Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

"Of the 108 companies associated with the Marduk agency, 106 are shell companies, and this is the 107th. This is the company's register."

At this moment, the old woman unfolded a fashion magazine with Saito Asuka and Takada Mai on the cover, but through the crack in the door, one could just see the true contents of the unfolded magazine.

"You want me to see the chairman's section, right?" Kaji Ryoji said softly.

"So you already guessed it." The older woman raised her eyebrows slightly.

At the very top of the register were three names—

[Director: Gendo Ikari]

[Director: Fuyutsuki Kosuke]

[Director: Keelow Lorenz]

“These are all familiar names.” Kaji Ryoji sighed through gritted teeth, but his tone was tinged with pain from the distant past. “The Marduk Organization is a direct advisory body to the Human Instrumentality Committee, established to find EVA pilots. The actual situation of the organization is still unclear.”

If the contents of this register were to be leaked, Kaji Ryoji could imagine the uproar it would cause. The true relationship between the two people he thought were enemies, the true nature of the Marduk Organization, and... the fragments he had investigated long ago, piecing together the real Asuka's information.

Even though he carried the deep-seated hatred from his childhood, Kaji Ryoji still had no intention of revealing it, because he knew it would bring no benefit, and that he would be wiped out by the country behind him the moment he took action.

But he knew that a boy would soon need it.

At this moment, the middle-aged woman sitting on the steps closed her magazine, showing no intention of handing the register to Kaji Ryoji. She focused on petting the white cat, then smiled and hugged it affectionately.

"Your job remains the same: covertly investigate NERV. Be careful to conceal your identity. You should know best what would happen if you joined the Marduk Organization. Where is their next target?"

Kaji Ryoji shook his head: "There's no definite news. But it's clear that the field operations and combat departments have been very active lately. The latest news is that a top-secret document was just sent from the United States to Hakone, but it was immediately forwarded to the Central Dogmatic District. The next target is likely to be a proactive attack on the Angels. As for Misato Katsuragi's initiative to contact Shinji Ikari and leak information to internal personnel, Gendo Ikari and the others have not punished them at all. Perhaps they want to use this method to bring Shinji Ikari back to headquarters."

“That’s petty behavior. Well then, let’s keep an eye on it.” The middle-aged woman nodded. “Furthermore, our superiors have indicated that Shinji Ikari is our next target. Your rash contact with the Third Child in the Gora region last time has probably made him guess your identity.”

Kaji Ryoji's smile faded. "I underestimated him back then. I shouldn't have treated him like a child."

"However, since you're still unharmed, it means he didn't intend to report you. And since he's now explicitly refusing to return to NERV, your new task is to express our goodwill to him, and if possible—"

The woman who was petting the cat paused, and even her petting motions softened a little.

"—Let him come to our side."

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After a night of rain, the air in the port area is very fresh.

Similarly, after a month of citywide exodus, even the flow of people in Tokyo-2 has visibly decreased.

Shinji Ikari ate a quick breakfast because he had a last-minute appointment at the Tamamo-no-Mae Hotel for lunch.

On the long table sat a 200-kilogram deep-sea Atlantic perch. A gleaming chef's knife sliced ​​open its belly, revealing the enticing pink flesh of a watermelon. Surrounding this main course were grouper, blue-spotted sea bass, and carp noodles flown in from Seres. The aroma of Fenjiu liquor wafted from a ceramic bottle, its fragrance intoxicating.

“General Tsurumaki, this is too much in a year of great disaster.” Shinji Ikari tapped his knuckles on the large, gleaming glazed table and couldn’t help but shake his head.

Sitting opposite him was the current head of the military, Kazuya Tsurumaki, a middle-aged man wearing glasses.

"Shinji, the Pacific monsoon has begun, and the Huangpu River is sweltering." Kazuya Tsurumaki raised his glass in a toast.

Shinji Ikari didn't think too much about it. The group had a very comfortable lunch, and he had just come down from the Tamamo-no-Mae Grand Hotel. He was sitting in the convertible sports car that the kind-hearted Tsurumaki Kazuya had given him, with the girl next to him being a gift from that person.

The Maserati sped along the viaduct, with the beautiful woman sitting next to Shinji Ikari. Mana Kirishima seemed a little dazed, so Shinji Ikari opened the hardtop convertible. The raindrops and wind stung her face, finally bringing her back to her senses.

"You knew my identity before?" Kirishima Mana asked, somewhat surprised.

"Otherwise what? Do you think you're a KGB agent or a Black Widow? Maybe your superiors just sent you here to use your beauty to seduce someone," Shinji Ikari retorted. "The only difference is whether you're a female spy from the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Investigation Department or a child soldier from the military."

Clearly, Shinji Ikari was right. The moment he saw Mana Kirishima, he felt that she was like a peacock that tiptoed around but couldn't help but spread its tail feathers at him, spreading them wherever he went, a narcissistic and arrogant spy.

If the military really wants someone like her to steal intelligence, then this country is doomed.

"Oh, I see." Kirishima Mana placed her hands on her knees, looking somewhat restrained.

