still have a couple of things planned, and there's very little time left.
"What business?" I asked, following the captain. Rey followed.
- Well, first of all, we'll check your shooting skills, since you have a personal service weapon. And then we'll draw up a training plan, look at your physical condition, think about what to improve... - a carefully hidden anticipatory smile appeared at the corners of Misato's lips.
- What kind of training?
- Well, there's hand-to-hand combat, general physical development, to increase endurance, something else... - the smile became more noticeable and a little dreamy. I couldn't help but chuckle. - What?
- Misato, your face gives you away. What, have you decided to give me a full course of a young fighter, so that I can only crawl out of here on all fours? - Katsuragi's gaze went somewhere to the side, and the expression of a naughty schoolgirl caught red-handed settled on her face.
- What are you saying right away... I didn't do anything like that...
"You're lying," I sighed.
- Well, and even if that's the case?! You're now a UN soldier and you have to live up to it! Especially since you need training to defeat the Angels! - Katsuragi recited instructively, but she didn't even raise her finger.
"So, cross-country running with full gear, horizontal bars, martial arts?" I asked with carefully concealed irony, with an incredible effort of will not allowing a smile to appear on my face.
- Exactly! - Misato answered contentedly. - I'm glad you understand - yeah, of course, I understand, I'm generally a very conscientious citizen, with a developed sense of civic responsibility and duty to my homeland.
- Tell me, Misato, what is my job as an Eva pilot?
- In piloting Eva, - Katsuragi didn't understand the question. By the way, Rei is also listening with interest and looking at me.
- No Misato, my job as an Eva pilot is to kill Angels...
- Damn! You knocked me down!
- ... And it so happened, - I continued, not paying attention to the captain's remark, - that in our world, I am the only person with successful experience in carrying out such operations. Do you understand what this means? - I asked, looking sarcastically at the frowning Katsuragi. Since she became frowning, she most likely understood and did not fail to prove it.
"That you know better what training is necessary and what is not?" she answered in a very sad voice.
- Absolutely right, student Katsuragi, give me your record book.
- You bastard! - Misato waved him off, somewhat weakly, more like a reflex. And then something clicked inside her: - You little brat! What a professor you turned up! What do you know! I always handed everything in on time! Not a single tail since the second year!
– Huh?..
- ... - Katsuragi froze, her gaze went somewhere upward, and her face reflected the work of thought. - Forget it, - she demanded in an extremely expressive voice after a couple of dozen seconds. - We were talking about the shooting range, - I raised an expressive eyebrow. - And I said "about the shooting range"! And no one should know!
- Okay. So, are we heading to the shooting range now?
– Listen.
"Great," Misato glanced at me suspiciously, but said nothing.
I wonder what kind of story happened in her student life, connected with the record book? I only remember that she and Kaji didn't get out of bed for two weeks and that's all, I think. Curious, curious...
In the shooting gallery we were met by an elderly Asian with gray hair at the temples, sitting behind the bulletproof glass and leafing through some small book. Seeing Katsuragi entering, he put the book down and quickly straightened up, turning to the captain:
- How can I help you, Captain Katsuragi?
"Lieutenant Ikari needs to undergo training in handling personal weapons and conduct practical exercises," the girl answered, giving her face the most official expression possible. However, I am ready to swear that there were notes of mockery in her voice towards me.
- Okay. What weapons are we talking about?
- Glock 17, standard model.
- I see. Well, Lieutenant Ikari, come this way, - the Asian stood up from his chair and opened the door to his guardhouse, - I'll explain everything to you now...
Then the quartermaster got a Glock similar to mine from his stash and a detailed lecture followed. Very detailed. In fact, for a person who had never even seen a gun in his life. However, Sergeant Souma spoke quite well and clearly, and I simply listened silently, nodding in the right places and not interrupting, although I did not need most of the information given. Rei, by the way, was also standing nearby and listening attentively, and Misato, with a martyred look and melancholy in her eyes, was bored in the corner. When the lecture was finally over, it was time for practical training and this became somewhat more fun. I was especially amused by the constant reminders from the animated Misato of what and how to do, pouring out on me while putting on and adjusting the headphones, as if the lecture that had just taken place had not happened. Well, in general, nothing particularly interesting happened next, I smeared a lot and diligently, gradually improving the result, Misato advised a lot and actively, rubbing off the sergeant, Rei silently stood behind and watched. Finally, Misato got tired of it:
- That's it, Shinji, that's enough for today, - she put her hand on my shoulder and squeezed it slightly. In principle, it was just in time, my hands were already aching from the unusual load, especially the index finger, and I had already "reached" an "acceptable" level...
