EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 163 How about it? Ikari-kun... will this make you happy?

"…Um?"

After concluding the conversation with Vice Commander Fuyutsuki, as well as the conversation between Kaji Ryoji and Kenzaki Kyoya…

Exhausted, Shinji Ikari decided to visit Asuka in the hospital and also to clear his mind.

However, instead of seeing Asuka's expectant yet melancholic face in the ward, they found only an empty room and a nurse packing up her things.

"Excuse me, um... that girl who lives here, the one with the weird face and the really grumpy temper..."

Noticing Shinji Ikari's question, the caregiver was stunned for a moment, then nervously put on a fawning smile.

"Um... Eh?! Mr. Ikari! Ah, I'm sorry... Ms. Asuka was discharged from the hospital this morning..."

"Discharged? She no longer needs observation?"

"Well, because her health has been relatively stable recently... and it was her own suggestion, the doctor agreed to her request..."

"OK, thanks."

I noticed that the caregiver kept leaving without returning to her work... instead, she watched me leave with utmost respect, as if afraid that my actions might be in any way impolite...

Shinji Ikari shook his head with a wry smile... Although there was no need to deliberately keep it a secret, it seemed that the lower-ranking personnel were beginning to know that he was the leader of this base...

So tired—

That obsequious look, a mixture of unease and alienation, weighed even heavier on Shinji Ikari's already weary heart... Now Shinji understood why Daigo had asked him to keep his identity as the human host of Ultraman a secret as much as possible.

The power wielded by the NERV base leader alone has already distorted and alienated the way these people look at him. If he were to reveal his identity as Tiga to the public, Shinji Ikari couldn't even imagine how these madmen would ostracize him.

So tired—

Although he already knew these things in his heart, Shinji Ikari still found it hard to accept seeing ordinary people looking at him with distant eyes...

"Ok?"

The sudden flashing of the phone screen diverted Shinji Ikari's attention.

"News about Asuka...?"

A pop-up message from a social networking app—Asuka: [Image]

"……What is this?"

Completely baffled as to why Asuka would suddenly send him a picture, he clicked on it and found that it was...!
(PS: If this picture gets approved, please ignore the color of the sea.)

The photo prominently features Asuka's beautiful body, her face slightly flushed, her legs somewhat awkwardly pressed together, sitting on a bench in a seductive pose.

The only fabric covering her body was a red and white striped bikini swimsuit... which unabashedly displayed her snow-white, gentle skin to Shinji Ikari.

You can see Asuka's flat and silky abdominal lines, her slightly cute concave navel, and her still developing, promising young buds.

Asuka herself was looking at the camera... her face was flushed with shyness, but she still stubbornly showed a pure and beautiful smile that fully displayed her youthful vitality.

Shinji Ikari was so taken aback by the sudden swimsuit photos that his mind went blank for a moment. He focused all his energy on imprinting this stunning scene into his hippocampus, which caused him to forget to simply tap the save button on his phone.

The result, naturally, was one minute later... [This message has been retracted]

Shinji Ikari: ? ? ?

A wave of regret washed over me for not saving it, but I still had to ask... what was wrong with this girl?

Asuka: W-Did you see that?!
Shinji Ikari: It shows as read, of course... How come you went straight to the beach after leaving the hospital??
Faced with Shinji's confusion... Asuka's screen displayed "[The other party is typing...]" several times, but then... nothing was sent...

A few seconds later, it showed "The other party is typing..." again, and then nothing was sent...

From Asuka's silence, Shinji could sense her deafening panic.

"What is this guy doing??"

“Ikari-kun…!”

Rei Ayanami's voice suddenly rang out from behind him, drawing Shinji Ikari's attention from his phone to a spot not far behind him... where he saw Rei Ayanami, wearing a school uniform, panting and looking slightly tired.

"Ayanami, what's wrong? Is there something you need?"

It's not common for Rei Ayanami to run all the way here. Apart from when she's piloting an EVA, Ikari rarely sees the girl out of breath.

"Um…!"

As Rei Ayanami steadied her breathing, she... glanced around anxiously...

"What happened?"

Seeing Rei Ayanami's extremely abnormal behavior, Shinji Ikari frowned... Could it be that an enemy has infiltrated this place? Or is there a suspicious person following Rei Ayanami...?

As he spoke, Shinji Ikari closed his eyes... switching his senses from sight to aura detection, keenly searching his surroundings... but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find any suspicious individuals around him.

"What...cough?!"

Just as Shinji Ikari opened his eyes with a suspicious look, intending to ask what was going on—

Rei Ayanami, seemingly having confirmed that no NERV employees were around, actually lifted up the top of her school uniform with her hand!

(PS: If this image is approved, please ignore the background.)

In an instant, the lines covered by the cute white bra caused Shinji Ikari's vision to be struck again!

Her crystalline body, even whiter than Asuka's... her slightly slender frame revealing the clearly visible outline of her ribs... and the glimpse of her white underwear peeking out from below her cute little belly button, all of which shocked Shinji Ikari, who had never witnessed such a scene before.

I originally thought that since I had seen Rei Ayanami's bath scene before, I should be somewhat immune to it...

But it was only then that Shinji realized that the visual effect of being completely naked was worlds apart from lifting up his school uniform jacket to reveal his intimate underwear!

Not to mention Rei Ayanami, who has an innocent, childlike face and should know nothing about these things! Even now... Rei Ayanami doesn't blush like Asuka does... she still observes Shinji Ikari's reaction with her big, bright red eyes, her face still innocent and pure.

The mysterious area that was usually hidden under his casual clothes was now being revealed to him by the child in this public place where people could pass by at any time, creating a strong sense of contrast for Shinji Ikari!
"How is it, Ikari-kun...? Does this make you happy?"

(End of this chapter)