The welcome

"Oh, man, it's great having a friend like you!" Kensuke held his digital camcorder up to film the battleships and aircraft carrier below, exclaiming in admiration nonstop.

"Miss Misato, what did you bring us here for? Surely it wasn't just to let Kensuke film battleships?" Toji asked, puzzled.

"Staying in the same place every day gets unbearable, so I asked you boys out on a Sunday date," Misato joked.

Toji immediately straightened the cap on his head and launched into a barrage of boasts and flattery directed at Misato.

"All right, you'll find out once we get down there. There's more to this Pacific Ocean battleship tour than this." Misato kept them in suspense.

Meanwhile, the captain sat in the command room, glaring at these so-called "toys" and grumbling, "They have all these resources, but instead of giving them to the fleet, they spend them on these ridiculous toys. They even brought the power sockets!"

"Captain, there's no helping it. Eva units are very effective at fighting Angels," Huang Zhetian teased, lounging in a chair.

"I have to admit, the information you gave me was staggering. Against an Angel, the fleet could do little more than hold it off." The captain handed the documents back to Huang Zhetian.

Huang Zhetian put the documents away, then told the captain, "When I come back up with them later, they're bound to ask you about jurisdiction and control over the Eva units. I thought I'd give you a heads-up so you don't end up at each other's throats. Right, Mr. Kaji?"

"Haha, it's been ages since I last saw Misato. Makes me miss the good old days." Kaji wore a roguish look on his handsome, mature face.

"All right, I'll head down and meet up with them. I haven't even met that cute, tsundere girl genius you mentioned since coming aboard." Huang Zhetian straightened his clothes. After all, he was about to meet a female character he adored. What geek wouldn't get excited?

"I like you, kid," Kaji said with a smile, though his eyes drifted down toward Misato.

"Thanks for the affection, Mr. Kaji, but you should save it for Miss Misato. You mentioned her while we were chatting just now. Was she your first love?" Huang Zhetian asked without turning around.

"She's in charge of welcoming you this time. That's the only reason I told you about her. Don't read too much into it, kid." Kaji turned back with a mischievous grin.

"All right, your face already gave me the answer, so I'll leave you alone. Anyway, Japanese really is a tongue twister." With that, Huang Zhetian strode out of the command room.

"That kid... hahaha..." Kaji chuckled, then looked toward Misato again, his eyes filled with memories.

By the time Huang Zhetian came down, the iconic scene was already over. Just as well. I'm not a pervert, and I don't want Asuka slapping the hell out of me. But why do I still feel a little empty? There's just a teensy billion-bit of regret. You two-faced bastard.

"Hello. May I ask if you're the welcoming team from NERV Headquarters?" Huang Zhetian asked in Japanese.

"Oh, are you the Special Unit's pilot?" Misato asked, checking the documents in her hands.

"That's right, miss," Huang Zhetian answered, looking over the group.

Apart from him, the two poor suckers each had a slap mark on their faces-except Toji, who had two. What an animal. Showing our dear Asuka that thing? You deserved the extra slap!

"What... happened to your faces?" Huang Zhetian asked, suppressing a laugh despite knowing perfectly well.

"This woman's completely unreasonable! She was the one in the wrong first!" Toji shouted.

"Are you stupid?! You saw my panties, so that was your punishment. And then you showed me yours-you even took everything off... You really deserve to die!" Asuka snapped angrily, raising her hand to slap Toji again.

"All right, stop making a fuss. I've read this Special Unit pilot's records. Let's go get the documents signed by the person in charge of the escort. We can talk on the way. Come on, Zhetian." Misato closed the folder and addressed the group.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Huang Zhetian, the Special Unit's pilot, and I'm from China." Huang Zhetian looked at Asuka and asked, "Are you Unit-02's pilot? I haven't seen you aboard the ship."

"Hmph. Let me tell you, your Special Unit is no match for my Unit-02. That goes for Unit-01 too," Asuka said haughtily.

"Damn it! Do you have any idea how amazing Shinji is? He's a real man who's beaten Angels three times! Could a weak girl like you do that?" Toji protested, defending Shinji. Meanwhile, Kensuke filmed Asuka with his digital camcorder, looking utterly besotted.

"Hmph. If I say it, that settles it. I won't accept any arguments." Asuka lifted her chin and looked down her nose at Toji.

"Huh?! You bitch! Ow! What are you doing?" Toji earned himself another mighty slap.

"Teaching you a lesson. Watch your mouth. Hmph." With that, she headed toward the command room.

"All right, you're as pitiful as you are infuriating. What are your names, friends?" Huang Zhetian asked.

"M'name's Toji Shuzuhara. He's..." Toji's mouth was swollen from the slaps, leaving his words slurred.

"All right, let me do the introductions. Keep your mouth shut. I'm Kensuke Aida. Just call me Kensuke. He's Toji Suzuhara. Oh, and this is Unit-01's pilot, Shinji Ikari," Kensuke said.

"Haha, then we're friends now. I'll treat you to some Chinese food sometime. I'll cook it myself," Huang Zhetian offered warmly. These were the main characters, after all. He could see whether hanging around them would give him some luck in the prize draws.

"Great! Can you tell us about China?" Kensuke and Toji asked, leaving Shinji off to one side. Poor guy...

"All right, let's bring Shinji along and go find Miss Misato. There's still a good show to watch. They haven't gotten there yet. We'll have plenty of time to talk about interesting things in China later." With that, he draped an arm over Shinji's shoulder and followed Misato.

Huang Zhetian's actions left all three of them bewildered. Since when were Chinese people this quick to act like old friends?

Shinji was even more stunned. Chat with them all you want, but I was just listening on the sidelines. Why drag me into it?

Watching the two leave, Kensuke and Toji followed as well. But what was this good show Huang Zhetian had mentioned?

When they reached the command room door, they saw the expressions on Misato's face: (눈_눈)(ﾉ ○ Д ○)ﾉ