- Okay. How often can I visit the shooting range? - I asked the question without a specific addressee, looking at the rack, while removing the headphones, but Sergeant Souma answered, literally a moment ahead and thus interrupting Katsuragi:
- Yes, even every day...
"We'll make a schedule..." turning around, I managed to notice the captain's displeased look.
- I see. Thank you, Sergeant, - I handed the unloaded pistol to the man. - What other weapon can I use at the shooting range? - Souma took the Glock, and after exchanging quick glances with Katsuragi, he answered a little stiffly:
- You're a NERV officer, so whatever's in stock. True, I wouldn't recommend you use anything other than small-caliber or light weapons...
- I see, thank you. Misato?
- Uh... Yes. Let's go. Ray. Thanks for the help, Sergeant, - he just nodded in response, and we were already moving towards the exit.
"Yeah, Shinji..." the captain drawled, a minute after we left the shooting range.
– M?
- Can anything get through to you?!
"A pile?" I suggested.
- What does a shovel have to do with it, you bastard?! You're a guy! A male! A man, after all! And when you first picked up a gun, you shot like some kind of robot, as if you do this every day! At least smiled once or stuck out your tongue! Normal guys, when they first get their hands on a gun, should drool and shoot without removing that idiotic smile from their faces! I've seen specialists who, after going through several hot spots, still have that smile! And you, damn it, a fucking cleaner, like in that mafia movie, I forgot the name! Horror!
- Misato, forgive me... But I don't understand, are you scolding or admiring?
- Oooooh!!!... Bastard!... Rei, hit him for me! - Ayanami and I turned to each other in unison and exchanged glances for a couple of seconds. Then Rei turned her head back to Misato and asked calmly.
- Is this an order?
"No," Katsuragi muttered more quietly, frowning. "This is an expression of the expressive emotions that overwhelm me. Xo-o-o... why is this happening to me?!"
"Karma?" I suggested, still unperturbed.
- Son, be quiet. Don't lead to sin.
- As you say, - I humbly agreed and immediately added: - Although there are different sins, adultery, for example, appeals to me very much... And I am not against it in general... By the way, where are we going now? - Katsuragi's fierce look was my answer, in which the desire to kill, destroy and maim was clearly read. But the captain restrained herself and taking a deep breath, said in an almost calm voice:
- To the training hall, I'll show it to you, and then to the bridge... - another deep sigh. - There are no instructors yet anyway, and it's unreasonable to assign someone from the ordinary staff as your trainer.
- And when will these instructors appear? And why aren't they there now?
- Don't know.
- How is that?
- Oh, really! We weren't ready for the Angel to appear, we assumed that you would live here for a couple of months, get used to it, and then gradually begin to prepare a training program. To be honest, it was expected that at least six months would be spent on just one initial synchronization with Eva. What kind of instructors would we have in such a situation? There aren't even half of the regular staff here now. And we didn't know what and how to teach you, you're only thirteen years old.
- Well, let's say, it's almost fourteen... However, I understand you. Do you have any thoughts about training now?
"I have thoughts..." Misato had already calmed down completely and even dropped her usual cheerful mask. "But can you handle it?"
- Time will tell...
The tour continued for about forty minutes more. The training hall was not much different from its fellows, except that there were more exercise machines. The bridge was almost empty, only two duty officers on the second-highest tier of the pyramid and a small guard at the entrance. The command center itself had a pyramidal shape, rising in steps and as if cut off in the middle by a wall, so that only half of the pyramid remained visible. On each level there were places for operators, varying in number and density of arrangement. On the third-highest level, there were also huge blocks, red in color, located as if on the vertices of the corners of an isosceles triangle, most likely the same legendary biocomputer "MAGI", created by Ritsuko's mother.
