The Pacific Fleet arrived at New Yokosuka Port on schedule.
Shinji Ikari and Asuka stood on the escalator, watching the lifting equipment hoist Unit-02 off the transport ship. A row of teeth marks was visible on its red armor.
The girl's senses had not deceived her. Unit-02's body had been pierced clean through, which was why she had felt that tearing pain as though it were her own.
Asuka
Her carefully brushed golden-brown hair clung tightly to either side of her face, almost melding with her skin. The boy beside her was soaked from head to toe.
Asuka wore a waterproof combat suit, so she was in relatively good shape. Shinji Ikari should have looked like a bedraggled drowned rat, but his damned presence instead made her feel as though she were standing beside a phoenix reborn from the flames.
As she watched Unit-02, Asuka could also see Shinji Ikari's profile. Even now, she could still recall the warmth of their bodies pressed together beneath the sea.
Her breathing grew a little drawn out, as though she were back in that darkness. A blush spread across her face, bringing a faint, feverish heat. In that moment, she seemed to feel her blood stirring all over again.
The girl leaned forward slightly, her movement light and nimble, and did something the boy had never expected!
There was a dangerous air about her, like a beast on the hunt. Shinji Ikari only felt his freshly dried cheek grow a little damp again, the strange sensation vanishing in an instant.
The girl drew back as though it had all been a joke. By the time Shinji Ikari turned to look, her usual smug, haughty smile was already back in place.
"Don't get the wrong idea. That was just a thank-you. A little kid