+++++ NERV. (Monday, August 30th, +9, Last Quarter 4/4)

"Scheiße," Kyoko summed up the situation simply. Sitting inside the soundproofed cell with Maya, she began to piece together the problem that was now apparently out in the open for anyone who wanted to find it.

"I don't know if Shinji-kun will put it together." Maya was blankly staring at the dimly glowing ceiling lamp. "He already knows that Unit-01 isn't a robot, it's just that he wasn't the only person in that room. He's aware that we have some level of cloning technology, but not what we were doing with it. If he discovers that a violent cabal of old women is actively planning an insurrection to take control over his genetic material to combine the three problems, and they're only being held back by his displays of power, he's going to become even more depressed than he already is."

"Were that all we had to deal with."

"I honestly think he'd willingly cooperate with the government, sensei." She had a good read on his thought process and knew that if he was told that doing so would honestly help people, he'd do what was needed. "Once you've completed the security review…I'm going to go acquire another sample. I'm sorry, but I genuinely think that my time will be best served determining IVF suitability. If we can't manage external fertilization, for whatever reason, we have to start live trials."

"Do you intend to volunteer?"

"I can't volunteer and run the trial, it's a conflict-"

"I do not believe that conflicts of interest are something we need to be terribly concerned about, dear." Kyoko reached over and picked up Maya's hands. "I am asking, because if you wish to proceed with becoming with child, I have an obligation to ask several follow-up questions."

She shook her head. "Not right now, and maybe not ever. I would like to be a mother, someday, but I want it to be when I can be both a good parent and a good partner. I'm young, and we should focus on those that are aging out of breeding capability. Otherwise we're limiting our potential from the start."

"You will be comfortable asking him to bed a series of middle-aged women?"

"No." Her eyes dropped down to stare intently at Kyoko, without any hint of disguise to her emotional state. "But whether I am comfortable or not matters little when you take into account what we are going to be risking by doing nothing. I will comfort him however I can. I will do everything in my power to console him. I will shed whatever tears, or blood, I have to…but we cannot let these SEELE monsters control the narrative around him. We can't let him think that they're right. This warning they gave us is going to backfire on them."

+++++ NERV. (Monday, August 30th, +9, Last Quarter 4/4)

Naoko sat calmly on Yui's couch, her eyes moving slowly about the décor of the room. The conversation between her and Shinji had been played three times, each time paused at certain segments for her supposed 'boss' to take notes. When, after the third play-through, she felt Yui's focus change towards her, she shrugged slightly. "The joke about purchasing things he can't afford comes from when we brought the PM over to meet him. I went over to try and calm him, give him a little coaching about how to interact with someone he'd never met." She waved her hand dismissively. "He asked if there was a chance he could beg me to hide him, I told him he couldn't afford my services. He said he was willing to do anything I wanted, and I cracked a joke about how we 'loathsome witches' can make a promise out of any idle comment."

Nodding slowly, Yui remembered the incident in college where she, Naoko, and Kyoko were labeled as the Graeae from Classical Greek mythology. Three 'old women', 'sisters' who knew nearly everything save for the future itself. "To this day, I cannot understand why Makinami-san kept trying to interfere when she knew that my husband was not the type of man to be unfaithful."

"Yet interfere she did, and it was up to Kyoko-chan and I to keep her at bay so you could live that fairy tale romance neither of us were interested in." Naoko smiled, her gaze distant. "You understand what I'm doing, don't you?"

"I do."

"You know it has to be done…don't you?"

"…I do."

"I promise you, I will never hurt him intentionally." When Yui looked over at her sharply, Naoko kept her eyes steady and her demeanor peaceful. "Pain is part of life, Yui-chan. You and I know this better than anyone else on what's left of this rotten world. If we are going to reset everything…he's going to have to feel the hardships of life firsthand. Otherwise, all he'll create is another failed Eden for humanity to reject." Standing up, she walked over and took Yui's hands in her own to pull her up into a hug. "I'll return Gendo to life, along with everyone else. I just need you to be strong enough to accept that Shinji-kun can't be spared some small pains to do so."

+++++ NERV. (Monday, August 30th, +9, Last Quarter 4/4)

A few minutes after Misato had informed Kyoko about what had just happened, Isako Toriumi poked her head in the room to check on someone she felt both a personal and ethical responsibility for, "Is…everything ok?"

Catching sight of the wavy-haired teacher, Shinji turned his head slightly towards Misato. "Would it be ok if I had a few minutes with her?"

