The last portion of zucchini was sizzling in the frying pan, a deep plate with a mound of golden-brown, fried rounds stood next to the stove, a pot of potatoes was quietly bubbling on the next burner, I was cutting vegetables for a salad, a cool evening breeze was blowing through the window. Good...
Rey was quietly snoring on the sofa, her mouth slightly open and curled up on her left side. I discovered this a couple of minutes ago when I looked into the living room, I had to go get a blanket and cover her up, otherwise it was starting to get cold from the open balcony. In her sleep she was even cuter, as are all the girls.
The refrigerator in the corner opened with a quiet beep and a stern-looking penguin crawled out.
- Hello, Pen-Pen, how are you? - I greeted him, watching this miracle of scientific thought with interest. Having cast a suspicious glance at me, the bird decided to answer:
- Wark!
"That's right," I nodded. "Are you hungry?"
- Wark!
- Really, what am I doing? - Putting the knife down, I turned to the grocery refrigerator and after a few seconds of searching, I took out some packaged fish.
- Bon appetit.
- Wark! - the penguin answered importantly and leaned towards the fish I gave him. It seemed that contact could be considered established.
A few minutes later, a quiet squeak of an electronic lock being opened was heard in the hallway. Katsuragi had returned. Pen-Pen, who had already finished his fish and was now watching me attentively, perked up, turned to the corridor, tilted his head to the side and quickly disappeared into his refrigerator. Interesting... Indistinct muttering, clearly with a swear word, was heard from the corridor. Barely distinguishable stomping of bare feet along the corridor and the gloomy face of the brave captain peered into the kitchen.
- Si-i-inji-i-i... Why did your Eve eat that damned Core? - this miracle said in the dead voice of a completely exhausted man.
"Hungry?" I suggested, raising an eyebrow slightly and putting aside the bottle of oil I had been pouring over the salad.
- Ooooh-oooh-oooh-oooh-oooh-oooh... - Misato collapsed into a chair, resting her chin on the tabletop. - You're impossible.
- What's the matter, exactly? - A gloomy and tired look rose up at me.
- The volume of muscle tissue of Eva-01 has increased by twenty percent, now almost all the chest armor that is in stock does not fit it, and also almost all the remote controls have failed, Eva simply refuses to accept any control signals. Sin, this is terrible! I have not been so tired since the army...
- What does this have to do with you? You are the head of the Operations Department, not the head of the economic department, and certainly not a scientist?
- Do I know?! The commander and his deputy have gone somewhere, there is no hope for Ritsuko, you have given her so much material for research that she has not left the lab for three days already, it is even scary to approach her, she is always fiddling with that Angel mask, and with your Eve. And I am supposed to solve all the problems! Why is it so unfair?! - Misato fell with her forehead on her folded hands on the table.
- Well... I sympathize.
"By the way, get ready, tomorrow after school I'll take you to the sync tests," Misato muttered wearily from the surface of the table.
- Uh-huh, - a plate with mashed potatoes and fried zucchini is placed on the table in front of Katsuragi. - Would you like some mayonnaise?
The girl lifts her head from her hands and looks at the plate with a cloudy gaze; with each passing moment her gaze becomes more and more meaningful, and a smile spreads across her face.
- Shinji, you're amazing. Come on! Although, wait! I'll go change and then eat. Yes! And get me some beer, please, - Misato stood up with a satisfied smile and stretched sweetly as she left the kitchen.
Ten seconds passed. Katsuragi slooooowly returned to the kitchen, backwards.
"Shinji," the captain's head turns in my direction, her eyes wide and very surprised. "What is Rei doing in our apartment?"
- He's sleeping.
- Why is Ray sleeping in our apartment?
- Tired.
- So! Calm down... - Katsuragi shook her head. - Now, quickly tell me everything. What happened?
- After classes ended, I walked Rey to her house, helping her carry her school bag...
- You?! Helped!? I don't believe it... Or... - Misato's face took on a very sarcastic expression. - Did you really fall in love? Oh-oh! And he was such a cold boy. So how is it? Mutual?
"Misato, do you want to hear a story or have fun?" Not a single muscle moved on my face, and I can't even imagine how to make me blush, certainly not with such a childish joke.
"Okay, tell me," the girl darkened and folded her arms across her chest.
- Ayanami's house is a dilapidated building, in a real slum. The elevator doesn't work, cables and wiring stick out of the walls, in some places not even insulated, there is no lighting in the entrance. She lives on the seventh floor, there are no railings on the stairs, only an iron structure with protruding spikes and no coating. The walls are bare concrete. Dirt and garbage are everywhere. Should I continue?
- Aren't you exaggerating? - the brunette was stunned.
