“…… Although the traces of erosion of the cell tissue disappeared, the possibility of being contaminated by the apostle's spirit could not be ruled out, so it could only be isolated in this way. ”

On the night of the Ninth Apostle's defeat, in a special room deep within the NERV base, Ritsuko Akagi said calmly and coldly as she looked through the observation window at a coffin-like container that had been placed between many reddish pillars.

Maya Ibuki glanced into the observation window with some reluctance, but the "coffin" illuminated by the red light still made her feel very uncomfortable, so she immediately withdrew her gaze.

"But...... The black cat's consciousness has always been very clear, and the eroded cells and tissues that were eroded after being rescued by us began to recover quickly, and no abnormalities were found in various examinations, and the 'spectrum' was not blue, so there was no need to be so cautious, right?

Difficult, is it ......?"

Speaking of this, Ibuki Maya's face suddenly changed, and she was very worried and tentatively said to Ritsuko Akagi, whom she respected:

"I don't think I'm going to 'dispose of' her, right?"

"This is a precious 'sample' that cannot be 'disposed of'."

Ritsuko Akagi, who had a lady's cigarette between her fingers, looked at the freezer in the isolation room with calm eyes as if she were looking at a biological specimen, replied casually in an unusually flat tone, and then pressed the remaining long cigarette roll into the ashtray full of cigarette butts.

Maya Ibuki had a look of disgust on her face - her "cleanliness" made her unable to tolerate such a thing, but the object of her disgust was not her Ritsuko-senpai, but the high-ranking Seele who gave her Akagi-sanpai such orders.

"But...... Let's reply to Senior Colonel Chu Xuan like this. Will he accept it, Colonel? ”

"He'll take it, because he's a 'real soldier.'"

And ......"

Ritsuko Akagi, whose head was bandaged because she was injured in the explosion at Matsushiro No. 2 Test Site, turned her head. With a strange smile, he said to Maya Ibuki:

"And in the 'record', didn't the black cat never regain consciousness."

Maya Ibuki once again plucked up his courage to glance at the black cat's "coffin". There was pity and sadness in the eyes.

This approach of the high-level is clearly intended to study the black cat as a precious sample that has been partially fused with the apostle, and spiritual pollution or something is just an excuse.

So...... It must be studied regardless of the will of the person and the wishes of his guardian...... Most of the research is not gentle, and it does little harm to the subject, and even after the research is over, the black cat probably has no chance of regaining its freedom.

However, despite sympathizing with the black cat, Maya Ibuki would not immediately tell Chu Xuan the truth.

- Now the Ministry of Internal Affairs has warned everyone who knows that the black cat has been very conscious since he was rescued, and they don't just warn it, they have made it quite clear to Ibuki Maya that they will be tightening the monitoring of the people involved in the near future.

If someone told Chu Xuan the truth. Chu Xuan, who has attracted much attention in "Super Robot Wars", may not be fine, but the person who "informed" will definitely not end up much better.

"Why? Didn't you say it was just a test at first? Why do black cats have to be frozen?

And until when? One day? A week? One month? One semester? A year? Or ......"

The day after the Ninth Apostle was eliminated, Shinji Ikari, who had made an appointment with everyone to visit the black cat in the hospital, was waving his arms excitedly in the corridor of the NERV base, while Chu Xuan, Rei Ayana, Asuka and Maki Ha opposite him were all gloomy and silent, and the smiles they had already disappeared from everyone's faces.

"Chu Xuan! Didn't we already rescue the black cat, why do we have to freeze her!

Although I don't know about the technical aspects, now that the erosion marks of the cell tissue have all disappeared, then her body is already fine! Even if you still can't wake up, you don't need to freeze it! ”

Shinji Ikari said to Chu Xuan with an eager expression, but Chu Xuan never said a word—there was still no expression on his face. This was something Shinji Ikari was used to, but today he suddenly felt an indescribable coldness from Chu Xuan's poker face, as if the black cat's matter had nothing to do with him at all.

