"Kaji? What brings you here?"
Misato put down her report. Her tone was natural but lacked much intimacy. "By the looks of you, is the mission complete?"
"Ah... yes."
Kaji felt a dryness in his throat.
He walked over, attempting to sit beside Misato, but an invisible aura made him instinctively keep his distance.
"Misato, you look... well." Kaji said with a wry smile. "I was worried you'd be getting drunk every day out of loneliness."
"Lonely?" Misato sounded as if she had heard a joke, lightly tucking a strand of long hair behind her ear. This gesture was utterly charming, making Kaji's heart skip a beat.
"I'm quite fulfilled now." Misato's lips curled up, and a light flashed in her eyes. "In both work and life."
Ryoji Kaji's heart sank. He leaned against the wall, giving a self-mocking smile with a complex look in his eyes.
"It seems I really am superfluous. Maybe I should just go back to the countryside and grow watermelons."
...Near the coast, the sea surface was stained an unsettling rust color by the setting sun.
The alarm didn't even have time to complete three cycles before the sea surface began to boil.
Massive water columns shot into the sky. Every movement of the Seventh Angel froze large sections of seawater, turning the liquid ocean into white permafrost.
"eva unit-02, launch!"
Misato Katsuragi's countdown ended, and Asuka released the restraint locks almost simultaneously.
The red unit left a streak of afterimage on the launch ramp, soaring into the sky like an angry javelin.
"This kind of small fry, I, the great Asuka, can handle alone!"
Inside the cockpit, Asuka yanked the control stick.
Although she cursed "Idiot Shinji" and "Doll Rei" out loud, the seemingly effortless combat style those two had displayed days ago was stuck in her heart like a thorn.
If she didn't prove herself here, the title of Ace would truly become a joke.
The Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist is not merely a boxing technique; it is a way of mastering the flow of power.
Hansen's words flashed through her mind.
The moment eva unit-02 landed, it did not rely on its heavy armor to absorb the impact as usual, but instead utilized the slickness of the frozen sea surface.
Following the momentum, it lowered its center of gravity. The AT Field around the unit was no longer a rigid shield but transformed into a streamlined membrane.
Shhh—!
eva unit-02, like a red storm dancing on ice, cut instantly into the Angel's inner circle along a trajectory so smooth it defied physical common sense.
The Seventh Angel seemed completely unprepared for this. Just as its bird-beak-shaped head lowered, the red figure was already right in front of it.
"Too slow!"
Asuka's pupils contracted slightly. The High-Vibration Particle Knife in her hand was held in a reverse grip.
She didn't rely on brute force hacking. Instead, she used the Angel's own power against it, following the direction of its freezing mist expulsion, and flicked her wrist lightly.
Pfft!
The massive pendulum-shaped core was sliced off cleanly, the cut so smooth it looked like a mirror.
"Wait...!"
The enemy's presence hadn't diminished at all in her perception; Asuka became instantly wary.
The exposed core was a fake decoy!
Immediately afterward, eva unit-02 executed a spinning whip kick, an attack infused with orange-red flowing power, directly piercing the hidden true core.
Boom—!
A massive cross-shaped explosion erupted over the sea, scattering blood and gore.
"Target confirmed silent." Maya Ibuki's voice held a hint of surprise. "Solo annihilation! Elapsed time... fifty-eight seconds!"
"Hmph." Asuka leaned back in her pilot seat, letting out a small breath, watching the Angel's remains disintegrate into a sea of red blood on the screen. "That's it? It wasn't even a warm-up."
Although her tone was still arrogant, her tightly clenched knuckles betrayed the fact that her mood was far from calm.
It was like an outburst after a long period of suppression.
Rightfully so, she had done it... That evening, at Hansen's apartment.
The dining table was laden with rich Chinese cuisine: steaming Mapo Tofu, Twice-Cooked Pork, and Braised Fish specially prepared for the celebration.
"Well done." Hansen placed a piece of fish belly meat onto Asuka's plate, his tone calm and without excessive praise. "Your application of power is much smoother than before. You know how to use your brain instead of just charging around like a brute."
That simple sentence instantly caused two red clouds to rush onto the cheeks of Asuka, who had been trying to maintain her composure.
"N-nagging! This was the obvious result!" She fiercely poked the rice in her bowl, yet she couldn't suppress the upturn of her lips. "Besides, that Angel was practically dead weak to begin with!"
"Hehe~ Princess is the best~" Mari Makinami leaned on the table, smiling sweetly as she stared at Asuka, as if appreciating some rare animal. "But that slice just now was truly beautiful."
Rei Ayanami quietly ate her Miso Soup. Hearing this, she also nodded lightly. "Very strong."
Surrounded and teased by everyone, Asuka completely overheated. She could only bury her head and eat frantically, trying to use food to suppress the overwhelming feeling of happiness.
Late night.
The rain pattered outside the window, bringing a hint of coolness into the room.
Asuka lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
The excitement from the daytime battle hadn't faded, and Hansen's phrase "Well done" circled in her mind like a spell.
Suddenly, a corner of her blanket was lifted.
A source of warmth carrying the faint scent of shower gel slipped in.
"Who?!" Asuka alertly tried to sit up, but a soft body wrapped around her, blanket and all, pulling her into a full embrace.
"Shhh—it's me, Princess." Mari Makinami's unique lazy voice sounded next to her ear, her nose rubbing against Asuka's neck. "Mmm~ The smell right after a shower is so nice."
"Mari Makinami?! What are you doing, you pervert! Go back to your own bed!" Asuka roared in a suppressed voice, trying to push the octopus off.
"Oh, it's just too cold, you know? And since Boss won't let me sneak attack him, I had no choice but to come find you." Mari Makinami spoke nonsense with righteous indignation, wrapping her arms and legs around Asuka like a warming koala.
"You..." Asuka was about to flare up, but then she felt Mari Makinami's hand gently patting her back, the rhythm like rocking a child to sleep.
"You were very cool today, Asuka." Mari Makinami's voice suddenly became a little more serious, though only for a moment. "Thank you for all your hard work."
Asuka stopped struggling.
The Ace girl who was always aggressive and arrogant in front of others suddenly went limp at this moment.
She had always been afraid, afraid of being surpassed, afraid of losing her value, afraid of... being abandoned again.
"Shut up..."
Asuka mumbled, but she didn't push away the warm embrace behind her. Instead, she awkwardly snuggled back, finding a comfortable position.
In the darkness, the budding lilies quietly slept neck-to-neck in the tranquility of the rainy night.
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