Shinji Ikari's Peaceful Collapse Diary: NERV, Chaos as Usual - Homework, Flamethrowers, and a Morning for Three

Math worksheets were scattered across the living room table. Simultaneous equations. Linear functions. Intersection points of graphs. Shinji's pencil raced across the paper. The only sound in the late-night room was the scratch, scratch of graphite. "...No, that's wrong." He stared at the memo he'd scrawled on the back of his homework. The rejection beam of the *Gyomukaizen*-go. That movement pattern. Every time he pointed out a flaw in the application, its output increased. After three times, it reached maximum. It was just like— "A formula. It's the same as a math formula." Shinji's deep brown eyes widened. His pencil drew arrows. Scribbled numbers. The rejection beam's usage pattern, and the number of flaw corrections. They connected in his mind, like a proportional graph. "The oil from potato chips. If I use a much larger quantity—I can burn through the enemy's document armor in one go." Shinji looked up. "...But I don't have enough oil." He headed to the kitchen. Opened the refrigerator. Two bags of potato chips. That was it. "This isn't nearly enough..." Shinji crouched down on the spot. —At that moment. "You're so noisy, rustling around in the middle of the night!" Asuka stood there in her pajamas. Her long, reddish-brown hair was slightly mussed from sleep. "Ah, s-sorry..." "Potato chips again? You're a one-trick pony. What are you planning to do with those?" Asuka put her hands on her hips and stared intently at what Shinji was holding. "I'm making a flamethrower. But I don't have enough oil..." Shinji hung his head. Asuka fell silent for a moment. Then, looking awkward, she opened the refrigerator. "...I have some emergency rations I brought from Germany." What she pulled out was a large, commercial-sized box of potato chips. "Huh? Why is it in the fridge?" "Because they'll melt, obviously, you idiot! The oil separates and that's bad! You didn't even know that!?" Asuka's face turned bright red. Shinji remembered the fight from last night. How Asuka had been crying. How she had punched the wall. His own helplessness, unable to do anything. "...Thank you, Asuka." Shinji said it quietly. "...It's not like I'm doing this for you." Asuka turned her face away from him. But the corners of her mouth softened, just a little. —Just past four in the morning. Shinji stood in the kitchen. He opened the collected bags of potato chips and carefully gathered the oil. He warmed it in a frying pan, filtered it, and removed the impurities. For the first time, he was glad he was good at housework. "This will work." He took out the spark plug he'd borrowed from the maintenance crew. The ignition device was fine. But—he had nothing to light it with. "Um... Asuka. Do you have any matches?" When Shinji asked, Asuka, looking a little embarrassed, pulled something from her pocket. A box of waterproof matches. "...I like camping." "Huh, that's unexpected..." "What do you mean, 'unexpected'! How rude! It's only natural to test your own skills outdoors! Starting a fire is a piece of cake for me!" Asuka rattled off the words at high speed. Polka-dot pajamas, chocolate ice cream, and waterproof matches. Asuka's clumsy kindness was revealing itself, one piece at a time. —A full-scale flamethrower prototype. Shinji carefully combined the spark plug with the oil spray device. A small spark scattered. The oil sprayed out in a thin stream. "...Alright, the ignition mechanism is good to go." —At that moment. "Ikari-kun." A quiet voice. He turned to see Rei standing there. Light blue short bob. Crimson eyes. In her hands, a large analysis chart. "The original application forms are stored in the core of the *Gyomukaizen*-go. Right here." She spread the blueprint out on the table. A red circle was marked on it. "I will draw the enemy's attention. In the meantime, please infiltrate, Ikari-kun." "Hold on just a minute! The diversion is my job!" Asuka planted herself in front of Rei. "Asuka can fight from the front. I cannot do that." Rei's voice was as flat as ever. But her words carried a definite weight. Asuka was at a loss for words. "...F-fine." —Before dawn. The three of them held a strategy meeting in the living room. "I'll infiltrate the enemy's core and burn the originals." "I'll create a diversion from the front with Unit-02. I'll raise some hell." "I will continue analyzing the enemy with Unit-00 and create a breakthrough point, just in case." Shinji took a deep breath. "Asuka. Earlier, I was really scared. Because I couldn't do anything." He stared at his own hands. "But I finally feel like I can't run away. I want to finish my homework. And for that—I have to end this fight." Shinji's deep brown eyes looked straight at Asuka. Asuka couldn't escape that gaze. "...W-well, I'm just trying out this 'teamwork' thing, by chance!" "Understood." Rei nodded quietly. Shinji picked up the flamethrower. "...This oil smells a bit like a barbecue. I wonder if that's okay." "It's not an Angel, so who cares, you idiot! Is this really the time to worry about that!?" "I do not dislike the smell of potato chips." Rei said it with her usual expressionless face. "...Pfft." Asuka was the first to laugh. "Ahaha! What's that supposed to mean! Rei, you're surprisingly funny!" "...Funny?" Rei tilted her head slightly. Shinji was laughing too. This strange, perfect morning for the three of them. Outside the window, the sun was beginning to rise. The morning of the decisive battle. A tangible bond had formed between the three of them. Defeat the *Gyomukaizen*-go, and reclaim their lunch break. To do that—first, infiltrate the enemy's core, and burn the original application forms to ashes. The battle was about to begin.

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Episode 6

Name: Shinji Ikari's Peaceful Collapse Diary: NERV, Chaos as Usual
Author: Novelia

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