Sokila looked at him with vaguely-concealed irritation.
"You didn't come back..."
Well, 'vaguely-concealed' might be too mild.
"...I guess it's okay."
Her cheeks puffed out.
"Hikari Horaki seems okay...so does Mayumi Yamagishi..."
...wait, what?
"...but I think you can do better!"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Friday: June 12, 2015/
/Room 23, 2nd Floor, Izanagi Dorms, Hakone Academy/
Shinji Ikari snorted, eyes blinking rapidly; it was still dark. He snuck a glance at his phone...
01:53 AM
...and groaned, rolling back over to go to sleep.
xxxx
/The Melon Patch, Downtown Tokyo-3/
As far as bars went, the Melon Patch was okay. Relatively classy, despite its cheapness. 'Priced for blue collar with a white collar shine', its proprietor had often said. It probably had a lot to do with the old aesthetic, with brick walls and hazy yellow lights and wooden furniture that somehow seemed ancient in spite of their polished shine. The faint fog of smoke was probably another one, as it was one of the few establishments in the city that allowed for cigarettes and cigars to be smoked inside.
The live jazz band probably helped, too.
Misato Katsuragi quietly sipped at her can of beer, letting her thoughts drift.
"A little early in the week to come here, don't you think?"
She glanced over at the bartender-slash-owner, his lips twisted into that oh-so-familiar grin. It was the kind of grin that belonged to those who knew way more than they ought to, those who kept all their cards close to the chest, yet teased their secrets so damn much. It was honestly infuriating, but she had gotten used to that. "It's still Friday."
"You know what I mean," remarked Ryoji Kaji as he wiped whiskey glasses with a dish rag. Most of the regulars had left by now, seeing as how he would be closing in less than an hour. "Rough work day?"
"Work's same as ever. Had a crappy start, though," she admitted. "Defiant subordinates. Well, someone who should be a subordinate, were it not for how screwed up our world is."
"The world's been screwed for quite a long time, my dear."
"Yeah yeah, you don't have to go on your little spiel." Another sip; the buzz was rather nice, now. "Anything new?"
"Nothing particularly special, I'm afraid." He started stacking clean glasses, brown ponytail bobbing with each movement. "Will your 'not-a-subordinate' be disciplined?"
"It'll depend on what the big guy decides. Already submitted my formal complaint, so we'll have to wait and see."
"...come to think of it, there was an interesting news story I heard that you might find enlightening. I'll make sure to forward it to you."
"...I see." Looks like she was due for a Metaverse encounter in the near future...after she had at least five hours of sleep. "I'll take you up on that." She pounded back the rest of her beer - the sixth one of the night - before slowly rising. "Put it on my tab."
"Already done." There was a brief beat. "Your cab is waiting outside."
"What a gentleman," she joked. "Service on demand."
"Called it about twenty minutes ago. I figured you'd finish by now."
"...heh. Guess you know me too well," she said, with a knowing smile that was yet forlorn and sad.
"Likewise." His was equally melancholy.
Two people, who knew each other so well, split apart precisely because of that. Her form carved a brief silhouette in the smoky haze, an image of the hole in each of their hearts.
But that was a story for another time.
xxxx
/Courtyards, Hakone Academy/
Large walkways connected the dorms to their respective school buildings, bordered by tall katsura trees that provided plentiful shade as a veritable flood of students made their way to the academic halls. The rising sun's light filtered through the heart-shaped leaves, providing a lovely green ambience to the morning.
At least, Shinji thought so, as he continued reading from his book...well, play...playbook? Yeah, that sounded right. HAMLET said, 'then saw you not his face?' HORATIO said, 'oh yes, my lord...he wore his beaver up'...his beaver? He blinked quizzically. What does a beaver have to do with anything? Why didn't this version come with translator's notes?
"You're awfully deep into that book of yours," griped Kensuke Aida, who still appeared somewhat sleep-deprived. "Does it have anything insightful?"
"...maybe?" He hadn't even gotten past the second Scene, yet, if only because of all that odd words he'd had to look up! "I've had to use my phone to look up a lot of new words."
Toji Suzuhara, lazily keeping up with long strides, glanced at the title. "Ham...let? Why'd you pick that one?"
"...it spoke to me," slowly answered Shinji. Which was truthful, in a way. How much am I allowed to talk about the Metaverse with other people? NERV stuff was kind of off-limits per his contract, but what about the cognitive world in general? I should ask Misato when I next see her.
"Maybe you should lend it to Toji. He needs help with English," joked Aida.
"Screw off, Ken. I don't need any crap from a guy who looks like he's about to keel over."
"You try interning for NERV!"
