Chapter 89 121: The Café Opened the Wrong Way

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As several fireworks exploded in the sky, the 5th School Festival of the Neo Tokyo-3 Municipal First Middle School began.

Perhaps because the school hadn't been established for very long, First Middle didn't suffer from the stubborn formalism seen in other Japanese schools. After all, everyone had been in shelters just two days prior. The principal's presence was far less significant than Shinji's; he wouldn't have dared to give a long-winded speech. He simply said, "The event begins," and handed the stage entirely over to the students.

The campus was bustling with excitement. Residents of Neo Tokyo-3 were slowly returning, and they were naturally drawn to the school festival. Had NERV not limited the flow of visitors, the crowds from other cities would have likely crushed First Middle.

"Not bad, not bad. It's so lively."

Katsuragi Misato arrived in her blue sports car. She had specially dressed up for the day, even wearing light makeup, and looked around in all directions after parking.

"After all, we just went through the Tenth Angel. It's rare to have a chance to relax. Humans, after all, always find a window to vent."

Akagi Ritsuko opened the car door. She hadn't dressed up specifically, but she had taken off her lab coat.

"Ritsuko, don't talk philosophy at a time like this. Don't you feel like you've returned to your younger days? Back at Tokyo University, there was a school festival too, and I was first place in the beauty pageant!"

"You were never old to begin with. And as for me, I was busy rushing through my research projects and didn't participate."

Ritsuko glanced at Misato, her eyes actually filled with nostalgia.

"Today is a workday. What about the bill from the UN?"

At the thought of those mountains of invoices, Misato's smile immediately stiffened. The battle two days ago had depleted the stockpiles of several nations; her hands were numb from writing the reports.

"Don't bring up such mood-ruining things when we're having fun. Besides, I'm their guardian. Since Commander Ikari isn't coming, I have to participate, and as the Operations Director, I also have to check if any lawbreakers are endangering the safety of the pilots."

Protecting the pilots was the duty of the Security Department, and there were likely over two hundred agents in this school.

Ritsuko looked at the school maintenance worker whose muscles were about to burst out of his uniform and silently shook her head. This woman had called her over simply to slack off legitimately—look at the Operations and Research departments; if it's an official duty, they can't exactly dock your pay.

"You can't replace Commander Ikari."

"Yeah, but my relationship with Shinji is much better than theirs."

Ritsuko was choked by that remark and shook her head again. Watching her best friend, who was already looking around and starting to buy takoyaki, she was reminded of a joke: On the surface, Katsuragi Misato is Shinji's guardian; in reality, Shinji is her father.

The two followed the crowd into the campus and discovered that this school festival was exceptionally grand. Both sides of the roads were lined with stalls set up by various clubs, all doing excellent business. The school buildings and gymnasium were elaborately decorated.

Such is the power of an unlimited budget.

Ritsuko didn't take it to heart—that amount of money wouldn't even cover a few Patriot missiles—and she was too lazy to ask where Class 2-A was, because the end of this surging crowd was precisely that.

"It really feels like a pilgrimage. If it weren't for the Security Department doing background checks on everyone, I wouldn't dare let Shinji and the others show their faces."

"You don't look like you're on a pilgrimage. Is the NERV staff cafeteria food really that bad?" Ritsuko couldn't help it; the esteemed Operations Director was holding a huge pile of snacks in both hands, having visited almost every stall.

"Oh, I deliberately saved room in my stomach to eat! It's not easy to slip out, so of course I have to enjoy it." Misato used a fried banana to plug Ritsuko's mouth and looked around at the sea of heads. "This is livelier than a temple festival. Hey, does Neo Tokyo-3 even have temple festivals?"

"Please, how many years has this city been established? The old Hakone had them, but hosting a temple festival in the Ultimate Fortress of Humanity... isn't that going a bit too far?"

"What's wrong with that? We've already dealt with the Tenth Angel and Neo Tokyo-3 hasn't even had a scratch. I'll talk to the Municipal Committee later—we'll have a temple festival next month. Shinji and the others will definitely love it."

"They'll like it? I'm afraid you're the one who likes it."

"If Shinji and the others are happy, I'm happy. Let's go, let's go, a line has already started over there."

Misato waved her hand and sped up, diving into the crowd. Ritsuko, chewing on the banana, didn't come to her senses for a long time.

Misato had a point. According to MAGI's calculations, the city should have been severely damaged before the Eighth Angel, resulting in a large-scale evacuation of non-essential personnel. But looking at this lively scene, where was the impact of an Angel?

If not for the Intelligence Department and the Municipal Committee modifying the citizenship requirements, this city would have been flooded with even more residents. After all, common people didn't know about the Terminal Dogma; they just felt that with the EVAs guarding the city, it was far safer than anywhere else.

Has the world changed? MAGI's calculations are becoming less and less accurate.

Ritsuko took a breath. There was no smell of disinfectant here, only the aroma of food. Watching Misato, who wasn't missing a single stall, she felt a sense of relief despite her helplessness.

This woman is living backwards, as lively as she was in her university days. The reason was obvious: with a powerful "thigh" to hold onto, why not let go of herself?

'I want to be like that too' she thought.

'To cast off the heavy burdens and blend into life like a normal girl.'