Kirishima Mana was born in Akune, Kyushu. Her father was a construction worker at a Tokyo Bay landfill, and her mother was an editor for a literary magazine. She attended a boarding school before transferring to the Third New Tokyo Municipal Junior High School. But—

This is only the information released to the public. In reality, she was one of many children selected by the Strategic Self-Defense Force in a highly secretive manner to be independent humanoid weapon pilots. Her purpose in getting close to Shinji was only to "collect information about EVA and provide it to the weapons development department to improve the robot's performance."

"The Strategic Self-Defense Force's independent humanoid weapon pilots, I didn't expect the military to be trying to create its own EVAs." Shinji Ikari curled his lips, it was hard to tell whether it was a smile or a sneer.

Now that the military has abandoned its covert theft, and with NERV showing signs of decline and Shinji Ikari explicitly refusing to return, they want to take everything in one fell swoop. They want to bring the so-called world treasure, the Third Child, back to the Self-Defense Forces as their trump card.

“This is a special authorization from the Emperor.” Kirishima Mana glanced at him. “Although Japan is now a parliamentary monarchy and the Emperor rarely uses this privilege, EVA has a completely different meaning.”

“Sounds pretty good,” Shinji Ikari said.

"Shinji, but your expression doesn't seem like you think we can create an EVA..." Mana Kirishima took off her shoes and socks, and sat cross-legged in the passenger seat. To be honest, this posture was dangerous. But according to the military, she was now Shinji Ikari's private property, so it didn't matter.

Shinji Ikari curled the corners of his mouth, clearly having only grasped a few scraps of information; otherwise, he wouldn't have been shouting slogans like building a general-purpose humanoid decisive weapon for the Yamato people.

Even if they could manufacture it, they'd probably only be able to create something similar to a JA mecha. But obviously, there was no need to say these things at the dinner party, nor was there any need to say them to Kirishima Mana.

Because he intended to use the military's invitation as a stepping stone, he wasn't in a hurry and wanted to let things play out for a while.

Perhaps influenced by Shinji Ikari's emotions, Mana Kirishima, who should have been overjoyed, awkwardly squatted on her seat, touching her calves. Upon learning that the military had treated her like merchandise and given her to Shinji, she felt no sadness or distress; in fact, she was quite happy. But shouldn't Shinji be happy? Shouldn't he be beaming with pride? However, the initially excited Shinji remained expressionless after getting into the convertible.

It seems to have brought up some unpleasant memories.

"I just feel like this nation is hopeless. The Angels are clearly the common enemy," Shinji Ikari said softly. "If we kill all the Angels... I mean, if. The moment the last Angel is killed, they'll probably be eager to break into NERV and start a civil war among humans."

The apostles have not been completely eliminated, but ambitious people are already eager to divide up the world.

The main reason is that their predecessor, SEELE, performed so exceptionally well, becoming the true ruler of the world after the Second Impact. Too many ambitious individuals want to replicate their success.

However, if you have too much of a conscience, you're not suitable to eat at this table.

"Fortunately, there is still hope for humanity in this world," Shinji Ikari said softly.

At this moment, the Maserati returned to the Akasaka Building in the port area. Shinji Ikari handed the car keys to the doorman, put his arm around Mana Kirishima's waist, and walked up to the elevator.

Just as history was repeating itself, a man's voice came from ahead just as the elevator doors were about to close, "Wait a minute, add one more person!"

Shinji Ikari raised his eyes and looked at the man who was exactly as expected.

Ryoji Kaji was dressed in a light gray suit and black trousers. Even as he rushed over, he remained dashing. He smiled and greeted Shinji Ikari as he pressed the elevator button for him, then took his hat and entered the elevator.

As the elevator doors closed, the three people entered the enclosed elevator space. Coincidentally, the elevator's surveillance system malfunctioned at that moment.

Everything is just right.

At this moment, at the Tamamo-no-Mae Grand Hotel, Kazuya Tsurumaki was still eating, cutting the roast duck on his plate with a silver knife and fork. This was a new dish he had ordered after Shinji Ikari left; it was a dish that wasn't considered high-class, but he was enjoying it immensely.

"What's your opinion on the third eligible candidate?" someone next to me asked.

“Let’s wait and see for a while. We still have a basis for negotiation with Shinji Ikari. He’s different from Gendo Ikari. Each branch of NSEV is proud to be a subordinate agency of SEELE. He looks down on other countries, so of course he won’t lower himself to negotiate with us. But Shinji Ikari…” Kazuya Tsurumaki paused.

He's all alone, he has ambition and desire, and we're willing to share the pie with him. "Besides, he has Gendo Ikari pushing him from behind... I hope that incompetent father, Gendo, will push him even harder, so that Shinji Ikari will be forced to our side."

Or it could collapse directly like the heavy industrial community, leaving enough corpses for everyone to feast on.

However, Kazuya Tsurumaki overlooked one point: the Self-Defense Forces were not the only forces holding this view.

