Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

"But he's not some random guy. He's Adam, or at least Adam's soul. And it's just pure friendship. Princess, please stop playing those BL games; they'll pollute your brain."

"I never play those games. Is this really friendship? Why do I feel so strange?" Asuka muttered as she sat back down and picked up her bowl and chopsticks.

Although it was just ordinary char siu noodles, it was a rare delicacy in this post-apocalyptic world. However, it was a pity for a human like herself who had become an apostle, because her taste buds had been lost. Sometimes Asuka even wondered if she could live forever like an apostle, even if she didn't eat or drink.

"The taste is still just average. The Ichiraku Ramen that I used to eat with that idiot Shinji, Misato, and the honor student was much better than this," Asuka muttered.

“Princess.” Mari put down her chopsticks with a serious expression.

"Huh? What?"

“Your sense of taste has returned.” Mari turned to look at the bewildered Asuka. “And your emotions, haven’t you noticed? It seems that when it comes to things related to Shinji Ikari, you can briefly regain your humanity.”

Asuka remained silent, thinking to herself that even an idiot like Shinji wasn't an antibiotic that could work for everything.

But as she ate the chashu noodles in front of her, the aroma filling her mouth made her reminisce about the past. The moment he didn't come to save her during the battle against Unit-03, the instant she formed a friendship with Rei Ayanami, the chashu noodles she ate with the idiot Shinji and the others, and finally their first encounter in Yokohama—it was as if an unseen hand was pulling the timeline back at breakneck speed… Finally, she suddenly realized something: perhaps what Mari Makinami said was true.

Because looking back on my life, I realize that he was there at the most crucial moments in my life.

The voice of Mari Makinami echoed in my ears again, "The path you wish to walk seems endless~ Yet, why grit your teeth and continue fighting~"

Late at night, Asuka suddenly opened her eyes wide and stared intently at a light bulb covered in fine dust hanging down from the high white ceiling.

It must be past midnight now... I keep feeling a long, sharp sound somewhere nearby, its notes drawn out... But as I try to close my eyes and go back to sleep, the lingering echo, like the fluttering of bee wings, gradually weakens until it disappears completely. The surroundings fall silent once more.

Asuka sat up straight on the bed, expressionless, or rather, with a naturally grumpy face.

After the battle with the bird angel, Misato Katsuragi repeatedly asked herself if she was alright, and her answer was always the same: she was fine. Of course, even so, the medical team carrying the first-aid kit took her to the infirmary for a full check-up, and the final diagnosis was that there was indeed nothing wrong with her.

But the real problem lies on a psychological level.

Asuka believed that after the battle with the Bird Angel, even if she piloted Unit-02 again in simulation tests, the synchronization rate wouldn't be a near-single-digit score, on the verge of obsolescence. She also fully realized that she didn't need to compare herself to Shinji Ikari; he was a monster. Even if many people online said he was God's last salvation for humanity.

Therefore, she did not make any rash moves during this Bird Angel operation, quietly fulfilling her role as a support.

However, she would never forget those images that had repeatedly flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope.

The mental pollution of the bird angel is not just painful memories, but also memories of joy, torment, satisfaction of achievement, anger, and loss of emotional control... It's as if you're reliving them all at this moment, and there are also some scenes that never happened at all, naturally woven together by the mental pollution of the bird angel.

Even Shinji Ikari didn't expect that the mental pollution he suffered when he was attacked by the Bird Angel would resurface in Asuka's dream at night, including the scene of Asuka choking him and questioning him.

"Salvation...?"

Asuka got out of bed, went to the living room, poured herself a glass of water, drank it all in one gulp, and went straight to Shinji Ikari's room.

Walking to the bedside, Asuka gazed expressionlessly at the sleeping boy's face. She took off her shoes and stepped onto the bed, then lightly tapped Shinji's cheek with her foot, seemingly unconcerned about waking him. Barefoot, she bounced around on the bed a few times before gently sitting on Shinji's lap, her soft body undisturbed. She then slowly lowered herself to rest her head on his chest.

"Let's get married, Shinji Ikari."

182: The Bright Night We Spent Together

There was no reaction, or rather, the noise was not enough to wake the sleeping boy.

Asuka tentatively poked Shinji's chin with her index finger, then slightly raised the corners of her mouth, pinched Shinji's nose, and silently counted down in her mind... Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, when she saw Shinji slightly open his mouth and kiss Shinji's lips with a rather domineering aura.

That domineering, orange-scented aura forcefully pried open Shinji Ikari's mouth.

"I'm not pretending to be asleep anymore." In the dead of night, Asuka's deep blue eyes seemed to reflect the rippling moonlight, like a jungle cat hunting its prey, staring at Shinji Ikari's sparsely open eyes.

