EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from the Dragon Clan

Chapter 8 7. Katsuragi Misato feels guilty
explosion.

In an instant, huge light and heat burst out on Central Street. The resulting shock wave overturned many scrapped vehicles. With a loud bang, everyone in the command room became worried about the outcome of the battle.

"Hurry up and retrieve the surrounding surveillance."

"Where are the Angels and Unit-01?"

"The Angel is shown to have been destroyed, but Unit-01 has not yet been confirmed."

With such a violent explosion, can Unit-01, which is located at the center, survive?

Misato Katsuragi looked at the surveillance footage nervously, observing carefully whether there were any purple-green painted mechas, trying to find a possibility.

Could it be that the boy died just like that?
No, there is still a chance.

Unit-01 also has an AT field on its body, so if it opens, it still has a chance to survive such an explosion. However, the boy was seriously injured before, would he still have the strength to save himself in the explosion?

That slim chance...

Misato recalled the brief conversation she had with Shinji Ikari in the car.

"You finally reconciled, right?"

“…Yes.”

She lied.

But he didn't lie.

Happy families are all alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

This is a story few people know.

When Misato Katsuragi was young, her father was busy with research and she often saw her mother secretly crying. She naively believed that her father left her because she was not good enough or well-behaved. She did not understand that it was her father who had abandoned her and her.

And when she understood, she began to hate her father.

He had a very bad relationship with his father and thought that his father didn't care about him at all. He did a lot of stupid things during his adolescence.

But fifteen years ago.

During the disaster on the Antarctic continent, both the father and daughter were at the research station. Faced with the disaster that swept the whole world, the father gave the last lifeboat to himself, leaving only a cross necklace as a relic.

There is no chance for reconciliation.

There will never be another chance to say sorry in person.

Why did she bring up her relationship with her father at that time? Because Misato seemed to see herself in that boy.

Although it was a personal pain and a scar she didn't want to be exposed, she couldn't avoid talking about it in the long life of more than ten years after returning from Antarctica. So she buried all the feelings that had not yet been expressed and the words that could not be said in the darkness deep in her consciousness, showing her usual smile to a place where no one was around.

That's how she got to where she is today and has grown into an adult.

and so.

Since you are an adult, you should shoulder the responsibilities of adults.

It was really cunning to give these children the responsibility of sacrifice and saving the world. Bring him into NERV and send him to the seat of Unit-01 personally...

If I sacrifice...

Misato Katsuragi walked out of the command room and decided to see the final outcome with her own eyes.

"Captain Katsuragi."

It was the voice of Ritsuko Akagi.

She chased after him from behind, her steps hurried. The usually calm blonde beauty showed a nervous expression.

"Let's go and see it together."

It was completely dark outside. Since the seasons became extreme, night fell early every day. Under the dim sky, the incandescent lights illuminated the place as bright as day. Busy workers were cleaning up the ruins. The EVA Unit-01 lying on the ground was being lifted up by a crane and placed on a conveyor belt, ready to be transported back to the headquarters for repair.

The heat made me gradually feel irritated as I shuttled through these densely packed crowds that looked like ants working on food.

The two found no trace of Shinji.

The tension in Misato Katsuragi's heart grew tighter and tighter.

Even though I had only known the boy for a short time, an adult and a child were so similar in some ways, the only thing was that the feeling of concern was real.

Here and there...

Still couldn't find it, she suddenly felt discouraged.

Fortunately.

A good friend gave me the good news.

"I'm so lucky to have survived such a strong explosion."

The blonde Ritsuko sighed, pointed in a direction, and then stopped. It was obvious that she had no desire to talk to Shinji. She came here just to confirm the boy's safety.

From a distance, Misato saw the boy who was alone.

He didn't look seriously injured.

As expected, he opened the AT field during the explosion to defend against the impact, right? It was amazing. She could feel Shinji's pain just by listening to his voice on the command channel. At the end, the kid almost lost consciousness.

but.

Great.

It's great to be alive and not injured.

Misato couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, as if a certain burden in her heart had been lifted, and she walked forward.

Then she noticed something was wrong.