The wall opposite the pyramid was either a plasma screen of shameless size, or a projector screen of the same size. The second option seems more plausible to me, although the three-dimensional image of graphs of some radiation hanging in the space in front of the screen makes me suspect that everything there is arranged somewhat more complex than in ordinary movie theaters. The room of the command center itself was even larger than the hangar of my Evangelion, at least Eva-01 would have easily settled here, without even touching the pyramids. In general, this place was quite accurately reflected in the series, as far as I remember it, of course.
We were on the second, upper tier of the pyramid, the last one, above us, was intended personally for the Commander and his deputy and was very small. We hadn't even taken ten steps from the front door when Misato solemnly proclaimed:
- Guys, meet the gloomy horror of our institute - the Third Child of Ikari Shinji!
At that moment I was just looking at a smooth graph of unknown radiation, apparently reflecting the readings of remote sensors in real time, and I didn't react to Misato's words in any way, continuing to guess what the letter "J" before the word radiation could mean.
"Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba," a guy with long, shoulder-length, light-brown hair, dressed in the same uniform as Maya, introduced himself, turning around in his chair in our direction. "My profile is Eva's weapons systems, and you can just call me Aoba," I looked up from the chart and silently nodded at the lieutenant's greeting.
"Lieutenant Hyuga Makoto, analyst," smiled the second guy with short, dark, slicked back hair, big glasses, and the same uniform, standing up from his seat. "Just call me Makoto."
"Nice to meet you," I glanced at his face, still indifferent, and nodded again. Misato sighed heavily.
- You're something... You could have said at least a few words, - she said quietly, doomedly closing her eyes and slightly bowing her head. I shrugged my shoulders at this.
- What can I say? Everything here looks terribly pompous and futuristic, but Grandpa Freud would have had a blast with the designer of this hall.
"An ulcer," Katsuragi muttered. "Where did you even read Freud?"
"I had a difficult childhood, which I drowned in books," I answered indifferently, looking at the chart again. The captain sighed heavily again. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Aoba and Makoto were looking from me to Misato in confusion.
- Okay guys, I introduced you to each other, and now I still have to take this robot home, - Misato said tiredly, turning to the lieutenants, who smiled wearily in response, clearly not really imagining the reasons for the captain's state. - Let's go, drowned man. He really got into trouble...
Getting into the car after Rei, I buckled her up again, trying not to touch the bandages, and worked on my own seat belt. Click. Misato looked us over from the front seat of the official pseudo-SUV and, apparently satisfied with the inspection, silently turned back and started the car.
"Misato," I caught the girl's attention after a few minutes of surprisingly leisurely driving.
- Mm?
- I need to stop by the store.
"We bought a ton of groceries last time, didn't we!?" Katsuragi exclaimed in surprise, turning to me.
"The potatoes and vegetables are almost gone, and now there are three of us," I explained calmly, without taking my eyes off the window.
"Oh, well, yes..." Misato was confused and, glancing at Rei, turned back.
We arrived at the same store as last time. There weren't many more people here, although there were still more than last time. As soon as I stepped over the threshold, people started looking at me sideways, which was natural, since I hadn't changed and was in uniform, and even with the stripes of a full lieutenant on my sleeves. Yeah, a fourteen-year-old kid in a NERV officer's uniform, and in a city where NERV controls absolutely everything, and ninety percent of the population is, one way or another, connected to this organization, it's hard to expect a different reaction. However, this attention didn't touch me at all, although a shadow of displeasure still flashed, because among the visitors there could have been one of my classmates, and I didn't need a headache with my class at all. So next time I should change, although...
Misato, hearing the sacred phrase that I was paying for the purchases, smiled broadly and made a kawaii face, innocently asking: "Sin, you can manage without me, right?" Having received an affirmative answer from me, she almost instantly fluttered off in an unknown direction. How little some people need to be happy...
Now Ray and I were walking through the produce section. The girl didn't want to wait in the car and now she patiently followed me while I leisurely chose products, and other visitors, accordingly, looked at us sideways. As a couple, we were, after all, quite noticeable.
