Early the next morning, Tokyo-3, 7th Shinjuku District.
The darkness before dawn receded like a curtain being lifted, and a blue Renault sports car emerged from Tokyo-3's underground tunnels onto the surface.
Misato Katsuragi and Shinji Ikari were in the car. They had taken care of his medical examination, accommodation, onboarding, and a string of other matters, then spent the night at the base.
"Honestly, that Ritsuko! She actually suspected I had ulterior motives and insisted on an investigation! But that's finally over. Today, we're going to have a blast."
Misato Katsuragi winked at Shinji Ikari, finally showing the reassuring air an adult ought to have.
"So, we'll be living together from now on. Don't worry. Your big sister will take good care of you."
Shinji Ikari sorted through his things, organizing his temporary ID card, medical report, and other documents before putting them into his schoolbag.
Of course, this medical report was only a simplified version that anyone could read. No matter how you looked at it, the final conclusion was simply that he was healthy.
After an entire busy day, his body showed no trace of fatigue. In fact, he felt more mentally refreshed than ever.
Shinji Ikari slowly turned his head, looking out the window at the gradually brightening sky.
Morning light spilled through the clouds onto the buildings lining the streets, bringing a faint but hopeful glow to the sleeping city.
There were no metallic underground structures around them now, only the most ordinary city streets.
It was hard to imagine that, just one day earlier, this city had experienced a battle that could have destroyed the world.
Across the road, shops and buildings lined the streets, and traffic was already streaming past despite the early hour.
Every sidewalk was crowded with citizens hurrying to work or school.
The bustling scene before him made Shinji Ikari feel as though he had stepped into another lifetime.
After all, not long ago, an Angel capable of leveling an entire city district with a single strike had been rampaging through the city. Now that he had returned, it was a thriving metropolis again.
Seeing Shinji Ikari unusually quiet instead of chatting with her, Misato Katsuragi assumed the earlier medical examination had left him with a bad impression.
She felt she ought to improve that impression, so she took the initiative to introduce a topic.
"The 7th Shinjuku District is Tokyo-3's administrative and commercial center, as well as a large residential area. Your new school and our apartment are both here."
"If you're looking for entertainment, kids your age probably like anime and special-effects shows, right? You can go to the New Kobe District."
"Of course, if you want to unwind, you can go to the New Port District or the 1st and 2nd Shinjuku Districts. Though I don't know whether the girls there take customers as young as you."
"Unwind? Take... customers?" Shinji Ikari stared at Misato Katsuragi with wide eyes. Did this woman know what she was saying?
Misato Katsuragi had been concentrating on driving, but she suddenly seemed to realize something was wrong with her words, and her voice grew considerably quieter.
"Tokyo-3 might look prosperous, but ultimately, it's a city that exists for war. It's perfectly normal to be under a lot of stress..."
Ritsuko Akagi really did know her friend Misato Katsuragi well. There was often no telling what was going through this woman's head, but Shinji Ikari didn't dislike entertaining people like her.
Still, as he watched the streets race backward, a question soon occurred to him.
"I remember Gendo Ikari originally assigned me to the Sixth District up ahead. Why did you apply to have me live with you, Misato?"
"Think of it as my way of thanking you. Besides, you didn't seem very happy when they were planning to have you live alone." Misato Katsuragi glanced at him before looking back at the road.
Shinji Ikari looked puzzled. "Thanking me for what?"
"For saving humanity, obviously! And that time in the town, too. You appeared when my Renault and I narrowly escaped death. That was your doing, wasn't it?"
"Oh, that's what you meant." Shinji Ikari nodded.
It was a little embarrassing, but back then, he hadn't even known that the divine power he was born with was an AT Field. He had thought it was an ability unique to him.
Now that Shinji Ikari had readily admitted it, Misato Katsuragi actually found it difficult to continue. After all, she had mistaken the boy before her for her father at the time.
She smoothly changed the subject. "Speaking of which, why did you suddenly agree to pilot Unit-01 that day? I thought you'd stay at an impasse for a while."
"Gendo Ikari isn't human, and I'm not sure whether the others are either. But you? I think you're human." Shinji Ikari smiled faintly.
"So you did it for me. I'm so touched. But was that supposed to be a compliment? It sounded awfully halfhearted," Misato Katsuragi said sulkily.
In another district littered with shattered walls and rubble, the area that had taken a direct hit from Shamshel's laser beam had suffered the worst destruction at the Angel's hands.
The lockdown there had never been lifted. Deep among the ruins, a group of busy figures worked out of sight. All of them were specialists from within NERV.
Meanwhile, in the control room at NERV headquarters, Ritsuko Akagi used remote monitors to direct the cleanup following EVA's first battle.
"Unit-01 has been safely transported from the Sixth Shelter to the First Hangar. Preliminary inspections are now underway."
"We've confirmed that the armor on its right hand is missing. No other obvious damage to the unit has been found so far."
"Understood. Notify the crew to return to headquarters and stand by. All other teams are to continue cleanup operations."
After issuing a series of orders, Ritsuko Akagi suddenly heard the slightly anxious voice of her assistant, Maya Ibuki, beside her.
"Dr. Akagi, the data analysis report from Unit-01's memory card is truly astonishing. Perhaps you should take a look yourself."
Ritsuko Akagi took the analysis report from her. As her gaze swept over it, her eyes narrowed slightly.
Although she had been mentally prepared ever since Shinji Ikari sortied in Unit-01, seeing the figures for herself was still unbelievable.
"Not only did Shinji's synchronization rate remain stable at 333 percent throughout the battle..."
"The density of soul matter within his AT Field's phase-transition space was also six times Shamshel's."
"In that case, it makes perfect sense that Unit-01's attacks could pierce the Fourth Angel's Absolute Field."
Maya Ibuki took a deep breath. Even though she had already witnessed Shinji Ikari tear through the Fourth Angel's AT Field, the appeal of the data analysis was irresistible to a researcher like her.
"There are fewer than thirty people worldwide who qualify as candidates, and none of them have ever produced readings like these."
"You must have known he was the most compatible candidate for Unit-01. That's why you insisted on having him pilot it, right?"
Maya Ibuki clutched the documents, visibly excited, while Ritsuko Akagi, head of Technical Division 1, remained composed, her expression unchanged.
"Shinji is indeed exceptional. Forward this data to the commander."
"Also, apart from his basic information and combat footage, all his records have been classified as 'highest clearance' secrets."
"You understand what I mean, don't you?" Ritsuko Akagi said to Maya Ibuki, a hint of warning in her voice.
The female technician looked slightly taken aback. Highest clearance meant that only the supreme commander had the authority to access secrets at that level.
She instantly understood what her immediate superior meant and nodded at once. "Understood."
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