This may seem like it's overdue, but based on a comment I recently received elsewhere, apparently the fact that there will be spoilers to both the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and the events of various games in the Persona Series (including but not limited to Persona 3, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4, and Persona 5) wasn't made clear just by how the plot has unveiled.
So I'm placing a sticky post for this message: if you have not watched the original Evangelion anime, or if you have not played the Persona games — especially P3, P4, P5, and their updated re-releases — then take note that this story contains spoilers to all of them. Read at your own risk.
"...yes," admitted Shinji, looking over Sokila's head. "That tape..."
"It was your key to this place. As I said previously, your next visit would be of your own accord...and here you are."
"...I didn't check the tape before turning it on," he admitted.
"And yet you are here, nonetheless. Many journeys are unexpected, yet can have surprising destinations. These past days have been a testament to that."
"...I guess so." The Metaverse, and the Cognitive Protection Center; Personas, Archetypes, Shadows...and interesting roommates. Mostly. "So...why am I here now?"
Sokila chirped, "to see us, of course!" She nearly jumped out of her seat with excitement, barely catching herself. Alas, her momentum was enough to send her into the floor, crashing chest first. "Owie..."
Shinji impulsively stepped forward, helping the young girl to her feet. "A-Are you okay?!"
"...m'fine...I'm fine..." she slowly sat back down on her chair, curling up and rocking back and forth. "...m'not very good at this..."
He stared helplessly up at Igor, who merely chuckled in a genial manner. "Sokila is on a journey of her own; her destination is as yet unknown, like yours. How often shall your roads cross? That, my dear guest, is a decision you will have to make for yourself." He grabbed two cards off the top of his deck, taking one in each hand. "The Magician," he said, gesturing with the card in his right hand, portraying hands and abstract magical symbols, underneath an infinity sign. "Action and self-confidence, bound with immaturity and manipulation...and the Wheel of Fortune," he continued, gesturing with the card in his left hand, portraying a many-spoked wheel, prominent among the elements. "What goes up must come down, and vice-versa; an acknowledgment of the fate that binds, even as one tries to seize their own destiny..." His beady eyes stared intensely at him as he flipped the cards over, unveiling two familiar people. "Do these things fit Kensuke Aida and Goro Akechi, in your eyes?"
"...actually...yes. They do." Unnervingly so, for Aida. As far as Akechi-san...well, he was a Chief Warden in spite of having a self-image of one in chains. "How do these...arcana...work...?"
"The answers cannot be guaranteed with perfect accuracy, for the bonds on a human heart differ from person to person. Your Social Links mean different things to you, than they would to someone else. And yet, because you have awakened to your power, they can have much greater effects..." Igor slapped his hands together; with a mere shifting of his hands, the cards had vanished, leaving only a single card: the Fool. "Hamlet...a fine Persona indeed."
Sokila perked up at that. "Yeah! He's pretty cool!"
"Er...thanks?"
"However, you are not limited to just Hamlet...for your Persona ability is that of the Wild Card: the power to exhibit multiple facets and masks, with which to face myriad challenges."
"...wait, it is? How?"
"How you have such a power is less important than the reality that you possess it; as your Social Links grow in power, and as your mind experiences new things, the more Personas you will be able to wield. Think now, of the various things you have seen, in the world of the human consciousness: the concrete forms of human thought, and the dark phantasms of the human psyche; from these encounters, I can give birth to new Personas for you to use."
Shinji blinked, feeling utterly lost.
"Their forms may be fleeting and vague within the mind's eye...but do not fear, for your memories are a testament to what you have experienced. Never shy away from the things that continuously form the person you become...for that is the nature of the Fool: symbolized by zero, seemingly empty, yet endowed with infinite possibilities! A Fool is capable of becoming anything...so do not dread the road you walk."
"...I'll try. I guess? I'm still kind of lost..."
"Such is life. Yet I have faith that you will perform marvelously."
"Yeah!" cheered Sokila. "I bet you'll be awesome, no matter what you do!"
"...thank you, Sokila-san."
The silver-haired girl puffed her cheeks out, as if annoyed by the honorific. "...you can call me 'chan'...if you want. But I'm a big girl, so I guess 'san' is okay..."
Shinji actually smiled, charmed by the little girl's endearing mannerisms. "...okay then, Sokila-chan."
She fidgeted in place, looking really pleased by the honorific in spite of trying REAL hard not to be.
xxxx
And all the while, on a subconscious level, in words he had no way of knowing...a familiar voice spoke, within the depths of his being:
I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new bond.
It shall lead thou to the truth
that parts the seas of depravity.
Take hold of the Star Arcana,
and let itguide you
to a new Promised Land...
xxxx
Shinji blinked, the starkness of that odd feeling somehow more noticeable in this place. "...huh."
