My two-dimensional resident

"My name is Reigen Arataka, and I'm a powerful exorcist. Young man, what's your name?"

"Shinji Ikari... What is an exorcist?"

"..."

Shinji Ikari's innocent face gave Reigen Arataka an uneasy feeling. Could he also be an ordinary person? Oh no, he'd misjudged him. But Reigen Arataka, unwilling to give up, didn't show his disappointment. Instead, he smiled and explained to Shinji Ikari.

"Exorcists, huh? They're the ones who get rid of evil spirits that wreak havoc in human society. Shinji Ikari, do you know what a Devil Fruit user is?"

"I don't know, but I feel like Reigen must be an incredibly powerful person," Shinji Ikari said, shaking his head. Looking at Reigen Arataka's confident and sunny expression, he thought of his own mediocre past, and felt even more distressed.

"Haha! Just average, just average. It's only saved a few hundred people, not quite a few thousand. Shinji, although this place is paradise, you might still encounter danger. But don't worry, I'll protect you from now on."

Reigen Arataka patted his chest and laughed heartily, but inside he was panicking. He felt like he was in heaven, but half a day had passed and not a single angel had come to welcome them.

This made him very uneasy. He began to doubt whether his earlier thoughts were wrong. But he had already told the boy in front of him that this was paradise, and being proud, he didn't want to take back his words.

"Let's not sit here, let's go for a walk around. Maybe we'll run into an angel."

"No, Brother Reigen, I want to stay here..."

Seeing Shinji Ikari's incredibly unreliable expression, Reigen Arataka had the idea of ​​getting rid of this burden. But then he changed his mind and rejected the idea.

This might be a test from God. What if God abandons this boy and he fails the test and is sent to hell?

"Haha, Shinji, did you get heartbroken and come here to commit suicide? Don't look like you've lost all will to live. A person can't only meet one girl they like in their lifetime; they'll meet countless girls in the future. Forget about her, little brother!"

"No, Brother Reigen. I'm not heartbroken. I'm a useless good-for-nothing. Even my father doesn't like me. How could I possibly have a girlfriend?"

At that moment, Shinji Ikari's mind conjured up his father's expressionless face and cold eyes. Shinji's spirits sank again; he hugged his knees, lowered his head, and began to withdraw into himself.

"How could you be a piece of trash? Everyone is unique from birth, an irreplaceable existence. Your father probably couldn't express his feelings, which led you to have this wrong idea. Come and tell your older brother what happened between you and your father?"

'So it was a fight with her father. Are middle school students these days so emotionally fragile?'

Reigen Shinryo was secretly delighted, thinking that God's test for him was far too easy. He felt that solving a middle school student's psychological problems was a million times easier than exorcising an evil spirit.

"I'm......"

Seeing how enthusiastic the older brother in front of him was, Shinji Ikari began to tell how he became the pilot of EVA Unit-01, and how his cowardice led to the injury of another EVA pilot, which resulted in his father revoking his pilot status.

'EVA? Unit-01? Angels? It seems all the middle school students with mental health issues are just chuunibyou (delusional) teenagers. But chuunibyou's psychological problems are the easiest to solve.'

After patiently listening to Shinji Ikari's story, Reigen Arataka completely failed to understand what Shinji was saying and subjectively believed that Shinji was just going through a chuunibyou phase, bringing his conflict with his father into his fantasy story.

"Shinji, even if your father doesn't approve of you, and the people around you leave you, you can't give up on yourself and think of yourself as a useless piece of trash. No one can replace you."

You can't keep going like this, you have to be strong! Do those things your father and everyone around you doesn't approve of, like you said, pilot that Evangelion unit and defeat those monsters!

"Can I do it...? Unit-01 has already rejected me... I can't pilot it anymore."

Shinji Ikari looked up, his gaze uncertain as he looked at Reigen Arataka. This older brother was the first person he had met who believed in him and encouraged him.

"You can do it! Have confidence in yourself! You're amazing, you just haven't realized it yet. Keep it up, Shinji! Let me tell you another life lesson: people don't live to gain the approval of others."

It's about living for yourself, living to make your life fulfilling. Don't worry about what others think; do what you want to do!

Chapter 156 The First Meeting of Two Masters of Conmanship

Seeing that his psychotherapy was working, Reigen Arataka intensified his efforts. He felt that it wouldn't be long before he completed the test.

Reigen Arataka is most experienced with this kind of immature teenager who sees himself as a burden to his family and is not recognized by those around him. After all, his disciple, Kageyama Shigeo, is this type.