"Maybe if I ever get abducted, I'll look into it," he snarked back.
Shinji, meanwhile, had tried over and over again to make sense of the phrasing, but to no avail. However, before he could think to reach for his phone, a familiar face walked up beside him. "Oh, good morning Ikari-san," greeted Mayumi Yamagishi, book bag held in front of her. "I'm glad to see you're reading your book!"
Maybe she'll know. Yamagishi-san seemed like an intelligent person. "Say, do you know what it means to wear a beaver up?"
Toji and Kensuke nearly crashed into each other, so great was their shock. Several nearby students immediately looked at him, mostly with scandalized expressions. Yamagishi's face went beet red with embarrassment. "Um...um...I...d-don't...um..."
...what did I say?
"The hell kinda book you reading?!" exclaimed Suzuhara, even as Aida suddenly found himself struggling to contain his laughter.
"A play, why?" asked Shinji. What did I say?! "Does wearing a beaver mean something bad?" The scene sure didn't make it sound like it.
Her face went redder. "Um...w-well...I'm s-s-sure context...would h-h-help..."
And that's when Kaworu Nagisa piped in. "I like beavers," he cheerfully remarked. "They have rather sharp teeth."
Aida finally fell over laughing, while Suzuhara choked on the air. Yamagishi's face took on the consistency of a ripe tomato. "Um...um...gottagonicetalkingtoyouBYE!" She took off running, as one fleeing for her life.
Shinji blinked. Seriously, what did I say?! "Nagisa-san, do you know what it means to wear a beaver?"
"Seriously dude, stop saying that," growled Suzuhara, even while Aida kept laughing from where he had fallen.
"I'm just asking a question!" he exclaimed.
Nagisa hummed thoughtfully. "Are pelts involved?" he asked seriously.
"I'm..." he looked back at the book. "...not sure?"
The silver-haired boy sighed. "Then it truly seems a mystery. Perhaps your Class Representative would know? Horaki-san is near the top of your class, from what I hear."
"IKARI, NO!" yelled Suzuhara.
"IKARI, YES!" barked Aida from further back, encouraging everyone's apparent devolution into madness.
...I'm just going to look it up on my phone, mentally grumbled Shinji as he pulled it out and began searching for the meaning of the word 'beaver'.
Later, if asked, Shinji would insist - upon discovering some 'alternate' definitions of the word in question - that his immediate scream of shock, disbelief, and unadulterated embarrassment lasted no longer than three seconds.
xxxx
/Class 2-A, Junior High Branch, Hakone Academy/
Four periods and lunchtime had elapsed, and the residual embarrassment had still yet to fade for Shinji Ikari. The storm clouds that had begun to gather by third period were now dropping their payload, pelting the outside with fat drops of rain. It certainly fit his mood. I can't believe I said that stuff to a girl! He was never going to live this down.
The words of Shinobu Nebukawa actually served as a pleasing balm, if only because his droning voice was easy to ignore. "-historical trends since Second Impact have demonstrated that certain phenomena correlate with lunar phases," said the aged teacher, eyelids weighing so heavily that they appeared closed behind his eyeglasses. "Although Angel Syndrome can strike at any time and anywhere without prediction, the Ghosts that arise in their wake tend to become more prominent as an area approaches the new moon. The exact reason for this correlation is still a subject for much debate, but the Ministry of Cognitive and Spiritual Affairs officially recommends that all individuals stay away from graveyards, family shrines, or places that have experienced Angel Syndrome incidents whenever there is a new moon."
In all honesty, this particular class of Nebukawa-sensei's was rather boring, if only because it basically consisted of public safety lectures dealing with Second Impact and all that traced their origins to it. Every school had such a class, per mandate from the Ministry of Education. Alas, Nebukawa-sensei's delivery was...lacking.
"However, new moons are not the only such events that correlate with increased phenomena." The elderly teacher - more so than Fuyutsuki-sensei - looked around the classroom. "Aida-kun, when was the Lusaka Tragedy?"
"June 21, 2001!"
"Good. Ikari-kun, what was the Lusaka Tragedy?"
Shinji slowly straightened up in his chair...
(November, 2012. He watched the television with rapt eyes; live footage from the Australian city of Cairns showed an entire population center descending into chaos. From afar, the camera revealed various specters emerging from nowhere, right as the total solar eclipse covered the city. "What a waste," murmured his sensei, watching with a weary expression.)
...and answered, "it was the first total solar eclipse after Second Impact. Ghosts emerged wherever Angel Syndrome had previously struck along the path of totality. Lusaka was the largest city to be affected on that day."
"Acceptable. Ayanami-kun, what was the casualty total of the Lusaka Tragedy?"
