"Although Yui's grave is empty, having a grave is better than having none at all. At least it proves that Yui once lived in this world."
Gendo Ikari shook his head. "It just shows that reality is always more painful—and more real—than dreams."
"Heh, Gendo… don't blame yourself too much. Shinji's death wasn't your fault. If Yui's soul really did ascend to Heaven, I doubt she would hold you responsible," Fuyutsuki's calm voice drifted gently into Gendo's ears.
As an old friend and comrade-in-arms, Fuyutsuki's words carried great weight for Gendo.
"You're right. When Yui left this world, all that remained was her body. Her soul… it had already merged with Unit-01," Gendo said, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
"And what about Ayanami? Doesn't seeing her remind you of Yui?" Fuyutsuki added with a wry smile of his own.
Gendo adjusted his sleeve and said, not intending to continue that conversation, "So… news from Europe, I take it?"
"Indeed. After the explosion at the Bethany Base, SEELE has temporarily suspended the Marduk Plan. That means, with no interference, our own scenario can now proceed without further obstacles."
At this, Fuyutsuki couldn't help but shake his head. "Kaji really went too far this time. That base was still a branch of NERV—destroying it like that leaves a bad aftertaste. Not to mention, the incident caused such a stir… I wouldn't be surprised if SEELE starts suspecting us."
"Perhaps… but there's no turning back now. This has always been the goal we've pursued," Gendo murmured, shaking his head.
Fuyutsuki nodded. "Kaji will be returning to Japan soon. He's been laying low for a long time now, and given how close he came to death, we should cut him some slack. But I fear SEELE will be accelerating their plans. Losing that object is no small matter for them."
"So then… that object is also coming to Japan, isn't it?"
Gendo muttered as he gazed into the sky, deep in thought.
…
"Kitazawa-kun! Let's get this! And this!"
"Kitazawa-kun, how about we have this for dinner?"
"Kitazawa-kun…"
Once inside the supermarket, Misato Katsuragi transformed into a whirlwind of enthusiasm, like a wolf unleashed among sheep. In no time, their shopping cart was overflowing with all kinds of things…
And of course, it was Ryota Kitazawa who had to carry everything in the end.
Under Misato's relentless shopping spree, Kitazawa finally found himself lugging a mountain of groceries back to the car.
Truly, the legendary 'shopping frenzy' technique of women knows no bounds, no matter the universe, Kitazawa thought to himself.
After they left the supermarket, the two drove off together, heading home.
"This kind of day… kinda feels like a date, doesn't it?" Misato smiled as she drove, quietly musing to herself.
As long as I'm with Kitazawa-kun… anything feels like happiness.
But little did she know—at that very moment, Kitazawa's expression had turned cold.
Because a message had just echoed in his mind—from the War God System:
An Angel has arrived!
Weeks had passed peacefully, but now the Angels had returned.
A bad feeling began to rise in Kitazawa's chest. The pace of their reawakenings was accelerating.
Yet, they were still dozens of kilometers from NERV HQ. Even if they turned back now, they wouldn't make it in time!
Beep beep beep!
At that moment, Misato's phone also rang.
"Hello? This is Misato Katsuragi speaking."
She answered while continuing to drive.
"Director Katsuragi! Bad news—the Seventh Angel has appeared!" came Maya Ibuki's urgent voice on the other end.
Ibuki Maya, Ritsuko Akagi's assistant, rarely sounded so flustered. Her usual calm had all but vanished.
"What?! The Seventh Angel?! Where did it appear?! We're on our way back now!"
Misato's expression changed immediately. The Angel had appeared too suddenly—and today, of all days, happened to be her day off. Even if they rushed, it would take at least thirty minutes to get back.
"It's appeared off the coast of Sagami Bay—"
Before Maya could finish, Misato froze.
She looked out at the ocean beside them—and her expression darkened.
They were already at Sagami Bay.
BOOM!
Right then, explosions rang out on either side—artillery fire! Countless naval vessels were bombarding a massive creature in the sea!
And sure enough, looming in the distance was a bizarre, monstrous figure. It had two legs like needle points, stepping delicately on the surface of the ocean as it slowly advanced.
With each step, a wide expanse of ice spread across the water beneath it. Its head—somewhere between a bird and a fish—looked utterly alien.
ROAR!
The enormous Seventh Angel tilted its head, which began to rotate like a giant compass needle. A massive black vortex formed at its center.
From within that black hole came an incomprehensible surge of power.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The once-calm surface of the crimson ocean suddenly writhed and surged. The water violently tossed the nearby warships high into the air—then instantly froze them solid—only to shatter them to pieces moments later.
Wreckage rained down from the sky.
One particularly large chunk of debris was hurtling directly toward Misato's blue Thunderbird!
"Damn it!"
Misato gritted her teeth and slammed the brakes, the car screeching to a halt just in time to avoid the falling mass.
She was pale now.
"Call Rei Ayanami immediately. Have her launch in Unit-00. Initiate Operation Plan Three. Prepare Unit-01 for aerial deployment—I'm currently transporting its pilot to the scene!"
Misato barked the orders into the phone, her tone sharp and unwavering.
Because she knew all too well—as time went on, the Angels would only grow stronger. And this Seventh Angel was already far more powerful than the Sixth—Ramiel, the Thunder Angel.
"Understood! Ah—wait, no! Director Katsuragi, Operation Plan Two is already in progress! Plan Three must be postponed!"
Maya's voice came back in a panic.
"What?! Operation Plan Two is active?!"
Misato froze.
As Director of Tactical Operations, she knew the details of every operational scenario. If Plan Two had been activated… that could only mean—
That person… had returned to Japan.
For a brief instant, an indescribable emotion flashed through Misato's heart—one she couldn't quite name.
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