Lesson 12: The First

"Why are we here?" Rei asked in a tone that betrayed not even the slightest hint of curiosity.

"Research," was Momoi's instantaneous, grinning reply.

Rei nodded, accepting the answer at face value without question.

It made sense that the Game Development Department would conduct research at a game center.

The locale, a place by the name of Jellies Arcade, was lit in bright, multi-colored neon with a nearly uncountable array of games on display through the large windows that allowed the group to look within at their destination. Everything ranging from video game cabinets to crane games, to air hockey tables, to dance pads and drums, and every unique variation in between was visible. Blaring pop tunes, all manner of assorted beeps and boops, and the babbling of excited students floated from inside and blended into a singular auditory battering ram.

It was the first time Ayanami Rei had ever been to such a place and she felt a slight discomfort that another person might have recognized as anxiousness.

The young girl did not have much time to contemplate her discomfort, however, as she suddenly felt someone gently take a hold of her wrist as if meaning to pull her towards the establishment. A half-formed protest died on her lips when she noticed that it was Hanaoka Yuzu who had softly grasped at her with a look in her light purple eyes that was somewhere between anticipation and trepidation.

"I, uh… T-this place ha-has…" the redhead's voice trailed off in a high-pitched squeak that oddly resembled a boiling kettle.

"What she's trying to say is that this place has Halo Fighter," Saiba Midori finished for the GDD's President with a small smile on her face. Excitement quickly made the small smile become a large grin that was, for evident reasons, very similar to the one her older sister usually wore on her face, "Come on!"

For an instant before she was unceremoniously pulled into the waiting game center, Ayanami Rei found herself briefly wondering when the students of the academy city got any studying done.

Rei did not get another chance for similar errant thoughts because, as the twins pulled Aris along to play at a light gun cabinet, Yuzu took her towards opposing white cabinets baring Halo Fighter illustrations and soon all her thoughts became focused on the life and death struggle that played out on the screen before her. Compared to their previous battle, the stakes were higher now that each set required her to insert a coin to challenge Yuzu again and Rei found herself concentrating on their fight with a razor focus that she had not experienced outside of Unit-00's Entry Plug. Their characters exchanged colorful blasts, punches and kicks, and bullets once more, time passed, and Rei came to a pixel's distance to victory.

"Again."

More coins were inserted, a new match started, time passed, and a pixel's distance became a round.

"Again."

More coins were inserted, a new match started, time passed, and a round became a draw.

"Again."

More coins were inserted, a new match started, time passed, and a draw finally became a torturous victory, and Ayanami Rei felt herself melt into her seat with a sigh, overwhelmed with a deluge of emotions that she could not make sense of even as her surroundings exploded into cheers of celebration. Bright crimson eyes turned around to look at a crowd of students, animal people, and robots she had not noticed forming. A quick glance towards a nearby clock on the wall also indicated that more time had passed than she realized, but she barely had a chance to ponder this discrepancy before Momoi was there, shaking her shoulders and making her head bob back and forth.

It was a strange feeling.

"That was incredible!" the pink twin exulted, a wide and honest smile on her face, "I've never even been able to win a round against Yuzu!"

"I see, I see. I understand now," Aris nodded sagely, her arms crossed over her chest. "Rei-chan's class is Monk. This is a surprising twist."

Other unrecognizable voices joined the rowdy crowd in asking all manner of things ranging from her name to her class to her school to her club, and Rei rapidly realized she was overwhelmed. She stood without warning -the crowd's verbal bombardment did not diminish in the slightest- and walked towards the other side of the cabinets to find that Hanaoka Yuzu was also being swarmed, her face was as red as her hair, and looking on the verge of both melting and exploding simultaneously. The Saiba sisters and Aris became aware of their troubled leader's plight and immediately began trying to disperse the chattering congregation.

It was not an easy task, but the Game Development Department prevailed over their adversaries until the mob had diminished to only one person.

"Oh? You're not the redhead I expected to find at the center of an unruly crowd."

The student who spoke wore a long-skirted maid's uniform and a brown scarf around her shoulders. Her gently smiling, bespectacled face was framed by light brown hair and a halo shaped like a crosshair within a large circle that matched the color of her hair floated behind her head. Despite her kindly demeanor, Rei noticed that the Saiba twins and Yuzu instantly seemed wary of her.

If the maid noticed the sudden tension that came over the cat-themed twins and their redhead friend, then she decided not to pay it any heed as she stepped forward and lifted the corners of her skirt in an exquisite curtsy.

"Please forgive my rudeness," the smiling maid spoke in a softly mirthful tone, "I'm Murokasa Akane with Cleaning and Clearing. If I may be so bold to ask, have you seen a redhead student wearing a maid uniform and jacket? About so tall?" She made a gesture with a gloved hand indicating that the girl in question was approximately the same height as Rei and Aris.

The first year Millennium students looked at each other briefly and shook their heads in reply. Akane sighed in disappointment and curtsied again, seemingly ready to depart before she was interrupted by Midori speaking up.

