Do I come across that way? Carefree? [A dry, almost-humored laugh, though it's tinged with a smattering of disappointment.] And please, calling me an old man?? That might be even meaner than throwing my hard work away.

[Outside the shocking white color of his hair, he doesn't look beyond his 20s. But he still regards Shinji in silence for a long while.]

...You're a far more caring and considerate person than one would think from first impressions, aren't you?

I wonder why you would say magic doesn't have anything to do with it, though.