He stared at her calmly, still unsure of how to best bring this up. Eventually, he looked down at the keys. His downcast eyes gave his smile a sense of sadness.

"I love Shinji very much. You know that, right?"

His fingers ran along the edge of the piano bench thoughtfully. Shinji was here a few months ago. They sat here together and played music, and the boy had smiled for him for the first time since NERV. And then, he'd left...

"...he's been very angry with me."