The Cores

"This is my friend's younger brother. He's hardworking, and he's come here to study. He can take part in some work experience when he has time, so find something for him."

As a captain in the First Section of the Operations Department, Misato Katsuragi held a fairly high position in NERV.

For something that didn't involve any core secrets, a single word from her was all it took.

"What a handsome boy. The girls must love him."

"Hehe, maybe the boys do too."

The two female NERV employees looked at Tao Yu's handsome face, both wanting to reach out and pinch his cheek.

Although NERV hadn't yet been granted as much authority as it had in the original timeline, the atmosphere was still relatively relaxed.

Even though Third New Tokyo had been built with the Apostles in mind as its hypothetical enemy, they hadn't yet suffered the devastating defeat at the hands of the Water Angel. They had plenty of confidence in the city.

"Oh, right. He's fourteen, so he should qualify, shouldn't he? They've been testing for Cores lately, haven't they?"

One of the employees seemed to remember something.

Misato Katsuragi paused at that, then nodded.

"Cores, huh..."

Misato Katsuragi was one of the few people who had witnessed Second Impact firsthand. She had been in Antarctica at the time, and survived only because her father had shoved her into a shelter.

It was fair to say that wanting to avenge her father had been one of the main reasons she'd joined NERV.

The candidates had originally been selected by the Marduk Institute, another advisory agency under SEELE, which operated independently of NERV.

But clearly, the changes caused by the Abyss's fall had led to some new developments.

The process had become semi-public. NERV employees' relatives who met the