"Really? Brother Reigen. But I can't do anything right... Everyone thinks I'm useless..."

"No problem. My judgment is never wrong. You are the second most outstanding young man I have ever met, besides my disciple. You must have confidence in yourself!"

To boost Shinji Ikari's confidence, Reigen Arataka gave him a "I believe in you, kid" smile.

“Stand up, let’s go for a walk around, maybe we can find the angels here. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the angels.”

'Almost there, the assessment is almost over. I don't need to go to hell anymore!'

Seeing Shinji Ikari stand up as he instructed, Reigen Arataka was overjoyed.

Everything around them was unfamiliar, and teenagers with delusions of grandeur are usually very interested in new things. He decided to take Shinji Ikari for a walk around, partly to look for the angel, and partly to distract him and prevent him from falling into self-doubt.

"Lin Tian, ​​we have two new recruits!"

Just as Reigen Arataka and Shinji Ikari were trying to find the so-called angel, a melodious female voice entered their minds from the surroundings.

Upon hearing the sound, the two assumed that an angel had discovered them, and with a mixture of curiosity and excitement, they looked in the direction of the sound.

They hadn't expected to see it, but when they did, they were so startled by Kikyo's translucent spirit form that they quickly took several steps back. Shinji, however, was much better; he quickly realized that this must be an angel, and calmed down, looking at Reigen Arataka. He waited for his older brother to communicate with the angel.

"Brother Linghuan, is this the angel you were talking about?"

"Yes...right?"

When Reigen Arataka first saw Kikyo's semi-transparent body, which resembled an evil spirit, he was so terrified that he forgot to run away. When Shinji Ikari woke him up, his first thought was to run.

But he realized the evil spirit was already ten meters away. It was too late to run now.

And what about Shinji Ikari? He's his mission target, and he hasn't been fully defeated yet... Even if he runs away, the image Shinji Ikari just built up in his mind will instantly collapse.

In order to maintain a powerful image as an exorcist in front of Shinji Ikari, Reigen Arataka could only nod and reply with a strong and calm expression.

'I'm already dead. Even if I encounter evil spirits here, I can't die again. This must be God's test for me. As long as I don't show cowardice and abandon Shinji Ikari to run away, I'm sure I'll pass the test.'

The wildly imaginative Reigen Arataka is now completely convinced that everything here is a test from God for him. Building Shinji's mental fortitude was just the first hurdle. The evil spirit before him is the final test; only by defeating her can he gain Shinji's complete trust.

Then he will surely go to heaven. But if he fails the test, the gates of hell will open for him.

'But...how can I defeat the evil spirit? Mob isn't with me.'

As the evil spirit drew ever closer, Reigen Arataka was terrified, his legs trembling uncontrollably. Fortunately, he was standing behind Shinji Ikari, who was focused on Kikyo and didn't notice anything amiss. Relieved, he breathed a sigh of relief.

'This can't go on. I have to think of something!'

"Hello, angel. I was a powerful exorcist, but I died in battle while exorcising a terrifying evil spirit. This is my junior brother, Shinji Ikari. Are you here to take us to meet God?"

Knowing he was no match for her, Reigen Arataka introduced himself as a powerful exorcist to intimidate her. If she was truly an angel, he would ignore her. But if she was an evil spirit, she might be frightened by his identity.

Hopefully... it will work...

"A powerful exorcist? Kikyo, he seems to be a fellow exorcist!"

At this moment, Lin Tian also stepped out from the side. Looking at the newcomers Kikyo had mentioned, he immediately recognized them as Reigen Arataka and Shinji Ikari. When he heard Reigen Arataka say that he was a powerful exorcist, he almost burst out laughing.

Reigen Arataka is the ruthless boss and mentor of Shigeo Kageyama, the protagonist of the anime "Mob Psycho 100". He is just an ordinary person, but he claims to be a psychic and uses trickery to swindle money.

Whenever a truly evil spirit is encountered, it must be dealt with by one's own disciple. Afterwards, the disciple's doubts are dispelled under the pretext of being tested.

He is cunning and shameless, and likes to boss people around, but he has superb speaking skills and a smooth way of dealing with people. To put it bluntly, he speaks to people in a way that suits them, and to ghosts in a way that suits them. He is a typical commoner.

But this seemingly insignificant character, who talks big all the time, becomes the invincible male protagonist's mentor.

In short, he has many bad habits, but he is indeed a good person, a person with a strong sense of justice.