"Estimates vary, as statistics are considered unreliable in the year following Second Impact due to the magnitude of global upheaval. However, the entire capital city of Zambia was depopulated before that day was over; most experts provide an upper bound of seven hundred thousand casualties."
"Accurate. That is why, in this day and age, the United Nations tracks eclipses with such severity; total solar eclipses especially so, given their demonstrated effects. As such, evacuations from the path of totality are mandated a week in advance by the national government, for the good of the general welfare and safety of the public. Lapses in this discipline have severe consequences, as most recently seen during the total solar eclipse of 2012. Due to the ongoing Australian Civil War at that time, evacuation efforts were hampered. Suzuhara-kun, what particular Australian city was most affected by the total eclipse?"
"Er...um...Queensland?"
"That is the state. What was the city?" Toji's silence was telling. "Horaki-kun, what was the city?"
"Cairns, sir!"
"Correct. That is why-"
Shinji tuned out Nebukawa-sensei, thinking back to the words of a certain bizarre man. What's so important about the upcoming new moon? He had looked it up, the day after that cryptic warning; paranormal activity tended to increase after sunset on days with a new moon, based on historical trends...but not during daytime itself, when the new moon was 'visible'. Had Igor meant something else? Was something else going to happen during the next new moon?
There was no way of knowing, until next Tuesday arrived.
"-and remember children, make plenty of offerings to Amaterasu, so that she can remain strong in her war against the wretched Tsukuyomi."
"Yes, sensei," dutifully responded the class, most of them not really meaning it. Though, given the track record of horrible events that had occurred since Second Impact in relation to the moon, Nebukawa-sensei could hardly be blamed for a little sun worship.
And so classes continued.
xxxx
Hikari Horaki had simply pointed him towards a mop bucket, once classes had ended for the day. 'Punishment for filthy words', she had said; apparently, rumors of the morning's...incident...had reached her.
Fortunately, some other guy had had the bright idea to make another beaver joke within earshot, and the Class Representative had proceeded to...well, Shinji was glad he'd been able to focus on mopping, if only because it let him ignore the massacre taking place. By the time it was over, he had cleaned most of class 2-A's floor. "Excuse me," he said to the unlucky guy in question, slumped in the corner with skin as white as a sheet; he bonelessly slithered out of the classroom, allowing Shinji to mop up the final spot. "And...done."
"Very good," complimented Horaki, sounding rather chipper for someone who had just dressed down a student with all the authority of a drill sergeant. "That was...rather quick."
"...it's just mopping?"
She nodded with approval. "Well, some students react to chores like they're the end of the world." She glanced over at Aida - who was cleaning the windows dutifully - before adding, "well, I suppose it can't be helped...how are you adjusting to Hakone Academy?"
"...fine, I guess?"
"Getting along with your roommates?"
"...I guess so. Kind of." At her inquisitive stare, he relented and said, "it's...a work in progress."
"That's putting it mildly!" cracked Aida from afar.
"...well, if your roommates are giving you trouble, you can always tell me. I can get the teachers involved-"
"Oh no, it's not like that!" Had he really given off that kind of impression?! "Aida-san and I...have reached an understanding. Nagisa's...nice, I guess?" Which, in all fairness, he was, but...there was something off-putting about him. "And Suzuhara...well...I don't think he likes me that much."
The Class Rep bore a look of understanding, solemn and knowing. "I see...I wonder..." She was about to say something, but caught herself at the last minute. "It's not my place to say. I'd just focus on yourself, for now...he may look and act tough, but he's a softy once you get to know him."
Toji Suzuhara? A softy?
His thoughts must have shown, because Horaki giggled at his expression. "You can only rein in a troublemaker for so long before you get to know them. He and Tomochika were thick as thieves, and..." she trailed off. "...is your phone vibrating?"
...it is? Darn it, he needed to be more focused; what if Katsuragi was calling him? He didn't need to endure another disciplinary event again! He hurriedly pulled it out, opening up his messages.
JT: A great deal awaits!
"...who's this?" The text had a link in it. Impulsively, he pressed it-
Horaki reached out. "Wait, don't click-!"
The message switched out, opening another tab. Without warning, a little jingle began to play.
"Anata no, terefon ni, Jika-netto Tanaka~! Mi-n-na no, yoku no tomo!"
...eh?! Text continued to scroll by, accompanied by emojis of a middle-aged man with a rather broad nose.
JT: Hello, my fellow man! You're one of the lucky few!
JT: Lucky how? Why, you've been chosen by Tanaka's Portable Commodities!
JT: The fantastic wares of Tanaka, available at the touch of a button!