"Take all the time you need." The lavender-haired captain hugged him tight, then moved off the bed to leave the room. She'd made huge strides, in her estimation, in connecting with Shinji regardless of how his mother felt about it. "I'll be right outside, if you need me."

"Thank you." His gratitude was heartfelt, but held zero emotional weight in its statement. Waiting for Misato to leave and Isako to enter, he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. Eventually he felt her sit on the end of the bed, near his feet. "When I tackled you to the ground, in the classroom…when I couldn't see anything clearly because I took that round to the side of my head…."

Isako waited several long breaths to see if there was going to be more to the question, then spoke simply to let him know she was listening, "I don't quite remember if I ever thanked you for keeping me from being more significantly hurt, but I remain grateful that you thought of my safety even after sitting through my lectures."

"I'm smelling things with a clarity that…I hadn't noticed until recently." His eyes opened, and fixed on her. "I think I can…smell certain people. I don't know why, but they smell the same as each other…but different than everyone else. Is that something that's possible? You were the one who taught us about biology…I was hoping you might have an answer."

"Well," this wasn't a topic she'd anticipated, and she'd not prepared anything to address it, "yes and no. It's fairly well documented that some people have a better sense of smell than others. It's also well known that certain people have different scents than other people, typically based on diet, gender, and age."

"Would that change how…how I'd…."

She nodded slowly, understanding his hesitation. "Yes. There have been studies indicating that the way someone smells, when typical offensive smells are accounted for or removed, is a significant factor in mating behavior."

"Hmm." His mind had regained clarity, the painkillers burned off by his anger-increased metabolic rate. "When…when I stormed out of here, I met a woman." He had no name to give her, but he did have both a scent and a memory. "She told me how to control this," his fingers reached back up to the back of his neck, "and warned me about…an enemy."

"Ok." If the discussion was going to go anywhere, she'd have to give him the patience to take it there.

His eyes grew distant again. "I want to return to school…and I think I know how to make it work, but I need you to tell me if I'm wrong for wanting to go back."

She blinked, unable to tie the statement back to what they'd been discussing. "You were fairly adamant that you were putting people at risk, recently."

"Shizuko?" He wasn't surprised when the angel rolled into existence before him, though he was quick to offer her a smile of gratitude. "Could you find Hua Po for me?"

Shizuko was beaming with joy at what she felt in Shinji's heart for her presence. "Very easily, should I ask her to come here?"

"Please. I'm not going to be able to meet the Grovemother, and I owe her an explanation." Without fanfare, the joyful being vanished once more, leaving him looking at Isako with a similar smile that he had for his bonded angel. "If I can keep them safe, like I think I can, I want…I want to experience more of a life that was stolen from me. I…I want to go on dates, take part in school activities, dread tests…have a crush on my teachers."

Isako inwardly blushed, but kept her external mien serene through force of will. "It is not terribly appropriate for me to encourage that, you know."

"You smell like lilacs." He looked down to his feet, covered over by the blankets. "Lilacs, and fresh water. I am surrounded by people who either smell repulsive, or wonderful. The first outweigh the second by…a lot. I'm wondering if it's a hint of some kind…but I'm not going to push you to do anything you don't want to do either. I just…I just thought I should tell you, because I don't want to lie, or keep a secret that might mean something."

"It means more than you know," a new voice, aged and wise, spoke from a previously empty section of the room. Standing hunchbacked, with both hands clasped over the beautifully rounded knob of a saill éalaigh made of blackthorn, a tough-skinned woman with beautiful red coloration smiled politely. "The scent you seek speaks to the power you might find through a closer rapport with that person. The Hermit, for example, offers sufficient strength to you that her natural scent transforms in your mind to something you find greatly appealing." She gestured with one hand towards Isako before hobbling closer to Shinji. "I am grateful that you remembered your manners, Fortunate, for it allows me to agree with your plan. My kin and I can indeed protect the local city from miscreants, if you agree to help us with preventing as much devastation of the forests as you can."

Isako quickly interposed herself between Shinji and the intruder, moving far faster than the newcomer could. "I believe you'll forgive me for not trusting you quite so close to-"

"It's ok," Shinji interrupted quietly. "You're the Grovemother, ma'am?"

The wizened woman looked Isako up and down approvingly. "I am." Directing her next statement to the teacher, she raised one cragged eyebrow. "Do not deny him your strength, Hermit. I sense greatness within, and a moral righteousness that could do well in guiding him from the extant evils of the world."

