Chapter 109 141: Yui Ikari and Kaworu Nagisa.

"Do you see? When a comrade is troubled, you should promptly identify the core of the problem, then use the most direct method to tell her how to correct it, while sincerely articulating what is in your heart."

Shinji walked back to his seat. Teaching the boys of Class 2-A was also part of his job, so he treated this as a demonstration.

There was no need for fancy atmosphere-building or picking the "perfect moment." An Astartes favored the direct assault—telling Asuka clearly not to overthink and what she ought to do.

Kensuke Aida and the others nodded blankly. They felt the method was a bit strange, but seeing a blushing Asuka surrounded by the other girls, looking much more relaxed, they had to admit it worked.

Whether this method could be replicated by anyone else was another story.

"Shinji-kun, what if I want to ask a girl out on a date?"

"Tell her clearly, of course."

"Uh, what if I want to... take things further?"

Shinji looked at the shy boy, thought for a moment, and then realized what he meant.

"Then you ask her if she can mint coins for the Emperor, and confirm the time and place in advance. But beware: do not become obsessed, and never let desire control you. That is an abyss without a bottom."

Shinji's bluntness made the group of boys turn red with embarrassment. He, meanwhile, looked out the window at Rei Ayanami, who was eating her lunch in small, rhythmic bites, and found himself lost in thought.

Ritsuko Akagi had told him a secret regarding Rei.

Her soul originated from Lilith; her cells came from Yui Ikari—his biological mother. No wonder he had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when they first met. But how should he put it?

Perhaps sensing his gaze, Rei looked up and cast a questioning look his way. With a grain of rice stuck to the corner of her mouth, she looked quite dazed and adorable.

But Rei was not Yui Ikari. They were two completely different people.

This secret might have been a critical psychological blow to the original Shinji Ikari, but for an Astartes, it wasn't enough to cause even a moment of confusion.

'Yui Ikari?'

Looking at Rei's face, distant and blurred memories surfaced in his mind. She seemed to have been a very gentle person, often smiling as she stroked his head—completely different from Gendo Ikari. These memories could be described as beautiful.

Thinking this, he realized a smile had appeared on his own face.

'Soon, we shall meet.

Mother.'

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"The 11th Angel was eliminated... and it was actually handled by Dr. Akagi using a method to accelerate its evolution."

"Ritsuko Akagi is a talent. Isn't it a waste to leave her by Gendo Ikari's side?"

"This seems to be the first Angel eliminated solely by human effort."

At the same moment, the Committee had received the combat report. Just as Shinji intended, these old men would only receive the information they were "supposed" to get.

NERV was currently like a black hole; no matter how loyal a confidant was, they would be "assimilated" as soon as they arrived.

"The investigation into Fuyutsuki Kozo has also concluded. The anomaly of the 10th Angel was due to NERV equipping Unit-01 with a special device composed of Lilith's flesh. Because of the similarity between the Second and First Angels, the Sahaquiel was misled."

"A reasonable explanation. But Gendo Ikari has acted on his own authority once again."

"If he hadn't, Tokyo-3 would be destroyed. If Terminal Dogma were exposed, it would be very troublesome to deal with."

"So we act as if we know nothing?"

"There are six Angels remaining. NERV is needed to handle them. Further provoking Gendo Ikari is dangerous. Chairman Keel, what do you think?"

The old man sitting at the head of the table listened quietly. SEELE was the brain of humanity, and the Human Instrumentality Committee was the inner circle of SEELE. Originally, there should have been six people around this conference table, but now Gendo Ikari had been excluded.

Confidants had been sent in wave after wave, and Gendo had been tested so many times that continuing to do so was becoming almost impolite.

"Then... where exactly is the Adam embryo?"

Silence. No one could answer Chairman Keel's question. The Adam embryo was the most vital tool. If Gendo hadn't taken it, how could it have vanished into thin air?

That patch of ocean had been searched repeatedly; it simply couldn't be found. Every person who had come into contact with it was under constant surveillance.

It was strange. An item like the Adam embryo couldn't be sold for money; it was useless to anyone who didn't understand the "Human Instrumentality Project."

"Perhaps we can attempt to initiate the final ceremony without the Adam embryo?"

"If we do, success cannot be guaranteed. The magnitude of the Third Impact might not be sufficient. We aim to force human evolution, not destroy human civilization."

One plan followed another. Initiating the final ceremony didn't strictly require the Adam embryo, but according to the script, this wasn't supposed to be a simple explosion like fifteen years ago. Just blowing up humanity would be meaningless.

"The fusion of Lilith and Adam, supplemented by a New God to light the torch—this script must be executed."

Chairman Keel thought for a long time, still unwilling to abandon the original script.

"Chairman, we cannot find Adam's body."

"But the soul is still in our hands. Preparations are underway."

In the darkness, several images were suddenly projected. The first image was of a quiet city, where a handsome youth could be seen walking home with a group of people.

Everything was normal. Surveillance on Shinji Ikari found no issues; a boy his age should be enjoying school life.

The second image was NERV headquarters. A grim-faced man was constantly signing papers at a massive desk piled high with documents.

Aside from a strong scent of corporate drudgery, Gendo Ikari also showed no problems.

The old men shifted their gaze to the remaining images, several of which showed EVAs located at various branches.

"Units 03 and 04 have been completed. The construction of Units 05 and 06 is over 80% complete. This is exactly why Gendo Ikari must work hard."