Sokila perked up. "Was that a Social Link? Am I a Social Link? Does that mean I'm...uh...your Confident now?!"
"Confidant," impulsively corrected Shinji.
"Yeah, that thing!"
"...um...I guess-?"
The girl squealed, jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck. "YES! That means you have to come and visit even more now! Or else your Social Link thingy won't get strong!"
"...I...I guess so," he admitted, still someone bewildered, and yet pleased by how inordinately happy it made the little child. It felt good, deep down. "...I'll make sure to visit more."
"YAY!"
Igor chuckled, as one who had expected this outcome. "The Star...a symbol of faith and hope, an icon of joy and peace; one who brings glad tidings, even in the midst of gloom and ill omens...how fitting. For indeed, the mystery that lies ahead of you is a dire one indeed."
Shinji blinked, looking back at the bizarre old man. "...the mystery of Angel Syndrome, you mean?"
"Among other things, my dear guest. You have learned and experienced much about the power of the Persona...and yet, that is not the only power within your possession." He leaned forward, toothy grin widening imperceptibly. "In six days, there shall be a new moon. My advice is that you be wary, of what may come on that day. But I believe you will do well, regardless of what could happen."
...well, that certainly didn't sound ominous at all.
Shinji Ikari opened his eyes, memories of that other realm fading quickly. Impressions were made, seared into his thoughts. For some reason, he pondered a frigid Archetype producing fire. "...huh." That had been...interesting. At least he didn't feel tired. Grabbing his NERV-issue phone, he winced at the time: just past five in the morning. Classes were still hours away. Glancing around, he saw Toji Suzuhara sprawled on his lower bunk, but Kensuke Aida was actually slumped over his desk, surrounded by notebooks and manuals. An impulsive wince crossed his face - poor Aida-san - as he leaned over his bed, looking up; he barely caught the profile of Kaworu Nagisa, still sleeping. Guess I'm the first one up...
Well, he did have coursework to do, didn't he?
Sighing, Shinji pulled himself out of his lower bunk, slothfully trudging towards his desk. The various forms seemed to stare menacingly at him, as though they could come to life and bite him.
...I wonder if there are Archetypes that look like textbooks?
What if they had teeth?
An impulsive shiver went down his spine as he pulled out his chair, intending to at least get some work done before the siren call of breakfast beckoned.
MK: We need to talk about a certain someone.
MK: A guy in a purple tux, with red hair; ring any bells?
MK: Get over to NERV as soon as you wake up.
The Major had sent those messages late last night. She had expected something like this. How tiresome. And yet, it was part of her role, and so she would acquiesce...no matter how much said role had grown to vex her.
With a quiet sigh, she quietly put on her school uniform before standing in the center of her room. Stilling her thoughts and feeling for her own soul, Rei closed her eyes as spirit and mind began to synchronize...
xxxx
...and she emerged into that world of grayscale, where everything was loose and not quite nailed down. Physical and metaphysical reality tried to grab her, yet were unable to do so.
As long as she willed otherwise, she was untouchable by such trifling things like space or time.
She slipped away, phasing through walls and molecules; she curved around the residual A.T. Fields of the people all around her, their very presence tangible in a way beyond merely human senses. Yet, everyone was bound together by that same measure, never truly separate from one another, as though the boundaries of the soul were mere fiction.
How true that was, in more ways than one; the Beast within despaired, as she ever did.
A brisk walk was how it seemed for her, and yet it had been far swifter than that; she found herself beneath the bowels of NERV's Headquarters, standing outside a conference room. A familiar soul lied within.
She forcefully withdrew her mind and soul-
xxxx
...and thus she emerged with a sharp snap of static, as atoms crashed back into a fully physical form. Without hesitation, she opened the doors, staring at the woman sitting at the head of the table. "Good morning, Major Katsuragi."
Misato huffed, looking at her with a sense of weariness. "It always freaks me out how you and Asuka can do that."
"Evangelion-users are unlike anyone else; were it not so, Project E would not have its efficacy." With sufficient training and understanding, Shinji Ikari would be able to do the same.
Right as Rei sat down, Misato went for the proverbial jugular. "Who is this Mister P?"
She was not surprised by Major Katsuragi's question. "He is an individual of uncertain origin."
"And yet you know him."
"So to speak."
Misato rapped her knuckles against the table. "Cut the crap, Ayanami," she ground out, teeth clenched tightly. "After I sent Shinji-kun home yesterday, I pulled text logs from both of your phones. I also pulled the audio from the van you used to bring Shinji-kun and Aida to NERV yesterday. From what it looks like, you sent him to retrieve those boys from the Metaverse. You know who he is."
Katsuragi's doggedness was expected. Vexing, but characteristic of her. "Not completely," she admitted.
