Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

The thought that his disappearance was due to finding traces of NERV remnants sent a chill down everyone's spine. How long had it been? It seemed like less than five minutes, and he'd already taken care of it?

"Don't get distracted, our battle is still ongoing." Ibuki Maya's voice sounded inside the helmet. "Head north and tell me how much time we have left for our mission."

"Two more minutes, it should be fine," Bei Shanglv replied immediately, her face beaming with joy.

“What do you mean by ‘should’? A young upstart like that is unreliable. As a researcher, you should complete your assignments with a more rigorous work ethic,” said Maya Ibuki.

"Algorithm analysis, proceed to C—unlock the final lock!" Shigeru Aoba reported.

"Anti-L System, Phase 5 complete!" Hinata Makoto reported.

"—XO, start!" reported Beishanglv.

With the announcement of activation, the fifty-meter-tall ethereal device slowly rotated, revealing crimson patterns on the surface of the black sealing pillar. A dazzling white light then spread outward from the sealing pillar, and the anti-L barrier successfully brought this frozen land back under human control.

After the red fades, the Third New Tokyo City regains its color.

“Now it’s our turn to work.” Ritsuko Akagi’s voice came through Maya Ibuki’s helmet. “Colonel Ibuki, you’ve reconnected, right?”

"Hi! All equipment and systems at NERV headquarters in Tenjo City, Neo-Tokyo 3 are being rebooted. Control restored!"

Countless exclamations of surprise came from the Hope Ship. What was a scene that Misato Katsuragi, Ritsuko Akagi, and Shigeru Aoba were used to was a scene that seemed like a miracle in the eyes of this new generation.

Like streetlights in the dead of night, streets were brought back under control. Skyscrapers rose from the ground, forming a jungle-like forest of armed buildings. Perhaps due to the system reboot, Hakone's defense system was fully open, allowing direct visual observation of many buildings housing EVA launch ports, power supplies, spare ammunition, and weapons. Near Lake Reed, a large cluster of shimmering, glowing buildings stood.

Standing on the Ship of Hope, Misato Katsuragi crossed her arms and witnessed the same strange yet familiar scene. A faint pain shot through her mind, as if a scene buried deep in her memory was resurfacing before her eyes.

“Shinji, look this way… This hospital is built on a high ground in the eastern part of Suginami Ward. Further east… you can see Shinjuku. We can go there later to buy some necessities.”

"There's a colorful line winding from north to south, isn't that Okamoto-cho, located in the center of Suginami? There are over 300 shops selling all sorts of anime and manga culture. You young people probably like to go there. I heard that the virginity rate among elementary school girls in Tokyo has dropped below 50%, but the country's birth rate is still at its lowest level ever."

"And over here, you see, you can see a playground, right? Do you understand? That's the Third New Tokyo City Municipal First Junior High School. That's the school you'll be going to."

"Operation successful, Misato, please come and collect your 'luggage'." Ritsuko Akagi's voice interrupted Misato Katsuragi's reverie.

Misato Katsuragi rubbed her temples, and faded memories resurfaced like old photographs. She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it, and connected to the channel.

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Inside the new command post in Shin-Odawara, both the reserve troops and staff were celebrating. Previously rationed drinks and food were now provided in unlimited quantities. Katsuragi Misato watched all this from outside, showing no surprise whatsoever.

After Kaji Ryoji defected from headquarters, he led the newly established Wille and the remaining humans to establish a new human survival base in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. However, those few villages could not support the Wille, and it was even difficult for them to maintain their own survival.

But at the same time, they are also wealthy enough to own the whole world.

The once-purified land still retains traces of human civilization. Although areas with excessively high L concentrations are not convenient to explore, some food, steel, daily necessities, equipment, and facilities can be moved to the Ship of Hope first, and then restored to normal through the anti-L barrier.

Even the eight escorting airships of the Ship of Hope were modified from the original unfinished spaceships. Therefore, reclaiming the Third Neo-Tokyo may have unique significance for former NERV employees like Misato Katsuragi, but for the newcomers, it means a large amount of material wealth and the right to live in human society.

