Ah. It was easy to forget when they were bantering that this was a side to Asuka to, the side that greeted him when he first came to Exsilium. Even after all this time, was she still angry at him?

... it's selfish of him to think that way, even though he feels like it's the truth.

"Don't say things like that." Shinji says it quietly, not sure if he wants her to hear. He looks down at his own water, tilting it. "... I'm tired of people I know disappearing."