In Gendo Ikari's enormous office, Xiao Ran sat leisurely in a chair that was not actually very comfortable, his arms folded across his chest as he watched the person standing across the desk from him—Kaworu Nagisa, who looked utterly harmless and wore an innocent, gentle smile.
Xiao Ran did not beat around the bush with Kaworu. He went straight to the point. "Tell me, what exactly is going on with these Apostles? Why did Apostles that had clearly been destroyed appear again?"
"I don't know about that." Kaworu kept smiling and gently shook his head like an innocent child. "But perhaps this is the Apostles' final trial and gift. Even if so many Apostles attacked this place, wasn't the Victory Fleet ultimately the one that benefited?"
"Is that so?" Xiao Ran gave Kaworu a long look, then said calmly, "Does that mean this place will not suffer any more Apostle attacks from now on?"
"So many Apostles appeared at once, yet they still could not break through NERV's defenses. I don't think the Apostles would waste their efforts continuing to attack this place." Kaworu chuckled. "They have already sensed the intentions of the humans in this world. They no longer have either the need or the ability to appear and destroy this world. Besides, there does not seem to be anything in NERV that can attract the Apostles anymore. If we're talking about something interesting, Shinji is actually much more interesting. That heart of his, which wishes to protect this world, is truly worth valuing."
Xiao Ran narrowed his eyes, looked Kaworu over from head to toe, and suddenly laughed softly. "All right. Hearing you say that does put my mind at ease."
Kaworu smiled so broadly that even his eyes narrowed, though he still looked as gentle as ever.