Sokila was happily digging into one of her leftover beef bowls.
"This was so good! I really liked it!"
She slowly took another bite. Her smile seemed...forced.
"I really...liked it..."
A slower bite. She looked quietly at the kitchen — now illuminated by several soft lamps — around her; no longer was she smiling.
"I..."
In the light, there was a certain character about the kitchen that had been missing in the relative dark of the auditorium. He couldn't quite identify it.
"...I..."
Her eyes were wet(?) with unshed tears(?!). Something that he couldn't fathom broke the proverbial floodgate, as she began to cry(!).
Crying beget weeping(! !). Weeping beget sobbing(! ! !): heavy and pained.
The girl buried her face into her arms, wailing because of...sorrow...and loss...?
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Monday: July 20, 2015/
/Room 23, 2nd Floor, Izanagi Dorms, Hakone Academy/
Shinji Ikari bolted up with a start. However, he wasn't breathing heavily, nor was he panicking...and yet, he could feel fresh tears on his cheeks. What...? What was that feeling?
Bzzt.
His NERV-issue phone was buzzing. Glancing wearily at it, he saw that he had received a number of messages from a very familiar source.
PILATE: YOUR MOST RECENT ANSWER TO HEROD WAS A VERY INTERESTING ONE.
PILATE: WE THINK THIS WILL PROVIDE A SATISFYING BACKDROP FOR OUR NEXT QUESTION
PILATE: AS BEFORE, WE'LL GRANT YOU A WEEK TO ANSWER.
PILATE: HERE'S THE SCENARIO: SUPPOSE THAT YOU POSSESS AN UNBREAKABLE SWORD, WITH WHICH YOU DEFEND YOUR HOMELAND FROM YŌKAI. BECAUSE OF YOUR WEAPON, YOUR PROWESS AS A WARRIOR IS WELL-KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE REGION. DESPITE THE FACT THAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD OF THE LAND IS FRIGID AND PRACTICALLY NON-EXISTENT, YOU ARE NONETHELESS CHARGED TO FIGHT AND TO DIE, BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE CAN WIELD IT. FURTHERMORE, YOUR SWORD IS THE ONLY THING THAT CAN TRULY STOP THESE MONSTERS.
PILATE: NOW SUPPOSE THAT A RIVAL LORD, JEALOUS AND FULL OF ENVY, UNVEILS A NEW WEAPON OF THEIR OWN: AN ONI THAT THEY HAVE TAMED AND TRAINED TO DO THEIR BIDDING. THIS ONI HAS GREAT POWER...PERHAPS EVEN ENOUGH TO DESTROY EVEN THE YŌKAI. BUT THEIR CONTROL IS NOT GUARANTEED. SHOULD THEIR PROVERBIAL LEASH SLIP EVEN ONCE, COUNTLESS INNOCENTS WILL DIE.
PILATE: NOW SUPPOSE THAT YOUR LORD COMMANDS HIS LITTLE WITCH TO MAKE THE ONI GO BERSERK. THE PLAN IS FOR YOU TO THEN SLAY THE RAMPAGING BEAST, THUS CEMENTING YOUR POSITION AS THE SOLE SLAYER OF YŌKAI. THE RIVAL LORD WILL LOSE ALL CREDIBILITY AND PRESTIGE, RENDERING THEM DESTITUTE.
PILATE: OUR QUESTIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS
PILATE: FIRST — IS IT RIGHT FOR YOUR LORD TO ENGAGE IN SUCH DUPLICITY AGAINST HIS RIVAL? IS IT NOT THEIR CHOICE TO USE DANGEROUS MEANS OF COMBATING THE YŌKAI IF THEY SO DESIRE?
PILATE: SECOND — NOTWITHSTANDING YOUR ANSWER TO THE FIRST QUESTION, ARE THEIR MEANS NONETHELESS TOO DANGEROUS TO CONSIDER? EVEN IF YOUR LORD'S MOTIVES ARE WITHOUT HONOR, WOULD THEY NOT BE JUSTIFIED IF IT MEANT PUTTING DOWN AN ONI BEFORE IT CAN BREAK FREE?
PILATE: THIRD — NOTWITHSTANDING THE ANSWERS TO THE ABOVE, WOULD YOU NONETHELESS WELCOME ASSISTANCE IN YOUR WAR AGAINST THE YŌKAI, NO MATTER THE SOURCE? NO MATTER THE DANGER TO INNOCENT BYSTANDERS?
