Sokila quietly drew pictures of herself performing various martial arts moves.
"It's one thing to say that I gotta be tough...but it's another to actually do it..."
The little girl frowned, prodding at her arms.
"All of my senpai don't have that much muscle...but they're still really strong..."
She quietly walked away from her little drawing corner, flopping onto the nearby bed that was wedged against the stage.
"...what does it mean to be strong...?"
Staring at the ceiling, she tilted her gaze towards the master of the Velvet Room.
"Mister Igor...what do you think it means...?"
The bizarre man smiled genially at her.
"The questions about 'Strength'...are various, and multi-faceted. The question you must first ask yourself: 'why' do you want to be strong? That will determine what kind of strength you seek."
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Thursday: August 27, 2015/
/Courtyards, Hakone Academy/
"Nothin' like a good run in the morning to get the blood flowing," said Toji Suzuhara as he stretched his hamstrings.
"...you know, this isn't exactly what I had in mind when I asked for you guys to help me out," griped Kensuke Aida.
"Look, you can do the emotional mumbo-jumbo later," retorted Toji. "This is what I suggested, so we might as well do this first."
"And get all sweaty and tired?"
"That'll just make the post-workout shower feel all the more relaxin'! I've done some of my best thinkin' in the shower."
"Sure, 'thinking'," groused Kensuke, ignoring Toji's immediate protests to ask, "come on Shinji, help a guy out..."
"...would a sprint be so bad?" Shinji Ikari honestly asked.
"I think it's a wondrous idea!" exclaimed Kaworu Nagisa. "It'll be a nice change of pace, exercising with my roommates~"
"Don't make it weird, Nagisa," grumbled Toji.
"...fine, can we at least make it interesting?" asked Kensuke with a shrewd expression. "Let's redo the chore rotation; loser gets last pick."
"Might as well exclude Nagisa, 'cause he'll win anyhow," grumbled Toji.
Kaworu looked thoughtfully at them before smiling cherubically. "Hmm...perhaps a handicap is in order! I'll run backwards; sound fair?"
"DEAL," chanted Toji and Kensuke.
"Wouldn't that be difficult, Nagisa-kun?" asked Shinji.
"Not at all," he politely said, calmly stretching his legs to the point where he was doing a seamless front split stretch. "A swift backstep is useful in the ring, after all."
Shinji hummed thoughtfully.
"Okay then, ten laps around the courtyard!" yelled Toji, getting some last stretches in. "On your marks-"
"-ready, set, go!" interrupted Kensuke, taking off running.
"KENNY YOU CHEATING SONNUVA-!"
As Toji took off after Kensuke, Kaworu merely saluted playfully before he took off running in reverse.
Shinji, not much caring for where he ended up on the chore rotation, merely shrugged before taking off in a brisk jog.
All told, it was a very vigorous way to start the day...
xxxx
/Meanwhile, in the City of Kyoto.../
Less than a kilometer southwest of the old Imperial Palace was a city block dedicated entirely to the numerous administrative offices of Kyoto's prefectural government, from its assembly to the police headquarters to the governor's office.
Said office now doubled as that of the President of the Prefectural Confederation of Japan.
Although the central building — Prefectural Office Building No. 1, officially — had once been a mere museum, the prior governor had chosen to reactivate the building as an official place of government business; having been built in 1904 and displaying neo-renaissance Western architecture, the former prefectural HQ possessed sufficiently unique qualities to make cognitive engineering an easier task. As such, the old headquarters was quite resilient against the influences of ne'er-do-wells in the Metaverse. A shame that said engineering did nothing against a stroke, alas...but Masayoshi Shido had always told his old superior that he needed to look out for himself more.
His loss is my gain, he calmly mused, staring at the skyline of Kyoto through his office windows. Although the reorganization of the Japanese government was working its way through the prefectural governments at a distastefully slow pace, the matters of international geopolitics still beckoned. Hence why he was on the phone with their ambassador to the United Nations. "So correct if I'm wrong, Ambassador," he slowly enunciated, filling every syllable without as much disdain as possible, "but is the UN actually requesting aid?"
