Rumors of a secret investigation were already spreading through NERV.
That day, as Kitazawa Ryota stepped slowly out of the interrogation room, he was immediately met by Misato Katsuragi and Asuka, who had both been anxiously waiting outside.
"Ryota-kun, are you alright? Did they finish questioning you?"
The moment Misato saw him, she rushed forward without hesitation, not caring in the slightest about the people around them, and threw herself straight into his arms.
Ryota's height made the scene all the more striking—he no longer resembled a typical fourteen-year-old boy, but rather an eighteen-year-old young man. His tall, poised figure and natural handsomeness made Misato's gesture feel oddly fitting, not out of place at all.
Asuka, who had just been about to step forward, froze in place when she saw this. She stopped, lips pressed tightly together, her face pale. She said nothing—just stared at Ryota, her thoughts unreadable.
Ryota, of course, noticed. He gave her a faint smile.
"It's nothing. Just routine questioning. Kaji-san is still inside. Nothing to worry about."
"My God… what exactly did you two do in Russia to cause such a stir?" Misato exhaled heavily, patting her chest as if to steady herself. "If the Japanese government actually handed you over to them, Ryota, you wouldn't stand a chance."
"That won't happen. Don't worry about it," Ryota replied lightly, still smiling.
Asuka finally spoke, her voice calm and precise—unusually so.
"Ryota-kun… what did you do in Russia? And why, after leaving Russia, did you go straight to China to steal Unit-10? And then, during the Unit-03 activation test, you were the one who stopped it. It's as if you'd already known everything in advance. I can't believe these are just coincidences."
Her sharp composure caught Ryota off guard. He hadn't expected the tsundere girl to ever display such logic and clarity.
He only smiled faintly.
"Soon. You'll understand everything soon."
The situation he and Kaji now faced was one they had already foreseen. What surprised them was not the accusations themselves, but how far Russia was willing to go to demand their deaths.
Did the Russian president truly not fear what might happen if they were pushed too far?
Ryota could not fathom it. How could the leader of a nation act with such reckless haste?
But given the circumstances, he and Kaji could hardly remain silent any longer.
If you show us no mercy, then we owe you no loyalty.
When Kaji finally emerged from the interrogation room, he and Ryota exchanged a glance. In each other's eyes, they saw the same glimmer of amusement—mockery, even.
No mercy, no loyalty. Such had always been the way of the world.
Neither man had ever intended to blow the matter out of proportion. After all, the ones harmed were the Americans, and that had nothing to do with Japan. Kaji had only been acting under SEELE's orders to investigate the Nevada disaster; whatever they uncovered, his responsibility was merely to report back to SEELE, not to make a spectacle.
But if Russia's president insisted on escalating it this far, they would not sit idly by.
What baffled them was this: even the simplest prudence should have dictated keeping things quiet. Unless… he actually wanted war.
…
By now, the names of Kitazawa Ryota and Ryoji Kaji—men who had infiltrated Russia for classified intelligence and then stolen Unit-10 from China—were dominating headlines worldwide. Ryota, already a public figure, had become the center of an international firestorm.
For two days straight, the front gates of NERV HQ had been besieged by swarms of reporters. They camped outside around the clock, ready to ambush anyone leaving the facility, their persistence honed to perfection.
Today was no different.
The gates were surrounded as usual by the clamoring press, each desperate for exclusive scoops. This was, after all, the greatest scandal in NERV's history. Some reporters had even dreamed of interviewing Commander Gendō Ikari himself—but of course, entry into NERV was not something granted to just anyone. Those hopes were quickly abandoned.
Yet today, something unusual happened.
Amid the restless crowd, a sudden shout rang out:
"Kitazawa Ryota! Kitazawa Ryota has come out!"
"What? Ryota?"
"He's finally here? Quick—get him, don't let him escape!"
"God almighty, what luck! This scoop will be ours!"
The reporters surged forward like a wave. And sure enough—there he was. Kitazawa Ryota stood calmly at the gate, his face composed, unflustered, as though the chaos around him didn't exist.
"It really is him!"
"Kitazawa Ryota! As NERV's ace pilot, you infiltrated Russia to steal classified intelligence, then went into China and stole Unit-10. What was your purpose in doing all this?"
A reporter thrust out a recorder, firing off the first question.
Ryota smiled warmly, as if bathed in spring sunlight.
"Heh… What you've all seen are only the appearances. The truth is that Kaji-san and I went to Russia to investigate the explosion of NERV's Second Branch in Nevada."
"What?!"
His words struck the crowd dumb. Then, all at once, the reporters erupted, pelting him with questions.
"So you were conducting an investigation? Then are you implying, Ryota-kun, that Russia was behind the Carson City incident? And more importantly—are you speaking here as a representative of NERV?"
"Heh… As you all know, Kaji-san is NERV's senior inspector, vested with official oversight authority. His words, of course, represent NERV."
With that, Ryota stepped aside, revealing Kaji standing just behind him.
Kaji gave a firm nod, silently affirming Ryota's statement. His presence alone made the message clear:
Ryota's words are NERV's stance.
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