Shinji Ikari thought to himself, "If you pinch my nose like that, even if I'm really sleeping, I'll be woken up." But arguing about that was obviously pointless at this point.

Asuka changed into a beige long dress, revealing her shoulders with two thin straps. She untied her hairband, letting her tied-up blonde hair fall loosely over her shoulders. Asuka looked exactly the same as when they first met.

The moonlight was bright, and the girl sitting on her belly had piercing eyes.

Asuka rested her hands on either side of Shinji Ikari's cheeks, her hair cascading down like a waterfall. This created a small, intimate space just for the two of them, where they could only look into each other's eyes and share their heartbeats.

"Have you thought it through? Do you want to marry me?" Asuka looked into Shinji Ikari's eyes.

Shinji Ikari didn't play dumb on this topic, because Asuka's current state clearly didn't allow him to remain ambiguous. But he still needed to carefully consider how to phrase it.

“We’ve talked about similar topics before, haven’t we? Shouldn’t we start as lovers?” Shinji Ikari thought for a moment and said.

"Because I don't trust you. Your gaze is good at diving into the abyss, and you never answer my questions directly. If I don't speak up, you'll still be messing around with those girls, kissing and hugging. Just thinking about it makes me feel terrible... and I can't wait any longer." Asuka pressed her forehead against Shinji's, their eyes met, and their noses gently brushed against each other.

"Idiot Shinji, I'm asking you, you... like me, right?" Asuka grabbed Shinji's hand and placed it against her chest.

"I fell in love with you the first time I saw you at the arcade in Yokohama."

"In the silence of countless nights, I dreamt that our hands were clasped tightly. Perhaps everything that is happening now is still just a dream." Asuka said softly, "Marry me. I don't want to overthink anymore. I just want to be with you."

Shinji Ikari paused for a few seconds, then said, "But we're too old to get married."

It's not entirely accurate to say that there's no way to get married; there are definitely ways.

After the second wave of the pandemic, the population plummeted by half. To restore population numbers, most governments lowered the marriage age and encouraged childbirth. Virginia and Maryland in the US lowered it from sixteen to fourteen, while some states that legalized child marriage remained unchanged.

Serbia lowered the age from 22 to 18; Germany lowered it from 18 to 16, with courts allowing those under 16, provided their spouses are 16 or older; Britain lowered it from 16 to 14; Lithuania lowered it from 15 for men and 12 for women, with the age requirement lowered if pregnant; the Philippines has no requirement.

As for Japan—fourteen for girls and sixteen for boys. Similar to Greece, children can be under the legal age with the consent of both parents and court permission.

“We can go to America, Europe, or Britain, as long as you want.” Asuka cupped Shinji’s face in her hands. “I’m a little scared, you know?”

Shinji Ikari took the initiative to kiss Asuka's lips. It was just a simple kiss, but it earned Asuka an even more passionate response.

However, Shinji Ikari didn't take it any further. In the past, he would have already undressed the girl while discussing whether he liked her or not. But today, as he held this delicate body in his arms, her body was trembling.

Asuka isn't Rei Ayanami, and Shinji Ikari doesn't know what she's afraid of. Rarely, Shinji senses a barrier between their hearts with Asuka.

But Asuka's affection was genuine.

"Aren't you going to hug me? You would have already untied my bra strap by this time before." After the passionate kiss, Asuka breathed warmly. "You like me, don't you?"

Asuka asked about this again.

"In that case, let's make a promise. If you don't have anyone you want to marry when we turn sixteen, and I haven't fallen in love with anyone else, then let's get married."

Shinji Ikari was naturally willing to marry Asuka, but what Asuka wanted was a clean, pure love that belonged only to her.

Not to mention the girls, these men also include Misato Katsuragi and Rei Ayanami. And then, peacefully and joyfully, they lived out their lives in pure love.

Shinji Ikari wasn't unwilling; he just hadn't decided yet.

However, Asuka seemed to have a different understanding of Shinji's silence. When Shinji looked up and met Asuka's gaze, he instinctively wanted to say yes, but Asuka seemed worried that Shinji would say something she didn't want to hear, so she took it upon herself to say, "Then it's settled!"

While seemingly assertive, Asuka's proactive approach of demanding marriage puts her at a disadvantage in the game of love. However, if love is unequal, Asuka is willing to love you a little more than you love her.

As if an agreement had been reached, and as if Asuka's obsession had dissipated, she lay on his chest, and Shinji could feel her soft breasts rising and falling slightly.

Asuka seemed to sense something as well, and sat up abruptly, biting her lip as she stared at Shinji Ikari. Her deep blue eyes seemed to hold some kind of hidden desire, like a raging beast sealed within.

"Idiot Shinji, help me untie the belt, I don't want to move."

