Clone incubation chamber
At a glance, all I could see were neatly arranged incubation pods.
A Shikinami-type clone floated in each pod.
"I don't know who my dad is... and Mom isn't here..."
"So I never needed anyone to begin with. Asuka!"
The hand puppet only moved when my fingers moved. It didn't understand anything.
It knew nothing.
It could only rely on me.
"Even if no one is here, I have to live a good life. Otherwise, it would hurt too much. Just being alive already hurts so much..."
On the screen, the numbered Shikinami-type clones disappeared one after another, until only two remained.
Until, on a bitterly cold, snowy day, I met someone who spoke to me for the first time.
He felt an inexplicable affection for me, and without realizing it, I accepted it and kept longing for that mysterious affection.
Perhaps, back then, I was the one who took the initiative to find that hard-won companionship.
Although I'd only met him a few times, we promised to meet again, and I had to work hard to pass every training assessment.
I'd grown numb and accustomed to operating inside the simulation pod and wearing the monitoring suit.
The only way I could vent the negative emotions brought on by the intense training was to kill digital enemies with the simulated unit.
Piloting an EVA-even if people hated me or hurled abuse at me, it didn't matter. As long as piloting an EVA let me be with him, everything was fine.
After all, I had no other worth, and being with him was my only motivation for piloting an EVA.
I ran through the ice and snow. I didn't need any of those people's false gestures. A strong body and heart were enough.
So the only person who