The tool used by mortals to knock open the door of God—
The "key of nebuchadnezzar."
Gendo Ikari gazed at the item inside the briefcase through the container, the pupils hidden behind his sunglasses contracting sharply for a moment.
In that instant, it was as if he saw a figure unreachable in reality through the key.
"—Yui..." he called out silently in his heart.
"You've worked hard." Gendo Ikari retracted his gaze, his tone returning to indifference. "You must have heard about the current situation in Tokyo-3."
"Ah, of course." Ryoji Kaji closed the box and pushed it toward Gendo Ikari. "I hear an... extraordinary individual has arrived here."
"That is none of your concern," Gendo Ikari frowned slightly, then smoothed it out, and reminded him, "Remember to keep your distance from him."
"Understood, if that is an order."
Ryoji Kaji smiled and turned to walk toward the door... Stepping out of the oppressive Commander's office, Ryoji Kaji let out a long breath.
"Phew—what a suffocating boss." He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and just as he was about to light it, he remembered where he was and reluctantly tucked it behind his ear.
As a Special Agent belonging to the Japanese Government Ministry of Internal Affairs, and simultaneously Gendo Ikari's double agent, Ryoji Kaji was accustomed to walking on a tightrope.
But this time, he sensed an unusual atmosphere.
"Time to go see some old friends."
Ryoji Kaji adjusted his tie, the figures of two women appearing in his mind.
Ritsuko Akagi, and... Misato Katsuragi.
Thinking of the woman named Misato, Ryoji's heart stirred slightly.
She was his former lover, and the only woman he had ever truly loved in his life.
Although they had broken up, he believed that with his charm and their past connection, reliving their old romance would not be difficult.
He arrived at the Technical Department laboratory, knowing the way well.
The automatic door slid open, and a faint aroma of coffee mixed with the smell of electronic component heat dissipation wafted toward him.
"Ritsuko, long time no see."
Ryoji Kaji leaned against the doorframe, his posture casual, yet naturally exuding the worldly experience and charm of a mature man.
Inside the lab, Ritsuko Akagi had her back to him, examining a set of holographic data.
Hearing the voice, she turned around.
In that instant, Ryoji Kaji's eyes couldn't help but light up.
The Ritsuko Akagi before him seemed like a completely different person from the cool and serious female scientist he remembered.
She still wore her signature white lab coat, but the outfit underneath had a unique allure.
A dark purple, high-necked, tight-fitting knit shirt, whose extremely form-fitting material perfectly outlined the ample bust unique to a mature woman.
It rose and fell slightly with her breathing, radiating a suffocating sense of pressure.
Below, she wore a black hip-hugging mini-skirt, and beneath the hem, a pair of long, straight legs encased in extremely sheer black stockings.
The sheer stockings had a delicate texture, catching a sophisticated matte sheen under the cool-toned lighting.
More importantly, her complexion.
The pallor previously caused by chronic late nights and smoking was now replaced by a healthy rosiness, like a flower that had just been nurtured, adding a captivating charm.
"It's you, Kaji."
Ritsuko's voice was still calm, even a bit distant.
She didn't even put down the tablet in her hand, merely glancing at him indifferently: "If it's official business, please see Misato; if it's private, I am very busy right now."
This sense of detachment made Ryoji Kaji pause.
In the past, although Ritsuko was cold, she would at least exchange a few teasing words, perhaps even engaging in ambiguous verbal sparring with a "bad man" like him.
But now, her eyes were clear and resolute, as if her heart had been filled by something, leaving no room for other impurities.
"Oh, don't be so cold." Kaji took a few steps closer, attempting to deploy his sense of humor. "I heard you've had a breakthrough in your research recently?"
"And... you've become more beautiful, Ritsuko... is it the nourishment of love?"
Ritsuko's movement paused.
"That is none of your business, Kaji." Ritsuko Akagi closed the tablet, a mysterious smile curving her lips. "However, your intuition is still sharp."
"I am currently... indeed researching a great subject that transcends human understanding."
After those crazy nights,
her body, her intellect, her entire being, now burned only for that man.
Kaji keenly grasped the meaning behind that smile.
It was not the longing of a lover, but rather... the reverence of a devotee for a deity, and the submission of a woman to a conqueror.
This sent a chill down his spine.
"Alright, since the great scientist is so busy, I won't bother you." Kaji raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, his instinct telling him not to linger, prompting a swift retreat... Leaving the laboratory, Ryoji Kaji's mood became somewhat heavy.
Ritsuko's change was too profound.
That aura of belonging, emanating from her very core, gave him an inexplicable sense of crisis.
"Misato... surely hasn't changed."
He comforted himself, quickening his pace toward the Operations Command Room.
Misato Katsuragi, the woman who was carefree, messy in her life, yet fragile as a child on the inside.
She needed him; Kaji had always firmly believed this.
He pushed open the door to the Operations Room lounge.
"Yo, Misato! Did you miss me..."
Kaji's words caught in his throat.
On the lounge sofa, Misato Katsuragi was sitting, looking at a report.
Hearing the voice, she lifted her head.
There was no anticipated surprise, and certainly no spark of rekindled romance.
Misato Katsuragi merely looked at him calmly, as if looking at a normal old classmate she hadn't seen in years.
At the moment, she was only wearing a black tight-fitting vest, her attractive and sexy figure displayed unreservedly.
Her signature purple long hair was casually draped over her shoulders, a few strands falling across her ample bosom.
Between the deep cleavage, her cross necklace lay quietly amidst the snowy softness, rising and falling with her breathing, reflecting a seductive gleam.
She wore extremely short hot pants on her lower body, revealing two snow-white thighs that were fleshy and elastic.
Unlike Ritsuko's delicate black stockings, Misato displayed a raw, mature, and vibrant physical impact.
Her skin was astonishingly good, firm and delicate, showing no signs of being a woman nearing thirty who frequently stayed up late and drank heavily.
Her eyes were bright and sharp; the loneliness and confusion that had always hidden beneath her gaze were now completely gone.
In its place was an extreme confidence, and... a sense of fulfillment.
As a mature agent, Ryoji Kaji had naturally studied psychology.
Therefore, he clearly understood that this was the expression of a woman whose body and soul had been completely satisfied.
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