TOKYO-3 SCHOOL 8:12 AM - MORNING YOU ARE EVA PILOT, UNIT 01

The air crackles with the same teenage energy, yet it feels different now. Emptier. The laughter echoing off the lockers, it grates on your nerves.

You round the corner, heart braced for the inevitable. There she is. Asuka. Leaning against her locker, a cascade of auburn hair framing her face.

But it's not just her.

**A tall figure stands beside her, arm draped casually over her shoulder. A smug smile plastered on his face as he whispers something in her ear. Her responding giggle, like a knife twisting in your gut. **

It feels like time slows down. The world narrows to just the two of them.