The boy stood in the sky corridor, looking up at the body of Unit-01 being transported back to the headquarters for repair. Misato looked over from the side and was surprised by the look on his face. It didn't seem like he was looking at it, but at something behind it. Ghost, invisible existence, no matter what noun was used to describe it, it was not quite accurate, but it was chilling.

"Shinji-kun, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Ah, it's Miss Misato." The boy turned around and said, "I want to ask, is there any artificial intelligence in the EVA machine?"

"artificial intelligence?"

Misato was stunned for a rare moment.

She probably guessed the purpose of Shinji asking this question, probably thinking of using artificial intelligence to control EVA.

This is the direction the technical department is currently researching.

"Are you talking about the supercomputer in the headquarters? Its technology is also used in EVA to a certain extent, but using a computer to control EVA is not something we can do with our current technology. A pilot is necessary."

That supercomputer is the core of the organization.

The boy nodded.

But he did not look very satisfied, as if he had not gotten the answer to some unsolved mystery.

Misato didn't care.

Because there are more important things to do right now.

"By the way, Shinji-kun, we need to go to the hospital for a basic physical examination to prevent any accidents. Come with me."

Shinji followed behind obediently.

But soon Misato Katsuragi discovered that the child was not as intact as he looked. When he walked, the left half of his body twitched from time to time. She immediately remembered that EVA was seriously injured in the previous battle between Unit-01 and the Angel. The pain of mental synchronization is not so easy to eliminate.

However, he did not show any abnormal gesture after the battle.

I guess that's why.

It will be ignored by the medical staff responsible for first aid.

"I'm sorry, it was my oversight. I'll go get a stretcher. Shinji-kun, please wait here for a moment."

Leaving at a trot.

Misato quickly stopped two uniformed staff members. She didn't know that she was an unreliable adult in Shinji's eyes, but in fact, she was the director of the Operations Department in NERV, responsible for planning the battle plan with the Angels. She had a high position and was trusted by many staff members.

soon.

Misato Katsuragi accompanied him to the hospital.

She was not completely relieved until she received the complete medical report from the doctor.

"How about it?"

The boy's expression was dull.

It looked like he was asking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"I still need a few days of rest mentally, but I am fine physically and don't need to be hospitalized."

Katsuragi Misato answered.

Her face was full of relief and she was truly happy for it.

She put her arm around Shinji's shoulders and patted his uninjured right shoulder. Katsuragi Misato, who was used to expressing intimacy through physical contact, smiled. It was almost midnight outside. The examination took a long time, but it was worth it. There were too many things to do today, and I didn't know how late I could go back to rest. Staying up late is a woman's biggest enemy.

At this moment, Shinji next to him asked a practical question.

"Speaking of hospitalization, Miss Misato, where will I be staying tonight?"

"I almost forgot about this," Katsuragi Misato patted her head in annoyance, "Next I have to go to the logistics department to arrange your accommodation and transfer."

This kind of thing should be brought to the attention of the logistics department.

But now she happened to be free.

Then let's take Shinji with us.

"Transfer to another school?" He showed a surprised expression on his face, which was a rare and cute expression. "Do I still need to go to school?"

He looks just like a bad boy who doesn't want to go to school.

This is not possible.

Misato Katsuragi touched Shinji's head and ruffled his hair. She thought Shinji's reaction was quite interesting.

"You still have to go to school at your age, don't think you can get away with it just because you can fly an EVA."

"bring it on."

"Come with me to the logistics department."

The boy, who had always behaved very maturely before, rarely showed the awkwardness and reluctance that was normal for his age.

Misato Katsuragi, who was in a good mood, didn't care about that.

Just as he was about to ask someone to carry the stretcher to the logistics department, Shinji took the initiative to get down from it.

"Shinji-kun?"

"It hurts, but after getting off Unit-01, it's become bearable. Just let me walk over. It would be too embarrassing to be carried all the way over for everyone to see."

How to say this.

The...show of strength that belongs to boys?

Misato Katsuragi was not unwilling. After all, the medical report said that the injury was only mental phantom pain. After seeing that Shinji turned around a few circles on the spot and there was nothing wrong with him, except that his left half of the body was still a little unresponsive, she allowed Shinji to go over.

While walking on the road, she suddenly remembered a detail.
"In that case, why didn't you object to having the stretcher brought to the hospital earlier, Shinji-kun?"