"Yes, Governor Shido-"
"That's President Shido," he corrected with some annoyance.
"Ah, my apologies," murmured Daisuke Todoroki, the acting representative of Japan to the UN; after all, until the country's government was officially reorganized, Todoroki was acting on the authority of a national body that no longer existed. "I'm still trying to keep the changes lined up in my head. It's been a busy week..."
"You're not unique in that regard," he curtly said, looking towards a muted television built into his office's wall; it was displaying a newsreel of a fire in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, courtesy of a MAGI facility that had been blown up by Strega. "I fail to see how it's Japan's problem that the other countries of the world are incapable of protecting their own assets."
"They're requesting assistance from an Evangelion-user-"
"As far as I'm aware, they all but exiled the Second Child from Europe to save their own pathetic skins from attacks by Acolytes and Ghosts. They can't deal with a terrorist group comprised of less than ten members?"
"Well, notwithstanding the sudden outbreak of criminal Shadow activity following the destruction of that secret Metaverse prison, Strega is...elusive. Given their strident anti-Evangelion stance, the sudden change in tactics has a lot of people concerned-"
"They'll simply have to deal," he said, barely resisting the urge to snarl. "From NERV's public reports, the First and Third Children are fighting Acolytes and Ghosts daily. The Second Child is currently assisting with the development of a new weapon at one of NERV's branches in America. Given the chaos I'm trying to steer our country through, I'm disinclined to divert the Evangelion-users from their current tasks. If Strega is all it takes to bring them to their knees, then they deserve everything that's coming to them."
"...I'll try to phrase that as diplomatically as possible, sir."
"You'd best." Shido hung up, scowling irritably. Useless ingrates. Strega's small size and mobility were doubtless the only things working in their favor; should any country's cognitive forces coordinate effectively enough to pin the group down, they'd be finished in short order. Alas, even he was privately grateful for Strega's apparent decision to turn their attention away from Japan; the sheer volume of Acolytes and Ghosts were still more than enough to deal with. And for them to have the gall to try and request the Evangelions! Such weakness was utterly repulsive. I won't be like those feckless fools; I'll ensure that this country becomes stronger in the wake of its tragedy. That will be my legacy...
Alas, there was one part of his legacy that still needed to be reeled in. I've given him long enough to 'play' at being a mere peon. Shido promptly dialed a particular number, waiting for the man on the other end to pick up. "This is President Shido. Put me in touch with the acting Commissioner of the A.T. Task Force. I want someone reassigned from the Hakone region..." You will come home, 'Goro Akechi', he thought with a scowl. A cub's place is at the lion's side: not wallowing in the proverbial fields with mere beasts and vermin...
Thus did Shido go about his day.
xxxx
After the early morning run, Shinji split from the group to finish a few Ghost subjugation missions; upon his return to Tokyo-3 proper, he met up with Kensuke and Toji on the outskirts of the Academy. The latter was saying farewell to Aida before jogging back towards the dorms. "So...how did your time with Suzuhara-san and Nagisa-kun go?"
Kensuke made a face. "Well, Toji and I just hit the arcade..."
xxxx
Toji crossed his arms with an arrogant pizzazz, standing in front of the Street Warrior IV cabinet. "I will stick with my main character of Zangoro, but you're not allowed to use your main!"
"Come on, I'm still tired after dealing with Nagisa-kun-"
"No excuses! I am a wall, and you have to conquer it!"
"...well, I guess it's what I asked for."
Much frustration ensued, but for a purpose.
xxxx
"...did that work? Does that work?" asked Shinji.
Kensuke shrugged. "There's something cathartic about banging your head against a proverbial wall. There's something...mindlessly simple about it."
"...a distraction?" suggested Shinji.
"Sort of."
"And...how did it go with Nagisa-kun? He was the first one you went with after our run..."
Kensuke paused. "Well..."
xxxx
Kaworu Nagisa quietly guided him to one of the outside tables situated around the Academy grounds. When he sat down, he balanced his elbow on the table.
