And yet, at that exact instant—just as the situation teetered on the brink—a massive wooden club suddenly appeared behind the Russian brute's head, and in the blink of an eye it smashed down hard on the back of his skull.
The burly man's body went limp, and he collapsed heavily to the floor, unconscious.
Aside from Kitazawa Ryōta, both Yamamoto Takehito and Kaji Ryōji were left staring in open surprise at the fallen Russian. Someone had just stepped in to save them?
They turned—and found themselves looking at a bespectacled girl standing right in front of them, a wooden club still in her hands.
"So it was you…"
The moment Kaji caught sight of her face, surprise flashed across his features. Ryōta, too, allowed a faint smile to curve his lips as he stepped forward and said evenly:
"Long time no see… Mari Makinami."
"Oh? You actually remember my name."
Indeed—there was no mistake. The bespectacled girl before them was none other than Mari Makinami Illustrious. Ryōta had seen her once before, on the roof of the school, after which she had disappeared without a trace. He had never expected to run into her again here in Moscow.
Mari glanced at Kaji and let a small smile play at her lips.
"Kaji-kun—long time no see for you as well."
"You two know each other?" Kaji rubbed the back of his head with a roguish grin. "Well, isn't that a surprise. Not only do I bump into you here in Moscow, but it turns out Ryōta-kun knows you too. Looks like today's turning out to be quite the productive day."
"Heh, Ryōta-kun and I only crossed paths once—nothing more to it." Mari gave a light smile.
"That's right. Just a passing acquaintance… Major Makinami."
Ryōta smiled faintly, but his words landed with precision.
"…So—you know who I am."
A brief flicker of surprise and alarm crossed Mari's face before she smoothed it away, smiling again. She had not expected Ryōta to name her true identity outright. This NERV prodigy was, indeed, far from ordinary.
Kaji's expression also hardened at the revelation. Mari Makinami's identity was supposed to be top-level classified information within MI6. How could Ryōta possibly know? Clearly, this boy was even more formidable than Kaji had assumed.
The truth was, Ryōta's very existence—his "transmigrator" identity—was already a colossal cheat; he was, in himself, a bug in the system.
It was true: Mari Makinami Illustrious, this bespectacled girl of only fourteen years, was a senior operative of MI6.
Now that Ryōta had already deduced it, there was little point in hiding it any longer.
"That's right. I, Mari Makinami, am an MI6 operative." She nodded, her tone matter-of-fact.
"Heh… Understood. And may I ask, Major, what business brings you to Russia this time?" Ryōta's voice was calm, his eyes steady.
"I imagine the two of you are here for EVA," Mari replied, adjusting her glasses. "As for me—my purpose is the same. That would be the destroyed Unit-04."
Unit-04 had triggered the Dirac Sea, swallowing all of Carson, Nevada. The incident had caused a political storm in the United States and sent shockwaves throughout the world.
But MI6 in Russia? Did they suspect, too, that the Unit-04 disaster was connected to the Russians?
"Are you saying MI6 believes clues to be found in Russia?" Kaji gave a faint smile. "Your service's intel is usually accurate—don't tell me you're going to claim that my guess is wrong and that meeting you here is pure coincidence."
"Kaji-kun, you know perfectly well I'd never say that. Why bother trying to provoke me?" Mari's smile remained easy, self-assured, untouched by irritation.
"Heh…" Kaji chuckled awkwardly, letting the moment pass.
Mari continued, "Yes—MI6 has obtained intelligence that links the Unit-04 explosion and the disappearance of Carson to Russia. And tied to that, in turn, is the Vatican Treaty."
"What? The Vatican Treaty?"
At those words, Kaji's expression finally shifted. He remembered clearly—Ryōta had voiced the same suspicion earlier: that the Unit-04 incident was inseparable from the Vatican Treaty.
Mari found his strong reaction curious, but did not press. Instead, she nodded and went on:
"That's right—the Vatican Treaty. As you know, the greatest beneficiary of that treaty was the United States. The biggest loser was Russia. So to claim Unit-04's destruction has nothing at all to do with Russia… well, that's hard to believe. Especially given the fact that the two countries have always been adversaries.
"Moreover, MI6 intelligence suggests that Russia may be planning to start a world war."
"A Third World War?" Kaji frowned deeply. "Since Second Impact, the human population has been halved. That catastrophe was enough to cripple civilization—if Russia really intended to trigger a third world war now, it would make no sense."
Mari smiled faintly. "I know you don't believe it—I'm not entirely convinced myself. But this is what the intelligence says. And Kaji-kun, I'm sure you haven't forgotten the Bethany Base operation?"
"…Tch."
Kaji froze for a moment, then fell silent.
Indeed—at Bethany Base, he had once cooperated closely with Mari.
The reason was this: MI6 had learned that the Russians were attempting to develop artificial S² Engines and install them in modern weaponry. Such a breakthrough was coveted by every major power.
Mari had been assigned to infiltrate Bethany Base.
But before long, MI6 realized the Russian experiment had failed. To ensure it could never be attempted again, they ordered Mari to destroy Bethany Base.
It was during this mission that she crossed paths with Kaji.
What followed is already well known: Bethany Base was annihilated in an explosion; the Third Angel was destroyed by Mari piloting Provisional Unit-05; and Kaji used the chaos to steal the Key of Nebuchadnezzar and deliver it into Gendō Ikari's hands.
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