The Prime Minister, however, seemed completely unaware—or rather, unfazed—by everything that had occurred. He simply waved his hand, instructed aides to summon a few members of the Diet, and returned to his official residence with the help of his attendants.
That day, the Prime Minister exploded in rage, unleashing a torrent of fury upon the gathered officials, scolding them relentlessly. In the end, he issued a stern warning:
Do not take any further action against NERV.
The Diet members, of course, were filled with anger and resentment. But the incident quickly reached Hattori Kojiro's ears. After another storm of shouting erupted in the Hattori household, things—for the moment—seemed to settle down.
Whether Hattori's wife had truly given up on avenging her son, no one could say. But from then on, no one brought up the so-called "NERV traitor trio" again. It was as if the entire matter had simply been swept under the rug.
Yet everyone knew that beneath this surface calm, disaster still brewed.
The school bloodshed remained unresolved, tensions persisted. The conflict hadn't been eliminated—only temporarily suppressed. A far greater storm might already be quietly brewing…
—
Six days after the eye of the storm passed, Asuka was finally discharged from the hospital.
On the day of her release, Misato Katsuragi, Kitazawa Ryota, and Ayanami Rei came to pick her up.
"Shikinami-san, we've come to get you," Rei greeted quietly upon seeing her.
The moment Asuka saw Rei, she turned her head to the side and huffed,
"Hmph! Who asked you, you porcelain doll, to come pick me up? I don't need it!"
"I only came to thank you… for stopping Takesanoyama that day. If it weren't for you, we might both be dead now," Rei said calmly.
"Hey, come on! Let's get something straight—who saved who? Obviously I'm stronger than you. You really think a delicate doll like you could take on that brute?"
Asuka immediately shot back, indignant.
Of course, by now, everyone knew exactly what Asuka was like. So no one bothered to argue with her. After all, she was just all bark and no bite. No point in taking her attitude seriously.
"Alright, alright," Misato interjected with perfect timing. "Since today's a celebration for Asuka getting discharged, I propose we all go out to eat."
"Hmph. I won't waste my time on something so low-brow. I'd rather do something productive," Asuka muttered, clearing her throat proudly.
"You really won't go?" Rei asked, still calm. "The yakiniku there is supposed to be quite good. During your hospital stay, Kitazawa-kun grilled for us once. Today might be a good chance for you to try his cooking."
"…Hmph. Well, since you're putting it that way, I suppose I can grace you all with my presence—just this once."
Arms crossed and chin raised, Asuka made her declaration with obvious smugness.
"Hehe, perfect. Let's head out, then."
The three exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes, they all saw the same thing—a glimmer of amusement.
Everyone understood Asuka's temper by now. So with just a little teasing, she was coaxed into joining them, and soon enough, the four of them arrived at the barbecue restaurant.
Before long, plate after plate of grilled meat was served. Japanese-style yakiniku and Chinese barbecue were quite different. The former was often marinated before grilling, while the latter typically wasn't.
Each had its own distinct flavor.
Kitazawa Ryota, being ethnically Chinese before his transmigration, quickly showcased his skills. One after another, the freshly grilled meats were passed around the table.
Of course, grilling wasn't just about drawing out flavor—it required mastering texture and tenderness. That demanded an exceptional eye and timing.
But Ryota's skill was no joke. In just a short time, he had completely won over the three girls, who now focused solely on eating. Even Asuka was completely absorbed—no time to be her usual tsundere self.
But just as everyone was enjoying the moment—
The emergency sirens across Tokyo-3 began to wail.
"…Huh? Sirens? What's that?"
Hearing the piercing alarm echoing through the city, Misato froze. She didn't immediately register what was happening.
City-wide alarms only meant two things:
The city was under imminent threat of war, or
An Angel had appeared.
Whenever an Angel was detected, Tokyo-3's alarms would activate automatically.
Peace had lasted too long. And the Angel's arrival had come far too suddenly.
The Eighth Angel… had arrived.
The four exchanged glances, then immediately dropped their skewers and rushed back to NERV headquarters.
---
"What's the situation?!"
Barely catching her breath after returning, Misato turned sharply toward the monitoring staff.
"Reporting, Commander Katsuragi! Just ten minutes ago, Angel readings were detected at the Mount Manaki (OC) observation post!" a technician answered urgently. "The satellite has already captured visual imagery—Commander, please take a look!"
The main screen lit up.
A large spherical object was shown rotating slowly. Its core was obscured by distortion—nothing could be clearly seen. What was visible was a constant ripple of warped space.
"So that's it… An Angel capable of distorting the A.T. Field. How unexpected…" Misato muttered.
"Quick—try to predict its landing site… no, wait, we already know. It'll be Japan. It'll be Tokyo-3."
She let out a long sigh, her voice full of helpless resignation.
"Commander, MAGI has completed its analysis," reported Ibuki Maya, assistant to Dr. Ritsuko Akagi. "The probability that the Angel will make direct impact with NERV HQ is 99.9999%!"
"…What…? That's… not good at all…" Misato's face paled in shock.
---
Meanwhile, in outer space, the massive sphere—its surface shimmering with distorted energy—raced forward through the void.
Countless space-based weapons locked onto it, launching salvo after salvo in a desperate attempt to intercept.
N2 Airburst Mines.
Each one packed power equivalent to a tactical nuclear strike.
But to everyone's horror, not a single N2 strike had any effect. They struck the Angel relentlessly, but it remained unharmed—its trajectory unchanged.
Every blast was absorbed entirely by its chaotic A.T. Field.
"He's focused his entire A.T. Field into a single point. That energy concentration combines with the momentum of reentry. That's why we can't touch him," explained one technician.
"…Put it in simpler terms," Misato muttered, not in the mood for technobabble—especially now.
"In plain language…" Maya adjusted her glasses, visibly unnerved.
"…This Angel is a giant bomb—a super bomb."
A bomb…
Hearing that, Misato's face turned grim.
This time… this might really be the end.
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