Potatoes, cucumbers and zucchini were already resting in the cart and I was busy looking for non-red products. Actually, their purchase was the main reason to stop by the store, and not at all "the empty granaries of the motherland". Finally, the search was crowned with success and a tray with yellow tomatoes went into the cart. Then bananas, oranges and green apples followed them, unfortunately there were no berries in the store, not even grapes, but no big deal.
When we had passed the dairy section after the vegetable section, and the cart had filled up a little more, Rey's palm touched my hand. After waiting for me to turn around, the girl looked me in the eye for a few seconds, and then asked:
- Why are you doing all this?
- What exactly?
"You deliberately choose foods without the color red, even when it makes no practical sense," the First Child explained, looking intently into my eyes. I looked at Rey thoughtfully, tilting my head to the side just as she did.
- In what sense "practical"? - Ayanami blinked, her gaze becoming more... stern or something...
- They're more expensive, or harder to get to. You just got the yogurt from the back aisle because it was peach, when strawberry was much easier to get.
- And you're interested in why I do this?
– Yes.
- But you understand it yourself.
"Are you taking these products for me?" I nodded. "But why? Why do you care about me?" To an outside listener, Rey's voice didn't change at all, remaining quiet and dispassionate, and only I noticed that it trembled slightly during the second question.
"Do you need a reason?" Ayanami blinked again and her gaze showed surprise.
- Yes, it is necessary. People do nothing without a reason, - after a couple of seconds of thought, the girl answered confidently.
- Then... - I paused for a moment, weighing my answer. - Consider that I am not human.
Rei froze. She even stopped breathing for a few seconds. Such an answer was definitely a surprise for her. And a surprise with a special meaning for her. I calmly looked into her eyes and waited. So we stood there, a guy in a black NERV officer uniform and a girl wrapped in bandages in a regular school uniform, with blue hair and a single open ruby eye. We stood and looked into each other's eyes, without the slightest emotion on our faces...
"Hey, are you okay?" I turned towards the voice and saw a young girl in a store worker's uniform looking at us with concern.
- Yes, we are fine.
- Uh-uh... Well, okay, but could you clear the way?
- Of course, I apologize.
- N-nothing, - the girl somehow became embarrassed and hurried away, hiding behind the shelves. I turned to Ayanami:
- Shall we go? - a barely noticeable pause and a strange look, followed by a quiet answer:
– Yes.
Misato and I met near the checkouts, she was very unhappy about something, it seemed that the idea to buy something at my expense, which undoubtedly occurred to her when she entered the store, failed. Surely this "something" was simply not on sale. However, I did not ask for details and we calmly paid and went to the car. The rest of the evening, Rei was very thoughtful and almost did not talk, that is, even less than usual. She only looked at me and was silent, did not even go to rest, she just sat on a chair in the kitchen and waited while I cooked, and then put the food on the table. She only stopped for dinner, although after that she continued to watch, now as I washed the dishes. However, this did not cause me discomfort, on the contrary, there was something in Rei's gaze that calmed me down, or maybe not in the gaze, but in Rei herself, I don't know. And it does not matter.
Misato had also been quiet the entire evening, lost in her thoughts and hypnotizing a can of non-alcoholic beer, only occasionally casting a thoughtful glance at Ayanami and me. And after dinner, she immediately said goodnight and went to her room, without making a single joke. I have a strange effect on people. And it had been a busy day.
Ray and I went to bed about an hour later, without continuing the conversation we had interrupted in the store.
The morning for me again began half an hour before dawn. After lying on the futon for about ten minutes, hypnotizing the ceiling with my gaze, I got up and grabbed some clean clothes and went to the bathroom. "And yet, getting up so early is not entirely correct, and it is also good for the human body." – thinking this not very clever thought, I stood motionless under the cool streams of water, slowly coming to my senses. Despite the fact that my consciousness was more than alert and awake, the same could not be said about my body. My head was noisy and persistently strove to lie down on something, and my eyes refused to open at all as soon as I turned on the light, and if I managed to open them, they would stick together within a second. Finally, my body more or less woke up and the water procedures came to an end, after which, getting out of the bath, I began to dry my head.
However, this process was unexpectedly interrupted by the quiet sound of the door opening and a stream of cold air rushing into the bathroom.
I slowly looked up, removing the towel from my eyes at the same time.
