Erni, who had disappeared for three days, walked through the front door. The first thing she saw was the very conspicuous Unabi—that head of chestnut curly hair and that front-heavy, rear-curvy figure. Most importantly, she had never seen this person before!
Could she be Cyan's new teammate? At this rate, will there still be a place for me in the team? Should I propose forming a team with her?
No, no. My current strength is too weak. Teaming up with Cyan would only hold her back…
In the instant she saw Unabi, countless thoughts flashed through Erni's mind. She forced herself to stay calm and asked, "Who is this?"
"Miss Erni, I am Unabi. We've met before."
Unabi showed a friendly smile. Seeing Erni's dumbfounded expression, she really wanted to make a disdainful face, but fortunately she held it back.
"Huh?! Unabi? You're Unabi? I remember you were a horse! How did you turn into a human?"
Erni looked at the beauty with chestnut curly hair in shock. It was one thing for her to use the toilet by herself before, but now she wasn't even a horse anymore—she had turned into a human!
"Master turned me into this."
Unabi said with a smile. These past few days she had come to realize just how convenient a human body was. Whether it was eating or doing anything else, a human body was far more convenient than a horse's body. And when eating, she could sit together with Cyan and the others.
Did she use some kind of item or equipment?
Erni looked at Unabi with an investigative expression.
"Sophie, you're here."
Cyan walked out of the bedroom holding a laptop. Seeing Erni, she greeted her.
"Mm. These past two days I went to a friend's wedding. Helping with the preparations took a lot of effort."
Only after speaking did Erni remember that Cyan and Nishi had gone through another round of the Survival Game. She asked, "Cyan, what world did you go to for the Survival Game?"
"Dynasty Warriors 7."
"Dynasty Warriors 7? That's a hack-and-slash type of game, right?"
Erni, who had once been addicted to games and unable to pull herself out, had come into contact with this type of game and had also heard of the great name of Dynasty Warriors.
"Hack-and-slash?"
"It means the regular soldiers in it are as easy to kill as cutting grass. In that game, besides the officers who have a bit of combat power, the regular soldiers are too weak."
"Mm. Indeed. The strength of the officers is something regular soldiers cannot compare to."
Having experienced the Dynasty Warriors 7 world, Cyan strongly agreed with Erni's words.
"By the way, Cyan, is this little one the pet you mentioned before?"
Erni noticed Little Black on Cyan's shoulder—upper body human, lower body spider. For someone who had been baptized by vampires, werewolves, and zombies and whose heart had grown much stronger, not to mention such a small spider yōkai, even if she saw a spider the size of a car she would not scream in fear.
"Mm. Her name is Little Black."
Cyan stroked Little Black's little head with a finger.
"So cute~!"
Watching Little Black enjoy Cyan's stroking with a blissful expression, Erni stretched out a finger.
"Don't touch me!"
Little Black pushed Erni's finger away and looked at her warily. If not for the fact that she knew Cyan, she would have bitten her in one go.
"Little Black is shy with strangers. Once she gets used to you it'll be fine."
"I see."
Hearing Cyan's words, Erni smiled awkwardly.
Under a sky covered with dark clouds, a fine drizzle began to fall.
Asuka sat cross-legged in her own room, faint golden lightning flashing across her body.
I failed…
Asuka opened her eyes and looked out the window, listening to the sound of rain hitting the glass. At this moment her mood was just like the weather outside—gloomy and oppressive.
The more she wanted to reach the level Cyan had spoken of, the harder it became to reach it.
Am I being too impatient?
Asuka believed she might have been too eager for progress. Cultivation was not something that could be forced. But the moment she thought that even Unabi, a horse, had reached the state Cyan described of replacing normal breathing with the Ripple Breathing Method, she urgently wanted to reach it… As a result, the more she failed to reach it, the more impatient her mood became, falling into a vicious cycle.
"Knock knock knock!"
The sound of knocking rang out. Asuka stood up, walked to the door, and opened it. She saw Cyan standing in front of the door.
"Cyan? What's up?"
"You've been practicing Ripple Qigong too eagerly these past two days. Rest for a while."
Without waiting for any argument, Cyan grabbed Asuka's hand and pulled her out of the room.
"Wait wait wait! It's not like I can't walk. You don't need to drag me!"
Asuka also knew she had been too impatient these past two days. She was very clear about her own personality. Even knowing that forcing it was useless, she still insisted on trying.
