"Wait… could it be the military's doing? No… that's impossible. That means MI6's intel was wrong! They're moving to take over the EVANGELION already?" Mari Makinami's face shifted as she murmured to herself.
If the EVAs end up in military hands, her mission in Japan could collapse. NERV might be accessible—but a military base? That's completely off-limits.
She hastily picked up her phone and dialed several numbers back to the UK, urgency in every press of the keys. She needed to alert her superiors—this trip was too important to fail.
Rei Ayanami watched her with a slight shake of her head. "I don't like her," she said quietly.
Ryōta Kitazawa merely shrugged with assurance. "She may still end up as an ally someday," he replied calmly.
Mari Makinami, MI6 agent and British aristocrat—she'd come to Japan for Rei Ayanami and the EVA project. But there was no point explaining that to her.
Mari ended the call and took a deliberate step back, her eyes locked on Ryōta. "I have to go now. If fate allows, we'll meet again. I hope you won't stop me."
Ryōta nodded in return. "As the saying goes, 'Flowing waters run clear—until next time.'"
He watched her walk away, noting her poise—and undeniable charm. Then, his gaze shifted to the road: military convoys roaring past, convoy after convoy, likely mobilizing to seize NERV.
"They've finally arrived," he said, a slight smile tugging his lips.
Rei spoke up softly, her voice unexpected: "So Ryōta-kun is like every other man."
Ryōta looked at her, curious. "Huh? Like everyone else in what way?"
Rei's tone remained flat. "Katsuragi-san said that men are all the same—they light up when they see a woman."
Ryōta was momentarily speechless.
---
In a nearby bar in Tokyo-3, two elegant women sat at the bar: one with flowing black hair, the other blonde with a beauty mark—Katsuragi Misato and Akagi Ritsuko, childhood friends.
Misato's expression was troubled. "What should I do…?"
Ritsuko sipped her drink and replied matter-of-factly, "Well, you've lived with a man before—you'll probably get used to it."
Misato, nursing a wine haze, sighed. "This is different from eight years ago."
Ryōta Kitazawa—so handsome, so capable—had ignited feelings she never expected. Since that night, even though he was living under her roof, their relationship hadn't progressed—and he never brought it up again.
She'd thought it would be a one-night thing, a fleeting romance… but here she was, thinking of him constantly. Why? He was only 14.
She shook her head at her own foolishness.
---
Outside the bar, roaring engines filled the air. Patrons rushed to glance outside as military convoys stormed past.
"Are they heading somewhere?"
"Maybe a new mission—after that Fifth Angel was defeated, anything could happen."
Misato and Ritsuko exchanged alarmed looks. "The military's here—deployed now?"
Misato's heart sank. She hadn't even been notified—and clearly, this was command-level action: surprise seizure of NERV.
"Ritsuko, we have to go. Now!"
They dashed into Misato's Thunderbird and raced toward NERV HQ.
By the time they arrived, armed soldiers had formed a blockade at the gates. No one could pass.
"Hold it—who are you?"
They were stopped by guards with rifles zeroed on them.
"I'm Katsuragi Misato, NERV Operations Director—let us in!"
Her voice trembled with fury, but the soldiers refused. "No orders received. No entry."
Misato's face went pale with fury. "Are you staging a coup? NERV belongs to the UN—what right do you have to barge in?"
Then a voice drifted over from the darkness…
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