EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 130 Aibao! Ramen Thief? (Want to go eat ramen together?)
"I will send you back."

After making the necessary arrangements based on all the intelligence submitted by Kenzaki, Shinji Ikari was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"...No need, you go back to sleep first. I'm going to the simulator to practice my EVA stance..."

"Even at a time like this!?"

Kenzaki Kyoya glanced at Ikari Shinji in surprise... He was busy until midnight, and his boss wasn't going home but going to training?

"I've slept for three days already, so I'm not sleepy at all. You should get some rest."

"Can I ask why? Why are you so obsessed with the technology of piloting EVA? You could clearly..."

"You could easily transform into Tiga and solve the problem cleanly and efficiently, right? So—if you can't transform, are you just going to cry and kneel down to wait for death? I don't want to be that cowardly... Besides, I've practiced not only EVA, but also martial arts and shooting. I even had Walker from the intelligence department train me. Didn't he tell you that?"

The reasoning is very simple: Shinji Ikari is definitely not a man who can act arrogantly and domineeringly simply by relying on the power of Ultraman…

He had already prepared contingency plans for how to fight if he couldn't transform into Ultraman... or even how to resist if he couldn't pilot EVA!
In any predicament, as long as there is still a breath left... one can turn the most desperate situation into a possibility of counterattack by relying on the only resources at hand.

"Can we really win? What if the opponent is an Angel... or even a monster that surpasses an Angel—if we can't transform into Ultraman, is training like this really meaningful?"

Obviously, this is a rhetorical question... If the opponent is an enemy of the level of a Cataclysmic Beast... without being able to transform into Tiga, EVA alone has no chance of winning. Not to mention human firearms or even hand-to-hand combat techniques...

Faced with Kenzaki Kyoya's sharp and sarcastic question, Ikari Shinji smiled.

He laughed completely at ease, as if he were just an ordinary fifteen-year-old boy.

"have no idea--"

Then he shrugged with a relaxed and carefree air.

"Eh?"

This casual, conversational attitude left Kenzaki Kyouya somewhat bewildered…

"How can you know if you can win without fighting? Maybe you can win, but of course you probably can't... But it definitely has meaning. That is... I don't want to curl up in a corner and cry without doing anything... That's the meaning of resistance."

Therefore… I will do everything I can to the best of my ability, and persevere in my struggle to the very end… This process, filled with the will to resist, is, in my view… more important than the outcome of the resistance. I am human—even without Ultraman's help… I will fight as a human until my last drop of blood is shed. It's that simple.”

"It was my rudeness... Well then..."

Kenzaki Kyoya once again felt the boy's determination and tenacity; following him was indeed the right decision.

Just as he was about to wave goodbye, Shinji Ikari's phone rang.

"Hey, Asuka? What's up... Still at the base? Haven't eaten yet? I had an IV drip while I was sleeping, so I'm not really hungry... Ramen? Why do you suddenly want to eat that... Ayanami?? You two went to eat ramen?? When did you two become so close... Okay. Sure, I haven't had it in a long time either. We were planning to have it together anyway, shall we invite Misato? Eh? Hasn't she gone home yet? Okay, I got it, send me the address."

It was an ordinary conversation, the kind that could happen between any ordinary high school student...

However, this dialogue becomes all the more precious when it falls upon the chosen one of EVA... the boy who saves the world.

"Kenzaki and Asuka asked me to go get ramen, do you want to come along?"

"No, I'm not willing to do something so unromantic."

"What are you talking about? I'll invite Miss Beauty along. Is she still working overtime at the base too?"

“I’ll drive you there, Shinji.”

"...What?" "You...are laughing."

"……………ah?"

Seeing Kenzaki Kyoya's relieved and touched expression, Shinji Ikari was a little confused... He had only received a phone call from Asuka asking him to go out for ramen, so why did this guy seem so moved that he was about to cry?

"Perhaps Shinji himself didn't realize it... but when you're dealing with documents and government affairs... perhaps you're worried about Commander Gendo Ikari and SEELE's movements... there's always a tense, tired look between your brows. The corners of your mouth are also turned down. But... after you received Asuka's call... the tiredness on your face disappeared, and the corners of your mouth showed a smile that should be on a child's face... Seeing this expression on your face makes me very happy."

"Hiss—while I was asleep for a few days, you...didn't eat anything of dubious origin?"

Shinji Ikari grimaced as he stared at Kenzaki Kyoya, whose eyes were practically brimming with tears…

"One idiot like Kaworu Nagisa is enough for the gay character role, don't try that."

What Shinji Ikari didn't realize was that... actually, having a fourteen-year-old like Shinji Ikari shoulder the responsibility of saving the world was something that Kenzaki Kyouya could never let go of.

He was willing to follow Gendo Ikari and do so many dirty jobs for him... all so that this fragile world could continue...

But—the price is real; fourteen-year-olds like Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Soryu will be sent to the battlefield… while these powerless adults can only watch from behind…

Especially after discovering that even Ultraman is transformed from Shinji Ikari, a fifteen-year-old boy... it's as if the entire burden of the world rests on his shoulders alone.

Even if it's just a tiny bit... I wanted to do my part to help this child. That's why, at that time, I betrayed Gendo Ikari and turned to help Shinji Ikari.

Therefore, the more outstanding and capable Shinji Ikari appears on a daily basis, the more painful a certain part of Kenzaki Kyoya feels inside.

And now... I see him actually showing such an ordinary yet precious smile.

How could he not be happy?!
"Let's go. Let's rest for a bit... and see where Miss Misato is..."

"Yes!"

Unwavering in following Shinji Ikari's footsteps, the two left the hospital room together.

“…Huh?”

They arrived at the command center—the only office still lit at midnight—only to find several other people inside besides Misato Katsuragi…

The data analysis trio—Hyuga Makoto, Aoba Shigeru, and Ibuki Maya… and…

"Hey! Wang-chan! What are you doing here!"

Really hippo? ?

This combination is truly rare...

"What are you doing?"

"Let's have a heart-to-heart talk... After all, the struggles ahead may become increasingly brutal... There are many things I need to clarify with these three first. If they want to leave NERV, they should do so as soon as possible."

Misato Katsuragi knew that Shinji Ikari had to stay behind to handle official business, so it wasn't surprising that he hadn't gone home yet.

"Ah, really... you three... I haven't really had a proper chat with you guys yet. Perfect timing... there's no time like the present... Aibao! Ramen Ikkozei? (Want to go eat ramen together?)"

(End of this chapter)