That memo with "ganbare" on it is still in my pocket. Shinji confirmed it with his fingertips as he headed toward the classroom. Two weeks had passed since transferring in. Every morning there's a bento box waiting. Every day someone leaves it there. The mystery remains unsolved. (Today for sure——) He pulled open the door. The classroom was already half full. He looked toward his seat by the window. There it was. Again. A bento box wrapped in white cloth. "There's one again today" "Really. I wonder who it is" A murmur filled the air. Shinji took his seat and stared at the bento. The faint smell of dashi drifted up. Probably tamagoyaki. Then——the classroom door opened, quietly. So quietly no one noticed. Silver-white hair. Deep crimson eyes. 158 centimeters of slender frame. A gaze that revealed no emotion, perfectly straight. The girl walked in a straight line toward the empty seat next to Shinji, completely unbothered by the classroom's chatter. Thirty-two pairs of eyes converged on her back. She sat down. Still facing forward, she opened her mouth. "Are you eating the bento?" Silence. The entire class held its breath. Shinji held his too. (——What. What, what. This person——) Three weeks. A mystery no one could solve. A bento in a locked classroom every morning. The memo with "ganbare." The stakeout that came up empty. It was—— "Wait, that girl!?" "When did she even get to know Ikari!?" The classroom exploded. In that instant. Crash. Souryuu Asuka Langley shot up from her seat diagonally ahead, her glossy red hair swaying. Aqua-blue eyes fixed on the silver-haired girl. "[angry]You——it was you!?" Before Shinji could say anything, Asuka had moved in front of the girl. "[angry]Why were you giving Ikari bento every day!? Every single morning, without saying anything! Don't you get that that's the worst!?" The girl——didn't move an inch. Even as Asuka's face turned crimson, even with thirty-plus pairs of eyes piercing into her, she kept facing forward. "It was necessary" Just five words. No inflection. No emotion. Just stating fact. Asuka's mouth fell half-open. "[angry]……Necessary? Necessary what. What do you even mean by that" "Because Ikari needs it" The answer didn't change. Same volume. Same temperature. A vein appeared on Asuka's temple. Shinji stared intently at the girl next to him. Silver-white hair. Deep crimson eyes. ——That white shadow he'd glimpsed on the roof once. It was her. "Um, uh……" "[angry]Stay quiet, Ikari!" He stayed quiet. --- Just before third period started that day, a school broadcast came through. 'Attention, Class 2-1. We have an announcement. Your homeroom teacher, Nakamura-sensei, has been suddenly transferred. Starting today, a new homeroom teacher will be arriving.' The classroom stirred again. "That's too sudden" "Who's coming" Footsteps approached from the hallway. Light, bouncy footsteps. The door opened. Deep purple short bob hair burst in. Warm amber eyes. Tall frame, her coat hem fluttering with each movement. The woman stood at the podium and wrote "Katsuragi Misato" in huge letters on the blackboard. The chalk snapped midway. She didn't mind and kept going. "[excited]Haaay! I'm Katsuragi Misato, your new homeroom teacher starting today! I teach Japanese, nice to meet you all!" The classroom went silent. Misato scanned the room. The window-side row. Second from the back. Black hair. Hunched posture. "[excited]Ah——Shinji-kuuun! How are you? Sensei's been worried about you this whole time!" Every single student turned to look at Shinji at once. Shinji froze. "……S-Sensei……this is our first meeting though" "[surprised]Huh? Oh, right! I haven't introduced myself yet! Tehe!" A completely unrepentant smile. With a wink. Suzuhara Touji muttered while wiping his mouth with his jersey sleeve. "……Why does this teacher already know Ikari's name" Asuka crossed her arms. Her gaze was sharp. "[cold]……That's true. She shouldn't know him if this is their first meeting" Looking to the side, Ayanami Rei had turned her gaze toward Misato, just barely. Still expressionless. No way to tell what she was thinking. Shinji backed away and thought one thing with certainty. (This teacher knows something) --- The Keyaki Festival——the cultural festival that Daisan Junior High held every third weekend in October——preparations began in earnest. After school in the classroom. Asuka stood in front of the blackboard, marker in hand. "[serious]I'll handle the interior design. We'll use German lace for the tablecloths, and the menu will be Apfelstrudel and Sachertorte. We'll beat every other class with authentic atmosphere" Sketches flew across the