JT: Unbeatable in quality, unbeatable in price, and unbeatable in convenience!
JT: What more could you want? I'm glad you asked!
"...what am I looking at?"
Horaki gave him a weary expression. "Don't you know better than to click unusual links from strangers?"
"...no?"
"..."
"...in all fairness, I've had this phone for less than a week."
"...Aida, I fear for Ikari-san's welfare. Make sure to teach him proper phone etiquette!"
"Yes'm," grumbled the bespectacled boy, apparently deciding that laziness was the better part of valor. It seemed that the jingle had caught his attention as well. "So, you got the Jay-Tee message too, eh?"
Shinji blinked. "Jay-Tee?"
"Most students with phones end up getting a message like that before long. It's basically a mass advertisement for some online store...so most people treat it like junk mail, or spam." Kensuke crossed his arms, face scrunching together in a manner evoking thought. "Although...I will admit to getting a pretty good soldering iron kit once."
"...really, Aida-san?" Horaki seemed so disappointed.
"Hey, it was on sale!" A beat. "Also, I had fried my last iron, and needed a new one."
She promptly ignored him. "I'd just ignore it, Ikari-san. I wouldn't trust such a shady character, anyway."
...well, that certainly seems reasonable. Also, Shinji wasn't in the mood to buy anything but food, anyway. "I'm going to go get dinner." He promptly exited the online store and pocketed his phone, heading out of class 2-A.
"Have a good evening, Ikari-san!"
"See ya back at the dorm, Ikari!"
xxxx
/New Mikasa, Outskirts of Hakone Academy/
Shinji had opted to try for a place outside of Hakone Academy, in the cluster of shops and restaurants that obviously derived a lot of business from the students on campus. The smell of fresh yakisoba had brought him to New Mikasa, which he was currently digging into with gusto. The heavy rain from earlier that afternoon had trickled into a mere pitter-patter, still providing a soothing ambience amidst the evening air. It contributed to a relatively cool evening for June, something that he appreciated.
Sitting at the elongated bar top, he slowly and methodically chewed his noodles, while mentally reviewing his overall circumstances. The means by which he paid for his meal had only cemented that reality: he had shown his student ID badge, allowing the restaurant to run a debit from an existing student account. However, unlike other students - who funded their accounts via parents, special school credits, or old-fashioned wages that they had earned - he had been notified immediately by phone as to the source of yen.
NERV: A ¥700 DEBIT HAS BEEN POSTED TO YOUR ACCOUNT. REMAINING BALANCE - ¥98,200.
It was a sobering reminder, that his presence at Hakone Academy - his presence within Tokyo-3 in general - revolved around NERV. The contract he had signed testified to that much. NERV...how long until they demand more? Misato Katsuragi had endeavored to at least make his landing a soft one, so to speak...but even she would expect results before long. As of tomorrow, it would be one whole week since he had arrived in this city...and he couldn't fathom his father's organization maintaining their patience for long.
Would he be sent against an Acolyte? Would he be tasked with facing a Ghost? Would he undergo mindless tests? Would he have to work with Ayanami?
He had no way of knowing.
xxxx
The Beast growled, issuing a challenge.
"Knowledge of the future is something denied to you."
Another voice - similar to his own - echoed that statement.
"Yet you stepped forward nonetheless."
They both spoke as one.
"Will you back away, before the first true hurdle?"
xxxx
Shinji kept on eating, allowing the settling food to serve as a symbol of his refusal to run away: it sat within his stomach, weighing him down, sating his anxiety. I guess I'll find out when it happens...
Another plate was stacked next to him. Glancing to his side, he watch an upperclassman - a high school student from the Academy - methodically eat at his yakisoba. That wouldn't be noteworthy, save for two things: first, that it was his seventh plate, and second, he still appeared as thin as a rail. Bangs of dark blue hair hung over his face, hiding his eyes from view; of particular note were the thick headphones covering his ears. His eyes - a rather cool shade of blue - were now looking at him, because oh crap he had been staring like an utter fool! "Er. Um...sorry for staring."
The high schooler noncommittally grunted, continuing to eat at his yakisoba. While still looking straight at him.
...well, this is awkward, mused Shinji, as he finished the rest of his own plate. "Well...have a good evening, senpai." He politely bowed in his direction - no form of apology was too great for an imagined offense, no matter how slight - and promptly left. Exiting the restaurant, he briefly glanced through the window; the older student had returned to his food, working on his eighth plate of noodles. How does he stay so thin?!
That question would plague him for the rest of the evening. If nothing else, it served to wash away the uncomfortable aura of their encounter.
xxxx
END OF 6/12/2015