"Tell me everything you know."
"I will not." Misato would pursue Mister P to the ends of the earth, if she had but the smallest morsel. Regardless of her own misgivings about Pen-Pen, she could not allow Misato to interfere. "Whatever you may believe, he is not a threat to you or to Shinji Ikari."
"That's not good enough," she growled. "I order you to tell me everything you know."
Rei sighed, and repeated, "I will not."
Misato actually looked shocked. "...this bout of insubordination is very unlike you."
"If you say so," she coolly replied.
BAM, went Misato's fist onto the table. "Damn it Rei, I will pull rank on you if I have to!"
Rei arched an eyebrow. "Rank, you say?"
She shook her head. "You are on loan from the Anti-Terror Task Force. You are Director of Operations only when it comes to deploying NERV assets against Acolytes and Ghosts. When it comes to rank, I am ultimately subordinate only to Commander Ikari."
"...then I'll definitely have a word with him about your behavior." The woman wanted to say more. A lot more, Rei could tell. "...I'm only trying to protect you kids."
"I am aware."
"Then why hold back on who this guy is?! What does he have on you!?"
"You miss the point, Major Katsuragi. You do not need to know. That is all there is to it."
"You're not allowed to make that decision."
"You are wrong. I am allowed to do many things." Rei slowly stood up from her chair. "It is almost time for class." She turned and began walking away.
"We're not done here yet!"
The blunette briefly stopped. "You would not be able to stop me." She let her words - a threat? A promise? A mere statement of fact? - hang in the air. "That is what it means to be an Evangelion-user in this world." And so she left, leaving Misato Katsuragi alone. She did not venture into that strange in-between, to return to Hakone Academy. Not yet. She opted for the nearest elevator, if only to collect her thoughts.
So many thoughts. So...very...many.
There was a brief pinch in her right hand. She held it up, staring listlessly at the bloody wounds her fingernails had gouged into her palm. A lapse; a bout of weakness; forgivable, in the long run. It would heal before she ever set foot back onto Hakone Academy.
I am tired.
Wow.
Never expected to see Rei be that defiant. Even if it is on someone's orders (which may or may not be the case here, as it's mostly implied). If Rei was ordered to stay quiet, she would say something like "I cannot tell you" instead of "I will not tell you." This is a surprise, and not an unpleasant one. It raises many interesting questions about Rei's character and backstory.
Classes had been going okay. So far. For some reason, the Class Representative kept a wary eye on him, every so often. Why? He wasn't sure. He simply focused on the words of their history instructor.
"-every nation has epochal events, of sorts, that signify changes in the way that everything works. For America, you have events like their own Revolutionary War, or their Civil War; for China, there was the Mongolian invasion that established foreigner control for the first time in their entire history, or the Xinhai Revolution that ended their dynastic rule, or the triumph of the Communist Party over the Nationalist Party; there's Second Impact, of course, but that applies to everyone. Japan's no different." Makoto Hyuga, an even-heeled man with a head of thick, slicked brown hair, readjusted his large eyeglasses. "Much of our history is colored by war, and as we've previously discussed, it was a practical constant during the Sengoku period."
We were covering this at my old school, thought Shinji, somewhat relieved that he wasn't going to be left out in the proverbial cold.
"However, all things come to an end, and power would eventually consolidate itself. We turn to the Three Unifiers: Ieyasu Tokuguwa, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and the third...well, anyone who's read any manga or played a game set during that timeframe would know the third. Ikari-kun?"
"Yes, sensei?"
"Who was the third Unifier?"
...I should know this one. Panic time. I should know this one! "Um...it was...Mitsuhide Akechi...?" There were several titters and snickers from around him. AAAAAAAAAGH.
Hyuga-sensei's eyeglasses suddenly seemed to go opaque. "...looks like someone never read Flame of Recca. A wrong answer, but close, in a sense. Ayanami-san?"
"The third Unifier was Nobunaga Oda."
"Correct! And would you happen to know the relation between Mitsuhide Akechi and Nobunaga Oda?"
"Akechi was a retainer of Oda. His rebellion ultimately led to Oda's death."
"Indeed!" Hyuga-sensei began writing rapidly on the chalkboard. "We'll cover Mitsuhide Akechi's role more thoroughly when we discuss the Honnō-ji Incident, but Nobunaga Oda left an indelible mark on our history. Through innovative military tactics and brutal methods, Nobunaga would gain control over much of Honshu during his life, which is why a lot of his fictional characterizations range from evil and heartless to downright demonic. There are certainly some exceptions to that, but the overwhelming majority depict him as such. His rise to power as a daimyō began in the Owari Province..."
