The next morning, Huang Zhetian and Shinji packed lunches for five in the kitchen. One of them was for Kaji. Who had asked them to make it? Take a guess...
Asuka yawned, her pajama strap slipping down onto her arm and revealing... (I daren't write any more. It might not pass review.)
She merely glanced into the kitchen as she passed, then went into the bathroom to rinse her mouth.
"What's in today's lunch, idiot Zhetian?" Asuka asked, spitting out a mouthful of foamy water and wiping her face.
"What's in it? There's no point if I tell you. But Shinji made Rei Ayanami's lunch. Tch. I just don't understand why you call Shinji a scumbag. No matter which way I look at him, he doesn't seem like one," Huang Zhetian said, tying the cloth wrapping and sizing Shinji up.
Shinji said, "So? You will be like them?"
Asuka tied her hair in front of the mirror, shook her head, and said frankly, "Idiot Zhetian, don't you have a phrase in China? Something about being different on the inside and outside. He might look all honest and well-behaved, but really, you and I both know... And you're a creep yourself."
Huang Zhetian said, "You @%&*%+!" (Such colorful language.)
On the way to school, Huang Zhetian took in the blazing summer heat. After Second Impact, Japan's seasons had changed. Summer seemed to be the only season left, and the direct sunlight scorched his skin.
He looked at the high-rises and the broad streets with barely any pedestrians. Power lines connected the utility poles, and birds flew overhead. White clouds drifted across the azure sky.
There were so few people on the streets. The old TV version barely had any pedestrians, nowhere near as many as Rebuild of Evangelion. As for which had the highest death toll, it definitely had to be Rebuild of Evangelion. Sure, both works ended with Instrumentality, so what was the difference? Anyway, the Rebuild of Evangelion everyone watched had more people dying. In the TV version, you could hardly find pedestrians on the streets in more than five episodes...
Anno: "Obviously, it was to save on the budget!"
"Hey! See that caution tape? There's a huge footprint inside. It doesn't even look like a human foot. And when that thing walked, the ground shook. We could feel it from way off," Asuka said, pointing at the cordoned-off area.
Huang Zhetian could see the footprint too. It had sunk about a meter into the ground. That was a terrifying amount of weight, even heavier than their Evas.
"If only there were pictures. I'd really like to see what kind of machine it was." Huang Zhetian crouched, lifted the caution tape, and stepped inside.
Looking at the enormous footprint, Huang Zhetian became even more certain. This was the new humanoid weapon from the PSP game he had played in his previous life. It cost no less to build than an Eva.
This weapon had been built for war. It would never be used to fight Angels.
The Military and the government had given NERV so much money, yet they still had funds to spare. Apparently, plenty of people wanted a slice of the pie...
But that wasn't something he needed to worry about. It had nothing to do with him.
"All right, let's go. We've seen it now. If we don't leave, we'll be late." Huang Zhetian stood, brushed off his trouser legs, and left with Asuka.
He still couldn't confirm whether this incident had anything to do with Jet Alone. He would have to ask Kaji later.
At school.
Huang Zhetian saw Mana Kirishima as well.
Tch, how could he put it? She looked... sweet and cute, but... she reminded him of those women in his previous life who handed out "you're a nice guy" rejections.
She made it hard for anyone to blame her. Two-faced-that was written all over this woman. In the game, she had a thing going with another mech pilot, Musashi, while dating Shinji... Later, when Shinji went to rescue her, she and Musashi embraced right in front of him. Shinji had genuinely risked his life to save her, with the Military's N² Missile already overhead. Yet she went and hugged another man. Just thinking about it... he felt a little cuckolded.
"Hello, I'm Huang Zhetian, Shinji's friend and a good friend of Asuka's too. Last night, Shinji told me a new student had joined our class. He said she was sweet and cute, and I didn't believe him. But now that I've come and seen you today, I really do." Huang Zhetian introduced himself, dragging Shinji into it at the same time.
Shinji, don't you really like her? You're just like this woman, eating from your bowl while eyeing the pot. You already have Rei Ayanami, yet you're still flirting with other women. Rei Ayanami hasn't said anything, but as someone who's seen the story, I just can't stand this sort of thing.
"Hehe, thank you for the compliment, Shinji. You're pretty handsome too, Zhetian," Mana said with a smile.
Shinji blushed. He hadn't expected Huang Zhetian to bring up what had happened last night, and hurriedly denied it. "No! Nothing like that happened..."
"Shinji, are you saying Mana isn't pretty?" Huang Zhetian fanned the flames from the sidelines.
"No, I didn't say she wasn't pretty. She..."
"So that means you did say she was pretty?"
"I... %+*&@ Fine. I said it, okay?"
Shinji simply couldn't win an argument with Huang Zhetian. Even Asuka couldn't beat him, and Shinji couldn't even beat Asuka. The outcome was obvious...
Mana watched the two of them from the side, finding it very funny.
Then she remembered why she had come to see Shinji today.
She quickly stood and approached Shinji, asking eagerly, "Shinji, are you free this weekend? I'd like to invite you out."
"Holy shit! An Ace Bomb right off the bat? Are we invisible or something? What kind of move is that?" Huang Zhetian was stunned. Sure, Shinji had protagonist plot armor, but even the script wasn't this explosive. Oh, this was the game's storyline. Never mind, then.
The people around them were even more shocked. A girl this pretty had actually dared to ask a boy out herself. Wasn't her meaning obvious? Snap! There went their happiness.
"Huh? Ah! I-is... is that really true?" Shinji blushed again, stammering as he sought confirmation. It felt too unreal...
"Mm-hmm! Are you free?" Mana asked again, unbothered by everyone else's stares.
"Ah! Yes, yes! Let's set a time," Shinji replied immediately.
Asuka was absolutely right to call you a scumbag. But she was wrong to call me a creep.
Toji looked as though both his parents had died as he said bitterly, "What's happened to girls these days? They actually like guys like him! Isn't a real man like me lovable? There's no justice!"
Kensuke looked utterly defeated. "When I first saw Asuka, I was full of hope too. But then I failed. Yesterday, when I first saw Mana, I fell for her too. And now I've failed again..."
Asuka ground her teeth nearby, but what happened next was even more explosive!
"Zhetian, would you like to come too? It'll be livelier with one more person." Mana blinked and asked cutely.
I believe smiles can transfer from one person to another. Shinji's happy smile vanished instantly.
Although Huang Zhetian wanted to laugh, he was still rather shocked. What does this woman want? Isn't two-timing enough for her? What kind of move is this?
Asuka exploded on the spot and hurriedly jumped in. She pulled Huang Zhetian to her side, glaring at Mana through gritted teeth. "Sorry! He's going on a date with me this weekend!! Go with that bastard of yours! Thank you!"
With that, she took Huang Zhetian's hand and dragged him out of the classroom.
At that moment, you could have heard a pin drop in the classroom.
This was even more explosive!!
Strange things happened every year, but there were especially many today.
Mana was a little surprised, but she didn't mind and continued chatting with Shinji.
Rei Ayanami sat by the window, watching expressionlessly. A packed lunch sat on her desk. She glanced at it, put it inside her desk, and took out a book to continue reading. It was as though what had happened stirred nothing in her...
Meanwhile, over with Huang Zhetian.
Before you continue