Chapter 100 132: The Place I Return To Is Precisely Hell.

It turned out that the "anomaly" was only a brief occurrence. Early the next morning, Rei Ayanami and Asuka had returned to their usual state, bickering on the way to school.

However, both of them had dark circles under their eyes. They argued while yawning, neither having slept well. After bickering for a while, they looked at Shinji, who was ahead of them, energetically greeting classmates, and they both hung their heads in exhaustion.

'Fine. The two of us tossed and turned all night because of different worries, yet this guy isn't affected at all. Is it really worth losing sleep over such an idiot?'

They were actually misjudging Shinji. An Astartes was not a heartless monster, nor was he like some useless fool who couldn't perceive the emotional changes of those around him.

Shinji had used his bath and toothbrushing time to conduct research into this psychological anomaly. It was simply that when it came time to sleep, he instantly cut off all thought and entered a beautiful dreamland.

Mental stability was his forte. Or rather, long-term training had conditioned Shinji to know exactly what to do at what time.

For instance, if a suicide mission were scheduled for tomorrow, what should one do the day before?

Grief? Anxiety? Self-doubt? These were all meaningless. The most important thing to do was rest and organize equipment; only then could one increase their survival rate by even 1%.

The group walking to school grew larger, and in no time, it formed into two distinct clusters. In the front were the boys; Toji was currently saying that the Class Rep had mysteriously confessed to him last night. His nonchalant attitude drew a barrage of mockery.

"Actually, I was confessed to as well—by Ibuki-san. Even though I haven't really talked to her much normally."

Kensuke rubbed his nose, acting as if "women only hinder my sword-drawing speed."

"You two really deserve to die!"

"Grab them! Last night's firewood hasn't been used up yet—tie them up and burn them!"

Seeing them in a chaotic scuffle, Shinji raised a hand to stop them and asked curiously: "Then why aren't you walking to school with the Class Rep and Ibuki-san?"

'You aren't even walking with Rei and Asuka, how would we dare?'

"Uh, if we left, wouldn't you be lonely?"

"It doesn't matter. Everyone has their own mission; there is no need to worry about me."

"Better not. Women are hard to understand; God knows when they'll get angry. Let's take it step by step."

Kensuke Aida's words resonated with Shinji. Having studied the problem for half the night without a clue, he beckoned the two of them over.

"I have a mission on my hands. I need you two to help me analyze it."

Kensuke and Toji looked at each other, both surprised that there was actually something in this world that Shinji found difficult.

"Please state your case, My Lord."

"It's like this..."

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"What are those boys whispering about?"

A dozen meters away, the girls were also walking together. Their conversation was a bit more subtle. For example, Chihaya Rin, seeing that the Class Rep and Ibuki had successfully confessed, immediately said in a robotic voice, "How nice. Too bad I don't have anyone I like. If all else fails, I'll just go find Shinji-kun," before sticking out her tongue under the murderous glares of Asuka and Rei.

"I don't know. They seem to have encountered some difficult problem. Hey, they're looking this way."

"Rei, Asuka, why are you two keeping your heads down?"

'I should have been braver. Doing that instead caused Ikari-kun trouble.'

Rei Ayanami kept her head down, sighing. She shouldn't have cared about Asuka last night and should have just hugged him; thinking all night had yielded no results anyway.

'Damn it. In a moment of excitement, I blurted out my true feelings and even forgot to use German. Besides, by making such a scene, didn't I look even weaker than Rei?'

Asuka covered her face. She had just been a bit overstimulated at the bonfire party, feeling self-shame and wounded pride, and she couldn't hold back her outburst.

'But I'm just scared! I just can't accept being inferior to Rei! But should I change? It's so embarrassing.'

She felt very wronged and very depressed. She regretted it the moment she spoke. All night long, she rolled from the head of the bed to the foot, then from the foot back to the head, but couldn't think of a way to cover it up.

The two looked up at the same time, saw each other's faces, stared for a few seconds, and then both turned away with a "Hmph."

"Ho ho. The battle between these two has entered a fever pitch. Have you noticed? Asuka doesn't seem as 'hard-mouthed' as before."

"She's only not hard-mouthed toward Rei. Look at her facing Shinji-kun; she's still the same as before. We'll just have to see when she 'awakens' like Rei did."

"I'm afraid it'll be hard. On one hand, she has to sabotage Rei, and on the other, she has to hide her feelings. I really don't understand her."