PILATE: THAT SHOULD DO IT
PILATE: LET US SEE HOW CONSISTENT YOU CAN BE WITH YOURSELF.
PILATE: WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR ANSWER
PILATE: END OF LINE
Shinji frowned as he read through the proverbial litany of text. Just what I needed on a Monday...
But seriously, what was with the tears? Was it something I dreamt about...?
xxxx
As sixth period rolled along, Satsuki Ooi continued with her lesson. Mercifully, it wasn't going to be on the exams...so to speak.
"Stress. I can see it in your eyes. I can hear it in your trembling voices. I can practically smell it in your nervous sweat." The woman ran a hand through her wavy brown hair, a delighted smirk on her face. "It's strange, is it not? Everyone knows that the exams are coming up, down to the exact minute; it's an event that occur every year with regularity; and yet, I see so many students working themselves into a tizzy. And it's a phenomenon that only becomes more dire as you lot get older, as your exams become more important. Why, I ask? Why does a completely normal and expected event invite such panic when everyone knows it's coming? It's as if exams are treated with the same grim tidings as death itself..."
The class stared.
"...but, since the nature of deadlines aren't going to go away no matter how old you get, it's probably a good idea to get ahead of that. After all, public statistics show that the number of employees feeling severely insecure and stressed in their work environment is consistently above sixty percent. Given all the problems stemming from it, I find it unbelievable that cognitive engineering in the Metaverse hasn't been able to put a dent in that...though, given what happened on July 16th, that sort of existential fear is hard to ignore..."
The class continued staring.
"...anyway, it's important to properly manage stress! So I'm going to teach you about some age-appropriate methods of dealing with it."
"Age-appropriate?" impulsively blurted out Toji. Several students chuckled, whilst Hikari Horaki glared in his direction.
Ooi-sensei smirked. "Well, there are certain methods of dealing with stress as an adult that would be highly inappropriate — not to mention illegal — for kids like you to do. Nice try, Suzuhara-kun. For that, you can be the first volunteer!" The Health and Physical Education teacher proceeded to bend her torso in a way that seemed anatomically...improbable. "Stand up and duplicate this. Feel the tension in your skeleton escape!"
Toji gulped.
The subsequent stretches turned out to be much more reasonable for the class, as Ooi-sensei elaborated on the various muscle groups involved with each movement.
Personally, Shinji felt a bit more vigorous afterwards.
Heightened sense of relaxation aside, as classes came to an end that day, Shinji still couldn't help the pensive mood he found himself in. As he wandered the halls of the school, he pondered the state of things. There were no Clubs today...and most students had apparently opted to cram at the various study halls being held around the campus, so the hallways were relatively empty. So...he wandered, in relative peace.
"You look rather lost in thought, Ikari-kun."
That is, until an elderly voice whipped him out of his reverie. Turning around, he stared at the visor-clad face of Principal Keel Lorenz. "Kōchō-sensei!" he impulsively said.
The principal huffed. "So formal. It's good to see such respect for one's elders."
"Um...thank you, sir."
"Are you not studying for exams like the rest of the student body are?"
"...well..."
"Then again, I suppose given your extracurricular affairs, you have other things on your mind."
"...yes sir." That would be putting it mildly.
The older man nodded. "It's been a while since we've last spoken. Meet me in my office in twenty minutes. I have a walk to continue." He had spoken with casual authority: not demanding nor requesting. It was a simple statement of fact that he would be there.
So perhaps it was no surprise that Shinji found himself sitting in front of Principal Lorenz's desk, twenty minutes later.
Shinji glanced over at the very old record player: a new addition since the last time he had been in the principal's office.
"Interested? I managed to procure it through a vendor of some repute, or so I've been told: Tanaka, I believe the name was," said Keel Lorenz. "It's an old relic, much like myself...but there's something about the sound of an old gramophone that I find nostalgic."
The tinny sound of a classical piano piece echoed from the player. "...isn't that Für Elise?"
Lorenz smiled. "You know your classical music, it seems."
Shinji blushed nervously. "Well...I enjoy it. But I'm not what you would call an aficionado..."
His Other sighed.
"Some permutations are rather interesting..."
