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“No way!”
I shifted my weight as I adjusted my position in my chair.
“Yuh-huh!”
Not quite managing to stifle a yawn, I dragged my gaze across the field that the classroom window offered a rather plain view of. The same grass. The same trees. Even the patterns the wind made in the grass as it rippled was probably the same as it had been yesterday.
“I don’t believe you!”
Just like the lecture the teacher was giving from the front of the room. The same as yesterday. Just like how all the students, bar the handful of dedicated academics, were ignoring it.
“That’s because you’re dumb!”
I felt a bit envious of Ayanami. She may have been at the Geofront, but whatever she was doing there was probably a break from the monotony. At least the argument my friends were having was new.
“Says the guy who’s almost failing math!”
Their sharply whispered dispute had started off as a reasonable distraction from the boring, repetitive school day. But the topic had quickly drifted to a tedious back and forth that was just as boring as the lecture.
“Only because I was copying your answers!”
“The test sheets had different layouts,” I lifted my chin out of my hand to turn to face my friends, finally cutting into the row. “If you were copying Kensuke then you probably got all the answers wrong because his questions were different.”
Toji tilted his head and blinked at me. “Really? Man, that’s a dirty trick.”
“See? I—”
Kensuke’s smug response was cut off by the loud cry of “Rise! Bow! Sit!” from Horaki. Class must be over. We made the performative gestures, none of us willing to risk the wrath of the Class Representative, and I started packing up the schoolwork I would be taking home today.
“I’m telling you, dude. I’m gonna get so much chocolate tomorrow.”
I sighed as Toji and Kensuke renewed their discussion. Tomorrow was Valentine’s Day. Not something I ever really paid attention to before. I was never really popular with anyone, let alone girls. Things weren’t much different now that I was going to school here.
“The only way you’re getting any chocolate tomorrow is if you buy it for yourself.”
I double checked my bag to make sure I had packed everything I needed, and when I looked back up, intending to join my friends as they were making their way out of the classroom, I found myself skewered into place by a pair of striking cerulean eyes. They were set in the face that occupied my mind, day and night. And that expression on it—I could feel the irritation radiating off Asuka’s person even without the very familiar face she was making. But the narrowed eyes, one eyebrow twitching, nose scrunched up ever so slightly, and lips set in a menacing scowl, clearly told anyone who cared to look that she was not in a good mood. Even like that, she was beautiful.
Not that I could ever tell her that. She’s beautiful, smart, graceful, confident, brave—she’s all the things I’m not, really. Compared to her, I’m like a bug scuttling on the sidewalk. We might be on the same path, but she’s a completely different class of being.
And she was saying something.
“—d! It’s because of the primitive, backwards culture in this country.” She reached up with one hand to flip her hair over her shoulder, the sun shining through the window like her own personal spotlight to strike the brilliant red and make it shimmer with streaks of gold, all while her features shifted into a haughty smirk of superiority. Arrogant, that was something I had left out about her. “As if I would ever stoop so low as to give chocolate out to any boy.”
Oh, she was complaining about Valentine’s Day. I expected her to give chocolates to Mister Kaji, much to the chagrin of all the boys here at school who were desperate for her attention.
Asuka continued, “Hikari had the nerve to ask me if I was making any chocolate myself, or if I was buying it at the store! As if I would participate in that humiliation ritual at all, let alone sully my hands with making it.” That was one of the good things about Asuka. She would just talk, and talk, and talk. I never had to say anything. As someone who never knew what to say, I appreciated it.
“Mmm,” I intoned as I nodded my head, letting her know I was listening to her but not adding anything to her ranting.
“It’s such an awful tradition. I could never imagine being so desperate for some boy’s attention that I would demean myself by turning into some kind of kitchen wench, slaving away at making a treat to try to catch the eye of a slobbering nitwit of a male.”