whiteboard. Fast tempo. Clear explanations. But. "Your plan is inefficient" A quiet voice. Asuka's marker stopped. "German pastries and Japanese sweets have overlapping cooking times. One has to be cut or we won't make it" "[angry]Japanese sweets? Who said anything about Japanese sweets!?" "I did. In my Japanese tea room proposal" Rei pulled out a menu list. Japanese ingredients. Sencha tea. Seasonal wagashi. "It creates a space where visitors can relax" "[angry]Relax!? What's the point of relaxing at a cultural festival!? We need glamour!" "Comfort over glamour means visitors stay longer. Turnover decreases but satisfaction per person increases" "[angry]Why are you calculating everything!? A cultural festival is supposed to be fun!!" Then. "[gentle]Now now, you two! Shinji-kun looks troubled, doesn't he? Sensei will step in!" Misato cut between them. She walked over with a sway and stood next to Shinji. Then smiled brightly—— "[gentle]What do you think, Shinji-kun? Sensei thinks your opinion matters most" Thirty-two pairs of eyes. Asuka's sharp gaze. Rei's expressionless gaze. Misato's expectant gaze. All of it pierced Shinji. Sweat beaded on Shinji's forehead. He understood Asuka's idea. He understood Rei's idea. Both were good. But if he said that—— "B-Both ideas are really good, I think……" "[angry]Both being good doesn't mean anything!!" He was yelled at. His shoulders shrank. "……If Ikari-kun won't decide, there's no point" Her tone of voice changed for the first time. Slightly, but definitely. Rei's gaze turned away from Shinji. Misato let out a wry laugh. "[sad]Shinji-kun……Sensei's a little disappointed" All three turned away in different directions. All three were exasperated with him. Shinji's eyes fell to his desk. The "ganbare" memo in his pocket suddenly felt very far away. --- The next day. A class meeting was held. "German-style café——we'll provide authentic atmosphere and genuine pastries" "……Japanese tea room. A space where visitors can relax" Hands raised. Counted. German café——sixteen votes. Japanese tea room——sixteen votes. "[gentle]Then let's have Shinji-kun decide! Sensei's on Shinji-kun's side!" A bright smile. She'd just dumped all responsibility on him. Thirty-two pairs of eyes converged on Shinji. Asuka's eyes. Rei's eyes. Misato's eyes. The entire class's eyes. (If I choose one, I hurt the other) His mind went blank. Yesterday's failure was fresh. If I run away now—— "I……I……" His voice shook. "……It doesn't matter. As long as everyone has fun……" A moment of silence. Crash. Asuka slammed her desk and stood up. "[angry]You're really hopeless! You don't even have your own opinion!? Thirty-two people are waiting!" "……If Ikari-kun won't decide, there's no point" The same words for the second day in a row. Rei turned away from Shinji. "[sad]Shinji-kun……" Misato sighed softly too. All three turned their backs on Shinji at once. The classroom returned to its murmur, leaving Shinji alone in his seat. --- After school. Shinji held a shopping list for cultural festival decorations as he left the school. Heading toward Namiki Street. He passed through the front gate and walked along the east corridor. When he came in front of the adjacent six-story gray building——the Gehirn Educational Foundation headquarters, Gehirn Square——the front door opened. Sunglasses. Gloves. Dark suit. Tall frame. Shinji's feet stopped. "——" It was his father. Ikari Gendou. Director of the Gehirn Educational Foundation. Someone he hadn't had a proper conversation with in nearly ten years. Gendou noticed Shinji. His footsteps stopped. The eyes behind the sunglasses turned toward him. "F-Father……" Gendou opened his mouth. "Shinji. I have expectations for you" That was all. Why he'd transferred him. What he expected. Nothing explained. Nothing at all. Gendou turned on his heel. The Gehirn Square door closed quietly. Shinji stood frozen, gripping the shopping list. The sunset reflected off the Gehirn Square windows, casting orange light on the pavement. In the distance, the sound of the Hayase River's water. "I have expectations for you"——that phrase alone spun in his head. Not anger. Not sadness. Just an empty feeling. (I just wanted to talk. That's all) At school, three people turned their backs on him. Here, his father left him with one incomprehensible sentence. Shinji looked down and moved his lips quietly. "[whispers]……Don't run away" Those words felt hollow today. He confirmed the "ganbare" memo in his pocket again with his fingertips. The person who gave him this——was it that silver-haired girl? The one who said "it was necessary"? No answer had come yet. Not one.