Chapter 42 74: This Meal is Delicious, Asuka.

Terrifying, absolutely terrifying!

Asuka's head drooped as she yawned repeatedly. She had been plagued by nightmares all night long; a certain someone's words lingered in her mind like a haunting melody, yet they were both vivid and logically sound.

It was as if she had seen a scarred elder recounting his past—heavy and real. That earnest, heartfelt teaching made her feel ashamed of her own naive thoughts. It felt as if that idiot had personally experienced it all.

Asuka looked at Rei Ayanami by the window, her gaze complicated. Furthermore, Rei was an incredible "hype man"; their back-and-forth Q&A sounded as if it had been rehearsed. She could still remember the girl asking in her cool tone while the boy answered in a firm, soul-shaking voice:

"Ikari-kun, what is your life?"

"Honor is my life."

"Ikari-kun, what is your destiny?"

"Duty is my destiny."

"Ikari-kun, what do you fear?"

"Failure is my fear."

"Ikari-kun, what is your oath?"

"Loyalty unto death is my oath."

'Aaaah, I can't think about it anymore!'

Otherwise, she'd turn into a lunatic like them.

"Loyalty unto death"—what utter nonsense.

Asuka rubbed her head, feeling a faint sting of jealousy at the rapport between the two. She wondered if they were teaming up to mess with her; the "eighth-grader syndrome" (chuunibyou) vibes were just too strong.

'Still, these two idiots aren't as weird as I thought.'

She noticed several girls surrounding Rei Ayanami. For such an isolated person, she actually had quite a few friends and had apparently even joined a club. Turning around, she saw Shinji also surrounded by several boys who were listening to his "preaching" with pious faces.

In contrast, she was envied by the girls and feared by the boys, leaving her somewhat solitary.

'Could it be that I'm the outlier?'

Asuka was starting to doubt her life choices. Between these two—one with no facial expressions and the other with zero emotional intelligence—how did they become the focus of the class?

"Asuka, come get your food."

Shinji called out just then. The girl blinked, remembering it was "feeding time." After a moment of hesitation, she stood tall and walked over.

"What's for lunch today?"

"I made it haphazardly yesterday because I had to maintain the EVA. Just make do with it."

Shinji handed over a lunch box that didn't look haphazard at all. He had already turned feeding the two of them into a daily quest.

"Thanks."

Asuka took it and left as usual; she had no desire to get mixed up with that group of lecherous boys. But as she reached her seat, she paused and looked toward the window.

Rei Ayanami was talking animatedly with the class rep. Noticing the gaze, Rei turned her head to see Asuka staring with a brooding expression. The frame frozen for a few seconds before Rei hesitantly waved her over.

'Heh, since you're sincerely inviting me, I guess I'll eat with you.'

Asuka strode over and moved a nearby desk. The other girls looked a bit awkward—Asuka's popularity was so high it often drew resentment from her own gender, and she wasn't the type to explain herself to "little kids."

Fortunately, Hikari Horaki was the "good person" of this small circle. Seeing the atmosphere was off, she lightly clapped her hands.

"Soryu-san, are you also interested in the school festival?"

'What school festival?'

Asuka was momentarily blank before remembering this was a Japanese specialty. It had originally been cancelled due to the Angel attacks, but since several Angels in a row had been killed outside of Tokyo-3, it had been reinstated.

"Uh, a little bit, I guess."

Asuka opened her lunch box. The contents—so neatly arranged they would delight someone with OCD—immediately made the girls' eyes light up.

"Is this a bento made by Shinji-kun too?"

"It's actually different from Ayanami-san's. He's so thoughtful."

"Sigh, if only he could make one for me. Shinji-kun is not only handsome and reliable, but he's also very considerate."

Asuka tilted her head up, feeling quite proud, then realized something was wrong.

'They're praising that idiot, why am I the one feeling proud?!'

Her expression turned complicated. She glanced at the group of boys, who were actually kneeling on one knee around that idiot.