"The one you're looking for… It's the C&C President, right?" Nervousness seeped into her voice.

Akane smiled the same gentle smile that constantly graced her face as she nodded and said, "Yes, that's right. Neru likes to frequent this arcade. I thought she might be behind the commotion, but it appears that I was wrong. If you'll excuse me."

And she turned to leave without another word.

"Right, thanks. We'll keep an eye out," Midori answered in a pleasant tone. Once the maid was out of earshot, she turned around to her twin and Yuzu and said, "We can never come back to this arcade again."

Momoi and Yuzu nodded vigorously.

Rei and Aris just looked at each other with expressions of mild confusion until Momoi declared it was time to continue their research, and the group rapidly left the game center behind and ventured further into the city.

The sun was still bright in the sky indicating that it was still early despite the hours that vanished into thin air at the arcade. During their unhurried walk to their next destination -which Momoi once again refused to specify- Rei noticed that Midori had slowed down her pace to walk alongside her and was nervously glancing towards her while making sure the others were far away enough to not overhear.

"How did you do it?" the younger twin finally asked, glancing towards her sister and friends all the while.

Rei considered her words momentarily before answering truthfully.

"I do not understand," she responded with a shake of her head. After a brief pause, and remembering how Ayumu always insisted on asking further, she elaborated with a guess, "Winning over Yuzu?"

Midori shook her head and looked furtively at the others before speaking up again.

"How'd you just… make a halo?"

Ayanami Rei stopped walking as she realized the importance behind those words.

"The halo… you did not make your own?"

The green-eyed twin shook her head one more time and her expression was a tapestry of conflicting emotions.

"We're born with it. I've never heard of a student without one before. Never heard of someone without a halo getting one either."

Suddenly, Nanagami Rin's words, which had seemed meaningless before, made more sense to Rei as the young SCHALE representative came to understand that her lack of curiosity had led to incorrect assumptions about the similar nature of Kivoto's residents and herself. Rin's warnings played through her mind even as she considered the implications of her own actions, a bitter taste settling in her mouth as she warily looked around.

It was the first time Ayanami Rei had ever felt that way.

"Hey, are you okay?" Midori's eyes reflected the concern in her face.

"I am not human," Rei answered Midori's question abruptly, and quickened her pace to catch up with the others, leaving a stunned Midori behind.

It was a strange feeling.

Momoi's next destination turned out to be a retro-videogame store and the Game Development Department were in their element as they browsed excitedly, talked among themselves, and smiled with satisfaction. Rei, despite looking through the titles on display with a small amount of interest, did not really share in the others' excitement. She had only played her first game a few days ago and did not know the differences between one retro console and the other, or one type of cartridge and the other. Aris soon joined her, however, and the robot girl who had only recently tried to attack her, happily pointed out her favorite games and talked about them in great detail.

It was the first time anyone had shared their interests with Ayanami Rei.

The strange bitter taste receded when Aris promised to teach her all about Final Fantasia and Wyrm Adventure.

They did not remain at the retro-videogame store overlong as Momoi soon complained that she was hungry, and the small group of girls headed towards a nearby family restaurant for lunch. The Saiba twins ordered the same Hamburg steak set while Yuzu became flustered and needed Momoi's help in ordering a curry dish. Aris ended up ordering the same steak set as the twins after some urging and Rei settled on ordering soup.

It was at that point, as they waited for their orders to arrive, that Saiba Momoi, in a manner similar to her younger sister, blindsided Ayanami Rei with a question of her own.

"So, Rei-chan-sensei, what do you like to do?"

It was the first time anyone had asked Ayanami Rei about her interests.

She honestly had no idea how to answer.

The Game Development Department watched with rapt attention as clear emotions ran across the younger girl's face: a widening of the eyes -astonishment-, followed by a creasing of the brow as she thought over her answer.

"I like reading," Rei announced after much consideration as their orders arrived, "and swimming."

"Swimming! I didn't see that coming. Let's go look for swimsuits after lunch!"

Hurricane Momoi was irrepressible, and the group soon found themselves at a shopping mall with full bellies, renewed energy, and a mission. At that moment, Ayanami Rei was surprised to realize that she did not mind the Game Development Department's company.

The comfortable camaraderie would not last, however, as the Saiba sisters soon fell into an argument about whether dark or light colors would suit Rei better. The sonorous sibling squabble resulted in a robotic clerk threatening to throw the group out if they could not keep their voices down, and the twins turned to Yuzu to mediate the issue. The club president, however, wilted under the intense gazes of her friends and could only stammer unintelligibly in response. It fell to Aris to resolve the disagreement and resolve it she did, as she would not budge from her opinion.

"Heroes wear white," she said, and that was that.

And so, Ayanami Rei found herself owning a brand-new white one-piece swimsuit that was not provided to her as a part of school nor NERV activities.

It was a strange feeling.