Chairman Keel's voice was full of arrogance. Because they had been suspicious since the 3rd Angel, SEELE had increased investment in the EVAs to signal one thing to Gendo:

'You are not that important. If you try to play tricks, we can complete the first phase of the script without NERV. Since the goal is to eliminate Angels, anyone can do it.'

Of course, that was only the surface reason.

"I have decided to select Unit-04 to be equipped with the S² Engine to experiment with the possibility of a man-made New God."

"In the United States?"

"Naturally."

No one opposed. This experiment was dangerous, but necessary. The ceremony required a "God" possessing an S² Engine as a sacrifice. Ordinary EVAs didn't reach that level—unless an EVA managed to seize an S² Engine from an Angel.

Then, other images appeared. Beneath secret facilities distributed globally stood pale, ugly monsters. Were it not for the entry plugs on their spines, they would look more like Angels.

"With the final budget supplement, there are 18 Mass Production EVAs in total. The pseudo-S² Engines and the replicas of the Spear of Longinus are nearly complete. These sacrifices will soon be of use."

The group nodded. The core part of the ceremony was a secret that even Gendo Ikari didn't know. Though they were all EVAs, the roles they played were fundamentally different.

"So, what is missing?" asked Committee Member Jon, represented by a yellow light.

"The personalities to activate them. The Dummy System data submitted by NERV is a mess; we must handle this ourselves."

The monoliths vanished. The next level of secrecy was not for ordinary members. As the screen flickered, the five committee members saw a certain underground facility that would have looked very familiar to Ritsuko Akagi.

A massive room, a brain-like machine, and vein-like cables concentrated on a glass tank. Bubbles rose within, and inside was a beautiful youth.

This was SEELE's trump card: the Free Angel possessing a human body and Adam's soul—a being similar to Rei Ayanami.

His existence made the theory of "Angels only waking up one by one" into garbage, for he had been awake ever since the Second Impact.

Perhaps sensing their gaze, the youth opened his eyes, revealing a pair of red pupils similar to Rei's. However, there was no blankness in his eyes; they were as vibrant as a normal person's.

"Gentlemen of the Lilin, isn't staring at me like this a bit impolite?"

His voice was clear, possessing a captivating charm. The old men weren't surprised; unlike other Angels, the Free Angel enjoyed communicating with humans and had learned a great deal.

He appeared to be a gentle youth, seemingly unrelated to the word "Angel."

"How is progress? We need your simulated personality to drive the Dummy System," Chairman Keel said in a heavy voice. If one looked closely, the other ends of those cables were linked to eighteen crimson entry plugs labeled "KAWORU."

"Don't be in such a hurry. There is still time before the end."

The youth spoke with a double meaning. He appeared to be an ordinary human, and his relationship with SEELE was quite subtle.

"Speed it up. Do not forget our agreement."

"The agreement was that I would cooperate with your plan, and you would grant me a degree of freedom. I have fulfilled my part, but you have not."

The youth paused, then continued in a soft voice: "I have finished those books and have come into contact with many people in this facility. But I have also learned the concept of 'interest.' Only by coming into contact with interesting people can one obtain a sense of pleasure."

The youth had one major difference from Rei: he didn't close off his heart. He didn't need Shinji to open his "Heart Wall"; instead, he proactively sought contact with humans, as if trying to evolve the Fruit of Wisdom.

The five committee members were silent for a moment. They were helpless against this special Angel. They needed him, and the power SEELE possessed was useless; if the youth wished, he could step out of this cage at any time.

But he was unwilling, because doing so would mean the Angels' arrival and a fight to the death, and he had no interest in war.

"If we allow you to go to Tokyo-3, it will cause unpredictable consequences."

"You don't trust me? True, returning to Adam to trigger the Third Impact is an Angel's instinct."

The youth understood the human heart well and continued with a smile: "But I wish to make contact with the Third Child to obtain certain answers."

"What answers?"

"Whether to follow instinct and trigger the Impact, or to hand the future over to the Lilin. More accurately, which Lilin's hands it should be handed to. What you wish to do does not represent the Lilin as a whole."

In a sense, the youth was like a god, beyond SEELE's control. With a single glance, all the lights in the room instantly turned on.

The light illuminated the glass walls, which were filled with row upon row of bodies—almost identical to the room Shinji had seen.

"I will allow you to impose certain restrictions. If I do not fit your script, you can restart. In exchange, I will complete this Dummy System for you as quickly as possible."

The old men fell silent again. they were communicating intensely. They had never trusted this Angel; all evidence suggested the Free Angel was only feigning cooperation while looking for a chance to return to Adam.

According to the original script, he should have been the last to appear, only to be tricked by Lilith in Terminal Dogma, bringing a conclusion to the first phase.

But what if they refused? Without the Dummy System, those sacrifices were just piles of immobile rotten meat. Furthermore, perhaps he could be used to find the missing Adam embryo.

It was too risky, but he had already grown; convincing him would be no easy task. They only managed to keep him contained because of the Free Angel's curiosity toward humans—unlike other Angels who followed only instinct.

Should the youth take one step out of there, the war against the Angels would begin immediately. Fortunately, neither side intended to break the peace and start a war.

"Fine. Complete the Dummy System as soon as possible. I will grant you a bit of freedom, but it must be restrained. Once you pose a threat, we will destroy that body of yours. You must return as per our agreement."

"Then it is a deal."

The youth nodded with a smile. He glanced at the dense clusters of clones around him. He "forgot" to mention that whether he returned here or freely chose death was entirely up to his own will—but that was no longer important.

"We shall meet soon, Shinji-kun."

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