Besides Shinji, Kensuke Aida - still looking somewhat sleepy - quietly whispered, "How do you miss Nobunaga Oda? Toyotomi maybe, but NOBUNAGA?"
Please stop reminding me, he mentally groaned. He would've blamed Goro Akechi for the mere mental association that his name carried, but that would've been rude and unfair.
"When we find time, I'm making you play Nobunaga's Ambition."
A silent but merciless glare from Hikari Horaki halted Aida's whispering in its tracks.
Shinji Ikari blinked as the Class Representative sat across from him, a forkful of fried chicken hovering in the air. "...uh...hi?"
"You and Aida-san were absent yesterday," remarked Hikari Horaki.
"...yes." Had no one told her? Was he about to be upbraided for getting kidnapped, for all intents and purposes?
"Suzuhara told me yesterday what he knew. It would make sense, given that Ayanami was absent as well. I'm not here to get on your case for that."
"...okay." Then why was she here?
The pigtailed girl soldiered on, "in spite of what you may have heard about me...I'm a reasonable person." A pause. "Well, I try to be."
Strangely enough, none of their classmates were looking in their direction, save for Aida (who seemed somewhat remorseful and agonized) and Suzuhara (who looked vaguely annoyed...then again, that was a common expression as far as Shinji was concerned). Was something bad going to happen? "...um...I actually haven't heard that much about you." He generally ignored gossip as much as possible...except when it was about him, but that was only reasonable, right?
"...ah." Horaki seemed vaguely surprised. "That's very admirable of you, Ikari-san. More students could stand to focus instead of wasting their energy on rumormongering." Shinji quickly bit into the chicken nugget, hoping she wouldn't find it rude. "Anyway, I just wanted to encourage you to keep up with your studies. And to join a club...preferably this afternoon."
"...okay...?"
Horaki sighed. "I just want you to enjoy your life as a student. Truly, I do." She glanced over to where Rei Ayanami was sitting, by herself. "I'm aware that Ayanami does a lot of 'work' with NERV. And, judging by what little Fuyutsuki-sensei was allowed to tell me, you're in a similar situation." She looked back at him, looking slightly softer. "I don't want you to end up like her."
"Like her?" he blurted out.
"Like...like someone who's only going through the motions. Who doesn't appear to enjoy anything." Horaki frowned, briefly looking at the world beyond their class windows. "I can't claim to know her story. I've tried to get her to open up, but she remains closed off. It just seems...sad. That's all."
"...you're that worried about me?" he asked, faintly flummoxed. "You don't even know me."
The Class Rep flushed, not with embarrassment, but indignation. "I'm not the Class Representative because it makes me look good." She leaned forward - and huh, her freckles were actually kind of distinctive - and admitted, "it has its own headaches. And not a lot of people appreciate it."
"Then why do it?"
"Aside from the fact that someone has to do it?" She smiled sadly. "I want my classmates to do well. That's all there is to it."
...huh. How selfless of her.
xxxx
And all the while, on a subconscious level, in words he had no way of knowing...a familiar voice spoke, within the depths of his being:
I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new bond.
It shall lead thou to the truth
that parts the seas of depravity.
Take hold of the Empress Arcana,
and let itguide you
to a new Promised Land...
xxxx
Feeling rather heartened by her generosity, he responded, "okay then. I'll...I'll do my best."
Horaki smiled; genuinely, he believed. "That's all I ever demand of anyone. It's just that, well...not everyone gives their best, in my experience." She stood up, politely bowing at him. "I'll leave you to your lunch, Ikari-san."
"Oh. Thank you." A light smile impulsively grew on his face. Well...that was pleasant. He prepared to bite into some soybeans when he looked out of his peripheral vision; Aida was shaking his head with a knowing grimace...and Suzuhara was looking at him with a more concrete sense of annoyance. Perhaps with actual irritation. What did I do now?? Oh well. It wasn't like he could do anything about it. Huh...I wonder what club I should join? he mused.
Soon enough, lunchtime was over, and classes resumed.
Shinji Ikari walked through the halls of Hakone Academy, wracking his brain to make a decision.
Hikari Horaki had been kind enough to provide a pamphlet detailing all of the various clubs that were available. Kensuke Aida had also been kind enough to scribble in his opinions about said clubs when he hadn't been looking. The overall variety was somewhat bewildering, especially compared to his last school...then again, Hakone Academy was a pretty massive place.
Alas, it seemed continuing on with his prior club of choice would be impossible, as it simply didn't exist at Hakone Academy. No Farming Club for me, then. There wasn't even a Garden Club as a decent substitute! I guess the Cooking Club is a possibility. Then again, cooking felt weird when he wasn't able to do it for someone else, and it wasn't like his dorm had the proper facilities for it outside of the common rooms, which were way too open and public to actually cook in.