"because……"

"I see that you are very anxious, Miss Misato... I feel that even if I told you then, you wouldn't listen, so I only brought it up now."

indeed.

When he noticed that Shinji was not feeling well, his face must have been very panicked.

Fortunately, he was not seriously injured.

What a fortune in misfortune.

She led Shinji to the logistics department, where the lights were on, so bright that there was not even a shadow. The sound of people operating computers and entering data was endless. It seemed that she would have to work an extra shift today. Many people greeted her and noticed the boy next to her.

The head of the logistics department was looking at documents in the office. When he saw her coming, he stood up and

"Ah, Minister Katsuragi."

"You guys haven't gotten off work yet."

"After all, a lot of things happened today. I guess we won't be able to leave work until the early morning." The person in charge scratched his head. "How is the combat department?"

"I'm done with my work, come and get Shinji-kun's things."

"Oh, Shinji-kun. He's the commander's son, right?"

The person in charge looked like he was meeting a favorite junior, and he was very adult-like. "The things are ready. In addition, his luggage in the countryside will be sent to his address tomorrow."

He took out a bunch of things from the drawer and handed them over one by one.

"Yes, address, bank card, room key, ID card for entering and leaving NERV..."

Misato Katsuragi took the address first, and Shinji also came over to take a look.

Room 24, Area .

It is a place to accommodate the relatives of internal personnel.

"Your room is very close to the pilot of Unit 00."

"Unit Zero pilot?"

There are currently two EVA pilots in Japan.

In addition to him, there is another pilot who was unable to fight due to serious injuries and is probably still lying in the hospital.

Misato smiled, with a hint of ill intention. This smile would only look malicious on other people's faces, but on a lively older woman like her it could only be seen as teasing.

"Oh, yes, it's a girl. Her name is Rei, Ayanami Rei. You two will meet her soon."

The two men collided.

I don't know what kind of chemical reaction will occur.

After teasing Shinji.

Misato Katsuragi looked at the room number and suddenly realized something she hadn't noticed before. "Wait, is this for him to live alone? What about the commander?"

What happened to Commander Ikari?

Can't the two of them communicate properly? This father and son are really troublesome.

Although I am not qualified to say this.

"Yes, his room is in the sixth area in front. Is there any problem?" The head of the logistics department looked over.

The boy also had a puzzled look on his face.

"Are you really willing, Shinji-kun?"

"No problem, it's better to be alone."

Shinji answered slowly and clearly, abstracting those fatal and tearing feelings that seemed fatal to outsiders into a few words, as if he was telling a story that had nothing to do with himself.

No.

A person with bad talent.

Misato Katsuragi clutched the A4 paper with her address written on it and fell into silence.

"Ms. Misato?"

The boy was a little puzzled.

"Live with me," although it was just an impulse, Misato soon realized that she was really worried about this boy.
"I'll take care of you."

Call it sympathy or pity.

Misato Katsuragi did not want the child to follow her old path. She was sure that there was affection between the father and son. If they continued to misunderstand each other, there would never be a reconciliation between the two.

but.

The boy said,

"No need, Miss Misato."

Shinji came closer and looked into her eyes. His eyes were full of seriousness and his resolute face made it easy to ignore his age.

"I can take care of myself."

"But……"

"Ms. Misato, please believe me."

Such a look.

This prevented Misato Katsuragi from saying anything further.

Shinji put away these necessities of life.

He turned and walked outside.

The boy's back was very thin, and the injuries he suffered in the battle with the apostles made him limp, like an old doll that no one claimed in the trash can. Misato suddenly couldn't help but worry. Can he really take care of himself? Does he really understand the meaning of being an EVA pilot? Is this his first time here? Should I show him the way or something? After all, I have to take care of him myself, right?
"correct."

He suddenly turned his head and showed a clean smile.
"Don't feel guilty, Ms. Misato."

"Me? Guilty?" Misato was stunned.

"You are a soldier, but you shirked your responsibility and sent an underage boy to the battlefield, and even sent him there yourself... I have always felt guilty about this, so I couldn't help but want to make up for it. Isn't that what Miss Misato thinks?"

after that.

The figure has gone far away.

(End of this chapter)