Misato Katsuragi arrived at the unfinished testing grounds of the new command post, and sure enough, Ritsuko Akagi was there. She stared at the empty restraint frames, lost in thought.

"You always come here when you want to be alone. Do you still have some attachment to Project E?" Misato Katsuragi walked up behind Ritsuko Akagi.

“According to Vice Commander Fuyutsuki’s answer, the last human is in Hamburg, Germany.” Ritsuko Akagi noticed Misato Katsuragi’s arrival and pushed the coffee on the table in front of her. “Third Neo-Tokyo bears the primary task of rebuilding humanity. Of course, right now it’s more important to study the cause of the Black Moon Incident, as well as the fallen Unit-02 and Asuka. After the Third Boy helps us conquer Third Neo-Tokyo, we can’t let him down.”

Upon hearing the words "Third Boy," Misato Katsuragi paused. "What did you and he talk about on Tokyo Tower?" Misato Katsuragi asked.

“We’ve been talking about the sealing pillars, the miniaturization of the Hollowfication device, the Third Village, and you.” Ritsuko Akagi turned to look at Misato Katsuragi, her expression cold and unchanged. “He’s on the Ship of Hope right now. Aren’t you going to see him?”

“Everyone can do their own job. I don’t need to see him.” Misato Katsuragi lowered the brim of her hat, not wanting Ritsuko Akagi to stare at her.

"Miri, you may be putting on a tough act, but you're probably glad he's back."

"Acting on emotions will only bring trouble. As the Commander-in-Chief, I am better able to fulfill my duties, and you must understand that," Misato Katsuragi said coldly.

Just like a garment made from the wrong cut fabric. Wrongly cut fabric can't be sewn together, so it has to be discarded and replaced with a different cut.

“But he misses you so much,” Ritsuko Akagi said again.

"Did he say that himself?"

"Yes, but he doesn't know how to face you."

—In one corner of the ship of hope, there is a room that is deliberately ignored by all the staff.

The room is filled with dozens of shelves of documents, reminiscent of the walls of a maze or exposed cliffs. They seem to exclude living humans, a heavy accumulation of historical sediment.

"Books are everywhere, no wonder I came here," Shinji Ikari muttered, pursing his lips. As he squeezed through the dusty gaps between the shelves, he saw Rei Ayanami sitting quietly in a chair, enjoying Mari's haircut and styling.

“You’ve come to the right person, meow. I used to cut the princess’s hair all the time. That’s how we humans are, cursed by Ava. Our bodies are forever stuck in the moment we were piloting the machine, but our hair continues to grow.” Mari nimblely trimmed Rei Ayanami’s hair, and the quiet girl responded with only a very soft “hmm.”

Shinji Ikari didn't disturb them. He quietly pulled a book from the shelf—Fernando's *The Book of Discontent*. But he wasn't going to read it; instead, he peered through the gap in the book at the explosives buried behind it.

While it wouldn't destroy the Ship of Hope, killing two pilots wouldn't be a problem. This is what Shinji Ikari resented about Wille, especially Misato Katsuragi. On one hand, he had to rely on their strength, but on the other hand, he treated them like criminals.

"Gods, corruption, and desires dwell in the hair; they embody the chaos within the human heart. Rei-chan, this is proof of your humanity." Mari whispered in Rei's ear, a mischievous, fox-like expression on her face.

"Hmm." Rei Ayanami nodded slightly while holding the penguin plushie, without giving any feedback, but Shinji Ikari asked.

"Who told you that?"

"The saying 'Gods, corruption, and desire dwell in the hair' is from an ancient Japanese legend. It's said that they are the manifestation of the chaos within the human heart, and only the Nika spirits on the rubber tree can illuminate them..."

"Alright, I understand." Shinji Ikari interrupted Mari, waved his hand, and walked out of the dormitory for the chosen ones, which was filled with books. Instead, he was met by the vice commander Akagi with his short, blond hair.

"Didn't you attend the victory celebration, Shinji? Speaking of which, you're the biggest contributor; many people want to thank you." Ritsuko Akagi walked up to Shinji Ikari and said casually.