Ray stood in the doorway, looking at me with mild surprise. The bandages on the girl's body were a little matted and clearly loose in some places, and the adhesive tape holding the gauze on her eye had almost completely peeled off and needed to be replaced. The only clothes she had on were a short white shirt, from her school uniform, with the collar unbuttoned, and white panties, which the shirt was completely unable to hide. That was all.
I had a clear image from the anime in my head: Ayanami coming out of the shower and drying her head, and a shocked Shinji seeing a naked girl for the first time. Once again I am convinced that the universe has a peculiar sense of humor.
- Good morning, Ray, do you need a bathroom? - after a couple of seconds spent comprehending the situation and looking at the girl, I asked completely calmly, not even thinking about covering myself.
Rey blinked and focused on my eyes. She has a wonderful way of combining attentiveness and indifference in her gaze at the same time.
- Good morning, Shinji, no, I came to wash up.
"Okay," I smiled slightly, with the very corner of my lips, and took a couple of steps to the side, freeing up space in front of the sink, after which I calmly continued to dry myself, although I continued to watch Ayana with my peripheral vision.
Rei watched me go. She stood there for a couple of seconds, thinking about something. And then she stepped to the sink, turning on the water. It quickly became clear that washing with just one face was not limited, as the girl began to unbutton her shirt, and after taking it off, she began to carefully wash her body, trying not to touch the bandages. I had already finished drying myself and even managed to get dressed, so now I was looking at Ayanami completely shamelessly. Of course, the bandages spoiled the picture a little, but otherwise Rei was pleasing to the eye. Straight legs, a toned butt, a narrow waist and amazingly clear skin, which ordinary people simply do not have. But despite this, for some reason I still did not feel any sexual interest in her, either psychologically or physically, although a teenage body, it seemed, was simply obliged to react to what I saw. It was strange, because Misato was quite arousing to me, but Rei, in a certain sense, much more beautiful, did not cause me anything except aesthetic pleasure and an irrational desire to care. I don't understand anything...
- Do you need help? - I broke the silence, still unable to sort out my feelings. I wouldn't interfere any further, even though I don't really agree with the average person's ideas about decency, but pawing at an injured girl seems, to put it mildly, not very polite even to me, but Rey began to remove the loose bandages. And doing it with one hand is below average pleasure.
Ayanami looked at my reflection in the mirror and nodded silently, lowering her hand and turning so that the knots on the bandages were closer to me.
Taking a step towards the girl, I began to untie the tightly pulled knots. Rey was silent and watched my face with a strange expression in her eyes. Everything was almost like last time, only then she was more interested in my hands. Speaking of last time...
- Why did you wake up so early today? Because of the bandage again?
- No, - Rey fell silent, thinking about something. I looked up and put a questioning expression on my face. For a few seconds we played a staring contest, and then Rey said: - I don't know. I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. And then I heard the sound of water in the bath and decided to go wash my face... The bandages are really itchy... - she said the last words a little quieter and somehow... embarrassedly... And immediately looked away, turning slightly pink. If it weren't for her naturally pale skin, this blush would have been completely unnoticeable.
- I see... - the last knot gave in and I began to carefully unwind the bandages, trying not to disturb the damaged areas. - That's it. Wash yourself, and in the meantime I'll prepare fresh bandages, - Rey nodded, and I, taking the used fabric in my hands, left the bath.
The rest of the medical procedures went smoothly. However, Rei refused to rest after them and instead sat in the kitchen all morning, watching me prepare breakfast, as well as lunches for school. When both were finished, I brewed fresh tea and Ayanami and I went out onto the balcony, where we stood in silence until Misato woke up, watching the awakening city.
The picture of a "disheveled, sleepy captain" was repeated exactly down to the interjections. Misato, squinting sullenly, climbed out onto the balcony, cast a suspicious glance at Rei and me, both of us, by the way, were already fully dressed in school uniform, and stopped her gaze on the almost empty glasses in our hands. The work of thought went on for ten long seconds, and the girl's face slowly took on a plaintively dreamy expression.
- Si-i-i-i-i-n... you will save your commander, right?