"Is that so? I'm surprised; given the stories I've heard about your mother from Fuyutsuki-sensei, she was a bit of a music nut during her university days. Then again, it was apparently in keeping with her personality at the time: to pick up a hobby only to drop it in a matter of a weeks, or even days. I'm honestly surprised she ever managed to graduate with such flippancy."
Although the possibility of hearing more stories about his mother was enticing, Shinji was slightly put off by the principal's (apparently) negative opinion of his mother's habits. "Um...is there...a reason you wanted to see me?"
"Well, I would ask about the progress of our little 'deal', but I imagine you've been too busy to bother with such a relative trifle as of late."
...oh. Our agreement. "Sorry..."
"Don't be. I imagine it was a project doomed to failure regardless. Despite your willingness to converse with me, your own duties are of a much higher priority."
"...um...is there a reason why you wanted me to find out why the students are so scared of you?" Shinji shivered as the man's visored gaze turned towards him. "I mean...the school principal being scary is a stereotype, isn't it? At least...that's what I've heard..."
"There is a difference between being a stereotype and being an 'other'," remarked Keel. "I've had students fear my authority in the past, but that didn't stop them from acknowledging me as another human being. As of late, however...I find myself disappointed in their behavior. It's self-defeating; you cannot conquer the object of your fear if you refuse to engage with it."
"...I guess."
"Do you agree? Or do you disagree? Guessing is only acceptable if you lack sufficient information to make an informed decision; given my admittedly incomplete knowledge of you as an individual, I think you're not 'guessing' at all."
Sufficiently cowed by the principal's evenhanded response, Shinji relented. "...then I agree." After all, before engaging with the fullness of his own hatred and anger, he had been unable to recognize it, much less take steps to become better.
Lorenz nodded. "Furthermore, if I'm unable to resolve this conundrum, then there may be problems with the student body that escape my notice...and there's only so much I'm willing to delegate to my subordinates."
"Then why ask me?"
"Because if there's one thing I've learned over the course of my professional career, it's that the perspectives of children should not be discounted rashly. Even if adults have attained greater wisdom through experience, that experience may blind them to realities which are obvious to students."
"I see..."
Keel Lorenz grimaced, leaning back in his chair and gazing out the windows of his office. "Have you ever pondered why a foreigner like myself would become the principal of a Japanese educational institute?"
(To be honest, Principal Lorenz's Japanese had always sounded so flawless that he had never focused on the fact that 'Keel Lorenz' was not a native name.) "Not really...but since you ask...why?"
The geriatric principal chuckled. "Hakone Academy is not the first institute I've founded over my many years; I've made it a point of pride in revitalizing failing schools or founding new ones. First in my home country of Germany...then in France, the United Kingdom, Russia, America, China...and finally Japan, with Hakone Academy. This place is my twentieth such institution in total."
That was honestly very impressive. "Why so many?"
"Because successful ways of thinking deserve to be spread. Successful methods of navigating the world should be provided to the young. And...in light of Second Impact, we are more in need of those with cognitive excellence. Especially from the countries with the greatest influence on the world. However...this place has proven to be a unique challenge to me. I've yet to fully ascertain as to why."
"...well...I think you can do it."
"Your encouragement is hardly necessary...but it is nonetheless welcome. Given your position, you may have unique insights that others may miss; would it be permissible to amend our prior deal?"
"I don't see why not, sir."
The principal nodded. "Instead of tasking you to intentionally try and discover how the student body truly perceives me, I would rather like to hear your perspective on certain matters if they come to my attention. In return, I am willing to provide my wisdom, as per usual."
Honestly, that sounded pretty simple. "I'd be fine with that, sir."
Principal Lorenz smiled. "Wonderful. Then I shan't delay you any further; after all, you have exams starting tomorrow." The impulsive groan that slipped out of Shinji's lips elicited a knowing chuckle from the old man. "A commonly-shared dread no matter where I go, it seems."
xxxx
/KiKi Ichibanya, Outskirts of Hakone Academy/
Emergency cram sessions were being held all over the Academy and the restaurants at its edges.
Shinji Ikari had found himself invited by his roommates to the familiar curry restaurant, which was far more packed than usual. (Of particular note was the fact that Yu Narukami — apparently working his shift — was constantly pulled aside by nervous Academy students for tips and insights to their questions.) Given the heavy rains which had started pouring shortly thereafter, he wasn't going anywhere for a while.
"This is a much larger group than usual," casually remarked Kaworu Nagisa as he calmly ate from his Triple Meat Curry plate.