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P1: I am Kaworu Nagisa. Perhaps I only came into this world to meet Shinji. The baths we took together, the hands we held, the piano we played together, the stars we gazed at—all these have become a sliver of eternity in my time-limited life. Now I intend to descend to earth again. V me 100, and I'll take Shinji to the Louvre.

107: Earth's Biosphere Monitor

In the elevator, where surveillance cameras were temporarily blocked, three people stood in different corners.

"Oh dear, I didn't mean to bother you, I'm just in a hurry," the man who came later said with a light laugh. Kaji Ryoji's voice was clear and melodious, with a hint of amusement.

However, Mana Kirishima looked at him with some wariness. Although Shinji Ikari said she was a failure as a spy, she was number one in training. It was only at this moment that she suddenly realized that this man had been hiding there from the beginning, which was why he was able to catch the elevator at just the right time.

She hadn't heard the other party approaching when Shinji Ikari passed by, and given her experience, it was impossible for her not to notice. So there was only one explanation: the other party was a top-tier spy far more capable than herself.

"Oh, and Shinji too. How have you been lately?" Kaji Ryoji greeted him.

Shinji Ikari narrowed his eyes. He was wearing the same clothes he had worn in the Asama Mountains, which might be hinting at something.

But he quickly raised an eyebrow, utterly bored, because he didn't need any hints; he already knew the day he killed the Angel in the Asama Mountains. Traveling back to Tokyo on a shared flight with Misato Katsuragi, he learned from their probing conversations that Kaji Ryoji was the Ministry of Home Affairs spy who had manipulated security to delay his actions that day.

"Just say what you have to say. Which side are you on?" Shinji Ikari was too lazy to mince words and went straight to the point.

However, in this elevator where the surveillance was blocked, he didn't need to exchange pleasantries with Kaji Ryoji, especially since he was a spy.

"I am a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Home Affairs, as you probably already know. I'm in a hurry anyway, so please take a look at these perks we're offering." Kaji Ryoji pulled out something he had prepared beforehand from his briefcase.

"What? From the Ministry of Home Affairs? This has nothing to do with you home affairs bureaucrats!" Kirishima Mana exclaimed in surprise.

Kaji Ryoji looked at her with a half-smile, "You can't say that, Ms. Kirishima. For example, Ms. Kirishima, you should have already been discharged from the Strategic Self-Defense Force, right? The one who really has no connection is you. Don't you want your lover to have a better treatment?"

One sentence was enough to make Kirishima Mana blush, her face flushed.

"A lover is still a long way off. We can have a child first and then get married..."

The Japanese military is the military, and the government is the government; they shouldn't be confused. You could even subdivide them further, but that would be pointless.

Shinji Ikari glanced at it briefly and realized that it was indeed more sincere than the Strategic Self-Defense Force.

The Strategic Self-Defense Force allows him to contribute EVA intelligence while continuing to pilot the AKASIMA, a large-scale mobile weapon developed by them specifically for countering individual threats, and his compensation will remain the same as NERV's. Furthermore, he's expected to produce more highly skilled pilots for the Yamato people, which is very demanding.

However, neither the Strategic Self-Defense Force nor Shinji Ikari of the Japanese government are interested.

Because that very morning, IPEA, a company of similar standing to NEV, had already approached them before they could.

First, they joined in criticizing Gendo Ikari's stupidity, then mentioned that his treatment included a promotion to lieutenant colonel and the establishment of his own independent unit outside of the combat department, free from constraints. Furthermore, the infinite energy-enhancing internal unit—04.EVA (Unit 4, corresponding to the experimental unit with an unlimited internal host)—which was attempting to break through the bottleneck of operating time, would directly become his exclusive unit upon successful experimentation.

Previously, there were only dedicated pilots for EVAs, but this was the first time a dedicated mobile suit had been created. Shinji Ikari also proved to the world that truly excellent pilots are more important than EVAs themselves.

To be honest, Unit-04 was incredibly tempting for Shinji Ikari. An EVA with unlimited energy—that was something Shinji had always longed for.

But he still didn't agree.

Partly, he only recognized EVA Unit-01; secondly, he believed that Gendo Ikari would not disappoint him, and that better treatment awaited him in light of his repeated defeats.

The person who should be really anxious right now is Gendo Ikari; he's the one who's like an ant on a hot pan.

"Are you waiting to make a fool of yourself in front of the Commander-in-Chief? Well, that's probably hopeless," Kaji Ryoji suddenly said.

"What do you mean? Does NERV have some kind of advanced technology that I don't know about?"

"No, it was a battle plan proposed by Misato Katsuragi. Oh my, to be honest, I almost bit my tongue off when I first found out about this information!"

Kaji Ryoji leaned close to Shinji Ikari and whispered something in his ear, a gesture so intimate that even Mana Kirishima, watching from the sidelines, felt a pang of jealousy. However, the information he revealed caused Shinji's eyes to widen in shock.

This was the first time Kirishima Mana had ever seen him. A look of surprise appeared on Shinji Ikari's face, quite unlike anything seen before.