"Mm."
Cyan released Asuka's hand.
"Yah!"
Asuka's steps stumbled and she crashed headfirst into Cyan's back.
Asuka straightened her body, rubbed her slightly reddened nose, glared at Cyan resentfully, and quickly walked forward, going down the stairs.
In the living room, Erni had changed into a light outfit and was sprawled on the sofa without any image, chatting with friends online. Seeing Asuka come down, she said, "Asuka, I received information about the latest Evangelion theatrical film. Do you want to know what happens in the newest theatrical film?"
"It's definitely going to be something about the Human Instrumentality Project again, right?"
Asuka crossed her arms and said with little interest. After killing a survivor and rising from a Follower to a Survivor, upon arriving in the real world she had once looked into everything about EVA. She had even secretly taken a plane to Japan to see that four-eyed glasses man named Hideaki Anno. Speaking of him, he reminded her of someone else who also wore glasses… someone named Aida something…
Asuka could no longer remember that person's name.
"Not at all. The internet is exploding right now. In the newest Evangelion theatrical film, you end up together with Kensuke Aida."
Erni said as she found a picture of Kensuke Aida and showed it to Asuka. She sighed and shook her head. "It's this character with extremely low presence. People online all feel it's completely ridiculous and don't know what the author of EVA was thinking, pairing you with him. Everyone thought you would end up with Shinji Ikari."
"Haaah?"
Asuka quickly walked over to Erni, snatched the phone from her hand, and stared repeatedly and carefully at the picture of Kensuke Aida for a while. She returned the phone to Erni, let out a contemptuous laugh, and said, "Are you joking? Me with him? Impossible! Even if I fell for Cyan I still wouldn't fall for him!"
"Hm?"
Cyan, who had been innocently caught in the crossfire, looked blankly at Asuka and Erni.
"What are you talking about?"
"N-nothing!"
Thinking of the words she had just spoken, Asuka's face turned red. She hurriedly shook her head, took a laptop, walked to the side, and began typing on the keyboard with one hand. Her expression gradually grew darker, and fire burned in her eyes.
Asuka did not believe she and the Asuka in the anime were the same person. However, seeing that the ending of the anime version of herself was actually together with Kensuke Aida!
Was there anything more ridiculous than this?!
Was the person who wrote her ending like this sick in the head?! Or were they all idiots one after another? No one understands EVA better than you people?
Is this your reason for pairing me with some random passerby?
Better not disturb her…
Cyan looked at Asuka, whose rage was almost materializing, and gave up on the idea of taking the laptop back from her hands. She lay in Unabi's embrace and began watching television, quietly watching the TV.
Erni glanced at Cyan lying in Unabi's arms. Her slender legs clamped around Cyan's arm and gently rubbed against it.
"Want to spar?"
Erni's action was misunderstood by Cyan as wanting to spar.
"No, Cyan, you misunderstood!"
Erni hurriedly withdrew the legs that had been teasing Cyan. She hadn't managed to tease anyone, and if she got beaten up by her again that would be on her.
"Slap!"
Asuka heavily closed the laptop in her hands. Her face was dark, and rage burned in her azure-blue eyes. She had never been this angry before. Even seeing her own doujinshi had never made her this furious, because those were all fake and could never happen. But now, in this newest theatrical film that had just come out, Asuka's ending made it impossible for her to treat it as fake.
What kind of nonsense is randomly grabbing someone to pair her with?
Is this breeding livestock?
Or does it mean no one wants her?
Asuka quickly walked upstairs. From the sound of her forcefully stomping on the floor, one could tell just how angry she was at this moment.
(This wave… this wave is called what? The hooligan is awesome! I'll fucking knife him! Fuck!)
"Cyan, come with me!"
Asuka, who had changed into a different set of clothes, walked over to Cyan.
"You're not planning to have Cyan go with you to Japan, are you?"
After saying this sentence, Erni realized what Asuka intended to do. She covered her mouth and said, "You're going to find Hideaki Anno?"
"I'm going to find him. I want to see just what the hell is inside his head! Is this guy an idiot?!"
Asuka said furiously. Killing him was out of the question, but making him lie in a hospital for a year or half a year was certain.
The next day, Japan, late at night.
