Rei Ayanami set down her milk glass, looking earnestly at Asuka, and suddenly said: "Asuka, good morning."
"And... thank you for the breakfast."
Facing Rei Ayanami's sincere and warm gaze, the sharp retort Asuka had prepared instantly got stuck in her throat.
The doll who used to only speak of orders and missions could now actually smile and say thank you?
"Hmph..." Asuka turned her head away, though her earlobes were slightly flushed, and her voice softened. "Just eat your food!"
Hansen put down the newspaper, looking at the three girls before him who had completely different personalities yet were equally beautiful, a satisfied curve tugging at the corner of his mouth.
The tsundere with twin tails, the "Ayanami-style" girl who had changed, and the scheming girl with glasses.
The harvest in this world is truly bountiful.
The rain had passed and the sky cleared; the air was filled with the fresh scent of earth mixed with grass.
The classroom door of Class 2-A at First Junior High was pulled open.
Two beautiful figures walked in side by side.
On the left was Asuka, and on the right was Rei Ayanami.
This should have been a scene the students were accustomed to, even though both were mysterious EVA Pilots.
But today, the classroom went quiet all at once, as if a lion had suddenly strolled into a flock of naive sheep.
Asuka still held her chin high, her long orange hair gleaming under the sunlight.
And beside her, Rei Ayanami actually had a faint smile on her lips, leaving people dazzled.
"Ayanami... is she actually smiling?"
Suzuhara Toji stood there in a daze, while Aida Kensuke beside him couldn't help but nudge him: "Hey, hey, hey, have some restraint, you're about to drool."
"Slurp... I'm not drooling, you guy!"
In the back row of the classroom, the silver-haired youth Nagisa Kaworu and Shinji Ikari stopped their conversation.
The former rested his chin on one hand, observing everything with great interest.
The latter was lost in thought, having sensed the fundamental change within his companion.
Like them, everyone realized that Rei Ayanami and Asuka were completely different from how they used to be.
Lunch break, school rooftop.
Asuka and Rei Ayanami had just found a shady spot to sit down when a figure suddenly flipped in nimbly from outside the railing.
"Yahoo~ Princess! And Miss Honor Student~"
Mari Makinami, that eternally energetic girl with glasses, approached with a grin, carrying a large bag of high-end snacks she had swiped from somewhere.
She had absolutely no concept of social distance, hanging directly onto Asuka's back like a koala, her cheek rubbing against Asuka's neck.
"Get off, you idiot with glasses! You're hot, you cat in heat!" Although Asuka was cursing, and even elbowed backward, she didn't actually use force to shake her off.
"Oh my, don't be so cold, this is a limited-edition pudding I specifically snatched from the cafeteria~"
Mari Makinami took out a pudding like she was presenting a treasure and shoved it into Asuka's hand, not forgetting Rei Ayanami beside her.
"Here, Honor Student, this is your red bean bun."
Rei Ayanami quietly took it: "Thank you."
Just at this rare moment of leisure, an untimely electronic sound broke the tranquility.
The door to the stairwell leading to the rooftop opened, and Shinji Ikari walked up, looking somewhat awkward.
"Sorry, Misato insisted that I come find you."
From the communicator in his hand, Misato's voice also sounded somewhat helpless: "Asuka, and Rei, can you hear me? The Commander requires you to return to headquarters for a comprehensive physical examination and psychological evaluation..."
"Heard it, heard it."
Asuka didn't even lift her head, digging a spoonful of pudding into her mouth, her voice somewhat muffled.
"Asuka, this isn't the time for jokes," Ritsuko's voice came from the communicator, "After yesterday's incident, your physical condition really needs medical observation..."
Snap.
With a crisp cracking sound, the voice in the communicator came to an abrupt halt.
Under Shinji's stunned gaze, Asuka's fair, slender palm gripped the air, and the explosion-proof communicator in her hand, made of military-grade composite materials, crumbled into countless electronic components and plastic debris like a crispy biscuit.
Sparks flickered, and a few wisps of blue smoke drifted out from between Shinji Ikari's fingers.
"So annoying."
Asuka tilted her head slightly, looking at the thoughtful Shinji: "Idiot Shinji, pass on a message for me."
"From now on, we only take orders from the teacher."
The sunset after school dyed the entire world blood red.
Hansen, holding that thermos—which might have contained goji berries or soda—walked slowly through the empty school corridor like a retired senior official.
"You've been following me the whole way, aren't you going to come out and chat?"
Hansen stopped and spoke to the empty corner.
Immediately, a slender figure stepped out from the shadows.
Nagisa Kaworu had his hands in his pockets, his silver hair glowing red under the setting sun, a faint smile on his handsome face.
"Sorry to disturb you, Teacher Hansen," Nagisa Kaworu bowed slightly, his posture as elegant as an ancient aristocrat. "Or should I say... a god from outside this world."
Hansen turned around, looking at this First Angel, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly: "No need to be so polite; regardless, we are teacher and student now."
"Is that so..."
"Alright, let's be direct," Hansen interrupted Nagisa Kaworu's contemplation, unscrewed the thermos, and took a sip. "What business do you have with me?"
"I saw broken chains of fate on Asuka and Rei. You... possess the power to sever the cycle of reincarnation."
Nagisa Kaworu restrained his smile, his aura rising sharply.
"Therefore, I have come to confirm one thing."
The First Angel's [AT Field] unfolded silently in the corridor like a barrier, and the space seemed as if it were about to be frozen by this power.
"Are you the Demon King bringing the end to this world, or..."
Clap—
A large hand, without warning, penetrated the [AT Field] capable of withstanding a nuclear explosion, and landed heavily on Nagisa Kaworu's shoulder.
Nagisa Kaworu's pupils shook violently.
In front of this hand, his own power was as fragile as a soap bubble.
At this moment, the First Angel looked just like a younger brother being pinned against the wall.
"Don't be so nervous, boy of reincarnation."
Hansen pressed down on Nagisa Kaworu's shoulder; the mere leakage of that vast power, like a miniature star, made the First Angel feel a trembling at the soul level.
That was the absolute suppression from a superior being.
"I have no interest in destroying the world, nor do I have any interest in being some savior." Hansen leaned in close to Nagisa Kaworu and whispered, "I just find those predetermined tragedies unpleasant, and I want to tear them apart while I'm at it."
"As for you..."
Hansen let go and straightened Nagisa Kaworu's collar for him.
"Since you exist for the sake of Shinji's happiness, then just continue your work."
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