“But what about Mister Kaji?” She talked about him all the time, fawned over him whenever she saw him, was always calling him on the phone. She sure seemed to be desperate for his attention. Not that I was jealous. But for some reason her normal degradation of the male sex was feeling particularly targeted today.
“He’s a real man, not a boy,” Asuka sniffed, indignant. She crossed her arms and snapped her head to the side, closing her eyes. “Valentine’s Day is stupid anyway. I don’t care about it at all.”
She really must not like it if she won’t even change her opinion on it for Mister Kaji. Had some boy turned her down? I didn’t think something like that was possible. Anyone who would say no to her would have to be even more stupid than she always says I am.
Asuka narrowed her eyes at me again, and I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that she expected something from me. At a loss for what it could be, I looked away from her, hoping to see my friends waiting for me at the door to the classroom. They would offer me a decent excuse to leave. Alas, they were nowhere to be found. They must have gotten caught back up in their argument and left without me. Or they had seen Asuka talking to me and escaped while they had the chance.
Abandoned, I looked back to see Asuka still staring at me, and once again I could feel her irritation, growing by the second. Whatever it was that had her worked up, I was going to be the one to pay for it. And her stare had me stuck in place, again, like a beetle pinned to a board.
“Whatever,” Asuka finally said in a huff, and I felt the tension drain out of me. Disappointment took its place, filling my chest with a heavy ache. I always let her down. I never even know what she wants me to do! “I’m going to Hikari’s house. But don’t think you’re getting out of having dinner ready for me!”
“I’ll make sure there’s food for you,” I said quickly. That, at least, was something I could do. Miss Misato had left some money for takeout, since it was her night to cook and she would be at the Geofront all night. There were plenty of places I could order food from that Asuka liked.
Asuka narrowed her eyes at me one more time before grunting and turning to leave. I sighed and secured my school bag closed. As I walked toward the door, I slipped my earbuds into my ears and thumbed the play button on my SDAT. It was going to be the same old boring journey home.
———
I finally made it to Miss Misato’s apartment door only to find something unexpected: Mister Kaji, fiddling with the electronic lock. What was he doing here? I mean, besides apparently trying to break in. He knew Miss Misato was working tonight.
“Ah, Shinji,” Mister Kaji said, his voice smooth and cool, with a timber that I would never admit to trying to emulate when I knew the apartment was empty. “How are you doing this evening?”
I walked up to the door, next to Mister Kaji, and raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m ok. What are you doing?”
He smirked at me, which was, admittedly, hardly different from the expression that he normally had on his face and held his hands up by his shoulders. “I was just stopping by to leave a little surprise for Katsuragi. Would you mind letting me in?”
I turned the proposition over in my mind. One the one hand, I know he and Miss Misato are very close, even if she likes to pretend otherwise. I don’t think I’ll ever understand women, the two I live with are confusing enough. On the other hand—I guess there is no other hand. I shrugged.
“Sure,” I said, and slid my card through the reader. The door swiped open and we both entered.
I made my way into the kitchen and placed my bag on the table. I could hear Mister Kaji moving further into the apartment while I went through the bag and pulled out the homework I would be working on that night. I could order dinner now and have it delivered in a few hours. That would give me plenty of time to finish my homework, and the food should arrive around the time Asuka did. She usually only spent a few hours at Hikari’s house. Except for the times she would spend a few days there. I never knew when it would be one or the other, not for certain anyway. But tonight is a school night, so it was unlikely for her to stay out late.
My thoughts turning to Asuka again—which was admittedly not an uncommon occurrence—made me remember the way she had been so perturbed by the idea of Valentine’s Day earlier. And now I was alone in Miss Katsuragi’s apartment with Mister Kaji, the one person who probably knew Asuka better than anyone. Other than her parents, anyway. Probably. That was even more proof that I didn’t know her at all. I didn’t even know if there was anyone that did know her.
But Mister Kaji was the closest thing to an Asuka Expert, like I said. And he was close, like I said. Something was itching inside, growing, and for once, I decided to let it out.