- I'm understating it. I haven't even told you about the apartment itself, which doesn't really stand out from the rest of the building, or that the nearest store is half an hour's walk away. Really, these are very good living conditions for a traumatized girl? - Misato was shocked and silent for almost a minute, looking at me incredulously, then folded her arms across her chest and, with malice in her eyes, looking off into space, asked seriously:
- So what did you decide? Well, let's say she spends the night with us today, and then what?
"I have an apartment where she can live, and the rest of the apartments on the floor are apparently free, if you are not happy with the prospect of finding another roommate."
- Hey-hey-hey! What's wrong with you? I don't mind Rey living with us, but she has her own guardian, and such issues need to be resolved with the command!
- Misato, let me keep quiet about what I think about her guardian. And the issue is not difficult to resolve, just inform the Commander that this is my next condition.
- Uh-uh-uh... Shinji, you scare me sometimes.
"Sorry," I turned to the window and put my hands in my pockets. "The thing is, Misato, I'm... furious," it was said in the same indifferent and emotionless tone, but that only increased the effect. Misato swallowed.
- Okay, I'll figure it out. And you yourself don't want... Anyway, what was I talking about? - the girl cut herself off and plopped down on a chair. - Give me the beer, I'll think about it.
- What about changing clothes?
- Damn! But still give me the beer! - I silently opened the refrigerator and took out a cool can. Having received what she wanted, Misato stood up, looked at me, sighed, looked at the can, put it to her forehead, looked at me again, sighed again and left. I started to put dinner on everyone's plates, after all, Rei and I, you could say, were just having lunch, albeit a little later than usual.
A minute later, Ayanami came into the kitchen and stood up, silently looking at me.
- Have you rested?
"Yes," and after a second's thought, she added, "I fell asleep on the sofa."
"I saw," I look at her warmly. "Does anything hurt?"
"No, everything's fine," Rey looked away for some reason.
"Then sit down, we'll have dinner now," I nodded towards my seat.
"Okay," the girl, without looking up at me, walked around the table and sat down on the chair next to mine.
Another minute and everything needed is on the table. I pour water for everyone last, although Misato is unlikely to drink it. Rei looks very comical, staring unblinkingly at her portion, perhaps I did put too much in her. But still, my hand seems to reach out to stroke her head, like a kitten. What can you do, old habits are hard to break. I sit down next to her, noticing with my peripheral vision that Rei glanced in my direction.
- Something wrong?
"No, everything's fine," we look into each other's eyes.
- Then, bon appetit.
- Yes. You too, - Rei turns to her plate and after a couple of seconds, picks up the chopsticks. A smile naturally creeps onto her lips, maybe Misato wasn't so wrong?
- What an idyll you have here... - the honeyed voice of Katsuragi was heard entering the kitchen. Today she was dressed as in canon, short denim shorts and a pink vest, almost like in the photo Shinji sent, which rather emphasizes her beautiful breasts than hides them, and that's all, except for her hair gathered in a neat ponytail. The girl smiled and took a sip from an aluminum can, a mischievous light lit up in her eyes. - Hi Rei! How did you like your first dinner together, did you like it? - the girl with blue hair stopped eating and looked up at Misato, I synchronously repeated her movement. I knew that there would be some teasing, but what did she want to achieve? Embarrassment from Rei? Or for us to start making excuses and denying everything? Funny. I turned to Ayanami. The girl's face expressed only slight thoughtfulness and even that was read mostly in the depths of her eyes.
"Yes, Lieutenant Ikari cooks very tasty," the guest finally answered and turned her gaze to me. A timid question was reflected in her eyes.
"Rei, call me Shinji, it only makes sense to call me lieutenant in formal settings, but I don't call you Junior Lieutenant Ayanami," a barely noticeable smile touched my lips.
"Okay," and turning to Katsuragi, who was watching all this in surprise, she repeated: "Shinji cooks very tasty," after which she again buried her face in her plate.
- Well... You are the perfect couple, - Misato stated categorically after ten seconds and took another sip from the can. Rei and I, naturally, remained silent.
Throughout the entire meal, Misato's gaze shifted almost continuously from me to Rei and back again. Ayanami and I ignored it completely, eating our food with aristocratic leisure and almost in sync.
"You're just like brother and sister... Twins or something... Just different in appearance," Katsuragi broke the silence.
- In a certain sense, we are brother and sister, half-siblings. After all, Rey's guardian is my father, - I answered calmly, without looking up from the process. The angel girl froze for a moment, but then returned to her food; if I hadn't been specifically watching her, she wouldn't have noticed anything.
- Exactly! - Misato excitedly raised her chopsticks in a clenched fist. - It turns out you are one family, then everything is clear... - Katsuragi's face became thoughtful, and his gaze turned to the ceiling.
