Chapter 514: Encouragement
Ryo was in no rush to establish an overly close personal connection with Shinji Ikari or Rei Ayanami.
He knew well that going too far was as bad as not going far enough, especially in an environment like NERV where surveillance was omnipresent.
On another weekend afternoon, sunlight spilled through the massive polymer dome, casting shimmering reflections on the azure water.
Shinji Ikari once again came alone to the marine ecological restoration zone.
He seemed to have grown accustomed to the tranquility here, familiarly passing through the public viewing area and heading toward the observation corridors restricted to specific personnel.
Ryo was recording data by one of the breeding pools when he happened to look up and saw that somewhat thin, hesitant figure.
He closed the data pad in his hand, whispered a few instructions to Shigeo Tanaka beside him, and walked toward Shinji Ikari.
"Shinji-kun, you had some free time to come over today?" Ryo's voice was calm, carrying an almost imperceptible trace of welcome.
Shinji Ikari was slightly startled. He turned around and nodded somewhat awkwardly: "Dr... Dr. Ryo. I'm sorry to intrude."
"It's no intrusion at all." Ryo walked up beside him, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the observation window.
Inside the window was a simulated coral reef environment. Several newly introduced tropical fish were darting through the colorful coral clusters. "Perfect timing. A new batch of coral polyps just arrived a few days ago, and their condition is better than expected. Want to take a look?"
Shinji Ikari's gaze was drawn to the vibrant colors, and he gave a soft hum of agreement.
The two slowly walked down the corridor.
Ryo didn't deliberately search for topics, only occasionally pointing out something to explain: "That is staghorn coral. It grows very slowly but has extremely high requirements for water quality. The fact that they can settle down here shows that our foundational work wasn't in vain."
"Look under the rock over there, a school of clownfish is hiding. They are very timid, but once they get used to the environment, they become very active."
His words constantly revolved around the life before them. His tone was steady, as if stating facts, yet also as if sharing a quiet joy.
Shinji Ikari listened silently, his tense shoulders relaxing somewhat without him realizing it.
They walked to a relatively secluded corner. Here, there was an independent enclosed pool where several larger, eel-like creatures were swimming. They were entirely silver-white, their movements elegant and slow.
"These are Silver Moon Eels," Ryo stopped and explained. "They are the only surviving population rescued from near a trench that was almost completely polluted. When they were transported here, there were only three left, and we all thought they wouldn't survive. But look, not only have they survived, they also successfully reproduced naturally once last month."
Shinji Ikari looked at those creatures leisurely gliding in the deep blue water. Their smooth skin reflected a soft luster under the lights, full of the beauty brought about by the resilience of life.
He was silent for a long time before asking softly, "It must have been... very difficult for them, right?"
Ryo turned his head and glanced at the boy, catching the complex emotions that flashed through his eyes—there was concern, sympathy, and perhaps a trace of commiseration for sharing a similar fate.
"It certainly wasn't easy." Ryo's gaze returned to the pool, his voice softening further. "Drastic environmental changes, destroyed homes, withered companions—any one of these is enough to be fatal. But they grasped that tiny little opportunity we provided, chose to try hard to adapt, and tried hard to live on. Life itself possesses a power beyond our imagination."
He paused, his tone becoming gentler but carrying a firm strength: "Shinji-kun, restoring this world is like restoring this sea. It takes time, patience, encounters countless failures, and will suffer many seemingly irreversible losses just like them. But what's important is that we are still trying, still pouring life into it, instead of letting it die completely. When you pilot the EVA to fight, aren't you also buying more time and possibilities for this world? What you are protecting is not just the people living now, but also these lives that may once again spread across the oceans and the earth in the future."
Ryo spoke these words extremely naturally, as if merely touched by the scene and speaking from the heart.
He didn't look at Shinji Ikari, giving the other party space to digest these words.
Shinji Ikari lowered his head, his hands unconsciously tightening their grip on the railing.
He didn't answer, but Ryo could feel that the originally somewhat chaotic and suppressed aura of the boy beside him seemed to have steadied a bit.
After a long while, Shinji Ikari finally spoke in an almost inaudible voice, "Thank you, Doctor."
"No need to thank me." Ryo patted his shoulder, a perfectly measured gesture signifying encouragement rather than excessive intimacy. "You are welcome here anytime. Next time you come, perhaps I can show you our newly established intertidal ecological simulation zone. Crabs and shellfish are starting to settle there, which is an unexpected surprise."
Shinji Ikari raised his head, a very faint but genuine smile appearing on his face for the first time, and he nodded slightly.
This brief exchange, just like the previous few times, started peacefully and ended peacefully.
But as Shinji Ikari left, he looked back at the azure seawater and the newborn coral, his eyes seeming to hold a slightly brighter light than when he arrived.
And Ryo continued to play his role as the scientist dedicated to restoring the world. Only when he turned around to record data did a flash of cool calculation cross the depths of his eyes.
He knew the seed had been sown and was slowly taking root in the right soil. As for him, he only needed to continue patiently watering it and waiting.
Naturally, this change fell into the eyes of the relevant NERV departments that constantly monitored the psychological state of the pilots.
To them, an external factor that could effectively stabilize the emotions of Unit-01's pilot—and in a manner entirely consistent with the politically correct slogan of "for the future of humanity"—was worth encouraging and even utilizing.
As long as the contact was under control and supervision, there was no harm in it.
In fact, an official from the psychological assessment department directly under Gendo Ikari even subtly hinted to Ryo during an informal communication: "Dr. Ryo, you seem to have a very good positive influence on Shinji-kun. If it is convenient, this kind of... communication and encouragement can be appropriately increased. After all, the physical and mental stability of the pilot relates to the fate of all humanity."
Ryo humbly accepted this "task," yet his heart remained completely calm.
He had successfully shaped himself into the image of a harmless and useful external assistant, and had gained a certain degree of tacit approval, even encouragement, within the NERV system to contact and influence key targets.
He continued to carefully maintain this balance, like a masterful gardener, neither forcing the shoots to grow nor letting them run wild. He simply watered them patiently, waiting for the "fruit" he needed to ripen at the right moment.
(End of Chapter)