"...you want me to arm wrestle?"
"Why not?"
"This was not the sort of thing I was anticipating..."
"Trust me, you'll benefit immensely. Make sure you give it your all; I'll even let you use two hands~"
Huffing, Kensuke didn't bother sitting down, precisely
because Kaworu's strength was so well known. He took one last look at the boy's crimson gaze before grabbing at his outstretched hand. With a determined scowl, he pressed down with all his might-!
He flew backwards, landing roughly on the grass-
xxxx
"...I'm not exactly sure. He challenged me to arm wrestling, then launched me with one arm, after which point I apparently fell unconscious."
Shinji blinked. "...Nagisa-kun is strong. You're not hurt, are you?"
"Not really? When I came to, Nagisa-kun apologized...I guess I must be more stressed out than I thought if getting tossed is all it took to knock me out..."
"Well, why don't we just walk for a bit? Until you're ready to talk, I mean..."
"That's fine by me. I want to get my thoughts in order anyhow."
As the two began walking around the outskirts of the Academy, Shinji quietly pulled out a single 100-yen coin. It was strangely nostalgic, flipping it over and over again. After everything he had gone through over the past few months, it was easy to make the coin spin, much less catch it.
"...boy, that brings me back."
Shinji swiped the coin as it fell, looking towards Aida. "Hm?"
"I remember all the way back in June, when you were struggling with time management, of all things. You tried flipping the coin to make a choice, remember?"
"...and it went straight out the class window," he finished, vaguely recalling that event. "...that seems so long ago."
"No kidding." Kensuke sighed, stepping off of the concrete walkway towards a small copse of trees; leaning against the bark, Kensuke stared wistfully at the leaves and the complicated interplay of shapes in the foliage. "...I wonder how much my father thinks I should still be a simple student...?"
"Does he still have that expectation?"
"...I think so...or not?" Sighing, Kensuke scratched irritably at his hair. "...I think...I think he's just frustrated about how I'm shutting him out. Not talking to him about the stuff that happened on our summer break of my own volition, you know?"
If only my father were that concerned, thought Shinji with quiet frustration, which he didn't show. "Are you still upset with your father? For not talking about your mother, for so long?"
"I mean, I'd be lying if I said no," admitted Kensuke. "But after all the crap we've gone through, it seems kind of...petty, to keep holding onto that anger."
"And if he still doesn't want to talk about your mother?"
"What do you mean?"
The memory of how Gendo had so callously and vindictively rejected Futaba's old pictures of Yui Ikari came to mind. "What if, you both come to an understanding about how you feel...and he still doesn't want to talk about your mother? What then?"
Kensuke, to his credit, didn't answer immediately. He hummed thoughtfully, looking up at the blue sky with a stern frown. After over a minute of silence, he finally answered. "...it would suck, I won't lie...but it's not like it means he doesn't care about her, right? It just means that the pain of mom's memory is...too much for him to share. I'd get it, too! It'd hurt if he felt that way...but I can't begrudge him that." Aida rubbed at his nose. adding, "after all the stuff involving the funerals for Junpei Iori and Ken Amada...I learned that people handle pain differently. People deal with grief differently. Who am I to get on his case about it, with everything we've seen?"
Shinji couldn't help but smile. "That's a pretty big change."
"Well, it would be weird if I didn't change after a summer vacation like the one we've had, you know?"
"Yeah," agreed Shinji. "So...do you think you'll be able to talk with your father on Saturday?"
"Talking with him? Absolutely. Talking with him well? That's to be determined."
"Well...at least you'll have some resolution, one way or another."
"One way or another," echoed Kensuke.
"...is there a reason you wanted to have this kind of talk with me specifically?"
Kensuke chuckled. "Well, out of all our roommates, Toji's not the best at being touchy-feely, and Nagisa-kun...well, he's definitely erudite, but a little too out there for this kind of down-to-earth talk. You know what I mean?"
"That doesn't seem fair; Nagisa-kun can be rather deep..."
"I'm not saying he can't be, but it would just seem weird, coming from him. For some reason, it's just easier to talk like with this with you."