"Of course," I confirmed calmly, finishing the tea in one gulp, which Misato's gaze had been focused on with lust. "How can I save you?" Misato snorted expressively, and a glint of laughter appeared in her eyes.
– Hot coffee and a delicious breakfast!
– Breakfast is ready, coffee will be here soon.
- Cool! Oh, Rei, you're lucky to have a guy like that! - and Katsuragi, smiling slyly, disappeared into the depths of the apartment. I looked at Rei, the girl calmly finished her tea in small sips and calmly met my gaze...
Silence... No noise from cars, no barking dogs, only the rare chirping of birds and the omnipresent chirping of cicadas in the distance. A few seconds later, the sound of open water was added to them, coming from the depths of the apartment...
"Shall we go, or are you going to stand a little longer?" I broke the silence.
"I'll go with you," came the calm reply.
I smiled slightly and looked down at the now empty glass in her hands, then looked at her again with a question on my face. A barely noticeable surprise appeared in the depths of Ayanami's eyes. She studied my face for a couple of seconds, then spent a few more seconds closely studying the glass, then the actions were repeated, and finally, after another short thought, Rei hesitantly handed the glass to me.
From contemplating this scene I was literally flooded with a wave of uncontrollable affection, fortunately I was able to restrain myself and almost did not show it outwardly. Having accepted the glass, I nodded to the girl and stepped into the apartment, not ceasing to smile.
Throughout the breakfast, Misato was the living embodiment of simple human happiness, the only thing she needed to complete the picture was cat ears and purring, otherwise, she was just a cutie. Rei, while eating, was lost in thought and seemed to have even stopped perceiving the surrounding reality, staring blankly at her plate and working her chopsticks completely mechanically. However, when it was empty, the girl came to her senses and noticed that I was watching her closely. We played a staring game for about a second, after which Ayanami looked away and lowered her gaze to the tabletop, slightly blushing, although maybe it seemed that way to me.
But still, a very interesting reaction...
The road to school was uneventful, and the school itself greeted us almost the same as last time, even though we arrived with a fair amount of time to spare before classes. Mocking whispers behind our backs, mixed with giggling and pointing fingers, in general, a standard children's set in relation to "black sheep". But if this worried anyone, it clearly did not bother us. Although it is still a little curious what so many people are doing here at such an early hour, and a little suspicious, to be honest. At least after such a prompt emergence of rumors about my "piloting", any paranoia no longer seems excessive.
The lessons went smoothly, however, the only unexpected moment was that Suzuhara, for some reason, did not show up at school, as a result of which Kensuke received a loud reprimand from Hikari with an order to take his homework to him. The half-hearted attempt of the bespectacled boy to disown such an honor was completely crushed by Guderian's tank group, um... well, I mean by another rebuke from the headman, now based on three key theses: "You are comrades with him!", "Helping your neighbor is the duty of any decent person" and "The social responsibility of each individual citizen is the foundation of society in our difficult times." Kensuke was destroyed. And judging by his eyes, he dreamed only of a shameful escape, preferably to the Canadian border, but they prudently did not give him a chance. Frankly, listening to this monologue, I discovered a couple of interesting solutions for how to verbally destroy the interlocutor out of nowhere, although they did not suit my image, but were still very interesting. Perhaps the headman really does have a soft spot for the "sportsman", because I personally do not see any other reason for such a violent reaction. Well, it's none of my business.
During the big break, Rey, like yesterday, stood up from her desk and turned to me, though she didn't have time to say anything, since I had already stood up and simply nodded understandingly and in agreement with her, simultaneously taking the school bag from her hand. Having seen it off with a strange look, the girl raised it to me and a second later, just as barely noticeably nodded, after which she turned around and went to the door.
We had lunch on the same bench as yesterday, and in silence, since I didn't even need to ask what exactly she wanted, since both portions were the same. Rei herself was in no hurry to start a conversation, and after finishing her bento, she took a biology textbook out of her bag and immersed herself in reading. I preferred to while away the time by reading a textbook on modern history. And so we sat. In general, as I noted a little later, during the entire day at school, neither Ayanami nor I said a single word, I even greeted the class with a short nod, while Rei didn't deign to do that at all. A wonderful example of social adaptation, isn't it? I have a feeling Asuka will have a lot of fun with us...