Chapter 528: Forced Apology
A few days later, when Shinji stepped into the Ninth Research Institute again, an unexpected scene caught his eye.
The usually proud Asuka Langley Soryu was currently wearing a clearly oversized blue waterproof jumpsuit. With her sleeves rolled up several folds, she was clumsily holding a long-handled algae scraper, laboriously cleaning the dirt and dead algae residue from the inner walls of a large water tank.
Her orange hair was soaked with sweat, sticking messily to her forehead and cheeks. There were several obvious smudges of dirt on her fair skin. She looked completely disheveled, appearing like a completely different person from the radiant, self-confident ace pilot she usually was.
Seeing this scene, Shinji could not help but pause his steps.
He thought of the previously polluted ocean and the dead creatures, still feeling a bit of a grudge in his heart. However, seeing her in such a sorry yet hardworking state, that bit of dissatisfaction seemed to dilute a little, replaced by a complex, indescribable emotion.
After hesitating again and again, he slowly walked over, trying his best to make his tone sound peaceful: "Um... Soryu... you, you are here too."
Hearing the voice, Asuka snapped her head up. The moment she saw clearly that it was Shinji, a trace of panic from being caught in an embarrassing state quickly flashed through her red eyes. But in the next second, it was replaced by a stronger, almost defensive assertiveness.
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she immediately straightened her back. Even though she was still holding a ridiculous cleaning tool, she stubbornly raised her chin and responded in a thorny tone: "What? Idiot Shinji! Did you specifically run over here to admire my appearance? What a sick hobby!"
This familiar, aggressive attitude was like a basin of cold water poured onto Shinji's heart, which had just tried to ease their relationship.
The calm expression he had tried so hard to maintain cracked. His brows furrowed slightly, and his voice carried a trace of suppressed displeasure: "I did not come to laugh at you! I just... wanted to come and help check the restoration progress..."
"Hah? Help?" Asuka sneered, deliberately looking him up and down with a critical gaze. "Just you? It is good enough if you do not get in the way here! You should just go back to fiddling with your Unit-01. This place does not need a coward like you getting involved!"
The word "coward" was like a needle, accurately piercing the most sensitive part of Shinji's heart. His attempt to ease things was completely shattered, and a surge of anger mixed with grievance and misunderstanding rose up.
His face flushed slightly red. He clenched his fists and raised his voice a bit: "You...! You simply do not know anything! You only know how to randomly attack others!"
Seeing the smell of gunpowder between the two grow strong again, the atmosphere instantly became fraught with tension.
Just at the moment Asuka prepared to speak again, and Shinji tensed his face ready to retort, a calm voice interjected, like cold water extinguishing the flames about to ignite.
"The work efficiency is too low."
Ryo stood not far away at some unknown point, holding a data pad in his hand. His calm gaze swept over the water tank and the two confronting each other, as if he was just passing by.
He first looked at Asuka, his tone lacking any fluctuation: "The cleaning progress of this water tank is lagging. Processing stubborn stains in the corners alone is inefficient."
As if finding an outlet to vent, Asuka immediately retorted: "It is because this tool is hard to use! And these stains..."
Ryo ignored her excuse and turned to look at Shinji: "Ikari-kun, you are just in time. Go change into overalls and assist her with the cleaning. Some areas require the cooperation of two people."
Shinji froze for a moment, subconsciously wanting to refuse: "Dr. Ryo, I... I am just here to look around, and I..."
He wanted to say that he might not be able to help, and might even not get along well with Asuka.
"Your physical stamina and coordination are sufficient to complete this task." Ryo interrupted him, his tone still steady but carrying an uncompromising nuance. "Every bit of manpower here is precious."
"Why do I have to work with him!" Asuka protested in dissatisfaction, the algae scraper in her hand knocking heavily against the edge of the water tank. "He simply does not know anything!"
"Because this is part of repairing the losses you caused." Ryo's gaze turned to Asuka. His voice remained calm, yet it left Asuka instantly speechless. "Collaboration is a basic work requirement, and it is also the fastest way to complete the task. Or rather, would you prefer to clean here alone until late at night?"
This sentence accurately hit Asuka's weak point.
She opened her mouth, wanting to argue back. But under Ryo's gaze that seemed to see through everything, she ultimately just gave a fierce "Tch!", turning her head away.
Looking at Asuka's deflated appearance, Shinji felt inexplicably balanced in his heart. But when he looked at Ryo, the other party only signaled him with his eyes to go get the tools.
Under Ryo's calm yet highly oppressive gaze, Shinji also swallowed the words he wanted to say, silently walking towards the tool room.
A short while later, Shinji changed into the same set of blue overalls and returned holding an algae scraper.
He hesitated for a moment before choosing to jump into the water tank, silently beginning to clean at the end furthest away from Asuka.
Although Asuka kept a straight face the entire time, she did not utter any more sarcastic remarks. She only vigorously scraped the stains in front of her, venting all her dissatisfaction on the work.
Watching the two of them finally begin working, despite being far apart, Ryo then nodded slightly and turned to leave. He left the two awkward teenagers in the massive water tank, each fighting back with silence, yet having to complete this task together.
At first, the atmosphere remained awkward, filled only with the scratching sounds of the tools and the sound of flowing water.
But shared labor seemed to possess a wondrous power.
When Shinji struggled to clean a higher wall section but could never quite reach it, Asuka clicked her tongue and silently pushed a step stool over.
When Shinji saw her trying to move a heavy rock covered in dead coral, he also subconsciously went over to lend a hand.
"Thank you..." Shinji said softly.
"...Mind your own business." Asuka turned her head away, but her voice was not as aggressive.
After a long period of silent labor, sweat soaked both of their clothes.
During a break, Asuka looked at the gradually clearing water surface in the tank. Suddenly, she spoke in a low voice, so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the water flow: "Hey... about last time... I am sorry."
Shinji was drinking water. Hearing this, his movements paused, and he looked at her in surprise.
Asuka did not look at him, still staring at the water surface. Her cheeks were slightly red, unsure if it was from the heat or some other reason.
"I... did not know it would cause such massive destruction." She continued, speaking a bit fast, as if afraid that she would not be able to say it if she stopped. "It was not... it was not intentional."
Looking at her awkward apology, the remaining grudge in Shinji's heart suddenly vanished. He lowered his head and softly replied: "Yeah... I had my faults too... I should not have spoken to you like that."
A gentle breeze blew past, carrying the salty smell of seawater.
The invisible wall between the two seemed to have quietly melted a corner amidst the sweat of labor and this belated apology.