Immortal Soul of Steel

The old man's answer made Ikari silent for a long time before sighing.

"I understand. So, how is Shinji doing now?"

The old man replied: "Shinji-kun, he should still be in school with other candidates."

"Leaving aside other places, just in this third New Tokyo City, they are relatively safe."

"but……"

Ikari said in a deep voice: "Time is running out..."

The old man nodded and sighed: "Yes, time is running out."

"Although the materials and energy in Third New Tokyo can still sustain it."

"But people in the Free Federation seem to be losing some patience."

"There is currently no evidence to prove why the dimensional beasts suddenly started attacking underground."

"But in a place like this now, unless someone wants to die. Then the only possibility is that the people of the Free Federation are deliberately guiding the dimensional beasts."

As he spoke, the old man looked at Ikari: "So, Ikari, we must make a decision before all the defense facilities are breached."

"Otherwise, by the time the dimensional beasts actually invade the third New Tokyo City, it will be too late."

Ikari pursed his lips, his eyes full of solemnity.

After a long time, Ikari asked in a confused manner.

"Back then, was it a better choice for us to follow the others and leave?"

Ikari's words made the old man a little silent.

The old man looked out the window at the lake and sighed.

"If we really left with you back then, are you sure that Shinji and Rei would have been born smoothly?"

"At that time, Wei could give birth at any time. Unless we throw away Wei's life, do we have any other choice?"

Looking back at the silent Ikari, the old man suddenly smiled.

"Besides, it's not necessarily a good thing to escape together."

"The situation was so chaotic back then, unless we could successfully escape back to the unified mainland."

"Otherwise, we will have to go to the Free Commonwealth or go overseas to make a living."

"Leaving aside the situation back then, the possibility of escaping back to the unified homeland is very low."

"The style of the Free Federation alone will stop everyone from thinking about going to the Free Federation."

"After all, no one wants to go to other people's countries and let themselves, or even their children, be used as slaves to the enemies who destroy our homeland..."

As Ikari slowly closed his eyes, the old man felt relieved.

"Ikari, our choice back then was the right one."

"The possibility of abandoning Tokyo and going overseas to establish the Second New Tokyo City is inherently lower than the possibility of establishing the Third New Tokyo City here."

"And once we go overseas, it means we have betrayed the unity. The result will probably be worse."

"This may be a better choice now. At least, aren't we all still alive now?"

As he spoke, the old man looked at the lake outside the window and said firmly.

"Moreover, here, there are things worth risking our lives to protect..."

"Even if we die, we will never give those things to the Free Federation..."

Listening to the old man's words, Ikari opened the drawer, took out a photo frame, looked at the person in the photo frame, and murmured.

"Shinji...Rei..."

Just when Ikari was mumbling the names of the two people in the photo frame.

In this third New Tokyo City's only high school teacher.

The black-haired boy and the blue-haired girl who were very similar to those in Ikari's photo frame were sitting on the rooftop, looking at the sky composed of the mechanical walls above their heads.

"Another unchanging sky."

The young man looked at the sky, his eyes gradually losing focus, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

But soon, his attention was called back by a cold voice.

"Shinji, the lunch box is ready."

When Shinji heard this voice, he quickly lowered his head, looked at the blue-haired girl beside him, and nodded in response.

"Well, I'm troubling you again, Li."

The blue-haired girl named Li shook her head expressionlessly.

"It doesn't matter, this is what it should be, because I am the elder sister. It is the elder sister's responsibility to take care of my younger brother."

Shinji's expression was a little subtle: "Well, Rei, actually I am..."

Before Shinji could finish his words, he was interrupted by a loud bang. Shinji was startled by the sound. Li slowly turned her head and looked in the direction where the sound came from.

In the direction of Li's gaze, in the direction of the rooftop staircase door, a girl with purple glasses and double low ponytails, a girl with orange hair and double ponytails, and a boy with short white hair and a soft smile were looking at them.

Among them, the girl with purple double-low ponytail glasses had a dark face and eyes full of anger.

"I found you! Shinji, Rei."

Seeing this girl, Shinji looked helpless, while Rei had a expressionless face and said in unison.

"Aunt Maakiha."*2

"Shut up!!!"

The girl with purple double-low ponytail glasses named Makiha rushed over, hugged Shinji, and made Shinji blush.

"Auntie Zhen Xiba, don't be like this..."

Shinji said reluctantly: "I don't care. It's obviously you who let me off the hook and broke the promise. Now Shinji, you have to compensate me well. I want to replenish Shinji's energy."

The girl with orange hair and twin tails who came from the stairs held her forehead with a headache on her face.

"Shinji energy and stuff like that...that kind of thing don't exist at all."

"And if you stay with idiot Shinji for a long time, you will be infected and become an idiot."

"Auntie Mashiba, I've told you so many times, why don't you understand?"

Next to the girl with orange hair and twin tails, the boy with short white hair replied with a smile.

"There's nothing we can do about it, Asuka."

"Auntie Makiha was forced to enter cryo-sleep due to some accidents."

"Now that I have finally woken up, I will inevitably feel a little uncomfortable facing this strange world."

The orange-haired girl with twin tails named Asuka pulled her shoulders with helplessness on her face.

"Nagisa Kaoru, what you said makes sense, but no matter what you say, Auntie Makiha is a classmate of the same generation as Auntie Yui."

"It's somewhat inappropriate for her to pester Shinji like this, isn't it?"

Amid the peaceful smile of the white-haired boy named Kaoru Nagisa, Makiha hugged the blushing Shinji and looked at Asuka teasingly.

"Ah, what's wrong? Asuka-chan is jealous?"

For a moment, Asuka roared with a red face: "Who, who, who would be jealous of such a guy? Auntie Mashiba, don't talk nonsense!"

Makiha's expression gradually turned to look at Asuka teasingly, with such eyes that Asuka did not dare to look at her.

After Asuka avoided looking at Makiha, Makiha's expression turned into a funny face.

Mahiha directly hugged Shinji's neck and rubbed Shinji's face with her smooth and pretty face.

This action made Shinji's face turn red on the spot. It also directly made someone angry.

Shinji stumbled and refused: "M-Auntie Shiba, don't do this..."

Asuka roared on the spot: "Makiha, you old woman, give me a little bit. Aren't you ashamed of an old cow eating tender grass? That's the son of your best friend!!!"

With a funny face, Mashiba returned: "Isn't that better?"