Akagi Ritsuko suddenly had a cowardly thought. She shook her head and hurriedly followed. Soon after, she despised herself for wanting to learn from Misato.

'This person is a complete waste of an adult.'

The people going on the "pilgrimage" lined up from the fourth floor all the way to the first. At first, the two ate and waited, visiting a haunted house and such, until they heard passersby saying, "That café is so chic," "As expected of the heroes of humanity, their aesthetic sense is different from ours," and "I took a photo with Asuka! She's actually the billboard girl; her dress is so beautiful."

Katsuragi Misato couldn't wait any longer. She pulled Ritsuko along and cut to the front of the line, flashing her ID when stopped and claiming she was performing a security inspection.

'As if that would fool anyone.'

Under the contemptuous glares of the crowd, Ritsuko hung her head. She felt she hadn't blushed this hard in ages. If she had known, she would have died before coming today.

Using her privilege to reach the fourth floor, she saw someone standing at the entrance of Class 2-A from a distance.

Icy blue long hair, pale skin, and a somber black long dress that formed a striking contrast. This dress truly had a unique taste—it was extremely conservative.

Pure black, without any decorations or patterns, with a golden belt around the waist. It looked somewhat like a nun's habit. In a school where everyone was showing off their legs, this look instantly elevated her taste.

Rei Ayanami's unique sense of being perfectly complemented this attire.

From time to time, customers would ask for photos. The girl didn't know how to sell her cuteness; she just stood there quietly, showing a professional smile. As soon as the customer left, she would return to an expressionless face, then smile again—it was a constant loop. It was a bit like that... what was it called?

Right, "hee-hee" and "not-hee-hee."

"Eh, Rei, why is it you? Wasn't it said that the billboard girl was Asuka?"

Misato walked over generously and looked at the long dress with a weird expression. "Who designed this? Why does it look like something an old lady would wear? Not a drop of youthful vitality."

"Ikari-kun designed it himself."

"Uh... truly somber, very much his style."

Misato immediately changed her tone, offering flattery without a shred of dignity.

"Misato-san, you've changed. You used to laugh and mock Ikari-kun."

Rei Ayanami stared at Misato, noticing that she was dressed exceptionally beautifully—clearly, she had put in the effort. The black dress outlined her perfect figure, her legs were covered in gray silk stockings, and combined with white high heels, she looked like a mature onee-san.

Katsuragi Misato felt her skin crawl under that gaze and hurriedly turned her head.

"Where's Asuka?"

"She's on a break. Actually, she does a better job than I do. I tried to learn from her, but I only learned to smile when taking photos."

"No, you're better! That cold feeling is amazing."

"Yeah, yeah! It's like the difference between ice and fire."

The people lining up in the hallway shouted. Rei Ayanami looked over, puzzled. She didn't understand why she was being praised; she thought Asuka was better at taking care of the customers' feelings, even making various hand gestures when taking photos.

After being dazed for a while, she curled her lips, revealing a smile that lacked any professionalism but was full of emotion.

"It's here! The Goddess's smile!"

"Ah, I'm dead."

'Is this still the doll I'm familiar with?'

Ritsuko was also stunned. As a normal person and the maintainer of the dolls, she could certainly distinguish the massive difference between the previous smile and this one.

The doll, who was often injured and frequently soaked in glass tanks, was becoming vivid, making Ritsuko's gaze complex. Human conscience made Ritsuko very certain that this kind of Rei Ayanami was the "correct" one.

"Dr. Ritsuko, long time no see."

Rei Ayanami turned and bowed gently, which made the scientist feel a bit awkward.

Ritsuko knew Rei Ayanami's mission too well. One could say the Human Instrumentality Project had set a death sentence for her. She was just a doll, a vessel, a tool—not truly human at all. Yet, seeing it with her own eyes...

She wasn't just a person; she was standing in the middle of the spotlight.

There is no hope without disappointment. This warmth would only make the ending more painful. As a pessimistic person, Ritsuko couldn't help but speak.

"Rei, aren't you afraid?"

"No, because Ikari-kun will solve every problem."

"He is very strong, but some problems cannot be solved by human power."

"Then Ikari-kun is not human."

The two spoke in riddles with the most indifferent tones. Katsuragi Misato, full of question marks, looked back and forth, only feeling that the atmosphere was wrong, and hurriedly pushed her friend inside.

"Enough talking. Let's go see the Class 2-A café. I heard Shinji designed it himself."

She pushed aside the curtain and strode in excitedly—then the expression on her face immediately stiffened.

Sunlight filtered through the tinted glass, turning into gold, spilling onto the pitch-black and heavy square tables. Intertwined with the skull-based candle holders, the entire hall was filled with a sense of mystery.

Somber columns, statues of armored warriors, blood-weeping holy ravens on the walls, and the Imperial Eagle emblem. Everywhere one looked, there were maxims written in highly artistic fonts.

No one spoke. Everyone was focused on tasting their coffee. There were no waitresses in maid outfits wearing sycophantic smiles; only a few girls dressed in the same black long dresses stood in the shadows, staring at every customer with focused eyes.

Katsuragi Misato could no longer maintain her frivolous expression. Under those gazes, she silently backed out.

'It must be that I opened it the wrong way!'

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