The Trash Returned from Warhammer

Everything remained unchanged for eons; everything changed quietly.

Asuka inserted herself bluntly into the originally simple web of relationships. Her fiery temperament stirred up many ripples, giving Misato Katsuragi a front-row seat to a highly entertaining show.

Since Asuka harbored a suppressed anger toward Shinji—daring to feel it but not to voice it— she directed her fury at Rei Ayanami. The icy girl was not a normal person herself; far from feeling annoyance, she couldn’t even understand some of Asuka’s actions.

For example, during dinner, if Asuka saw Rei sitting close to Shinji, she would silently scoot her chair closer, throwing a provocative glare Rei’s way. Rei’s head was filled with question marks, but seeing Asuka move her chair, she moved hers as well. This caused Asuka to completely lose her cool.

’Fine, you’re doing this on purpose just to mess with me, aren’t you!’

The two of them squeezed in from the left and right until Shinji slammed his hand heavily on the table, putting an end to their childish skirmish.

Asuka propped her head up and looked away, grumbling under her breath. Rei was still confused, unable to fathom why this person was bothering Shinji during his meal.

’Hey, hey, are there any actual Earthlings in here?’

After dinner, Asuka sat in her chair, swinging her legs, starting to regret moving in out of curiosity.

The room was quiet. The sound of running water came from the kitchen where Rei was washing dishes as usual, looking quite like a virtuous wife and mother. In the living room, the boy had changed into a tank top and was doing push-ups as if no one else were there. With every rise and fall, his tensed muscles were visible.

This was completely different from the cohabitation life she had imagined. Shouldn’t it be a case where she, the Great Asuka, used a few tricks to make this idiot subservient and make that doll feel ashamed of herself?

As she thought, her expression shifted slightly. She felt like an outsider. She couldn’t help but look at Misato Katsuragi opposite her.

Under strict discipline, Misato’s opportunities for hangovers were becoming fewer. She was currently wearing a loose nightgown, tapping away at a keyboard.

”At least there’s one normal person here.”

Asuka finally breathed a sigh of relief and leaned over excitedly. ”Misato, what are you doing?”

”Catching up on reports. The Pacific Fleet took heavy losses. I have to distance us from the liability so NERV doesn’t lose its shirt in compensation.”

Misato looked up, staring at the girl with a half-smile. Asuka’s face instantly flushed. Unit-02 had used its allies as stepping stones, crushing quite a few warships in the process.

”That... that was a necessary price for victory!”

”What’s the rush? I’m not holding you responsible.”

”I’m not rushing! Besides, don’t you hate overtime the most?”

Misato’s expression tightened. She glanced at the boy in the living room and lowered her voice: ”I have no choice. If Shinji sees me sitting around idle, he’ll definitely pull me into a tactical review. If I finish this today, I can slack off tomorrow.”

To be able to slack off, Misato had even mastered the skill of ”paid bathroom breaks,” leaving Asuka speechless.

’Please, you’re the superior and the guardian, okay? Are you so scared that you work at home just to slack off at headquarters?’

”I’m starting to wonder which one of you is actually the guardian.”

”Yeah, me too. I can only say Shinji is so reliable it’s actually stressful.” Misato gave a wry smile, her tone turning nostalgic. ”But it’s a good thing. Humans are happiest when they are young, because parents provide shelter from the wind and rain, bringing a total sense of security where you don’t have to worry about anything.”

As she spoke, her cheeks flushed—she felt a deep sense of shame. For an adult to feel a fatherly sense of security from a fourteen-year-old boy was embarrassing to admit. Once upon a time, she had wanted to be the protector, caring for a troubled youth with maternal love.

Asuka watched her in silence for a moment before saying, ”Misato, you’ve gotten quite thick-skinned.”

”My skin was always thick. Besides, isn’t this good? If we cooperate well, Shinji will solve even the strongest enemies. In this apocalypse, having a sanctuary is very precious.”

’It’s not good!’

Asuka instinctively wanted to argue, but remembering the battle with Gaghiel, the words died in her throat. No matter how much she hated admitting it, she had a clear idea of the power gap between them.

’But I won’t give up. I’ll work harder and surpass him sooner or later!’

’Oh, why bother?’

Misato knew exactly what Asuka was thinking without asking. Ambition was good, but why hold a grudge against a monster? Wouldn’t that just drive her crazy?

After a thought, she asked back: ”You’ve been here two days. How does it feel?”

”Terrible. My classmates are all noisy brats. That Rei Ayanami is like a doll; I have no idea what she’s thinking.”

”Rei is much better than she used to be. She just still needs to learn common sense.” Misato chuckled. The old Rei was a doll; now she was at most a reserved, beautiful girl.

’Common sense? She’s fourteen and still learning common sense?’

Asuka turned her head in surprise. She saw that Rei had finished putting away the dishes and was squatting on the floor petting Pen-Pen. Except for the lack of expression, she was much like any ordinary girl.