"...thank you, Kensuke."
"Thank you, Shinji." At that precise moment, both of their stomachs grumbled. "And that's the signal for lunch!" Rising back to his feet, Kensuke said, "I think New Mikasa is close. I'm in the mood for some yakisoba pan!"
"That sounds pretty good," agreed Shinji, following Aida as they engaged in casual chatter about missions and potential battle tactics...
xxxx
After having lunch with Kensuke at New Mikasa, Shinji got some more studying done at the school library before getting a message from Dr. Akagi: he and Ayanami had a dedicated training session tomorrow:
R. Akagi: She'll be officially introducing you to triggering your Overdrive.
R. Akagi: Or 'Limit Break' or 'Ascended State' or however you want to call it.
R. Akagi: Be here by 0900.
Frowning, he quietly responded (inwardly grateful at how his texting capacity had improved over the last few weeks).
S. Ikari: I thought it was going to be at my own pace?
R. Akagi: The Commander put his foot down. He wants you practicing in a controlled environment instead of on a mission in the Metaverse.
R. Akagi: Reasonable enough, were it not for the potentially explosive consequences if something goes wrong.
Shinji tried not to think of the foreboding content of those words.
S. Ikari: understood
R. Akagi: On an unrelated note, has PILATE been 'talking' with you again?
He briefly recalled the texts from two days ago, as well as Dr. Akagi's...less than pleasant reactions the last time he had talked with her one-on-one.
(July the 30th: Ritsuko Akagi had not been happy with the revelation about the MAGI's illicit contact with him. "-it's interesting that the MAGI are so chatty with you. Probably gonna have to spend a while debugging the actual mainframes to see if I can find the actual data logs of your conversations with PILATE...")
S. Ikari: yes
R. Akagi: That figures.
S. Ikari: did you ever get the data logs you mentioned?
R. Akagi: No, as a matter of fact.
R. Akagi: Why do you ask? So you can rub it in my face?
Wait, what?
S. Ikari: I was just curious
S. Ikari: honest!
R. Akagi: It doesn't matter. Just make sure you're not late tomorrow.
The woman said nothing else, which left Shinji feeling a bit uncertain. I wonder...why she feels so complicated about her mother...? Sighing, he defaulted to selecting some of the available assignments on the Mission Board, selecting several more Ghost subjugation missions in isolated areas around the east coast of Honshū.
(Taking care of several missions in a row without stopping for rest...filled him with determination...)
xxxx
/LeNoir Café, Outskirts of Hakone Academy/
Ren Amamiya had received a random message earlier that day, which had led to an interesting back-and-forth:
Pancake Boy: We have something to discuss.
A. Kurusu: like what
Pancake Boy: just pick somewhere that's not my usual
Pancake Boy: I'm agitated.
A. Kurusu: aw, poor lil' angy boy
Pancake Boy: not in the mood for your damned jokes, Kurusu
A. Kurusu: fine fine
The fact Akechi had used his 'true' surname was indication enough that he was being serious.
Fortunately, both of his roommates had already been at a nearby place that would prove to be...suitable.
"...why are they here?" growled Goro Akechi, staring to his left.
"We're not interrupting our competition just because you're here," remarked Yu Narukami, sipping from his fourth cup of espresso.
"What competition?" idly remarked Minato Arisato, sipping from his fourth cup of the same. "I was just minding my own business when you walked in and challenged me."
"Just what I'd expect from someone of your caliber."
"Whatever."
Akechi stared incredulously across the booth at Amamiya.
Ren shrugged, basking in the relaxed environment of the cafe. "Their commentary will probably be insightful if they feel like providing any."
"Please, don't mind us," murmured Yu, sipping quite loudly.
"...fine," groused Akechi, pulling up his menu.
"...nice hat, by the way."
Akechi, wearing the red 'GET SMOKED' hat and baggy sweater that was his go-to for going incognito in public, glared at Arisato. "I don't need your sass."
Minato blinked. "What sass?"
Akechi buried his face behind the menu, pointedly ignoring the blue-haired boy's question.