Having unreasonable hang-ups was hard, sometimes.
Maybe the Music Club? That one seemed pleasant enough...though, maybe the type of music wouldn't be too his taste. There were the various sports clubs, which didn't really interest him too much...even though some of the choices were downright weird. What kind of junior high school has a MARKSMEN Club?! Then again, most high schools these days had one, so maybe it wasn't that weird?
Some of Aida's notes were oddly helpful. So to speak. The Supernatural, Spiritual and Religion Clubs were circled, leading to the words 'these may be helpful for providing extra Ghost tactics! Not exactly my cup of tea, but who knows what you'll be able to pull off with your Evangelion? Seriously, I'd really like to know what it is you can do with it'. If nothing else, that was a sure sign for him to stay away, because he was going to be dealing with that sort of thing often enough with NERV as it was...and clubs were supposed to be enjoyed. Ideally. Then again, they might be useful...? He briefly passed over some more notes - next to the Track Club, Aida had written 'Toji goes here. It might help you bond. Or it may make him more annoyed. It's fifty-fifty, at this point' - and paused at the Persona Club. His roommate's notes were...less than charitable: 'nothing but a bunch of posers. They have no true knowledge of what an A.T. agent does. Two thumbs down! >XP'
...I think I'm good. Because again, he would have enough to deal with Personas outside of school, as it was. Maybe I'm looking at this wrong? Maybe it would be best to choose a club that wouldn't be too strenuous or physically demanding? There was the Art Club, the Astronomy Club, the History Club, the Hiking Club, the Gaming Club, the Movie Club...there were just so many choices! Do I really have to pick one? Maybe he would default to the 'Going-Home' Club, and simply not pick one. It was voluntary, right? Though, Horaki-san didn't make it SOUND voluntary...AGGGGH. His mind kept going in circles, even as he walked rather aimlessly down the halls, instinctively avoiding walking into other people. Maybe I should flip a coin? Or just pick one at random? No, randomly picking a club would turn out horribly for him, going by his luck. Knowing me, I'd end up in the Psychology Club, or the Cheerleading Club, or the Comedy Club. Because if there was at least one thing he had no business trying to be, it was funny. What do I choose...?
"You've walked past the teachers' lounge three times in the past five minutes."
Shinji's entire thought process ground to a halt around the same time his feet did. He robotically looked up, staring into the face of his homeroom teacher. "Er...hello, Fuyutsuki-sensei."
"Trying to decide which club to join?"
"Y-Yes."
The older man sighed, his face bearing a whiff of nostalgia. "Everyone has that struggle, in some form or fashion. You're no different, and neither was Yui-kun."
"...my mother...?" he dumbly said.
Fuyutsuki gestured towards the door to the teachers' shared office space. "I believe I previously promised you some stories. Maybe they'll help you come to a decision."
Shinji looked around the elongated lounge, formed from three rooms joined end-to-end; two rows of extended tables stretched across that expanse, hosting desk-sized cubicle walls that marked out each teacher's place. They were low enough to see over, yet high enough for forms and charts and pictures to be tacked on. The walls were otherwise lined with filing cabinets, doubtlessly filled with academic records of all kinds. He watched several teachers working - Ibuki-sensei, Aoba-sensei, and Ooi-sensei were writing diligently at their desks; Takao-sensei and Hyuga-sensei were amiably chatting about something - while Fuyutsuki-sensei took a seat at his own place. "Are you aware of my history, Ikari-kun?"
"Oh. Um...not really, sensei."
The older man quietly shifted a few stacks of papers, revealing a small picture frame. A considerably younger Fuyutsuki was pictured, alongside two other women - one with short and messy burgundy hair, the other wearing glasses with black hair in a bob cut - and an even older man in a white suit, with sterling silver hair and a goatee. "Katsuhito and his Terrible Trio; that's what we were called in the Eighties."
"Katsuhito...?"
"Katsuhito Ikari was one of the pioneers of Metaphysical Biology. His contemporaries Takeharu Kirijo and Eiichiro Takeba were similarly important in the development of Cognitive Psience. As such, many deemed it fitting that Dr. Ikari's students would be interested in the interaction between the two fields." He prodded at the white-suited man in the photo. "That man right there was your grandfather. Your mother's father, to be precise."
"...oh." How strange. Here was evidence of a family member: a tangible connection to his own past, to where he had come from. And yet, he was somewhat...blank. Was that wrong? Was it because he hadn't really known much about his grandfather to begin with? Huh. "...my grandfather..." His mother's father...wait. His mother's father? "Then...Ikari is...?"