“Mister Kaji,” I called out, the phone still in my hand from when I was getting ready to dial the noodle shop Asuka liked, “do you know if Asuka has ever done anything for Valentine’s Day?” I could feel my cheeks already heating and my chest tightening in a nervous embarrassment.
“Valentine’s Day?” Mister Kaji asked, stepping back into the kitchen. He was holding a plastic bag completely stuffed with empty beer cans, the thin metal clanking around as he walked. He must have been in Miss Misato’s room. “No, I don’t think she has.” His normal smirk turned conspiratorial, and he raised an eyebrow at me. “Did you have a mind to change that?”
“Uh—” I gulped. “I mean—” I struggled to organize my thoughts. It wasn’t as if a boy like me had a chance with a girl like Asuka anyway. He should know. Mister Kaji was everything she looked for in a man, she told everyone within earshot of her often enough. I was just curious. “Isn’t it the girl’s responsibility to do something for Valentine’s Day?”
Mister Kaji finished tying off the bag and placed it on the ground near the fridge. “Not where Asuka is from, no. In Germany, it’s the boys who do something romantic for the girls on Valentine’s Day.”
“Oh, so the girls are the ones who give chocolate on White Day?” The concept seemed backwards to me, probably because it was backwards, but never having been one to participate anyway, it didn’t really matter to me.
“They don’t really do a White Day the way we do here in Japan,” Mister Kaji chuckled. He walked over to the table, pulled out a chair next to where I was standing—I still had the phone in my hand, my homework was still set on the table—and sat down.
“That doesn’t seem very fair.” I turned to face Mister Kaji. Why should the boy be the one that needed to do everything?
“Not many things are,” Mister Kaji said in that wise way he said things that didn’t make much sense to me. But I suppose he was right. Not many things in life were fair.
“Yeah,” I agreed, and my voice sounded deflated even to my ears.
“So, if you were looking to spend Valentine’s Day with Asuka, you’re going to have to be the one to make the first move.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin when he said that. Me, and Asuka? “It’s not like that!” I stammered out a denial once I was able to find my voice again.
“Mhm,” Mister Kaji said calmly. How did he manage to be so suave all the time? “That must be why you were asking about her and Valentine’s Day. Because it’s not like that.”
“It’s not!” I repeated, defiant now. “I was just curious!” I really did want to know. “She said some things,” I continued, remembering the odd way she had been eyeing me near the end of our encounter after school. “I just got the impression she really hated Valentine’s Day, and I thought you might know why.”
“Hmm,” Mister Kaji said. “Did you ask her?”
I laughed darkly. Yeah, like I would ever do that. “No, and she wouldn’t answer me even if I had.”
Mister Kaji looked at me, and something about his face made me think that he was coming to some kind of decision. “Don’t sell yourself short, Shinji. Well, like I said earlier, Asuka has never done anything special with anyone special on Valentine’s Day.”
If what Mister Kaji said was true, and the boys are the ones who did stuff for the girls on Valentine’s Day, then I found that very hard to believe. “No boy ever bought Asuka any chocolates? Or asked her on a date?”
“Oh, sure, plenty did,” Mister Kaji threw one arm over the back of his chair and leaned back. “But none of them every caught her eye. And once she started taking more advanced courses she stopped having any boys her age to give her any attention.”
I frowned. It didn’t seem right that a girl like Asuka wouldn’t have had at least one nice date on Valentine’s Day to remember fondly. “So that’s why she hates Valentine’s Day? She never got to celebrate it?”
Mister Kaji shrugged. “It’s possible.” He smiled at me again, that smile that said I know what you’re thinking. Which was hardly likely. I didn’t even know what I was thinking. “Did you have an idea that you think could change her opinion?”