"Chu Xuan, think of a way! Isn't she your girlfriend black cat! ”

Seeing that he had said that he had dried his saliva, Chu Xuan was still unmoved. Shinji Ikari finally clenched his fists and yelled at Chu Xuan with grief and indignation.

Perhaps it was Shinji Ikati's roar that played a role, and Chu Xuan finally raised his hand and pushed down his reflective glasses. Then he replied unusually briefly in a tone that was as smooth and uninhibited as ever:

"Not a girlfriend."

Chu Xuan's too ruthless answer stunned everyone, but just before they misunderstood. Chu Xuan immediately added another sentence.

"It's the wife."

"That'...... then"

Shinji Ikaru, whose heart was pinched hard but was immediately let go, breathed a sigh of relief, and then stroked his chest as he stroked it. While looking at Chu Xuan expectantly, but this time Chu Xuan was going to disappoint him.

"There's nothing we can do about the black cat - I've objected, but the 'superiors' still decided to freeze the black cat.

Then all we can do is obey the order and wait for the day when the black cat wakes up from freezing. ”

Chu Xuan gave a standard military-style answer, the muscles on his face did not move at all, and his back was as straight as usual, Shinji Ikari had always felt that such Chu Xuan was very strong and "man", and he had always dreamed of becoming a person like Chu Xuan......

But now he felt that the many auras that shrouded Chu Xuan had quickly disappeared, and what appeared in front of him was just a man who was as cold as steel, no different from his father who hated the most.

Father......

Father......

That's right! Father!

"I'm going to find Daddy!"

Shinji Ikari remembered his father, Commander Ikari Gendo, the "superior" of everyone in the organization, and ran in the direction of the headquarters with a gritted tooth.

Although he knew where his father's office was, he never thought of going to his father, but now for the sake of the black cat, he decided to find the father who abandoned him after his mother's death, and even if he called him to the third new Tokyo city, he still abandoned his father!

(Damn!) When will it be until the black cat is allowed to be unfrozen!

Even I know that if there is a way in a short period of time, there is no need to freeze at all!

I must unfreeze the black cat, and I must revive her!

Because......

We have already made an appointment to go to the beach together, go to iket together, watch fireworks together, and spend this happy summer vacation together! ）

Unconsciously, Shinji Ikari, who was thinking like this, had tears in his eyes, but this was how he kept knocking on the door of the headquarters with tears in his eyes, and shouted for his father to see him without fear.

"What's the matter with you?"

Accompanied by Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki, Shinji Ikari finally stepped into the overly spacious command room, far away from him, the person he wanted to see was propping his elbows on the table, his ten fingers crossed in front of his mouth, the glasses reflected the light like Chu Xuan, making it impossible to see the eyes behind the lenses, and the voice was as smooth as Chu Xuan, making it impossible to hear the feelings in the voice.

A fiery emotion welled up in Shinji Ikari's chest, who gradually overlapped with his father's figure with Chu Xuan's figure, he clenched his fists, opened his eyes wide, and said to his father in a voice that was not too loud, but clear and firm:

"Dad, please remove the black cat...... Five more orders for Ruri freezing. ”

"Nope."

Ikari Gendo did not hesitate for a moment, as if a reflex, immediately rejected Shinji Ikari's unreasonable request, and Shinji Ikari, who had already been mentally prepared, announced to his ruthless father categorically:

"If you don't agree, then I won't fly the first plane again until the black cat is released."

"It doesn't matter."

Ikari Gendo replied again without thinking, and Shinji Ikari finally fell silent.

"Get out when you're fine."

After a few minutes, the impatient Ikari Gendo finally opened his mouth to chase people away, but in order to express his determination, Shinji Ikari still stood there stubbornly and refused to leave.

"Call someone to drive him out."

Seeing that Shinji Ikari didn't even move, and had been looking at himself silently and firmly, Ikari Gendo gave another order to Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki, and then stopped paying attention to his son, and didn't move an eyebrow until he was forcibly dragged out of the office by the internal affairs staff. (To be continued......)