An unusual calm

When they returned to Misato's home that evening, this was the scene that greeted them.

Beer cans were strewn everywhere, and her work uniform lay on the floor. Misato was sprawled on the floor without a shred of dignity, looking utterly slovenly.

Caught off guard by Kaji's arrival, Misato hurried back to her bedroom and shut the door...

"Looks like you haven't changed at all. Still the same as ever," Kaji said wistfully, setting the bag of ingredients he was carrying on the dining table.

As usual, Huang Zhetian went into the kitchen, tied on an apron, and got ready to cook.

Misato could barely look Huang Zhetian in the eye. For the first time since Kaji, she found herself unable to face a man. She could even stand her ground against Commander Ikari.

This time, Misato felt embarrassed and ashamed. How much psychological damage could a slap like that do to a child?

Watching Misato scramble back into her room, Asuka felt a flicker of satisfaction.

She didn't know why, either. Was it for Huang Zhetian's sake?

Kaji took a sip of orange juice and said to Asuka, "I never imagined this place would feel so much like a home. I'm honestly a little envious. Shinji Ikari seems much more confident here than he used to be. As for Misato, she used to..."

"What about her?" the three children asked in unison.

"She was like this back then, and she's still like this now. What a slob..." He took another sip of orange juice.

"Tch..."

"All of you, shut up!!!"

Misato hastily flung the door open and screamed hysterically.

"Hahahahaha..."

Just like that, the awkwardness between Huang Zhetian and Misato quietly dissolved.

After a two-hour dinner, Kaji said his goodbyes and drove home alone.

As he left, Huang Zhetian flicked his eyelids twice, and a glimmer of understanding appeared in Kaji's eyes...

"All right! You've got school tomorrow! Get to bed early!" Misato stretched, showing off every inch of her stunning figure. Especially her upper half, which was like... (I'll let you be the authors again this time.)

Shinji and Huang Zhetian both pretended to drink their orange juice, but their eyes wandered in that direction.

"Hmph! Misato! Go back to your room already! You have to get to work early tomorrow!" Asuka glanced down at herself, then at Misato, and petulantly shooed her back to her room.

"I know, I know. I'll leave the cleanup to you. Haah... good night." Yawning, Misato staggered back to her bedroom.

But she didn't even close the door...

That's going too far. Do you think I'm a saint?

With the lovely view before them gone, Shinji and Huang Zhetian were bitterly disappointed.

Asuka called the two of them over and spoke with rare seriousness. "We might have fooled Miss Misato, but... Shinji Ikari's father, Commander Ikari, won't be so easy to fool. What are we going to do about that?"

"That's right, Zhetian-kun. How did I not think of that? That's a huge hole in our plan. They won't bring Mana and the others back again, will they?" Shinji asked anxiously.

"Relax. Your dad definitely wouldn't want to do that. It would take time and manpower, and what the military and government offer wouldn't be worth it. Besides, they've already given us something in return, but we didn't hand anyone over. If we went through all that again, wouldn't we be taking a loss?" Huang Zhetian said casually, leisurely sipping his orange juice.

"So we're just going to leave it at that?" Asuka asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. What else did you expect? We at NERV have no obligation to help the government or the military, so even if we know the truth, we definitely won't tell them. Unless they ask us first, and even if they do, it'll be too late. Get it?" Huang Zhetian ran a hand through his hair and finished the last of the orange juice in his glass.

"Sigh. If only Mana weren't a Giant Machine pilot," Shinji said, disappointed and regretful.

"Even if she weren't, you still wouldn't end up with her. She isn't right for you. Someday, someone will be waiting for you at the end of your life..." Huang Zhetian told Shinji, half serious and half joking.

"Why would you say something so depressing? You're awful, Zhetian-kun," Shinji said, a little angry.

"You still have the photo of you two together and the keepsake she left you, right? Are you going to destroy them or keep them?" Huang Zhetian asked.

"Destroy them, obviously. Forget the past and embrace the future, Shinji." Asuka perked up at the mention of this and immediately fetched a lighter and a hammer.

"Whoa, you're both so mean! Those are keepsakes! I want to remember the girl who broke my heart, and she was my first girlfriend, too!" Shinji immediately protested.

"Hahaha..."

NERV Headquarters Base.

Meanwhile, with Gendo Ikari.

"Looks like that boy escorted the two Giant Machine pilots out." Fuyutsuki took a drink of tea and set the cup on the table before him. Then he picked up his book again, reading intently as he spoke.

"Yes, good. But there's no need to pursue it. This matter is no longer our concern. Even if the military and government have questions and come to us, we'll keep our mouths shut. We may have recovered some of the damages claimed for deploying the Evas this time, but ultimately, it still wasn't worth it." Gendo Ikari remained stern-faced, his hands held against his mouth.

"Never mind that. I hear those old men at SEELE have a new pilot they'll be sending over, but the Eva they're preparing isn't ready yet. Looks like they want to plant a spy here..." Fuyutsuki turned another page as he continued.

"There's no hurry. We just need to delay the new Eva's arrival here. If that doesn't work, we can simply destroy it. Our deployment plans aren't fully ready yet, so we should take precautions. It's best to make certain nothing can go wrong. Otherwise, I wouldn't have that kind of confidence." After promptly weighing the pros and cons, Gendo Ikari still chose to secure the initiative and prepare on his own terms. He preferred the feeling of having everything under his control.

"Yes, send someone to handle it. Kaji would be a good choice. He was involved in rescuing those two Giant Machine pilots, too." Fuyutsuki picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, and turned another page as he spoke.

"Send him to Unit Four's base in the United States first. Be ready to order him to destroy it at any time..."

"Yes. As for Rei... don't get too invested..."

"...Yes."