"Is it Kitakami Midori?" Shinji Ikari was the first to utter the name he hated most.

“Going north is a bit extreme, but perhaps there’s more to those distorted feelings for you than just hatred.” Ritsuko Akagi smiled. “Besides, Misato is at the command post. Why don’t you go see her?”

"Do you think this is necessary? What's more important now is the Black Moon's mutation, and the fallen Asuka and Unit-02." Shinji Ikari calmly wove together his words.

“But she misses you so much,” Ritsuko Akagi said again. “Don’t resent Misato. Even though she puts on a tough front in front of you, she’s happy that you’re back.”

"Did she say that herself?" Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, but she doesn’t know how to face you.” Ritsuko Akagi sighed softly, looking up at the ceiling. “There’s still some time before she starts work, so she wants to invite you to dinner to clear up the misunderstanding.”

“There’s no misunderstanding, and I don’t resent her,” Shinji Ikari waved his hand. “It’s just her choice, the path she’s chosen. I just hope she won’t regret it.”

Shinji said he regrets being too cold to you.

Inside the new command post, Ritsuko Akagi looked at Misato Katsuragi and said, "He misses the time he spent with you. He said he has always considered you family. It would be nice if you could cook him a meal."

Family? For the third time today, Misato Katsuragi lowered her hat brim as memories flooded her mind. She couldn't help but turn her head away. "Didn't he always complain that my cooking was too awful... Oh well, what does he want to eat?"

“Miri said she hasn’t cooked in a long time and is a little worried about her cooking skills. She also doesn’t know what you want to eat.” Ritsuko Akagi returned to the Hope Ship and looked at Shinji Ikari with sincere eyes.

Shinji Ikari thought for a moment, "Then let's make tonkatsu."

“Shinji said he loves everything you make,” Ritsuko Akagi said as she returned to the new command post. “But what he misses most is the tonkatsu you make.”

As Katsuragi Misato's expression softened, Akagi Ritsuko smiled contemptuously to herself.

Hehe, two proud and arrogant people.

In Ritsuko Akagi's eyes, the issues between Misato Katsuragi and Shinji Ikari were insignificant. While there were some misunderstandings, it didn't negate the fact that they considered each other family. Both were waiting for the other to take the initiative and back down; a simple push would resolve the conflict.

Although her legs ached after those two hours, Ritsuko Akagi felt it was all worthwhile, knowing it had helped the two men reconcile. Until—

Ritsuko Akagi stared expressionlessly at the black smoke billowing from the frying pan and the indescribable charred black object inside. Misato Katsuragi lowered her hat brim for the fourth time today, but this time it was to hide her embarrassment.

“I haven’t cooked in a while, and I’m not feeling well today. This frying pan is also a bit faulty; the system’s heat settings aren’t very stable. My cooking skills might have deteriorated a little.” Misato Katsuragi coughed twice. “But didn’t he say he likes everything? The thought is what counts, right?”

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PS: There are still tens of thousands of words left to finish. Some brothers asked in the comments what Shinji Ikari's situation is in a parallel universe.

As I mentioned in the author's note before, those who have watched the old TV version should understand. Some readers told me to just say it directly, but it's not that I sincerely want to be a riddle-maker; it's just that it's not easy to describe.

It's embarrassing to say, but it's like when you watch anime and feel like you understand it, but when you actually try to express it, you can't quite summarize it completely.

Roughly speaking, in the final episode of the TV series, Shinji Ikari, like a high-dimensional observer, surveys all the world lines, presenting countless possibilities before him. Warhammer Shinji is also one such possibility. In this timeline, within his own world, Warhammer Shinji is his true self, while the other Shinjis are merely projections of him in parallel universes. If we use Fate/stay night to draw an analogy, his parallel universe counterpart is similar to a superimposed state of pseudo-Servants; if we use a fantasy novel analogy, it's like responding to the heavens on the path to becoming a Great Luo Immortal (not really).

But don't worry too much about these details; just take it as a casual remark. Different parallel universes have different settings anyway. In the *ANIMA* world, time can be paused and the universe can be manipulated, so my setting only applies to my parallel universe.

