"How is that possible?!"
Mari Makinami's eyes widened in shock, and she instinctively took half a step back, her blue-green eyes filled with disbelief.
—Why, why does this man smell like Ms. Yui?
Under the dim yellow streetlights, she finally saw the man's face clearly.
Short black hair, platinum eyes.
As handsome as a deity stepped out of a painting, his entire aura was as suffocating as a towering, perilous peak, and even standing casually, he seemed to control everything.
That composure and indifference emanating from his very bones instantly matched the figure who had shaken all of NERV in the intelligence network these past few days.
"Uh, you are..."
Mari Makinami's heart skipped a beat.
—NERV Special supervisor, Hansen.
This is bad!
Such bad luck, did I not check the almanac before going out?!
This isn't just some random passerby; this is the Big Boss!!!
Hansen looked at the bristling kitten in front of him, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening.
Mari Makinami's heart pounded, adrenaline surged, but she forced a naive, sweet smile, trying to bluff her way through.
"Um... sir, the moonlight is lovely tonight, isn't it?"
While chattering idly, she subtly adjusted her stance, her toes slightly splayed outwards, ready to bolt at any moment.
Hansen raised an eyebrow, looking at the kitten with her clumsy acting.
"Miss, your opening line is a bit cliché."
He took a step forward, closing in on Mari Makinami's personal space, a playful smile on his lips: "And judging by your accent, you don't seem to be a local, do you?"
A huge shadow fell over her, and Mari Makinami felt as if she was being stared at by an ancient beast, all the hairs on her body standing on end.
"And this way of landing... illegal entry is a serious crime, you know." Hansen pointed to the parachute pack on her back, his tone teasing, "As a concerned citizen of Tokyo-3, shouldn't I hand you over to the Police Department to thoroughly investigate your background?"
"Eh? Police Department? I'm not really fond of places like that..."
Mari Makinami's eye twitched, and she let out two dry laughs, her muscles tensed to the extreme, a sly glint flashing in her eyes, "Don't joke, Your Excellency... I really was just passing by! No need to be so serious, right?"
No sooner had she spoken than she moved.
Swift as a startled rabbit!
Without any warning, Mari Makinami leaped backward, her entire body like a spring compressed to its limit, suddenly shooting out!
"Goodbye!!"
She turned and ran, her explosive power astonishing, like a nimble cheetah, instantly widening the distance between them.
As long as she rushed into the abandoned construction site ahead, using the complex architectural structures, she was confident she could shake off anyone!
Even an EVA pilot, when not piloting their unit, was nothing more than a slightly stronger human.
And she was born for battle!
The wind whistled past her ears, and the entrance to the construction site was already in sight.
However.
Just as her body leaned forward, preparing to accelerate into a sprint, a suffocating chill abruptly rose from her spine.
"What?!"
Mari Makinami's scalp tingled, and without thinking, she delivered a sharp hand chop directly at the throat of the person behind her!
This strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless, a secret agent-level killing technique, with even a tiny, cold-gleaming blade clamped between her fingers.
But in Hansen's eyes, it was just a kitten waving its paws.
Snap.
A soft sound.
That hand, capable of slicing a throat, was casually grasped at the wrist by a slender, large hand.
Mari Makinami, her arm restrained, let out a muffled groan.
If I can't dodge, then I'll attack!
The ferocity in her bones was ignited, and the instinct to fight instantly overtook her reason.
Without hesitation, her slender right leg, with a sharp whooshing sound, fiercely swept towards Hansen's neck!
Thwack—
A soft sound.
A strike that was fast, accurate, and ruthless was casually blocked by Hansen.
"This..."
Before Mari Makinami could recover from her shock, she felt her ankle tighten.
Hansen clasped her ankle with a backhand, pulling gently.
The world spun.
Mari Makinami felt an irresistible force, and her entire body instantly lost balance, being pulled towards that dangerous embrace.
Then, a hand gently rested on her shoulder, applying a little force.
An overwhelming, irresistible force instantly spread throughout her body, and Mari Makinami was completely locked down, unable to move.
"Ugh!"
Mari Makinami let out a muffled groan, her body involuntarily falling backward.
She could clearly feel the man's tall body pressed tightly against her back.
That solid, hot chest was no longer a warm harbor, but an unshakeable, majestic mountain, exuding a desperate sense of oppression.
The distance between them was so close, almost intimate.
She was practically half-embraced by Hansen, even feeling the powerful heartbeat in his chest and the astonishing heat radiating through their thin clothing.
Her back was pressed against his chest, her hands were tied behind her back, and her legs were forced to bend slightly due to the suppression of his strength, presenting a posture of extreme, humiliating submission.
"Damn it... let go of me!"
Mari Makinami was still struggling, like a small beast caught in a trap but still refusing to yield.
"Shh—"
A warm breath brushed against her ear, sending a fine shiver down her spine.
That magnetic male voice, with a hint of playfulness and laziness, whispered like a devil in her ear:
"Where are you in such a hurry to go?"
Hansen lowered his head slightly, his lips almost touching the girl's sensitive earlobe, and softly said:
"Ms. Mari... or rather, Fifth Child, Mari Makinami Illustrious."
The moment her full name was called out, Mari Makinami's body stiffened abruptly.
But the next sentence was the real checkmate.
Hansen lowered his head, his lips almost touching her sensitive earlobe, and whispered:
"By the way, you wouldn't want... Ms. Yui's plan to fail, would you?"
Boom—!
This sentence exploded in Mari Makinami's mind like a clap of thunder.
Her intensely struggling body instantly went limp, as if her spine had been pulled out.
In her blue-green eyes, the wild glint completely vanished, replaced by endless terror and shock.
Unbelievable!
—How... how could he know?!
That was her deepest secret, buried in her heart, one that even Gendo Ikari didn't fully know!
It was her sole obsession and motivation for living in this world!
Hansen's lips curved slightly, very pleased with the girl's reaction in his arms.
He didn't release his grip; instead, he tightened it slightly, further restraining the trembling body, now shaking from shock, deeper into his embrace.
"It seems we can find a quiet place to have a good talk."
"About eva unit-01, about Yui Ikari... and about how you plan to'save' that little puppy-kun."
Under the moonlight, Hansen's smile was more terrifying than the most hideous Angel in Mari Makinami's eyes, yet it also exuded a fatal attraction that she couldn't resist.
This untamable cat had finally had the scruff of its neck caught by someone.
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