As for Shinji Ikari... he's an introverted boy who denies his own worth, and the protagonist of the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion.

"A fellow traveler? Looks...good."

Upon hearing Lin Tian say that the trembling middle-aged man before her was a colleague, Kikyo smiled slightly to express her goodwill. She didn't actually think he looked like a colleague, but seeing that he was a newcomer, she felt she should be more tolerant.

"Hello, Shinji Ikari, welcome to the adorable Rabbit Island. I am the island's owner, Lin Tian."

Lin Tian ignored the bewildered Reigen Arataka and walked straight up to Shinji Ikari, extending his hand with a smile to greet him.

"Hello...isn't this heaven?"

Compared to Kikyo's kindness, Shinji Ikari felt a natural affinity for Lin Tian, ​​who was also human. He slowly extended his hand to shake Lin Tian's hand, and then asked the question that had been bothering him.

"Heaven? No. But I'm working hard to make this place heaven. Shinji Ikari, you're very talented. Why don't you join my island and help me realize this dream?"

Upon hearing the word "heaven," Lin Tian almost burst out laughing. Without much thought, he already guessed that Reigen Arataka was just fooling him. But it didn't matter much; his ideal world and heaven shared the same characteristics.

"I?"

Shinji Ikari was incredulous when he heard that Lin Tian had asked him for help on their very first meeting. His face showed shock as he spoke uncertainly.

"Yes, pilot of EVA Unit-01, you possess a talent that is unique in this world, but you haven't realized it yet. I believe that when you grow up, you will definitely be able to help me."

However... judging from your current appearance, you must have made a mistake by accident and been scolded by your father.

Don't be too sad; he just doesn't understand you, just as you don't understand him. So you don't need to care too much about his attitude towards you. Time will tell.

When you truly mature, those who didn't understand you, those who mocked you, will look at you with admiration.

The Fairy Tree Romance

Lin Tian had long forgotten the detailed plot of Evangelion, but he couldn't care less about the details now. Seeing Shinji Ikari's dejected and self-doubting appearance, he decided to first help him build confidence.

Now that he's already here, how could Lin Tian possibly let him continue to deny and doubt himself like in the original storyline, until he finally understands his meager value and his responsibilities?

Hearing the new island lord say the same things Reigen said, Shinji Ikari fell silent. He was also a little touched; these two were meeting for the first time, yet they were offering him so much encouragement. For a moment, he didn't know what to say...

"Hello, my name is Reigen Arataka. I'm a powerful exorcist! May I ask which island you're referring to...?"

Seeing how much Lin Tian knew about Shinji Ikari, and hearing that he was the island's lord, Reigen Arataka asked with suspicion. But to appear strong, he repeated that false and ridiculous title.

"Mr. Reigen Arataka, you really don't need to do this. You were able to help Shigeo Kageyama out of his confusion. You are a respected mentor in life. The fact that you are here means that you will surely become a figure admired by thousands in the future."

As for this island... you'll get to know it slowly. Come on, I'll take you to complete the island entry procedures. Then you'll have a basic understanding of the island.

Lin Tian didn't expose Reigen Arataka's lie on the spot. He felt that although this person was very unreliable in daily life, he could bring Kageyama Shigeo back to his senses when he was about to lose his way and establish his correct values. He was a particularly rare talent.

"Let's go, it's getting late. After we finish the entry procedures, it'll be time for dinner."

"you..."

Reigen Arataka wanted to ask something more, but seeing Lin Tian's mysterious smile, he swallowed his words.

“There are other residents on the island, and they are all very nice people. You don’t need to be nervous.”

While Lin Tian was talking to the two, Kikyo kept observing them. She felt that the young Shinji Ikari was very simple-minded, and as Lin Tian had said, somewhat insecure. The other, whom Lin Tian called her colleague, Reigen Arataka, however, revealed a lie to her.

But Lin Tian didn't point this out, and Kikyo didn't say anything more either. She believed that Lin Tian had his own plans and would see what he wanted to do.

"Hmm..." Shinji Ikari didn't understand why the older sister in front of him was in this form, but after sensing her kindness, he nodded shyly.

And so the two of them followed Lin Tian and Kikyo toward the square.

"Fellow traveler, may I ask if this Miss Kikyo is also someone who was killed by an evil spirit and ended up here?"

On the way, Reigen Arataka and Lin Tian became acquainted, and his unease subsided. He, with his social anxiety, started chatting with Kikyo.