"Who do you think will win? Asuka or Rei?"

Ibuki and the others were enjoying this youth romance drama. The script was indeed quite interesting; the female leads were constantly growing, and there was a strong bond between them.

'Hmm, the Angel setting is truly wonderful. If these monsters weren't around, these two probably would have torn each other apart long ago. It's precisely because they've forged a solid friendship in battle but must fight for victory in love—that's what makes it so heart-wrenching.'

"Alright, you two stop being spectators. Rei and Asuka are our friends, and they aren't like normal people."

Hikari Horaki couldn't watch anymore. To be honest, she was also very conflicted.

"If they were normal people, they would have started fighting long ago. Besides, aren't I helping? I've given Rei a crash course in lots of knowledge."

"That 'School Days' thing was your crash course? Aren't you afraid of a real 'machete ending'?"

Hikari covered her head and said repeatedly, "Change it, change it. Switch it to a harem anime; that way Rei won't be so conflicted."

"Wow. Opening a harem in reality—Class Rep, you're quite bold."

The two stopped at the same time. Normally, this kind of lesson should be given to Shinji-kun instead. They shared a glance and had an idea.

"Right! We should raise Shinji-kun's awareness. But he's so scary; I don't dare talk to him."

"It's fine. I'll have Toji help. Boys have their own circles; Shinji-kun will definitely be interested."

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Shinji didn't know that people were actually daring to plot against him. Just as he reached the school gate, he stopped and saw a car parked by the roadside.

The window rolled down, revealing Ritsuko Akagi's face. Her face was full of fatigue; if you smelled closely, there was also a heavy scent of alcohol.

This calm scientist had changed a lot overnight. She looked very haggard, though on second thought, she was already quite strong. Being betrayed and then being marked for death at the hands of the person she loved—most people wouldn't be able to recover from that.

"You're more decisive than I imagined. But you didn't have to come in person; a phone call would have sufficed."

Shinji walked over.

"I smashed my phone to avoid receiving a certain person's call. Besides, coming in person makes it harder to regret."

Ritsuko smiled bitterly. She looked at Rei Ayanami and Asuka, who were staring at her intently, and realized:

"It seems I've caused you some trouble?"

She had forgotten Shinji's age and subconsciously treated him as a peer.

"It is of no consequence. I will handle their matters. But you really didn't need to make a trip personally; anything we need to discuss can wait until after school."

The boy was more composed than Ritsuko imagined, appearing as if he didn't fear Gendo Ikari's counterattack at all. Ritsuko looked at Rei Ayanami and gently bit her lip.

"I have something I want you to see for yourself. The sooner the better."

Shinji understood that look instantly. He pulled open the car door and shouted to the group behind him: "I have work. I'm going to NERV HQ. Rei, help me request a leave of absence."

"Okay."

Rei Ayanami said nothing, her expression very calm. Asuka instinctively took two steps forward, then muttered a curse and retreated.

Overnight, she seemed able to restrain her willfulness; she no longer needed Rei to remind her. Only Ibuki, Hikari Horaki, and the others looked at each other and suddenly noticed one thing.

'There seem to be quite a lot of outstanding women around Shinji-kun.'

'Wait a minute. While those two are pulling back and forth, could someone else be stealing their base?'

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The car followed the road toward the GeoFront. The interior was very quiet. Although they were both mature and beautiful, personality-wise, Ritsuko was the exact opposite of Misato.

She was calm, professional, rational, and good at thinking, making people wonder how those two ever became best friends.

"Rei's mental state is better than I imagined. Does she know nothing?"

Ritsuko broke the silence. In their eye contact just now, she hadn't seen a trace of hesitation or fear.

'Does Rei Ayanami not understand that I hold all the secrets? Is she not afraid I'll tell Shinji-kun?'

"She knows. But there is no need to be afraid."

"Why?"

"Because Rei firmly believes that I can solve all problems. She also knows that my attitude toward her will not change because of these things. What is there to fear?"

Ritsuko turned her head. She couldn't see any "forced strength" on Shinji's face; he was always calm, as if discussing someone else's business.

"To meet someone to whom one can entrust everything—that is Rei's luck."

Ritsuko stopped the car on the lift. As the motor whirred, she clearly felt jealousy surging from within.

Yes, a woman's jealousy. She once thought she had found that person to whom she could entrust everything, but in the end, it was just a dream.