"Mother!" Hua Po glistened into existence next to Isako, flanked by Shizuko. "You shouldn't just invade the Fortunate's room without someone announcing your presence!" Twirling about to face Shinji, she placed her fist into her left hand and bowed deeply. "Ten thousand apologies, Fortunate. I beg you understand that in her advanced age my mother has a tendency to forget appropriate manners."

"Oh, but he is not upset at all!" Shizuko dashed through the air and landed on Shinji's head, hugging him with a huge smile on her face. "He does not know, or understand, the proprieties we take for granted. Nobody taught him!"

Isako looked around the room, seeing the beings around her acting in far too human ways for what she believed to be kami. "Shizuko-chan," she began slowly, "would you mind attempting to heal Shinji-kun, the way you healed me?"

"Wouldn't you rather be able to do so yourself?" The Grovemother moved around Isako, standing next to the bed while still analyzing Isako's every motion. "Such strength is within you, given the proper support."

"What do you mean?" The teacher, very much out of her depth, nevertheless attempted to keep an eye on all potential threats to the young man lying in bed. "I'm afraid I don't know much about healing injuries that are more complex than cuts and scrapes."

Moving to the other side of Isako, Hua Po leaned in and began to whisper while covering her mouth with her cupped hands. After several seconds of information exchange, she looked back to Shinji, then spoke in a slightly louder voice, "So you can see where that might be something you would consider. The benefits to you are fairly evident, and tremendously powerful. The benefits to him all depend on how you wish to utilize such things."

"So…I could protect them?" Isako looked between Hua Po and the Grovemother. "All of the students?"

The Grovemother nodded amicably. "Quite simple, really. By tethering your fortunes to the Fortunate, you would serve as a bridge between the Children of Nature and the Lilin. Bonds of kinship are strong with our clan, and your presence would demand our actions take into account the threat posed by…other factions."

"Wait," Shinji took note of a specific point, "you're saying that I gain strength from her. How can she give me strength if she can only get strength from working through you?"

"You misunderstand, master." Shizuko rolled off his head, landing in his cupped hands to stand before him. "The Hermit, much like the Chariot, or the Magician, acts as a conduit. They magnify the power they represent into you, which is why you must be selective in who you bond. If you bond two that represent the same lineage, the power is diluted. The more that are bonded, the more diluted the power becomes. The Firstborn, Amara, the Children of Nature, these…these are like links in a chain. Too much chain, and it is no longer a benefit but a burden as it weighs you down. Too little chain, and you have nothing to hold to."

He pointed to Isako. "But how does she have power? Several people have told me that they're powerful enough on their own."

"The Children, yes," the Grovemother agreed. "But not the Hermit. The Magician, the Judgement, the Star, the Empress, the Priestess, the Lover, the Chariot, and the Faith. They would have been, in a different world, much like you. They would have been tethered to an abomination, much like you. Their own strength is great, but when combined with your own it is unstoppable. In this way, you act as a conduit for them. The Hermit can only touch the power she has dwelling within herself by tethering herself to you. You act for her the way the Firstborn acts for you." Tapping her cane against the ground, she looked intently at him. "Should she agree, and should you allow it, I will ask no other price but the protection of the wild spaces. Keep the forests of your land safe, live in harmony with beast and bush, and I will lend you our might through her. For her, we will keep your nearby lands safe. Our power is limited, else we would offer to protect everywhere."

Hua Po chimed in, "The stronger you grow, the stronger we grow. Eventually, if we work together well, we could actually protect everywhere from the demons that would hurt humans."

Looking through Shinji to a world beyond, Isako wondered aloud, "Is this right? Is protecting the students enough to balance out compromising professional ethics?" Her eyes focused on his face. "You said you have a crush…but is it just that? Will I become an afterthought?"

"No!" Shizuko hopped so that she stood sideways between Shinji and Isako, holding one hand out to each in a warding motion. "She did not mean it that way, and he does not view any of those he enjoys as lesser than any other. He adores all of you for what you are, and not only as a fleeting excitement. She has lusted after you, master, but she has done nothing about that because she is a good woman who wishes you to be free of abuse."

"What qualifies as normal has to change, if you are to be successful in saving their species," the Grovemother asserted. "You can, with proper support…but you will have to do many things that would have been considered distasteful before their species was devastated by the False Idol."