This was a great decision, mentally mused Ren as he hid a smug grin behind a sip from his coffee. "So. Why exactly did you want to meet?" he asked.
Goro Akechi huffed, tapping irritably at the table. "I received a message from acting Commissioner Munehisa Iwai." Pointedly ignoring how Ren frowned, he added, "to summarize...our new President wants me reassigned to Kyoto Prefecture."
Ren winced. "Ah. I see now why you'd be...upset."
Yu paused mid-sip. "...trying to recall what you've told about him. Is Shido still a jerk?"
"I want nothing to do with him," snarled Akechi.
"Obviously. Not my question though." Yu set down his espresso, glancing sternly at Akechi. "What memories do you have of...this Shido?" he said diplomatically, being mindful of their current location.
"...he is still focused on the attainment of political power to the exclusion of all else. Yet on the personal level...I'm actually 'legitimate', this time around."
Minato arched an eyebrow. "Sounds like lingering father issues."
"Plus some mother issues," remarked Ren, much to Akechi's irritation. "Though...that reminds me." Lowering his voice so that he was speaking quietly, he leaned forward to stare more intently at Akechi: a young man he had once thought of as lost, and then once more as a strange but valued companion. "You wouldn't remember anything that happened after...the first time, we went through that whole business with the Ark of Pride. Right?"
Akechi frowned, purposefully ignoring the curious stares of Arisato and Narukami. He waited until the waitress got their orders before answering, "You mean after I...passed."
"Right..."
(The first life of 'Akira Kurusu the Wild Card': in the months following the defeat of Yaldabaoth, a body had been found within the moat around the Imperial Palace of Tokyo. Despite the decomposition, dental records had been sufficient enough to identify the body as Goro Akechi's; it had briefly reignited interest in the scandals of Masayoshi Shido...but given the moat's proximity to the National Diet, it had only solved the longstanding mystery of what had happened to Akechi's body following the collapse of Shido's Palace. For the Phantom Thieves, it had been a bitter reminder of the boy's fate: one that lingered for many years afterward.)
Sighing, Ren elaborated. "Among the many admissions made during the trials involving the Conspiracy...a lot of details came to light about how he had used you. About how he knew in truth that you were his child, and strung you along with that in mind. It actually inspired a look at how the foster system in Japan worked, and how it could be reformed."
"Fascinating. A shame it wasn't real," Akechi huffed, idly glancing as Arisato and Narukami consumed their fifth cup of espresso.
"My point is that your upbringing this time around isn't the same," Ren emphasized. "No need to burn a bridge if you don't have to."
"You're suggesting I make nice?" grumbled Akechi, eyes narrowing with utter disgust.
"You'd be surprised at how varied the term 'make nice' can be," commented Narukami. "Plus...would it really be so hard? After the things you apparently did the 'last time around'?"
Akechi gave Narukami the stink eye, uncaring for his ostensible seniority. "Easy for you to say."
Arisato quietly stirred a thin biscuit cookie in his cup of espresso. "Maybe so. You'd think nothing would be beneath a murderer...but what weight does it have, if you have no regard for the lives you're taking?" As he was sitting to Akechi's immediate left, Minato's face was shrouded by his blue hair, masking his expression from Akechi's point of view. Ren, however, could see a distinct melancholy in Minato's visible eye. "Things without value are easy to throw away...whether they're the lives of others, or your own life..."
Whatever Akechi was going to say was interrupted by the waitress coming back, bringing a platter of mixed sandwiches. The four teenagers calmly ate away, letting the calm and melancholy jazz music fill the silent void.
Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Akechi finally spoke up. "As far as I'm aware...I represent the Wheel of Fortune to the boy."
Yu looked sharply at Akechi. "Who told you?"
"A...confidant, shall we say."
xx
The quiet stranger smiled.
xx
Akechi continued. "I'm of the impression that it's all about grabbing my own destiny...or, at the very least, helping the boy come to that knowledge himself. Correct?"