“I—” My heart was beating faster in my chest, and I could feel the fear starting to set in. The familiar feelings that always came around when the prospect of confronting something intimidating came about. “Maybe.” It was crazy. Stupid. As stupid as Asuka says I am. But doesn’t a girl as remarkable as Asuka deserve something nice for Valentine’s Day?
“What did you have in mind?”
“It’s dumb.” I started with the obvious. “But maybe I could do a German Valentine’s Day for her? Um, I mean, I could, uh, buy her chocolates or something.” No, that wouldn’t work. It’d be no different than obligation chocolate, and she’d just throw them in my face or toss them on the ground to stomp on them. Not that she wouldn’t do that if they were true feelings chocolates. Uh, not that I would confess to her or anything.
“I mean,” I said, starting again, tightly gripping the phone that was still in my hand. “I could make sure she has a special Valentine’s Day. I could arrange for a date at a fancy restaurant.” That was better. And the perfect person to do it was right here!
“That’s a great idea, Shinji,” Mister Kaji said, nodding his head.
“So, you’ll go on a date with her?” I could feel relief already flooding me.
“No.” Only for it to flood back out, and icy dread take its place.
“But—” I began, but Mister Kaji raised a hand to cut me off.
“You should go on a date with her.”
I laughed. “Asuka would never go on a date with me.” He really must be joking.
“Shinji, girls like it when you do nice things for them. What you’re doing right now? It’s a very nice thing. Trust me. If you ask Asuka out on a date for Valentine’s Day, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by her response.”
I looked at him skeptically. “No, Mister Kaji,” I finally said after a brief moment of contemplative silence. “You’re wrong. She’d never go on a date with a boy like me.” The man she was interested in was sitting right in front of me. She’d made that quite clear. Still, I could do this for her.
“Tell you what,” Mister Kaji said, tapping his scruffy chin. “We’ll compromise. You make a reservation at a fancy restaurant—I’ve got just the place in mind. Then call up Katsuragi and ask her very nicely to clear the schedule for all the pilots tomorrow. We’ll get Asuka to agree to go out, all you have to do is show up. She won’t know it’s you until you get there.”
“But that’s worse, Mister Kaji!” I sounded whiny even to me, but he was setting me up for some huge embarrassing situation. “As soon as she sees it’s me, she’ll turn right around and leave!”
“I doubt it,” Mister Kaji said, and he continued on despite the skeptical look I shot him. “But I’ll sweeten the deal: Katsuragi and I will stick around to keep an eye on things. If it gets bad, we’ll swoop in and rescue you.”
I mulled it over. Asuka could potentially make a rather large scene when the mood struck her, and seeing me when she expected some kind of hot date would probably strike her with quite a mood.
But the thought of doing something special for Asuka, and not to mention the allure of spending the evening with her, even just being able to pretend to be her date—that was something worth taking a risk for. Especially if Mister Kaji and Miss Misato were there to help keep things civil, if everything went wrong.
“Ok,” I said, and my voice was only a little bit shaky. “I’ll do it.” Then my eyes widened as I realized something terrible. “But Valentine’s Day is tomorrow! How am I going to get a reservation anywhere!” Any place worthwhile would be booked already! And I wasn’t going to take Asuka to some ramen stand. She deserved the best. I was trying to give her a good memory, even if it was with me.
“You’re selling yourself short again, Shinji,” Mister Kaji said with a smirk. “You call any restaurant in town and tell them that the pilot of Unit 01, the Shinji Ikari, would like a table for two so he can spend Valentine’s Day with his girlfriend the Great Asuka Langley Soryu—” he had pitched his voice in a half decent impression of a teenage girl to say her trademark phrase “—they’ll be bending over backwards to make room, and you’ll probably eat for free.”
I blushed, never comfortable with the attention or fame that came with piloting. I’m especially not comfortable with taking advantage of it to get special privileges. But this was for Asuka. I could do this for her, to make sure she had at least one nice Valentine’s Day. I mustn’t run away.
“Ok,” I said, taking a deep breath to steady myself. “I’ll do it.”