Cyan, carrying a person covered by a sack over her shoulder, leaped across rooftops and landed in an empty alley. She said calmly, "The person you wanted to find—I brought him."
As she spoke, Cyan threw the struggling person on her shoulder onto the ground. Muffled "mmph mmph" sounds came from inside the sack. Clearly, the mouth of the person inside the sack had been gagged.
"Leave the rest to me."
Asuka walked out with a dark expression. Hideaki Anno inside the sack heard that familiar voice and struggled even more violently.
"You paired me with Kensuke Aida? Are you an idiot?! You're even more of an idiot than that idiot Shinji!"
Asuka kicked the sack and began punching and kicking it without restraint.
"It's all because of you that my childhood was so miserable! You bastard! You pervert! You psychologically twisted scum!"
Thinking that her miserable childhood experiences were all because of the person currently stuffed inside this sack, Asuka could not help using a bit more strength. In order to avoid accidentally beating Hideaki Anno to death, she had already restrained her strength as much as possible. Otherwise, with her strength, one punch would have been enough to knock his brains out.
What on earth is going on? Did Asuka come out of the anime to take revenge on me?
Hideaki Anno listened to Asuka's words filled with hatred and sorrow and could not help muttering in his heart. His consciousness gradually grew blurry. Before losing consciousness, he thought self-mockingly:
Perhaps I am the first person in this world to be beaten by an anime character?
The next morning, early in the morning, Hideaki Anno—still stuffed inside a sack and covered in injuries—was discovered. The person who found him just happened to be a fan of Asuka. Seeing the old thief he hated so much right in front of his eyes, such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was right there. Miss this village and there would be no next shop!
Without another word, he put the sack back on, pressed a discarded quilt someone else had thrown away onto the sack, kicked it hard a few times, then packed up his things, opened the sack, and with a panicked expression dialed a phone number, frantically explaining the situation here.
Hideaki Anno, who had been about to wake up, was once again kicked unconscious by those two kicks.
After Hideaki Anno was sent to the hospital, the news that he had been beaten while stuffed in a sack spread across the internet. Naturally, people who held dissatisfaction toward him felt no sympathy for his beating. They only sighed with regret that they had not been there. If they had been there they would definitely have added two more kicks and spat on him before leaving.
After receiving treatment, Hideaki Anno rested for a few days and posted a statement on Twitter saying he had been beaten by Asuka. This single sentence drew widespread mockery from netizens.
Someone even said, "Why don't you say you were beaten by Shinji? Didn't you see the green hat on his head?"
Someone else said, "I really wish the person who beat you was me. If I had beaten you, you'd still be lying in the intensive care unit!" The person who posted this also posted a picture of a muscular man who clearly spent a lot of time lifting iron at the gym.
Netizens who were dissatisfied because of the newest Evangelion theatrical film even flame-warred Hideaki Anno, stopping just short of going to the hospital where he was staying to deliver special "gifts."
And precisely because of that statement, Hideaki Anno was suspected by his wife of having something wrong with his nerves and was sent to a psychiatric hospital for a full examination.
The Japanese police paid great attention to this matter and stated they would definitely catch the culprit. What awaited the culprit would be the severe punishment of the law!
As a result, there was a lot of thunder but little rain. Forget catching the culprit—they did not even have any clues.
No one knew how Hideaki Anno had been stuffed into a sack or how he had been brought to that alley. The surveillance cameras captured nothing at all. There were not even fingerprints on the sack, let alone catching the culprit!
"Feel better?"
Cyan looked at Asuka, who was staring at her phone with a refreshed expression.
"Mm!"
Asuka smiled brilliantly. Looking at the picture on her phone of Hideaki Anno with his head wrapped in bandages looking just like an Indian, she smiled even more happily. The negative emotions that had accumulated for so long were completely vented, and she felt much lighter.
"Thank you, Cyan!"
Asuka hugged Cyan once.
"It's nothing. We're teammates."
Cyan felt she had not done much—only stuffed Hideaki Anno into a sack and brought him in front of Asuka.
Apart from that, she had not done anything else.
"That's true. Helping each other as teammates is only right. Then I'll take back the thanks I just said~!"
Asuka smiled playfully and waved a finger in front of Cyan.
"Okay."
Cyan answered woodenly.
If it were anyone else, they might try to get closer to Asuka, but who was Cyan?
She was an emotionless block of wood!
No—she was an emotionless shrimp sister!