That man had sold her out without hesitation, just like discarding a useless tool. Ritsuko couldn't remember how long it had been since she had cried into her pillow as she did last night.

She hadn't actually smashed her phone, because the call never came. It was as if that man didn't care at all about her hints; he had no desire to explain anything.

'In the end, I'm still a woman. Just a woman.'

Ritsuko quietly clenched her fist. There was a strong sense of destructiveness—that twisted thought: 'If I am unfortunate, I want you to be unfortunate too.'

"It seems you already know the truth of the world. But a friendly tip: this is a dead end. At least for Rei, it's a dead end."

Entering the underground, the light dimmed instantly. Ritsuko leaned back in her seat, her voice low:

"You can't save her. Rei's existence itself is contrary to your goals. As the vessel for Lilith's soul, she is fundamentally the 'xeno' you speak of—no different from an Angel. From that perspective, we humans are also Angels. Should you commit suicide?"

Shinji listened quietly to the rational yet frenzied voice. He knew Ritsuko Akagi hadn't brought him out with good intentions; she had the petty idea that since she doubted life, she couldn't stand to see others doing well, along with some redirected anger toward Gendo Ikari.

'Fine. I'll take the fall for you once more.'

"I can."

"What did you say?"

"I promised her, and I have decided to save humanity. In that case, I will simply purify everything directly from the origin."

Shinji leaned forward, moving from the shadows into Ritsuko Akagi's view, light flashing in his eyes.

"If the origin is in the Negative Universe, I will punch through the Negative Universe. If the origin is a so-called 'God'—

I will slay that God."

An iron will. Absolute loyalty.

Ritsuko's provocation was too childish. It was like someone waiting to see an Astartes look like a joke, saying "I'll see how you save the world, how you fight the Chaos Gods."

But no one ever sees that joke, because an Astartes will truly fight until their gene-seed is annihilated. The moment a Chaos God appears, they will grab their chainsword and charge.

Perhaps the Dark God could annihilate the Astartes with a single glance, but that is a question of capability. An Astartes never lacks the courage to fulfill their oath, and their will and loyalty never waver.

Ritsuko didn't say another word. Slaying gods, punching through the negative universe—it was pure chuunibyou fantasy, the most embarrassing kind. Yet she had long since stopped viewing Shinji as a boy; his guarantee seemed a hundred times more reliable than Gendo Ikari's.

'Absolute confidence?'

Ritsuko felt that determination and felt even more envious, jealous, and hateful. Listen to that: Shinji would slay a god for Rei. Gendo Ikari, what kind of piece of trash are you?

There is no harm without comparison. They are father and son, so why is the difference between them so vast?

The more she thought, the more depressed she became. When she opened the blast door leading to Terminal Dogma and saw that the boy was not at all shocked by his surroundings, she finally couldn't hold it in.

"You've been to Terminal Dogma?"

"Yes. So you don't need to think too much; I don't know any less than you do."

Shinji saw Ritsuko's head full of question marks, as if she were asking "How could you possibly come to a place like this," but he had no desire to answer.

To a Blood Raven, what place is "classified"? However, the path taken was indeed a bit different.

Without needing to crawl through cramped ventilation ducts, they walked up a long, narrow escalator. Looking at the walls that resembled cell membranes, he had to admit this area was built on an incredibly massive scale. The dim lighting and the smell of LCL fluid were perfect for a horror movie.

"Which floor are we going to? There's no need to see the Lilith below; it's a waste of time."

Ritsuko was choked up. She felt the powerlessness of wanting to show off a secret only to have someone else puncture it completely. She couldn't help but wonder how many times this person had been here to be so calm.

This was the ultimate secret of the world, Terminal Dogma—the place preserving the origin of humanity, the struggle, and the ultimate fantasy of the future. Even she still held tension and awe for it.

"Area C. I'm taking you to see the place where Rei was born."

"Fine. I've only passed by that area; I didn't have time to go in and look."

Ritsuko finally breathed a sigh of relief. The sense of anticipation returned; she was just waiting to see the boy's look of absolute horror.

"Then prepare yourself mentally."

"Is it terrifying?"

"To you, perhaps it is hell."

Ritsuko lowered her voice. This was her test; she wanted to see just how strong this boy's psychological fortitude was.

Shinji glanced at her and walked forward silently.

'The place I returned from... to you, it is hell everywhere.'

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