Indeed; aside from the standard quartet of Room 23 from Izanagi's 2nd floor, there was the Class Representative of Class 2-A and a bookish girl from Class 2-E.
(They had come across Mayumi Yamagishi by pure chance, her arms full of books as they walked through the courtyard. "Ah, Mayumi-chan!" Kaworu called out to his fellow classmate. "We're about to have dinner! Would you like to attend?")
The bespectacled girl had acquiesced out of sheer nervousness more than anything else. So there she sat, quietly reading as she ate from her vegetarian curry rice.
Hikari Horaki, although grateful to have another girl present, was mostly focused at trying to lead one last study session for Toji and Kensuke. "Honestly, I think we would benefit more from relaxing at this point, because if stuff hasn't gelled by now, well-"
"Come on Class Rep, have some mercy," groaned Toji.
"In all fairness Toji, you literally asked for it," griped Kensuke, lazily spooning more curry into his mouth. "...memorizing kanji sucks."
Mayumi glanced quietly in his direction. "Then your reading capacity won't increase." Right before the eyes of others turned towards her, she hid behind her novel. "...well, it's true..." she murmured.
"And why ain't you studying?" inquired Toji with a curious tone.
"Most likely because, not counting yours truly, Mayumi-chan has the best grades in Class 2-E," cheerfully remarked Kaworu. "She truly is quite talented, from her top to her bottom."
The other three boys of Room 23 impulsively twitched. The bookish girl shivered while Horaki immediately glared. "Nagisa, is there a particular reason you said 'her' top and bottom...?" She barely managed to avoid growling.
"Well, that way you would know I'm specifically talking about her. After all, everyone has different levels; for example, I would argue that my top is far grander than anyone else's here," he said with a point of pride. "Now as for your bottoms, well, I can't quite speak for how low you go."
"Just ignore him," moaned Toji. "It'll just get worse..."
"I'm talking about our intellectual capacities, what's wrong with that?"
Shinji wisely refused to talk by stuffing his mouth full of chicken curry. He was fortunate to have another distraction in the form of his phone.
M. Katsuragi: hey
M. Katsuragi: we gettin some pings in ghost activity
M. Katsuragi: nothing that requires y'all now
M. Katsuragi: BUT u might wanna be frosty for the upcoming week
M. Katsuragi: you'll probs be rotatin' with Rei
M. Katsuragi: so yah
M. Katsuragi: (っ´ω`)ﾉ(╥ω╥)
...ah. Apparently, the Angels weren't inclined to take a break for finals. What fun.
"...say Ken, there a way we can get out of finals by doing Metaverse work or somethin'?" asked Toji.
"No Toji."
"How d'ya know?"
"Because I already asked Dr. Akagi."
"And?"
"She laughed condescendingly at me. 'You don't get to escape academic life that easily,' she said."
"...I haven't seen her that much, but your boss lady sounds like a dick."
"SUZUHARA!" hissed Horaki.
The crude boy held up his hands. "I mean, no offense, I ain't talkin' literally, but you know what I mean!"
"Actually, no I don't," asked Kaworu. "Have you checked? She might have one." The Class Rep looked at him with a scandalized expression. "What? I don't make a habit of making assumptions about other people's external genitalia without having been invited to investigate personally. After all, I'm a gentleman."
There was a bit of stunned silence and disbelief at the table, such that Mayumi's impulsive snort could be heard. The fact her snort could be heard was something that didn't escape the bookish girl, judging by how her shoulders cringed and how she buried her face even further into her book. "...you're such a louse, Nagisa-san," she muttered with frustration.
"No, I'm a human," Nagisa guilelessly responded.
"Can we get back to studying? I'm normally all for banter, but not tonight," whined Kensuke.
Shinji was so very glad that he was usually a slow eater; it gave him a perfect excuse not to talk.
(It also made it easier for him to focus on not laughing out loud.)
(Might as well enjoy this while I can; this isn't gonna be a fun week...)
xxxx
END OF 7/20/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: Oh Kaworu. You could be so suave if you just had a filter.
And Keel Lorenz...is being a reasonable good guy? In an Eva fic? INCONCEIVABLE.
/"Good Guy" Keel is so rare
/that his Capture Level outpaces that of Evil Rei
/and "Doesn't Want Anything to Do with Shinji" Kaworu...!
/oh
/and the Tower Social Link is now at Rank 3