”As for him.” Asuka turned and pointed at Shinji, who was wiping sweat with a towel. Seeing the sweat run over his developed pectoral muscles, she quickly looked away. ”He’s a total freak.”

”Oh? How so?” Misato, on the other hand, admired the view quite openly. Those muscles looked strong and exceptionally reliable.

”He has zero gentlemanly grace, he’s as hard as a block of iron, and he has no clue how to make a girl like him. Fourteen? He’s more like forty-one. However...” Asuka lifted her chin, recalling the moment after defeating the Angel when he let her enjoy the cheers with him. ”Sometimes he’s actually quite thoughtful of others. But overall, he’s still an idiot!”

’Oho, young lady, you’ve already fallen into the trap.’

Misato wore a knowing, ”auntie-like” smile.

Having lived with him for months, she had long felt that Shinji Ikari possessed a powerful pull—one that was gender-neutral. This attraction didn’t stem from sweet talk or affectation, but a form of invisible, subtle charisma.

He wasn’t well-spoken and didn’t deliberately get close to anyone; he just needed to stand there to radiate an infinite sense of security. And in this apocalypse, security was priceless.

It was heavy and reliable like a father’s love, standing in front and leaving only a silhouette that sheltered one from the storm.

’Maybe I’m attracted to that feeling too. I felt something similar with that bastard Kaji, but it’s a hundred times stronger with Shinji.’

Misato suddenly went silent, clutching the cross at her chest, staring at the boy’s well-developed biceps without blinking.

’Hey, why the hell are you blushing!’

Asuka regretted her life choices even more. There wasn’t a single normal person in this house. Maybe she should find an excuse to bail.

While her pride struggled with her logic, she felt a heat source approaching. Turning her head, she saw Shinji standing beside her.

”What... what do you want!?”

Shinji looked silently at the defensive girl. She felt like a sensitive porcupine, ready to hide behind her quills at any moment.

”Have you finished moving your things?”

”Ah? You’re not seeing me idle and planning to arrange special training, are you?”

”You just arrived. There’s no rush.”

’What? You actually were thinking that??’

Asuka watched, dumbfounded, as Shinji walked toward the boxes piled in the corner. she chased after him. ”What are you doing?”

”Helping you organize. Otherwise, with this much luggage, you won’t be done for days. Rei, come help.”

”Okay.” Rei wiped her hands and walked over immediately.

”Oh, no need! I’ll just take my time and do it myself.” Asuka was surprised. Wasn’t this guy cold and heartless? Why the sudden urge to help? Her refusal was only polite; looking at all the stuff made her head spin.

Shinji looked at the girl and couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Many, many years ago, when he was first assigned to the 5th Company, he had also received help from the veterans. Sadly, those veterans had all perished in the vastness of the galaxy.

”Helping every new recruit integrate into the company—this is the responsibility of a non-commissioned officer.”

’Non-commissioned officer? Recruit?’ Asuka froze, then brandished her fist.

”I am NOT a recruit!”

Despite her words, she accepted Shinji’s kindness. She watched Rei kneeling on the floor to wipe it clean and watched the boxes being opened and the items neatly placed. Shinji even brought in a single bed from somewhere and put on fresh bedding.

The dusty storage room suddenly felt lived-in. As Asuka organized her personal belongings, she suddenly realized where Shinji had gone before dinner.

Pink sheets with a floral pattern, a brand-new light quilt, and a pillow. The girl looked up and stole a glance at the boy. He was focused on smoothing out the sheets without a single wrinkle. There was no intent to flatter, nor any expectation of praise.

’Why?’ Asuka was very confused.

She had always believed that ”unprompted kindness means an ulterior motive,” and she was always wary of others’ goodwill. Yet she couldn’t find a single flaw in him. It was exactly as he said:

It was the responsibility of a sergeant.

She could feel that purity. She whispered, ”Danke (Thank you).”

”Hmm?” Shinji looked up, having finished the bed.

”Nothing! Get out, I need to change and shower!” Asuka pushed the two of them out without explanation and slammed the door.

Leaning against the door, she looked at the small but incredibly tidy room. Supplies were arranged neatly on the shelves, and the floor was clean enough to reflect light. Rei had even left the water basin here.

’I didn’t expect that doll to actually be good at housework.’

This room couldn’t compare to her apartment in Germany, but it was much tidier. More importantly, she could hear the voices chatting outside through the thin sliding door. After years of living alone, she really wasn’t used to this.

Thud.

Asuka dove onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow. Listening to Misato’s lament of ”you’re making me write another proposal again,” she silently rolled over and picked up an old cloth doll from beside the pillow.

”There’s a doll here, there’s a ’failure adult,’ there’s an idiot who doesn’t know how to make girls like him, the class is full of noisy brats, and the facilities at headquarters aren’t convenient at all.”

She talked to the doll, then paused for a moment and smiled.

”But the new life... is not bad.”

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