Momoi seemed to have run out of ideas for her so-called research so the group of girls found themselves wandering around the mall and browsing through various shop windows aimlessly. Even without a clear destination or goal in mind, Saiba Momoi seemed to have nigh bottomless reserves of energy as she dragged the rest of the groups from record store to electronics store to shoe store to ammunitions store and finally to bookstore.

It was at the latter location that the group ran across a familiar face that none of them had expected to see.

"Oh? The Game Development Department and SCHALE? What a surprise," Ushio Noa greeted the younger girls with an enigmatic smile on her face. The smile briefly faltered only to become wider as she caught sight of the halo floating behind Rei's head.

"Waah! Noa! Yuuka is being mean to us! Help us!" Momoi threw herself at the silver haired girl wailing comically and begging the Seminar secretary to intercede for them until Midori finally caught up with her older sister and pulled her off.

"Sorry about that, Noa," the younger twin said, meekly lowering her head, "She's incorrigible."

"It's fine, it's fine," the elegant, silver-haired Seminar member assured Midori with a giggle. "I just didn't expect to find you here. Working on the game for the Millennium Prize, I take it?"

"Yes, we're gathering references but," Momoi started.

"We could ask you the same," Midori finished. "I thought Seminar was busy with both the Millennium Prize and the strange reading from a few days ago."

Rei noticed Noa's purple eyes momentarily drift towards her, and she felt her blood run cold.

"Well, you're correct on both accounts," Noa replied easily and without missing a beat, "Seminar is pretty busy right now, but Big Sister gave us the afternoon off. It seems she had an important meeting, and she didn't want Yuuka-chan breathing down her neck or Koyuki getting underfoot."

Momoi muttered something about heartless accountants under her breath and Midori resisted the urge to hit her older sister. She made to ask Noa another question, but she was interrupted by an unexpected voice speaking up.

"I, uh… th-the club p-president m-meeting," Yuzu stammered, her eyes darted from side to side to avoid meeting Noa's gaze, "I-I… I'm s-sorry I couldn't go…"

Noa covered her mouth with a dainty before lowering it and smiling at the younger girl.

"Don't worry, Yuzu-chan. Win the Millennium Prize and I'll see you at the next one, ok?"

Yuzu did not speak up then, but her energetic nod and shy smile were answer enough.

The encounter with Noa marked the end of the day's adventure as the hour had become late and the girls decided to head back to campus so that Rei could meet up with the GSC and depart for the day. Farewells were cheerful and energetic mostly thanks to Momoi, and Rei, to her astonishment, promised to return the next day as well when asked.

In the car with Rin and Ayumu, Ayanami Rei realized that it was the first time that nobody had stared at her in shock, nor recoiled in revulsion during the entire day.

It was a strange feeling.

At Millennium, however, the feeling was clearly one of exasperation as Midori finally whirled on her older sister with a cross expression on her face.

"Spill it. What are you up to right now?"

"The Shin Ayanami Raising Project," Momoi grinned.

Midori groaned and asked the only thing she could.

"Why 'Shin'?"

"'Shin' is in right now!"

"Momoi is correct! The Director's movies all begin with 'Shin' in the title. It is stylish," Aris agreed, merrily nodding her head.

The mood was jovial and friendly as the quartet headed indoors to plan and discuss the making of their magnum opus.

In another section of Millennium, however, the mood was less than jovial for Tsukatsuki Rio, Seminar's President and Big Sister of Millennium. Not only had the Princess of the Nameless Gods appeared, but now there was another unknown variable endangering the students of Millennium. Her delicate features might have been impassive, but her mind had been in turmoil over the past few days as she tried to determine exactly what had happened during the strange power fluctuations of days prior.

Akeboshi Himari had been no help, not that Rio had ever expected her to be, and Hayase Yuuka had been watching Seminar's funds like a hawk because of the GSC President's extended disappearance. Rio considered her options and arrived at two conclusions in order to defend Millennium from threats both known and unknown: she needed information, and she needed funds.

As always, Tsukatsuki Rio would have to handle things on her own.

The first was simple enough to resolve. An order to Asuma Toki, her personal C&C Agent, had the young maid spying on the Princess of the Nameless Gods. Whatever the unknown fluctuation had been, it was surely related to her, and Rio would have confirmation soon enough.

The second resolved itself for her.

With Hayase Yuuka keeping a tight leash on both Koyuki and Millennium's funds, the only other logical option would have been to resort to outside funding.

It was fortuitous that she had received an offer for several personal patents the moment she arrived at this conclusion.

The door to her office opened as she ran the numbers through her mind once more.

This would surely be a profitable first meeting.

"Welcome to Millennium, Mr. Black Suit."

Lesson 12: End

What did we learn today, class?

Yes, that's correct!

Heroes wear white.

Join us again next time for Lesson 13: The Nature of Humans. We'll have: wheeling and dealing and scheming.

Don't be late!

AN: Dec 3, 2023. I will attempt to have at least one more chapter out during December, but this month is so irregular that I cannot make any promises. Things should hopefully return to a more regular pace in January. Fingers crossed. -Kero