Private Eva Academy! The Class Rep is an Angel, and I'm the 'Protect Shinji Squad'! - Win his stomach with a lovingly made lunch! First love tastes like tamagoyaki.

Monday night. Hikari stood in her kitchen, clutching her mother's recipe notebook. The brown cover was slightly darkened with hand grime. As she turned the pages, a faint scent of soy sauce and dashi drifted up. "Big sis, you're still up?" Her younger sister Sakura peeked into the kitchen in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "S-Sakura!? You're still awake!?" "What are you making?" Hikari hurriedly hid the notebook behind her back. Her heart was pounding. "I-It's nothing! Just a little prep work for home economics!" "Huh... prep work for tamagoyaki?" Sakura stared intently at the mountain of failed attempts on the kitchen counter. Eggs burnt to an obvious crisp. Dashimaki tamago with so much sugar it turned cloyingly sweet. And some that, for some reason, refused to roll up and became scrambled eggs instead. It looked like a tiny graveyard. "Who's it for? Don't tell me... it's that Ikari-senpai you were talking about the other day?" "N-No, it's not! This is, well, as class representative, managing my classmates' nutrition is part of my duties, so..." "Hmm. So you're gonna put this in a bento box and bring it to school?" "Sakura!!" Her face bright red, Hikari shooed Sakura out of the kitchen. "Just go to bed! You have school tomorrow!" She could hear Sakura giggling from the hallway. Hikari let out a deep sigh and opened the notebook again. Her mother's handwriting. Round and gentle. *'If you add a bit more dashi, it stays fluffy even when it cools. Go easy on the sugar. Boys tend to prefer a saltier taste.'* "Mom..." A gentle warmth spread through her chest. She cracked another egg. The white and yolk separated cleanly. She mixed them thoroughly with cooking chopsticks and added the dashi. She oiled the frying pan. A satisfying sizzle. A wonderful aroma filled the air. The tamagoyaki rolled up beautifully. A cherry tomato for color. Then, her mother's specialty: meatballs. She tried to shape them into hearts, but they still came out lopsided. Still, that had its own charm. Before she knew it, the clock had passed two in the morning. She felt dizzy from lack of sleep. But her heart was soaring. What kind of face would Shinji make when he ate this tomorrow? Hugging the finished bento box, Hikari grinned to herself. --- Tuesday. The morning at Private Eva Academy felt a little heavier than usual. In the distance, the roar of what seemed to be NERV fighter jets could be heard. "You think another Angel showed up?" "But the alarm's not going off, so it's probably fine." Hikari was slumped over her desk. The fluorescent lights in the classroom were painfully bright on her sleep-deprived eyes. "Horaki-san, are you okay?" "Ah, yeah... just a little sleep-deprived..." She waved off her concerned friend. Inside her bag was the bento box, wrapped in cloth. (*Today, I'm definitely giving it to him...*) The chime for the end of fourth period rang. Hikari shot up as if spring-loaded. "Ikari-kun!" The seat at the very back by the window. Shinji was already gone. On his desk lay a single blank handout. "...The rooftop, as usual." Hikari ran to the faculty office. "Sensei, please lend me the key to the rooftop!" "Horaki, again? What is it this time?" "...As class representative, I have an important mission!" The vice principal handed her the key with a wry smile. "Don't go bothering Ikari-kun too much now." "I-I know!" She dashed up the stairs. Her heart was pounding. And not just from running. She pushed open the heavy iron door to the rooftop with both hands. There were clouds, but the sunlight was strong. Summer would be here soon. Beyond the fence, she could see the cluster of high-rises in Tokyo-3 and the distant glimmer of Lake Ashi. And there he was. Ikari Shinji-kun. The same spot as always. Leaning against the fence, earbuds plugged into his ears. His thick brown hair, slightly unruly, swayed gently in the breeze, his bangs falling over his eyes. His dark brown eyes were simply gazing absently at the clouds. Hikari straightened her collar and slowly walked over. "Ikari-kun." He took out his earbuds. "Ah... Horaki-san. You came again." "Of course I did. I'm the class rep." Shinji's lips relaxed slightly, as if he was a little troubled. It was a more natural, tiny smile than the one he'd shown her for the first time last time. (*Ah, he smiled a little again.*) Something tightened deep in Hikari's chest. "Hey, Ikari-kun. This is..." Hikari took the cloth-wrapped bento box out of her bag. Her hands trembled slightly as she held it out. "A bento. I made it for you." "...Huh?" Shinji's eyes went wide. "Yesterday, I was looking at my mom's recipe notebook, and I just really wanted you to try it. Managing nutrition is part of the class rep's job, and, well, um..." The words just kept spilling out. She didn't even know what she was saying anymore. Shinji looked back and forth between the bento box and Hikari's face. "...For someone... like me?" Those words again. Something snapped in the back of Hikari's mind. "Ikari-kun!!" Hikari thrust the bento box firmly against Shinji's chest. He hurriedly took it. "Just eat it! Complaints later! That's an order from your class rep!" "A-An order from the class rep..." Timidly, Shinji opened the lid of the bento box. Inside was a gently yellow tamagoyaki. Slightly misshapen meatballs. A red cherry tomato. White rice sprinkled with furikake. No more steam was rising from it. But even so. "...Itadakimasu." Shinji picked up a piece of tamagoyaki with his disposable chopsticks. Hikari held her breath and watched. Shinji put the tamagoyaki in his mouth. Chew, chew. —Shinji's eyes opened wide. "...It's good." It was a truly tiny voice. A mere whisper, almost lost to the wind. But Hikari heard it clearly. Yes. Yes, yes, yes!! Goosebumps spread all over her body. She was so happy she almost jumped for joy right then and there. —At that moment. Plip. A