"...you're asking if your destiny this time around includes your father," said Ren, with the sort of insightfulness that doubtless infuriated the boy. After dealing with kids of my own, you're a bit of an open book, alas...
"...ah," murmured Akechi, eyes widening briefly with realization. "How long, the first time around?"
Ren understood the hidden question. "I was well past sixty, before I went to bed one day...and woke back up on a familiar train, on my way to meet a probation officer that had been long dead..."
"It must seem so very easy then, to fall back on the experiences of lives' passed," he said, glancing bitterly at Arisato, Narukami, and then Ren. "Easy to speak of trying to live life despite the ups and downs...especially when you've lived more than most." With a bitter whisper, he added, "even you have at least one life as an adult under your belt. As for me? I have no experiences beyond being a teenager."
"It just means that making mistakes is more forgivable," remarked Narukami, finishing the last of his sixth cup of espresso. "Take advantage of that while you can...just don't let them be the kind of mistakes you can't take back."
Akechi snorted. "I may be younger than all of you, but I'm not an idiot. I was under...the impression that you might have some better ideas as to how I can avoid being put back under that man's thumb."
"...you could always become a hermit and just live in the mountains," offered Minato.
"That can't be your solution to everything," griped Ren, which Minato only responded to with a shrug.
"...there are some possibilities, but they would involve you possessing knowledge and tactics a teenager shouldn't have," murmured Yu.
"Not even as a Chief Warden?"
Yu returned Akechi's look with a flat stare. "I'm pretty sure the hiring standards of the Anti-Terror Task Force aren't up to par with military intelligence. I'll leave it at that."
"...fine." Akechi crossed his arms, looking more akin to an ornery brat than a petulant teenager...which was honestly a tautology, but who was counting?
Ren coughed into his hand. "Ever considered talking to the boy about it?"
The thought of talking to Shinji Ikari apparently irritated Akechi. "His 'role' aside, it's not like he can do anything for my circumstances. And relying on a mere child for assistance is...unbecoming."
"Even children can be a crutch to lean on when you can't stand by yourself," said Yu. "Speaking from experience...and honestly, it makes them feel good, to be relied on."
"That's the whole point about being a bond: it's not just about the boy, or about you...but both. That's the way a relationship goes: what affects one will affect the other." Arisato paused in his pontificating, as he and Narukami both took a seventh cup of espresso from their waitress. Once she was beyond earshot, Minato added, "but don't quote me on that."
"...very well. I suppose...I will simply have to endure, and make the best of it," relented Akechi.
"That's the spirit," calmly cheered Yu, finishing the last of his espresso. "...I have to pee," he said out of the blue.
Minato — apparently of the same opinion — had already slunk under the table, calmly power walking towards the restrooms.
"Oh no you don't, senpai," remarked Yu, rising to his feet in the booth and jumping over Ren's head, moving with exaggerated motions towards the restrooms.
"...is being a moron a prerequisite for having your powers?" growled Akechi with disdain.
"You tell me," cheekily said Ren, finishing the last of his coffee.
xxxx
It was night by the time Shinji Ikari returned to the Izanagi Dorms.
"Welcome back," grumbled Toji, head buried in a textbook. Kaworu was calmly doing some calisthenics in the corner, whilst Kensuke was already asleep in his top bunk.
"Kensuke's already asleep?" asked Shinji as he sat down at his desk.
"Indeed; he seemed rather exhausted," observed Kaworu as he calmly stretched his calves. "Strange, how matters of the heart can be more tiring than physical exercise."
Toji snorted. "Preachin' to the choir, Nagisa..."
Shinji quietly ruminated on that as he went to go for his summer homework...only to pause, reaching for a familiar play instead. It's been a while, he thought, opening The Tragedy of Hamlet back to where he had left off in the third Act. Let's see...
He had to look up some unusual words over the course of the next couple of hours, increasing his knowledge all the while...
xxxx
END OF 8/27/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: A short, brisk day overall, but still pretty dense.
We got Shido. We got Magician hitting Rank 8. We get some more points for Vigor, Determination, and Knowledge. We had a Wild Card meeting!
Yeah.