Shinji hadn't taken his eyes off of Isako, and if for no other reason than to satisfy himself that he'd said as much, he made his position clear. "I spent over a decade in slavery. In chains. At times, quite literally. If I come across as confused, it's because I don't know what is and is not appropriate for me to think, feel, or do. What I do know is that you smell of lilacs and fresh water. I know that when I look at you, I think about how wonderful it would be to hold you in my arms. How sweet it would be to taste your lips. How beautiful your moans of joy would sound. I want to play music for you, have lingering sex with you, and learn everything I can about you. I don't think this way about a lot of people…and I'm starting to take the advice I've been receiving to heart. If I feel something, I'm going to say something."

"Well…." Isako swallowed. "You're certainly far more eloquent about your feelings than the other men that have tried to get in my skirt." She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "I need you to understand, Shinji…I am disgusted by how attracted I am to you. It is a violation of everything I hold dear. My job is to inspire you. To teach you. To protect you. Using my position as a chance to coax you into sex is…unthinkable." Her chin lifted slightly. "If we move forward with this, I will be informing your guardian, the principal, and Sadayo-san. If they determine that I am no longer fit to be a teacher, then you're going to have to accept that I will be heartbroken for a long time. I love being a teacher." She hesitated. "But if I can protect my students better by joining with you, then that is what I want to do."

"If nothing else, you will be able to teach any children he has!" Shizuko clasped her hands together hopefully, attempting to spin the situation towards a positive end. "Surely having a family member instruct the next generation is acceptable?"

He didn't know what to say. The woman before him was willing to sacrifice what she loved, if it meant doing something that would keep people safe. By giving him the chance to receive pleasure from her, she was risking a pain he could only imagine. She wanted him…and he wanted her. "If you want to do this…I'll do everything I can to make it worth it."

"You'd better," she whispered in a soft growl. "If you think I was harsh when you were just my student…wait until you see what I expect of my husband. So," she looked to Hua Po, instead of the Grovemother, "how do we-" Her eyes grew distant, and it was only because Shizuko and Hua Po rushed in to catch her that she didn't collapse on the spot.

The pair worked together to get her into bed next to Shinji, undoing the top button of her blouse to avoid constricting her throat and removing her belt to allow her to breathe easy. "Mom…I really, really, need you to start thinking about what happens when you do stuff like this!" Hua Po stamped her foot, leaning forward and glaring at her matron. "We're never going to earn the Fortunate's trust if we keep just doing whatever! That's why I went to his Denmother before just stabbing Pixie."

When the door burst open, admitting both Yuka and Chie, the three non-human females moved to protect Isako and Shinji. It was Yuka, unexpectedly, that spoke first, "All right, out of the way. Shoo." Moving around the blockade, she reached Shinji's side while Chie went around the other way to check on their teacher. "Ok, dude, I get that we need precisely every of the help but like…could you warn a girl when she's about to get a new roomie?"

"Toriumi-sensei?" Chie felt for Isako's pulse, finding it slow and even.

Shizuko walked between Shinji and Isako, making soothing motions. "She sleeps calmly, have no fear. Master is healing as well, now that the Hermit is alone no more. With her strength, added to yours, he now has greater support to handle the yawning terror that is-"

Cupping her hand over the angel's mouth, Hua Po took a deep breath and exhaled out harsh frustration. "Perhaps it is best that you not speak of such things to those yet to come into their own? Hmm?" Looking between Chie's concern and Yuka's irritation, the red-skinned spirit smiled weakly. "If it does not bother you too much, I'd like to ask your friend here a few questions. I'll take my mother with me, since she's already made a dog's dinner of the…." Having turned to look for the woman, and finding only empty air where the powerful Grovemother had been standing, Hua Po's eyes flashed green with anger just before she too vanished, accompanied by Shizuko.

"Yuka-chan?" Chie kept her tone neutral.

The gyaru's response was laden with tired suffering, "Yeah…totally agree." Sitting down by Shinji's side, she took his hand and began toying with his fingers. "So…. 'Hot for Teacher', huh?"

"Yes." Shinji let her do what she would with his hand. "I told you…I don't-"

Yuka interrupted him by tweaking one of his fingers painfully. "Stop." The 'serious' tone she used whenever the playful woman wouldn't suffice surfaced, "First, Toriumi-sensei is actually an attractive woman. She's also kind, capable, and has more than once stood up for someone who was being bullied. If you jumped Kashiwagi-sensei, we'd have a problem. That you continue to have good taste means we're still doing just fine. Second, Chie-chan and I had a talk so that we knew we were on the same page before we came to you to have a similar talk. The two of us think that if we improve our odds of survival by helping you find women that we'd be ok sharing you with, then so long as you're not going to forget we exist and spend all your time fucking the latest lady there's no reason for us to think any less of you or ourselves. This situation is what we have to deal with, not any other imagined fairy tale existence that we'd prefer. So, third, we would like to know whether or not you actually like us more than any other woman off the street. In your own words, one way or another."

