Night fell over Tokyo‑3.
Inside one of the city's apartment complexes, in a certain room, a girl lay wide awake.
She lay on her bed, her long golden hair fanned out across the pillow. Her striking features and bright eyes looked like they belonged to a storybook princess.
She was Asuka Langley Shikinami—the half‑German, half‑Japanese Eva pilot.
Ever since losing her mother at a young age, Asuka had learned to survive alone—how to be strong, independent, and to keep pushing herself to become even stronger. By the age of twelve, she had already completed every university course, soared through the ranks to become the famed Captain Shikinami, and was celebrated as an ace military pilot.
By all logic, someone who had achieved so much at such a young age shouldn't have had any worries.
So why was she unable to sleep tonight?
Asuka tossed and turned restlessly, lost in thought. The cause of her turmoil came down to one name:
Ryota Kitazawa.
For all her talent and accomplishments, everything seemed to pale in comparison the moment she stood next to him. Before Kitazawa, her pride felt worthless. It was as if there was nothing he couldn't do—no problem he couldn't solve.
This infuriated her rebellious spirit… yet also left her strangely unsettled.
Any girl would be drawn to a man like Ryota Kitazawa—someone that strong, that unshakable. And Asuka was no exception. It seemed like Kitazawa was the only person capable of breaching the defenses of her heart.
But that night, not long ago—the scene between Misato Katsuragi and Kitazawa—that image was still seared into her mind, impossible to erase.
It was mortifying.
Remembering it now, Asuka clenched her fists under the blanket. Stupid. How could he let a girl see something so indecent?
…Never mind the fact that she had been the one who insisted on looking.
Her thoughts spiraled further, making sleep even more impossible. A woman's heart could be a contradictory thing—the more she was drawn in, the more it hurt.
Without realizing it, Asuka slowly sat up. As if guided by some invisible force, she opened her door and stepped into Kitazawa's room.
There he was, asleep.
Asuka quietly lay down beside him, staring at his sleeping face. For some reason, a strange and unfamiliar warmth stirred in her chest.
"Ryota Kitazawa… What kind of person are you? Why is it that every time I'm near you, I feel like such an idiot?"
She sighed softly, speaking words only she could hear.
"Since you saved my life… starting today, I'll let you call me Asuka. And I'll call you Kitazawa‑kun."
During the battle with the Eighth Angel, Asuka had been clearly at her limit. If not for Kitazawa's intervention, she would have been crushed in the Angel's assault.
"Is that so? In that case, Miss Asuka, may I ask—what brings you to my bed in the middle of the night?"
Kitazawa suddenly rolled over, smiling faintly at her.
"Y‑You're awake?!"
Asuka's face flushed red, startled. She stammered for a second, then snapped back to her usual fire:
"Ryota Kitazawa, if you dare turn around, you're dead. I'll make you wish you were never born."
"Hey, hold on a second," Kitazawa replied casually.
"You're the one who snuck into my room in the middle of the night, climbed onto my bed—and now you're blaming me?"
"And besides… this is my room. My bed. Why shouldn't I be allowed to turn around?"
Having said that, Kitazawa turned his whole body toward her, staring straight into her eyes.
It was only then that Asuka truly realized—She was the girl here. What kind of girl climbs into a guy's bed in the middle of the night?
Even if it was Kitazawa‑kun… it's still not okay!
She wanted to die of embarrassment. Her face burned.
"Y‑You better not look! If you do, I'll gouge your eyes out!"
Asuka quickly covered her chest. She was wearing only a light nightgown—one that didn't hide much at all.
"And what if I decide to look anyway?"
Kitazawa narrowed his eyes, his tone almost dangerous.
"You do realize… sneaking into a man's room at night is a very risky thing to do, don't you?"
"W‑What are you trying to say?"
Asuka's chest tightened with sudden unease. But Kitazawa's expression triggered an involuntary memory—the night she had watched Misato and Kitazawa together.
Her heart sank. That same sour‑sweet feeling welled up inside her again, impossible to suppress.
"I'm not trying to do anything," Kitazawa said casually, spreading his hands.
"I'm just wondering what you're trying to do. Coming into my room, waiting until I was asleep… Tell me, what do you think I'm going to do now?"
"I… I'm warning you. If you try anything, I won't let you off easy."
Asuka swallowed nervously. Her words were fierce, but that indescribable feeling in her chest wouldn't go away.
"Heh. Then go ahead and try."
Kitazawa wasn't known for being a saint—in truth, he had never claimed to be. He suddenly pulled Asuka toward him, and the two tumbled together onto the mattress.
And then, just like that, the two were lost in a sea of sensation, unable to escape…
Meanwhile, in another room:
Misato Katsuragi also lay awake, unable to sleep.
She was thinking back to what Kaji Ryoji had told her days earlier—how Kitazawa had exposed Kojiro Hattori with irrefutable evidence, bringing the man down in an instant.
By now, Hattori was likely about to face trial. A man like that was nothing but a parasite. Good riddance.
Misato thought all this silently, but one thing she couldn't deny—the one who had made it all possible was Ryota Kitazawa.
To her, Kitazawa seemed almost omnipotent. Even their victory over the Eighth Angel had been thanks largely to him.
They had already crossed the final line once, but their relationship hadn't advanced since then. And now, with Asuka suddenly entering the picture, the atmosphere under this shared roof had shifted completely.
Any hope of moving further forward… felt distant. Perhaps even impossible.