Rey put down her chopsticks and silently stared at the remains of the food on her plate, about half of which was still uneaten.
- Are you full? - I turned to the girl.
- Yes.
- Do you want anything else?
"Water," Ayanami's eyes stopped on the empty glass.
- Right now, - I stood up and, taking Rei's glass, headed to the kitchen table near the stove, where there was a jug of water. Along the way, I noticed Misato's sly look. When I placed the already filled glass in front of the girl, Katsuragi finally couldn't stand it:
- Well, admit it, when is your wedding!? Take note, Sin, you simply have to invite me!
Ayanami didn't react to the question and slowly, in small sips, began to drink from the glass. I sat down next to her and with the same expression on my face, began to finish my portion. Then Rei put the glass on the table, turned her icy-calm gaze to me and quietly asked:
- Why does Captain Katsuragi think we're going to have a wedding? - I could literally feel Misato's stunned gaze on my skin. Rei, I adore you! You're just adorable! Forgive me, Misato, but not playing such a game would be a crime!
"I don't know," I answered calmly, also turning to Rey. "She often says incomprehensible things, or draws conclusions without any logical prerequisites for them and is happy about something..." I shrug and return to my food.
"This is unusual," Ayanami shared her thoughts with me after a couple of seconds of thought.
- I agree. She's weird. But don't pay attention, Misato is mostly very nice, - Rei looked at the stunned and very comical looking Katsuragi.
"I see," she said, taking the glass again, no longer showing any interest in the conversation.
- OH YOU!... - Misato was clearly at a loss for words, she almost choked with indignation. - Damn aliens! Am I the weird one?! Yes, I am!...
- You asked a pointless question about a wedding to two underage teenagers. Who, moreover, have only known each other for three days. You are very strange Misato... - the girl opened her mouth to answer something, closed it, opened it again, closed it again... And pouted.
- By the way, how are things with the car repair? - I decided to ease the situation a little.
"They promised to pay for the repairs at the end of the month," the girl answered sadly, but the resentment had left her eyes.
- So what? Are you going to continue driving it, risking crashing at any moment?
"What else should I do? You won't lend me money for repairs, and there's no one else to ask, not Ritsuko," Misato stared sadly at the beer can on the table, clutched in her fist, and lazily began to run her index finger along the metal rim.
"Why shouldn't I lend it to you?" I was really interested, I was waiting for her to start begging, but there was complete doom in her voice and confidence that it was useless.
Misato looked at me with a suspicious, narrowed gaze.
- Will you lend it?
- Will you give it back when you get your salary?
"Yeah," Misato's face showed slight surprise mixed with disbelief.
- Then I'll lend it to you, what's the problem? - Katsuragi froze and thought, looking sideways somewhere into the corner behind my back. After sitting in this state for about five seconds, she sighed heavily and said something profound:
- Xo-o-o... - after which she looked me in the eyes again. - You are impossible...
I raised an eyebrow questioningly.
- It's nothing... - Misato shook her head, though not exactly hastily, rather tiredly and surprised, and raised her hands in a protective gesture, still clutching the can in one. - Thank you, Shinji, - the girl smiled warmly. - You saved me!
- Please... - I put the chopsticks in the already empty plate and finished the water and glass. - And still, you are strange... Although, it suits you.
- You can't live without teasing, can you? - Katsuragi narrowed her eyes dangerously again.
- Hm... - I raised an eyebrow again. - You're the one talking... However, I'm just stating a fact. It suits you very well to be who you are and you shouldn't change it, - and turning to the silent and seemingly not even listening to us Ayanami, I asked: - Rei, do you want anything else?
"No, I'm done," came the indifferent answer.
- Good. Misato, you have some spare bed linen, right?
- Uh... Yes, - I continued to look at Misato expectantly. - Ahem... - Katsuragi understood, but not even a second passed before her gaze filled with slyness and excitement, and then it began: - Rei! This evil, selfish tyrant is chasing us out of the kitchen! No, look at his shameless mug! Let's go quickly, we'll pick you something!
This tirade, which had little to do with logic, slightly jammed me, and I wasn't the only one. Rei changed her usual indifference and looked from Misato to me in surprise, apparently trying to detect a "shameless mug" on my face. But Katsuragi wasn't going to give anyone time to come to their senses and, jumping up from her chair, grabbed Rei by her healthy arm and dragged her out of the kitchen, saying:
- Let's go, let's go. You'll get to see your gentleman, - in short, the girl left the kitchen looking disheveled and surprised. And I, looking at this, sighed sadly and raised my eyes to the sky.
Misato is something after all.