He blinked, trying to put the rapid barrage of information into a place where he'd have any chance of making a cogent reply. "I…." His eyes flicked between Chie and Yuka. "I was…telling Isako-chan that…that there are some women who…smell…better? I guess? Like…like she smells of lilac and fresh water. Yuka-chan…Yuka-chan smells like the forest I just walked through. Pine, and fresh earth, and life. Chie-chan smells of oranges, and lively citrus. Energy and…." He shrugged. "I don't have words for all of it. But then there are people like Kashiwagi-sensei, who smell…hollow? Empty? Thick and clingy, like blue smoke. The number of women who smell like that…uhm…there are way more of those than the other way around." His head slowly slid from side to side. "If you're asking me whether I'd rather be around you than around them? Yes. If I was given a choice, I would choose…I would choose those of you in my class."

"Are there others?" Chie stood up and moved around to join Yuka in being near Shinji. "I mean, other than the classroom people."

A slow nod, as he searched his memory for a tally. "Ritsuko-san, Maya-san, Misato-san, Kyoko-sensei, Naoko-sensei-"

"Whoa! Wait, Akagi-san?" Her frown was pronounced. "After what she just pulled?"

Confusion returned to his features. "I…I don't think…I think I was thinking something she wasn't. She smells like…like hot cooking spices, capsicum and white pepper. I've started to notice the smells, and I've been thinking about why I would be smelling things so oddly, and I probably put intent into her words that wasn't there. I doubt she'd be interested in someone so…immature as me. She's brilliant, clever, and witty. I'm…not-ow!" He frowned at Yuka, who had one eyebrow arched and his finger once more at an odd angle.

"Stop. Denigrating. Yourself." She leaned in, holding his gaze. "My husband, a man I would have chosen even if the world wasn't a flaming garbage pile, is not some idiotic loser. I did not, and would not, choose an invalid. So unless you think that little of me, and Chie-chan, and…and Isako-chan, you need to stop being so hypercritical of everything you do. Have I made my point clear?"

Chie smirked ruefully as Shinji looked to her for an opinion. "I know I couldn't have put that better, so I'm just going to second what she said."

"It is a more than valid position to hold," Isako moaned, reaching up and putting the heels of her hands atop her eyes. "I most certainly would not have thrown away my teaching career for someone that I felt was…inadequate, regardless of the good I can now do." Swallowing, she gingerly lifted one hand to test whether the light was still going to be hurting her eyes. "Chie-chan, would you be a treasure and find me a glass of water and my purse?"

"On it!" Moving swiftly to be about the task, she missed the look of slightly dazed confusion in Shinji's eyes.

Yuka, however, did not. "Shin-kun? You ok?"

"L-light…uhm, lightheaded." Letting his body sink back into the bed, he focused on controlling his breathing. "Not…really sure…."

Following behind Chie, who was bearing the requested materials, Misato eyed the teacher's position on the bed and frowned. "Hey, big guy, everything ok in here?"

"Y-yeah." He swallowed again, slowly shaking his head. "Just suddenly lightheaded."

Isako sat up and accepted her purse, pulling out a disguised pill container that looked like a compact. Recovering a few pills, she then took the glass of water and downed the lot quickly. After setting the glass and purse down on the nightstand, she closed her eyes and steadied her own breathing. "Captain, who is Shinji's lawful guardian?"

With a dubious frown of concern, Misato replied evenly, "That'd be his mother, my CO."

"We need to talk to her, tomorrow morning," Shinji cut in before Isako could say anything. "Things have changed…again."

+++++ Kirijo Manor. (Tuesday, August 31st, +10, Waning Crescent 1/4)

Miyuki was listening to the briefing with half of her attention. A sudden, and inexplicable, increase in the density of groves and forests along the borders of what had been Shizuoka, Yamanashi, and Kanagawa. An upcropping of life of all forms in the 'empty spaces' within those borders. Polite, even cordial, overtures to the military and police forces that had rushed from neighboring provinces to check on the home of NERV-Tokyo-3. The Hua Po had put down 'wild' and 'dark' enemies with remorseless force, then turned their attention to helping the citizens of the three prefectures grow more, and varied, crops. Overnight, and into the current day, they had coaxed out a terrified populace from hiding.