Without even looking, Shinji Ikari reached out and effortlessly untied the shoulder straps. The familiar dress slid down like a yellow flower, revealing her shapely figure and the unique charm of a young girl. There was no need for Asuka to say anything further; in the embrace, Shinji skillfully removed the remaining two pieces of her undergarments… And at that moment, Shinji remembered what Asuka had said to him that night.

If we go further, then it really comes down to choosing between marrying her and losing her forever.

Asuka tilted her head back, revealing her beautiful and delicate swan neck. She stretched her body into the most comfortable posture, spreading her legs apart and placing her hands below her waist.

"...Idiot Shinji, don't...look at me..."

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183: Intertwined between fragrance and beauty

Often at night, Asuka couldn't distinguish between reality and illusion.

For example, now——

She presented her most primal self to Shinji Ikari, muttering words that were difficult to understand. In the instant their eyes met, she felt a mix of shyness and an unprecedented sense of satisfaction spreading through her heart.

It seems that ever since the battle against the Seraphim ended, I've always been trying to make up for my imperfections during the day.

He was captivated by Shinji Ikari's scent, his belongings, the bed he slept in, the wrinkled clothes, his room, even the same shower gel in the bathroom.

Psychologists say that smell is the only sense that can directly access the brain's emotional and memory centers. Biologists and evolutionary psychologists believe that humans, as mammals, still retain to some extent our primal biological instincts: we judge physiological compatibility based on the scents emitted by each other's body hormones and choose mates accordingly.

Therefore, craving someone's scent, or even wanting to leave one's bodily fluids in their vicinity, is simply a biological instinct inherited from one's primal genes, a desire to make the other person remember one's body.

After waking up, Asuka told Shinji, who had come to check on her with concern, that she was fine, but her demeanor was quite unnatural; her face was flushed, and she avoided his gaze. Perhaps she was still shy because Shinji had witnessed her outrageous behavior the night before; Asuka blushed as well, and the atmosphere became awkward. Because whenever they saw each other, those passionate moments would inevitably resurface in their minds.

Shinji Ikari didn't make things difficult for her. He got up and gave the room to Asuka, then dressed and walked outside.

As soon as I opened the living room door, the aroma of breakfast immediately filled my nostrils.

The aroma of fried eggs, in particular, stirred my empty stomach. At that moment—

"Shinji, good morning."

Ahead of her, Rei Ayanami was cooking in the open kitchen. She noticed Shinji Ikari and called out to him.

"Hmm, good morning Li, is it your turn to be on duty today?"

Rei Ayanami nodded slightly in response, without turning around. She seemed to be concentrating intently on her breakfast.

Despite her petite stature, Rei Ayanami was standing at the counter frying eggs.

Even though Rei Ayanami's movements still look a little clumsy, she has made great progress. This is probably the result of her hard work during this period of study. At the beginning, she couldn't even take care of her own daily life, but now she can make breakfast for everyone.

Rei Ayanami, who was doing housework, was wearing a classic white ruffled apron.

What's puzzling is that Rei Ayanami, with her youthful appearance, exudes a unique and sexy charm when dressed like this.

"I've really lost my mind," Shinji Ikari thought, disgusted with his own fear of everything. He then took a cup from the cupboard, opened the refrigerator with his other hand, took out a carton of fresh milk, poured it into the cup, filled four cups, and turned to walk towards the bathroom.

After a quick rinse, washing away all traces of last night and still carrying Asuka's scent, Shinji Ikari comfortably tilted his head back to receive the shower. Suddenly, Shinji thought that inviting Asuka to bathe with him might ease her shyness.

Half an hour later, the girl with long golden-orange hair came out of Shinji Ikari's room barefoot. "Go sit over there, I want a seat by the window." Asuka forced her way in and sat in Shinji's seat, completely disregarding her status as an outsider.

Misato Katsuragi was somewhat taken aback, not because Asuka had come out of Shinji Ikari's room, but more so because she was only wearing a white shirt and nothing else. And that white shirt was clearly Shinji Ikari's school uniform.

"Why isn't there any for me?" Asuka sat cross-legged on the chair, holding her crossed toes with both hands, looking at the plate with only three servings in front of her.

“Because I only cook for our family. There’s a duty roster on the wall for taking turns doing housework and cooking.” Rei Ayanami said in a fairly calm tone, without even looking at Asuka, as she used a knife and fork to cut the roasted tomatoes on the plate.

"Oh, I see." To Rei Ayanami's reply, Asuka unusually showed no awkwardness. "Then I'll eat yours, you won't mind, will you, darling?" She winked at Shinji Ikari and reached for the plate in front of him.

"Fried eggs, fried salmon, high-calcium milk, vegetable salad, miso soup, it's quite a feast."

Misato Katsuragi pricked up her ears, but didn't react for the moment; she simply watched Rei Ayanami quietly. If this were a turn-based game, it would be Rei Ayanami's turn to respond.