Fuyutsuki smiled, his lips twisting into something wry and wiry. "It was your mother's surname. Your father actually took it, when he married your mother. His reasons...well, there was plenty of speculation about why, back then. But that's a story for another time." He looked back at the decades-old photo. "I'm not sure where the 'Terrible Trio' name took hold. But people applied it to Naoko Akagi, Wakaba Isshiki, and myself. Maybe because we as a group somehow blew up the university labs on at least four separate occasions."
"...four?" Why is that the thing that jumps out at you?! he berated himself.
Fortunately, Fuyutsuki-sensei apparently found his question amusing instead of insulting. "Personally, I was always unfairly blamed. I mostly focused on the abstract portions of metaphysical biology; given that Naoko-chan and Wakaba-chan were more into the applied sciences, I always said it was their fault. Alas, we were all viewed in tandem, much to the chagrin of Ikari-sensei."
Shinji tried visualizing a younger Fuyutsuki bantering with the two women in the photo about complicated concepts and strange theories. Wakaba Isshiki and Naoko Akagi...I wonder if she's related to Dr. Akagi? Surely not; his life wasn't that convenient or coincidental. It was a big world, after all, and there were a lot of people in it. "...so...how did you meet my mother?"
"Academically speaking, it would be after she became my kouhai at Osaka University in 1995...but, being close to Ikari-sensei, meeting his family was inevitable." He opened a drawer, which was cluttered with various knick-knacks and trinkets. "I believe this photo with your mother was from...1986? She would have been nine, then."
An actual photo? Shinji gulped.
(His sensei looked at him with that strange sadness again. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to obtain any photos of your mother. When I requested them, your father said that none were left.")
An actual photo. His memory of his mother was...vague. Vague was a good word. Yet, there was something far more raw about that ambiguity, relative to his grandfather. Where Katsuhito Ikari had drawn little in the way of reaction - and wow, that thought made him feel like a MASSIVE jerk - the thought of a picture of Yui Ikari made his breath draw short. His narrowed in on Fuyutsuki-sensei's hand as it pulled out a laminated photo, which revealed...what was that sound? It had been sharp, loud, lighthearted...wait. He had just laughed.
He had laughed impulsively at the photo, acting without conscious input. His hands had already clamped over his mouth, instinctively mortified at such a noise. But really, he couldn't be blamed! It was just too...cute! Unexpectedly so!
"It is quite the photo, isn't it?" remarked the man with a knowing smile. In it, a brown-haired girl, clad in an adult's lab coat, was posing dramatically; all the while, she was standing upon the shoulders of Fuyutsuki-sensei and Isshiki, with Akagi standing to the side. It was the little details that did it: the weary look on the man's face, Isshiki's askew glasses, the fact that Akagi was pointing and laughing at them both, and the grin on his mother's face that just screamed Childish Rambunctiousness. "It was...a simpler time, for many of us."
Shinji, trusting himself not to laugh anymore, stared intently at the image of his mother's face. She looks like me. Or rather, he looked like her. There was a striking familiarity, looking at her youthful face. "...can...can I...?"
"...those times were precious to me, Ikari-kun," said Fuyutsuki, as though divining the answer to his unfinished question. "And photos like these are especially so...however, I certainly wouldn't be opposed to providing you a copy."
"...thank you, sensei."
As the older man stood up to head to the copy machine, he had one more question. "Are you still having difficulty with picking a club?"
"...oh. Right. Clubs." Shinji pulled the pamphlet back up, looking at the available selections. For some reason, the sense of anxiety had largely vanished. "...do you have any suggestions?"
The older man chuckled. "Think of the things that you enjoy, or that you find relaxing...and then weigh those against what you want out of your time at a club. Think about that while I make a copy, and then we'll discuss."
"...okay."
xxxx
True enough, Fuyutsuki-sensei had been helpful in the end...in more ways than one.
Shinji stared at the color copy of the old photo, worried that the picture would up and vanish if he looked away. I should get this framed.
Before long, he ended up in front of the door of a particular clubroom, one that he had ultimately settled on after several minutes of conversing with his homeroom teacher. Delicately placing the photo into his book bag, he then knocked - lightly - on the door several times; he had been advised that walking in unannounced would have been considered especially rude by the club's current members.
Sure enough, after several seconds, the door was opened ever so slightly. "Um...can I help you?" asked the girl on the other end.
"Um, yes, actually. I'm...here to join the Literature Club."
"Oh...really?"
Why did she sound so bewildered by that idea? "...yes?"
"...well, I guess I can't say no." The girl - bearing large eyeglasses, long black hair in an old-fashioned hime cut, and a tiny mole below her lips - slowly opened the door. "I'm the club's president, Mayumi Yamagishi. I...hope you enjoy your time here."
