Chapter 30: Classroom

Chapter 30:
Classroom

 

Tokyo-3.

Rei Quatre, bored of waiting for Seele/Kaji/Kaji, got off the mutant Eva that was parked on the top deck of HQ and made her way to Sengokuhara High School. This would be the second time Quatre had been to the school layered under Shinji’s dream. She’d been far away last time and only went to school when she was asleep. Now she broadcast her intentions over the Ayanami mental mirroring.

<<I think I’ll walk today.>>

For once, Rei Trois wasn’t under troublesome security surveillance, so she told Quatre how to get there.

“Well then…”

Quatre and Six had accepted Trois’ invitation to talk. All she could do now was wait.

The school was restless as it entered break time. Turncoat Quatre looked very similar to Trois, so she’d passed unnoticed. But the seat behind her shuffled suddenly. This was what drew the class’s attention.

She turned around. “Suzuhara-kun? I thought you were supposed to be at Yomotsu Hirasaka.”

Toji’s figure was hazy.

“This is…the classroom. I’m still in the middle of a fight.”

“You know this classroom is Ikari-kun’s dream, don’t you? It pulls the consciousness of his classmates into itself. You have to go back. You might lose your physical body.”

Quatre smirked, pressing her hand on Toji’s chest like she was about to push him. The hustle and bustle of their classmates continued unabated.

“You’re…Quatre? Ayanami Quatre…I need a favor.”

“I’m getting a lot of requests today.”

He whispered something into her ear, and then he was gone.

 

Toji awoke in the cockpit of the Platypus-2. He didn’t have to shake himself awake. The turbulent roll had already done the job for him. He reversed the graviton thrusters on the other side of the rudder to reposition the craft.

“Dammit!”

The tailspin stopped after the A.I. kicked in. He’d managed to avoid a direct hit, but the shock wave clipped part of his left wing. A plane that operated solely on aerodynamics would’ve crashed by now.

<<Toji!>> Shinji shouted frantically.

“I’m fine! But Shinji…!”

<<What?>>

“Please, save Hikari!”