tear spilled from Shinji's eye. One drop, then another. His dark brown eyes quickly filled with water. "Huh, Ikari-kun!? W-Why are you crying!?" "...Sorry... it just... tasted so nostalgic..." Wiping his tears, Shinji brought another piece of tamagoyaki to his mouth. "...When I was little, my mom... used to make tamagoyaki like this. Not sweet, with a strong dashi flavor..." A sharp pang struck Hikari's chest. Shinji-kun's mother. Ikari Yui-san. A NERV scientist, and someone who was no longer here. "I haven't had... this taste in so long." Shinji's voice trembled. Hikari was thrown into confusion. He said it was good. That made her happy. But she never meant to make him cry. "I-I'm sorry! Did I put something weird in it!? Were the eggs too old!?" "No, that's not it... that's not it, Horaki-san..." Shinji roughly wiped his tears, then spoke with a face that was somewhere between crying and smiling. "I'm happy... Thank you." Thump. Hikari's heart leaped again, this time with a different sound. All her plans to panic, cry, bang on the wall, and agonize were blown away. Right now, in this moment. She knew a new emotion had clearly been born inside her. She wanted to protect him. She wanted to see him smile more. So that he would never say "someone like me" ever again. Hikari gripped the hem of her skirt tightly. "Ikari-kun." "...Yeah." "Is it okay... if I make you another one?" Shinji slowly put the remaining meatball in his mouth. The lopsided heart shape. "...Yeah. ...I'd like to eat it again." Beyond the fence, the wind swept through the city. The cluster of high-rises glittered in the afternoon light. The two of them stood side by side, leaning their backs against the fence. Shinji had stopped crying and was silently continuing to eat his bento. Hikari closed the distance between them just a little. "Hey, the tamagoyaki. I'm going to get even better at making it." "But this is already plenty good..." "No. Since the class rep is making it, I have to always aim for the best." "[small laugh]...Being class rep sounds tough." "Eh?" He just laughed. "...Ah, you laughed just now, didn't you!" "Huh? ...I didn't laugh." "You did! You definitely laughed!" When Hikari leaned closer, Shinji turned bright red up to his ears and looked down. Ah, seriously. No matter how many hearts she had, it wouldn't be enough. --- Lunch break ended, and they returned to the classroom. Hikari's face was still a little flushed. She couldn't get Shinji's smile out of her head. (*I'll make one again tomorrow. Maybe hamburger steak tomorrow? No, grilled salted salmon would be good too.*) As she was about to sit down at her own desk, she suddenly stopped. The very back seat by the window. Shinji's seat. There was a figure staring intently at that seat. Ayanami Rei. A one-piece sailor uniform. Her light blue short hair looked almost transparent in the afternoon light. A girl who seemed like a piece of exquisite glasswork was staring expressionlessly at Shinji's empty seat. (*Ayanami-san...?*) Rei didn't even seem to notice Hikari entering the classroom. Her faintly crimson eyes were simply fixed on the handout on Shinji's desk. That handout had nothing written on it. It was the blank handout that Shinji always stared at absently, never actually touching. Hikari felt a tight, constricting sensation deep in her chest. This was discomfort. What was Ayanami-san thinking? What did she think of Shinji-kun? Rei was extremely taciturn and normally showed no emotion. But—Hikari could tell. She was looking at Shinji's seat right now with a very strong will. Just then, the back door opened. Shinji had returned to the classroom. "Ah, I'm back..." Rei slowly turned around. Their gazes crossed for just an instant. Rei said nothing. Noticing her, Shinji looked away, slightly flustered. Seeing that, Hikari was certain. (*Ayanami-san is also... interested in Shinji-kun.*) The discomfort in her chest transformed into a flame. A small, but definite flame. This was jealousy. "...I won't lose to you, Ayanami-san." Hikari muttered quietly and took her seat. In her pocket, her class rep notebook felt like it was radiating heat. After school. Hikari waited for Shinji by the shoe lockers. She had planned to walk home with him. —But. "Ikari-kun. Would you like to walk home together today?" What she heard was a voice that was mechanical, yet carried a sense of firm resolve. Peeking out from behind the wall, she saw Rei standing right next to Shinji. Shinji was clearly flustered. "Huh, Ayanami...?" "Is that not acceptable?" Rei tilted her head. Her light blue hair swayed softly. "I-It's not that it's not acceptable..." "I see. Then, let's go." Rei gently wrapped her arm around Shinji's. (*Eeeeeeeeeeh!?*) Hikari let out a silent scream. Ayanami-san did!? That cool, silent Ayanami-san, on her own initiative!? Shinji turned bright red, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something. But he didn't try to shake her off. The two of them passed through the shoe locker area just like that and disappeared through the school gate. Left behind, Hikari was stuck to the wall, unable to move for a while. "I can't believe it..." In her mind, her mother's recipe notebook flipped through its pages. Tamagoyaki, hamburger steak, grilled salted salmon, meatballs. And Ayanami Rei's faintly crimson eyes. "...I won't lose." Hikari clenched her fist and started walking. When she got home, she would add new recipes to the notebook. Tomorrow's bento—she would absolutely make something even more amazing. Because she was the class rep, after all. And, she was Shinji-kun's—. Refusing to think any further, Hikari hurried down the road toward home. The twilight of Tokyo-3 dyed the windows of the high-rises orange. In the distance, the faint rumble of NERV patrol craft engines echoed once more.

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Episode 2

Name: Private Eva Academy! The Class Rep is an Angel, and I'm the 'Protect Shinji Squad'!
Author: Novelia

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