That's the plan, mused Shinji.
xxxx
/Ooi-sensei is Satsuki Ooi, a NERV bridge bunny from Shinji Ikari Raising Project
//Takao-sensei is Kouji Takao, a WILLE bridge bunny from Evangelion 3.0
///and Mayumi is an extracanonical character from the Sega Saturn game NGE: 2nd Impression
////also, incidentally
/////this picture came up when doing an image search for "Mayumi Yamagishi Evangelion"
//////
///////why, Internet
////////just, why
Truth be told, Shinji had defaulted to the most practical of reasons for joining the Literature Club.
First: based on his own suspicions regarding NERV and the Anti-Terror Task Force, he was likely going to be preoccupied for the foreseeable future. Thus, a physically or mentally taxing club was verboten.
Second: just having some time set aside where he could sit down and read a book without the fate of his academic career (and-slash-or the fate of the world) riding on it sounded just dandy.
Third: ...no, that was pretty much it.
...put like that, those sound pretty selfish. At least they were sensible reasons to be selfish...yeah, that sounded somewhat better. I wonder if I can get away with napping in here?
"So...what brought you to the Literature Club...?" inquired Yamagishi, school uniform covered by a yellow sweater vest of sorts. "Y-You don't have to answer, if you don't want to..."
"I...guess I just wanted something peaceful and quiet," he honestly answered, looking at the various students sitting around on beanbag chairs and cushions, caught up in reading various novels or textbooks. "Not that I mean to make it sound boring, or anything-!"
"No no, that's okay, I get it," nervously assuaged the club president. "Um...our members...are those who are more interested in reading than doing anything else, really..." She nervously scratched at the tiny beauty mark above her chin. "At least this way, we have a place to ourselves, and aren't really hassled by anyone..."
"...I see." The fact that none of the other club members piped up to challenge or dispute her assertion said plenty. So this club is full of people who kind of want to keep to themselves, and simply read without being bothered. Truly, he had picked a winner! "...so...do I just grab something and start reading...?" he asked, pointing at the various bookshelves lining the walls.
A rather lanky boy, reading some sort of thick nonfictional book, huffed. "That's the idea," he droned.
Yamagishi was not so sarcastic. "Oh, of course. Any of our books are available to read. We...are supposed to discuss what we're reading, and talk about the kinds of ideas they promote...literary analysis...stuff like that..." she murmured nervously. "But...our supervisor, Aoba-sensei, kinda lets us do our thing, so he can focus on the other clubs he enjoys more...which we don't really mind, honestly, so...everyone wins...?"
"...okay then." Shinji scanned the various titles - the vast majority being works translated into Japanese, but with a fair selection being in English for practice with the language - and paused at one in particular. Huh...so he's based on something that was really real. He had understood Misato's words about the Archetypes and Personas within the cognitive world being based on figures of folklore, so it shouldn't have been any surprise that his Persona was the same...but still, it was kind of weird. "I think I'll start with this one," he said, grabbing a book in Japanese titled The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
Yamagishi blinked. "A work of Shakespeare? He's really important when it comes to English works, so that's a good choice...I don't know if that translation gets the archaic English words across that well, though..." She opened her mouth to ask something else, before clamming it shut. A few seconds passed. "...well, enjoy your reading." The girl quickly returned to a rather old-looking recliner chair, sitting down and returning to her own book, which was marked with the title of Kokoro.
Shinji nodded, finding an empty beanbag of his own. Content that at least the next couple of hours were going to be relatively uneventful, he opened it and began reading. Act One. Scene One, Elsinore...a platform before the castle...FRANCISCO at his post, enter to him BERNARDO? Shinji blinked, feeling somewhat flummoxed; Hamlet was a play?
Well...reading a play as though it were a novel was certainly going to be...interesting.
Shinji Ikari, carrying a small bowl of microwaved rice and spices from the common kitchens, felt a sense of...satisfaction.
("Feel free to take it with you," said Yamagishi, quietly trying to push the Hamlet book into his hands. "Just keep reading...if you have time, that is. We meet every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday...though, don't let that stop you from reading whenever you want to...okay?" A pause. It lasted several seconds. "...yeah...so...bye?")
Yamagishi-san was...nice. He had ended up in a club that was bound to be relatively enjoyable; he had gotten a photo of his mother from Fuyutsuki-sensei; and he had managed to get through the day relatively intact! One Oda-sized flub aside, classes went okay. And he had apparently gotten on the good side of the Class Representative! Today went...well. That was okay to admit, right? His luck as of late had been so positively horrid that even trying to think of a day going well seemed hey Suzuhara was walking beside him now. "...hi?"
"Hrm," grunted the jock.
"...so, how'd your day go?" he asked, trying to make small talk.
"You'd know, you were there for most of it."
...I'm terrible at small talk. That was the right conclusion to make. "...I...guess so..."