They had done so in the name of The Fortunate, who was currently known by the human name Shinji Ikari.

The other half of her attention was fixed upon a simple letter from the same young man that had somehow managed to pacify three entire prefectures without harming a single human being. She'd read the close to sixty words from start to finish more than thirty times, seeking any hint as to how angry he'd become at her for doing what she had. Things would return to 'normal', she had no doubt about that, it was only a matter of how long she'd spend in the proverbial 'dog house' before he'd be willing to sit down and hear her out. Reading it one final time, she hoped that there would be something, anything, to indicate how he was feeling.

'Kirijo-san,

If you are not busy, I would like a few moments to talk to you about something important. Please let Chiaki know when you are available, and I'll try to convince everyone here that I really need a few moments to talk to you. From what I'm seeing…I'm going to be very busy myself.

- Shinji Ikari'

"Please locate one of them and ask politely if they could pass along an invitation for their leader to come here to speak with me." Standing up from her desk, she signaled the end of the day's briefs. "If nothing else, I'd like their help with the east lawn." Putting on a smile to help the 'joke' smooth over any ruffled feathers from her executive business managers that had assembled, she thanked them for their time. After the room had emptied, she looked to her most sour confidant and faithful employee expectantly.

Yuko was still not making eye contact. "My student believes that he will have some freedom around the lunch hour. At the moment, he is providing another sample to Lieutenant Ibuki, with plans to proceed directly to the meeting he has scheduled with his mother upon the conclusion of their exchange."

"Thank you. Please negotiate what time he will allow, and arrange to bring with us something to add to whatever meal they are already planning." Inwardly, she hoped that Yuko would understand and accept the peace offering.

"I will not be attending this meeting, madam." Turning to the door, she walked away from the conversation and the object of her anger. "My student also informed me that he requested your daughter accompany you."

While the door itself did not slam, the motion that closed it was both explicit and violent. Miyuki let out a small sigh, disappointed that the first man to ever thaw Yuko's heart would also likely be the reason their friendship took longer to heal. Pressing three buttons on her desk phone, she walked over to her cupboard and poured herself a small glass of brandy.

The line connected on the third ring. "It is vanishingly unlikely that he will continue to hold a grudge, Miyuki-chan," Kyoko's voice demonstrated that part of her attention was clearly on other matters. "That he's invited you to come is both a good sign for you, and a better sign for all of us. He's a young man, and they are prone to…emotional outbursts."

"Good morning, Kyoko-chan. Lovely to hear from you again."

The eyeroll was audible. "Do not take your frustrations out on me. If you had brought me into your confidence regarding Meroko sooner, I could have helped you navigate all of this. You played it close, now you get to absorb the pain by yourself."

"…Are you actually upset with me?"

"Yes," the reply was made as if the situation were patently obvious. "You hurt him. Every interaction I have had with him has shown that despite a lifetime of abuse, he has the capacity to become everything that his father should have been. Just because I am upset with you does not mean I will take that upset out on you, though. Now," the topic was to be changed, and that was that, "what did you call me for?"

Miyuki took a long drink, sitting back down in her chair and closing her eyes to stop the encroaching headache. "I was hoping that you might have an explanation for the sudden explosion of flora in the local area. The Hua Po have been a great help, but I fear for what bargains may have been struck."

"That would be a conversation for you and Shinji-kun."

"…Or you could just give me a simple explanation?"

"I could, if I hadn't been asked not to." Kyoko's typing never once slowed. "The discussion was quite explicit regarding who I do, and do not, have the authority to speak to regarding such matters. I apologize, old friend, but right now keeping my word to Shinji-kun is of far greater importance than sparing you a few hours consideration over the matter."

Letting out a quiet sigh, she fought to keep her teeth from clenching. "He's rather put out with me."

"That would be putting it rather mildly. He's pieced together that someone altered the information given to him by the Prime Minister. He's also narrowed down the list of culprits to the people living in your lovely little home. While he isn't disregarding the possibility, he's fairly confident that it is not one of the people he's spent time becoming intimate with." The typing stopped for a brief moment. "Trust is a fragile vase, Miyuki-chan. I'd start looking for something to use as glue."

With the warning given, the phone disconnected as her friend made it clear that the conversation would not go any further. Slowly twirling the darkened liquid in the snifter, Miyuki Kirijo began to actually worry that she might not be able to offer enough to restore her relationship with the last man on Earth.