"He's not even that great. Shinji has low EQ, a stubborn temper, and likes to get involved in nonsensical, weird business."

She waved her chopsticks while eating, only to find the surroundings had gone quiet.

"Why are you all staring at me?"

Hikari Horaki and the others stared at her with peculiar looks, thinking: Doesn't this look exactly like showing off your boyfriend?

"Soryu-san, have you ever been in love?" a blonde girl named Tsumugi Ibuki asked.

"No, not interested. Why are you asking?"

'Oh, no wonder.'

The group was instantly relieved. Despite her mature appearance, it turned out Soryu-san was just as clueless as Ayanami-san.

'Then again, Ikari-kun doesn't seem like a playboy... but he's dating both of them and living together?'

The girls' faces suddenly flushed red, making Asuka's skin crawl with the urge to flee. However, using romance as a starting point, the group soon became well-acquainted.

They began sharing their bentos and chatting about recently popular TV dramas. Asuka initially found it stupid, but seeing Rei Ayanami "studying" the conversation intently and occasionally chiming in with plot details, she suppressed her impatience. By the time lunch break was nearly over...

"The cake shop in front of the station is great, I just went there. Oh? This hair salon looks nice too. Let's add each other later so you can send me the address."

Perhaps because she had spent too much time with a non-human like Shinji, Asuka found chatting with people her own age incredibly relaxing. A smile broke out across her face.

People of the same age, with the same interests and the same vitality—it was ten thousand times better than that idiot who reeked of blood and iron and spent his free time doing push-ups in the living room.

'Boring to hang out with little kids? No, no, no, I never said that.'

"Is this the 'True Fragrance' Law that Ikari-kun mentioned?"

Rei Ayanami stared at her, revealing an imperceptible smile. Even though Asuka was always competing with her, Rei didn't dislike her. The reason was simple: she was an asset to Ikari-kun's ideals. However, the thought of Asuka talking back to Shinji made her feel... slightly strange.

"Alright, lunch break is almost over. Let's talk business," the class rep said, noticing Rei's gaze, and clapped her hands. "We're planning to have a band performance at the school festival."

"Your music club thing?" Asuka asked with interest while eating tempura.

"Yes. The members are me, Ayanami-san, Ibuki-san, and Chihaya-san."

Hikari Horaki introduced them one by one. Tsumugi Ibuki had beautiful long blonde hair and was the keyboardist. Chihaya Rin had pale pink hair and was the guitarist.

"Oh, so what is her role?" Asuka pointed at Rei.

"Ayanami-san is the lead singer! Don't let her quiet nature fool you; her voice is beautiful." The pink-haired girl was very excited, grabbing Rei's arm. "Ever since I heard her sing last time, I've been thinking about it for days. That clear voice—she's a natural-born singer!"

'Huh? This Ayanami can sing?'

Asuka looked skeptical, unaware that Hikari had spent a long time teaching her. Rei had known nothing at first, but her talent couldn't be hidden.

'I can do that too.'

A certain someone's competitive spirit flared. She cleared her throat and said, "Is your band still looking for people?"

"We need a drummer. Soryu-san, can you do it?"

"Of course... not, but I can learn! I'm a very fast learner!"

'Uh...'

The girls looked at each other. They knew Asuka could be difficult, but since things had reached this point, they couldn't exactly turn her down.

"Then let's go to Ayanami's house to practice after school today. The class rep just wrote a new song. Oh, don't be shy, show it to Soryu-san."

'What? This freckled, plain-looking girl can write music?'

Asuka suddenly realized she had underestimated many people. Curious, she leaned in to see the notebook, which had been revised countless times. On it was a line in English:

"One Last Kiss".

Asuka began to dismantle those heavy layers of defense, integrating into the class and the squad.

Everything was witnessed by Shinji, who wore the satisfied smile of a proud father. Having spent so much time together, he understood Asuka's twisted personality all too well; often, she just needed someone to give her a little push from behind.

As for the band, it wouldn't last a lifetime, but as a rest stop between battles... it wasn't a bad idea at all.

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