EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from Tiga

Chapter 171 Go ahead and act all cute and spoiled with your older sister.
—Did she kill Ayanami...?

Even after arriving at headquarters, Misato Katsuragi was still unable to calm her emotions...

He leaned back in his office chair, lost in thought, recalling his conversation with Shinji Ikari.

"Killed... Rei...!? What...what happened...what does that mean?"

“Misato-nee...you’ve already seen Rei’s clone, haven’t you?”

Misato Katsuragi nodded silently... As her understanding of the Final Dogma area deepened, Misato Katsuragi also became increasingly aware of the information that Gendo Ikari had previously blocked.

"The girl in the black uniform who was brought back by you before... and then imprisoned in the base for attacking Kaji... and then disappeared—she must be a clone of Rei Ayanami."

"No... actually, that's not the case."

"no?"

"Yes, neither our Ayanami... nor that black-clad Ayanami... is the original form. They are Number Two and Number Three."

"...!"

Misato Katsuragi raised her eyebrows for a moment, then forcefully swallowed back the words that had just escaped her lips: "What about number one?"

Considering Shinji Ikari's extremely serious statement just now that they killed Rei... Misato Katsuragi could guess the fate of Rei... but why...? And when?
Do you know the cause of Naoko Akagi's death, Misato-nee?

"Wait...wasn't it said that he died in an accidental fall during an experiment...could it be...!?"

Misato Katsuragi wasn't stupid; she naturally understood what Shinji Ikari meant by bringing up Naoko Akagi's name at this moment.

"Yes. Naoko Akagi's death... was because she killed the then-young Rei, the Number One Rei. Then, out of guilt, she committed suicide... jumping off the platform—dying on the MAGI she herself had created for Gendo Ikari..."

"Why?! There's no reason at all?!"

Facing the rather excited Misato Katsuragi, Shinji Ikari merely glanced at her indifferently and sighed.

"Who knows... After Akagi Naoko and Rei died, everything disappeared. However... based on the available information, it was probably Gendo Ikari who instigated it."

"Commander Ikari?!"

"Yes... Let young Rei provoke Naoko Akagi, causing her to have a mental breakdown... As for whether she commits suicide or murders after her mental breakdown... or murders first and then commits suicide... no one knows. I'm also very curious whether having the first Rei die at Naoko Akagi's hands fits into my worst father's plan."

"This...this...!? How could...this be possible?!"

"Who knows? Anyway, it's not hard to understand why Akagi Naoko died... A woman's patience is limited. Being played like a fool by Gendo Ikari... No matter how deep Akagi Naoko's love was... As she got older, the stimulation from dopamine and oxytocin would dissipate."

When she realizes how foolish her actions were, she'll probably want to escape Gendo Ikari's control. Such a being is absolutely dangerous for Gendo; he can't ignore her… and just then, a useful woman appears who can replace her.”

"...Ritsuko, is that right?"

"Otherwise what? A woman with superb skills, capable of perfectly filling the void left by abandoning Akagi Naoko... and like her mother, a pitiful woman bewitched by Ikari Gendo and bound in a cage called love. Besides Akagi Ritsuko, who had just begun to experience love at that time... was there any other candidate?"

These are things that Ritsuko Akagi never told him or her...

While she was carefree, indulging in a week-long, inseparable blissful escapade with Kaji Ryoji in their rented apartment... her best friend had already embarked on such a twisted and utterly depraved path. "This idiot!"

While it's true that outsiders have no right to judge the relationship between two people, Gendo Ikari absolutely cannot make you happy! Don't you realize that?! You idiot Ritsuko!!!

"That's why I hate them—I hate Ritsuko Akagi and her daughter Naoko Akagi... because they don't suffer from the sudden and unprovoked violence of the Angels or natural disasters... but from the shackles of love in their hearts, willingly sacrificing themselves and walking step by step toward their own destruction. I can't save these people... Tiga can't save them either... no one can save them."

Having said that, Misato Katsuragi finally understood why Shinji Ikari so openly expressed his rejection of Akagi and her daughter.

It must have been very painful...

Chosen by NERV as the pilot of Unit 01, and receiving the power of Ultraman—a power born to protect humanity—it's as if Shinji Ikari's existence is that of a savior guiding humanity toward happiness.

But when faced with people who bring about their own destruction because of their own wrong choices, no matter how powerful a savior is, they are powerless. This feeling of watching them head towards their end, this sense of disgust and frustration, is the root cause of Shinji Ikari's malice.

"Shinji-kun...can I ask you a question?"

Now that things had come to this point, Misato Katsuragi realized something...

"Huh? You've asked me so many questions today? And you're still talking about this? Just tell me what's wrong."

"...You've been unwilling to face...Asuka's or Rei's feelings for you...You've been using changing the subject or stalling for time to brush it off, is it because of...this?"

Unexpectedly, the woman suddenly turned the topic back to herself, causing Shinji Ikari to scratch his head with a troubled expression.

"Why are you suddenly bringing me up... I don't know anything about this..."

"Shinji-kun. This is really important! Please answer truthfully! I heard Kenzaki's words that day... I also realized that we can't rely on you alone... We must do everything we can for your happiness! We absolutely cannot let you, who has always protected humanity and us... have a bad ending! So... when it comes to feelings, feel free to be affectionate with your older sister!"

"...Sigh, alright. I can't say...it won't have any impact."

She noticed that Misato Katsuragi's eyes, as clear as lake water, held no trace of gloom, only worry and concern for her.

Even Shinji Ikari, who couldn't stand that kind of look, could only admit defeat and give an honest answer.

"I'm not stupid; I wasn't completely oblivious to those two kids' feelings for me... When I first arrived, I didn't pay much attention to it. I continued to take care of those around me as always... But by the time I realized it, those two had developed feelings for me that went beyond comradeship. Then I realized... it might be what they call romantic love. I quickly changed my attitude to prevent any more inexplicable things from happening..."

"...Oh, I see..."

Misato Katsuragi gave a wry smile... she could indeed sense the change in Shinji Ikari's attitude.

When he first met Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu, he was such a gentle and sunny puppy... that Misato Katsuragi couldn't help but want to hug him! But later, his attitude became increasingly hard and forceful...

Misato Katsuragi thought that the change in his personality was due to the continuous high-intensity battles with the Angels... but it turns out that he was just putting on a grumpy face to prevent more girls from getting into emotional entanglements.

Thinking about it this way, Rei Ayanami and Asuka seem a bit pitiful. After all... does Shinji Ikari, an Ultraman, really still have human feelings of love?
"So, you don't like either of them?"

"...Perhaps? Maybe? I should...like...it?"

—What an adorable reaction!

I take back what I said earlier! This child definitely still has human emotions!!
(End of this chapter)