The boy's lips curdled into something approaching disdain. "...whatever." They arrived at Room 23, with the taller boy taking the lead. Shinji quietly followed him inside, looking about for Kensuke Aida. Sure enough, he was at his desk, a fact that caused Suzuhara to gripe. "The hell are you workin' on?"
Aida shot his friend a withering glare. "Something involving my new...internship."
"Like what?"
"Dr. Akagi wanted me to write about Carl Jung of all people. I can look up his info on the Internet anytime! How exactly is this supposed to help with MAGI maintenance and debugging?!" The bespectacled boy dramatically wailed, throwing himself at Shinji's face. "Save me from that wicked witch, Ikari!"
"...uh..." What exactly was he supposed to do? "...everything will be all right...?" Yeah, he didn't even believe that one.
Aida's bombastic tears swiftly faded. "...you're no help."
A delighted chuckle echoed from Kaworu Nagisa, who was occupying his own desk. "Kensuke-kun has been rather despondent since returning from classes...on the other hand," he turned around, looking at him with those eerie red eyes, and said, "you seem to be in a relatively good mood. How did your day go, Shinji-kun?"
"...me?"
Toji huffed, sitting at his own desk with exaggerated irritation. "No, he's talking 'bout the other Shinji Ikari. 'Course he means you!"
"...right." Because that was obvious. "...um, it went pretty well. I joined a club."
"Oh? Which one?"
"Literature."
The silver-haired boy smiled. "A rather peaceful and serene choice...it suits you." He glanced over at Aida, who had slunk back over to his desk. "Now if only Kensuke-kun followed his own extracurricular schedule with any propriety."
"Hey, I got bored with the Military Club," grumbled Aida, ripping off a piece of paper and wadding it up. With nonchalant ease, he tossed it at Toji's head, interrupting the athletic boy's own studies. "Besides, I made do with my own hobbies back home...at least, I used to." The bespectacled boy trailed off into some nondescript grumbles. Shinji thought he heard something unflattering about NERV. Then a retaliatory ball of foam smacked him in the face, courtesy of Suzuhara. "Not enough spin. Four out of ten."
"And that's why I'm on the track team instead of in the Baseball Club."
"Even basic athletes can throw a good pitch."
"If ya want, I can pitch my running shoes at you."
As Suzuhara and Aida devolved into playfully violent banter - at least, Shinji hoped it was playful - he looked over at Nagisa. "So...what club are you in?" Someone of Nagisa's stature and demeanor...he could easily imagine Drama Club, or Art Club. Or perhaps the Music Club-
"I'm in the Boxing Club."
-and that's when Shinji's brain decided to take a hike, because what. "...the Boxing Club?"
Nagisa sighed, seemingly troubled by his disbelief. "Everyone reacts that way when I tell them that...alas, I suppose it is because I come across as a lover, instead of a fighter. A truly vexing fate, is it not?"
Suzuhara snorted. "Hardly. You couldn't make up your mind last year, so we just had you pick a Club at random out of a bucket." He briefly grumbled, nonetheless. "Don't let the slim build fool you. I've seen him knock out guys who outweighed him by fifteen kilos, and he still somehow manages to look pretty while doing it."
"Truly, it is an unenviable curse, Toji-kun."
...nope, still not seeing it. "The Boxing Club?" repeated Shinji.
The boy tittered. "Does it truly seem so unbelievable, Shinji-kun? Perhaps I will simply have to...show you my moves."
"And he wonders why people spread rumors when he uses innuendo like that," snarked Toji.
Aida cackled, as Toji's ire briefly directed itself at Nagisa. "It's no use, Toji. Kaworunium is the densest material known to the Academy!"
"I thought osmium was the densest material."
Shinji stared dumbly at the trio as the traded barbs and banter and pretensions at cluelessness, feeling somewhat...left out. And yet, at least right now, that didn't bother him in the slightest. My roommates are weird. Time to distract himself with homework! And his bowl of rice!
For a time, he successfully did so.
Then he got a text message from an unknown number that still managed to have a defined name.
HEROD: I HAVE A HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION FOR YOU.
HEROD: DO YOU PREFER EATING WITH UTENSILS OR CHOPSTICKS?
HEROD: WE AWAIT YOUR ANSWER.
HEROD: ALSO, THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER.
HEROD: PLEASE RESPOND WITHIN 48 HOURS.
...okay...? Just when he thought his day had been light on the weirdness.
Perhaps that was why Shinji felt relatively little in the way of guilt when he ignored the message entirely, turning back to his math homework. Maybe this is what people call spam...? Was it for e-mail only, or did text messages count? I think text messages also get spam...
Real talk: Who on Earth eats RICE with ONLY SPICES? Tell me it was at least sticky rice with red bean or something ... had better be some DAMNED good basmati ...