224: The Truth About the Third Impact

"Is it okay? Do you think it's okay?" Ritsuko Akagi wanted to slam the frying pan on Misato Katsuragi's face to ask her if it was okay, but in the end she managed a calm smile. "No need. I don't think eating is necessary. Look at the Third Boy, he's already an Apostle. He probably doesn't need such culinary desires. He can just take a walk."

“But since I’ve promised, I have to keep my word,” Misato Katsuragi said firmly.

Ritsuko Akagi put her hand to her forehead, finally making up her mind.

“Let me teach you,” Ritsuko Akagi said.

She brought Misato Katsuragi back to the Ship of Hope. The General Affairs Department's archives room, whose purpose was previously unknown, now contained a small kitchen. Moreover, Akagi mostly avoided eating in the mess hall, instead cooking simple meals in her room to fill her stomach.

Misato Katsuragi stood frozen in the kitchen.

"Oh no... the order..."

According to Misato Katsuragi's recipe, the meal consisted of scrambled eggs with chives, fried pork cutlet, and tofu and green onion miso soup. This was the menu that Ritsuko Akagi had repeatedly emphasized and decided upon on the way here.

Beforehand, Misato Katsuragi would mentally rehearse what ingredients were in the refrigerator and how to use them. This was a culinary secret she came up with on the road. Different dishes require different cooking methods; some cannot be simply baked or boiled, and sometimes it is necessary to add egg or other seasonings.

At this point, whether or not you have a clear mental rehearsal of the cooking order will make a world of difference in the result. First, visualize the entire dish, then prepare the details needed to reach that step. This is the secret that Misato Katsuragi learned.

Preparing the seasonings in advance and putting them in a small dish, or preparing the vegetables to be cooked later in another large bowl, etc... Specifically, it's these kinds of details.

To be honest, for someone who knows how to cook, this level of skill is just the most basic thing in the world, but for Misato Katsuragi, it was a major discovery. No wonder Shinji Ikari teased her before, saying that only Rei would eat her bizarrely combined dishes.

But Misato Katsuragi didn't mind, because she felt that everyone has their own strengths, and that she might be a little clumsy when it came to cooking.

however--

"Oh no, how could this happen?" Ritsuko Akagi slapped her forehead. The chives she took out and placed on the cutting board were no longer usable.

The chives that were perfectly fresh yesterday are now rotting at the tips, emitting a disgusting stench. Summer is truly awful. Even when kept in the refrigerator, one cannot afford to be careless.

"It's alright, it's alright, there's also fried pork cutlet, the most important thing is fried pork cutlet." Ritsuko Akagi quickly reassured her.

"Listen up, Misato. First, wash the pork chops, pat them dry, then pound them a few times with a meat mallet and place them in a dish. Mix them with rice wine, salt, and pepper, and marinate for about ten minutes."

Ritsuko Akagi's explanations and her quick movements almost overwhelmed Misato Katsuragi, leaving her little time to take notes. Ritsuko's movements as she cooked were nimble and efficient, as she explained, "My favorite way to eat it is to coat it with breadcrumbs here, and the key is to use citrus vinegar instead of regular vinegar, which makes the flavor even richer—"

Misato Katsuragi nodded frantically, her eyes glued to Ritsuko Akagi's movements. Ritsuko's hands, as she slicing the pork cutlet, seemed to dance. Despite being a researcher, her culinary skills were exceptional; her movements were undeniably elegant and captivating. For a woman, her fingers were long and slender, like a pianist's, exuding a noble air.

It wasn't until Ritsuko Akagi took the fried pork cutlet out of the pan and plated it, adding mayonnaise, shredded cabbage, and tomato slices, that Misato Katsuragi realized, "Didn't you say I was supposed to do this? This doesn't count, does it?"

You know it doesn't count, but if I let someone like you, who's a complete cooking idiot, do it, then we won't be eating tonight. Ritsuko Akagi thought to herself, but she still smiled on the surface. "And there's tofu and green onion miso soup. Soup is the soul of a dish, so it's like I'm entrusting the most important thing to you."