Chapter 7: Everyone Has Their Own Choices

"Hmm, by the way, Yui also agreed with my approach."

It was only now that he fully realized the current state of the world. In fourteen years, if the Angels attack and they can't be defeated, human civilization will end.

"Don't be so tense— as long as nothing goes wrong, you and I won't end up in the disaster death toll. Well, probably... not?"

Looking at the somewhat deranged expression of Emi Ibuki, Ikari Fumihiko's mind flashed to the recently deceased Ishida U. Despite the significant differences between the two, and even though he wasn't familiar with either, he felt they had some similarities. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. He stood up and used the act of getting water from the dispenser to turn his back on Emi, hiding his weakness. Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the fear spreading through his body and mind. He then returned to his seat to face Emi.

"Dr. Ibuki, please stop this meaningless intimidation. We need to refocus our conversation on work."

Emi pulled out some design sketches and pushed them toward Fumihiko. He picked them up, glanced at them, and set them down. There was nothing substantial on them, unlike the entry plug in the original story; they were just simple rectangular casings with scribbled annotations.

"You can just glance at the designs. How to actually implement them will be up to you to design and lead. Before coming here, I had already reviewed the information on the mental link device. My request is simple for you: create a device that can establish a mental link between humans and the test subject. For now, we won't consider the control systems and other aspects...

We are only testing whether human consciousness can suppress or influence the test subject's consciousness to complete the link, testing the feasibility of this plan. You handle the equipment issues, and I'll handle persuading some volunteers to participate in the experiment. How about that... This division of labor seems fair, right?"

Fumihiko was silent for a moment, unable to give an immediate answer. After all, it involved experimenting with others' lives and safety.

"Can I refuse?"

Emi's response surprised him.

"You can. This device isn't difficult to make; even your graduate students could build it. I'm just here to inform you as a formality."

Fumihiko nodded. His refusal wasn't because of some moral purity; it was an act of avoidance. Before crossing over, he was just an ordinary worker, and he naturally didn't have the courage to bear the burden of others' lives and safety.

"Go back to the dormitory and get some rest. I'll use the office for now."

Emi then ignored Fumihiko and used the office phone to call the personnel department. She directly altered his previous shift schedule, changing the stress test to a two-team, twelve-hour rotation and adjusting the configuration from five-person groups to two-person groups. The rest of the personnel would focus on developing the cockpit.

Fumihiko sighed and returned to the dormitory with a complicated mood. The avoidance didn't relieve him; instead, he felt even heavier, as if an inexplicable force was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. Ultimately, he was in a place he didn't belong, and he lacked confidence in his abilities. The knowledge he had now wasn't something he learned through his own efforts.

For the next two days, he forced himself not to pay attention to the cockpit's construction. But eventually, he couldn't resist and looked at the design drawings.

"There's no separate emergency shutdown device?"

"No need, right? If something goes wrong, just cutting off the power to the entire system should suffice."

Fumihiko nodded, agreeing that an additional shutdown device might be redundant. After looking at the design drawings, he spoke, "This part should be adjusted; the upper limit exceeds the safe range for the human body. It would be better to use a smaller one so that if the signal exceeds the safe range, it will automatically melt to protect the experimenters' safety."

"That's an oversight on my part. Anything else?"

"I see the design is for a completely sealed space, but there's no oxygen supply system in the drawings?"

"The interior will be filled with a special liquid that humans can breathe in freely without any issues."

"A special liquid..."

Fumihiko paused for a moment, then realized Emi was talking about LCL fluid—a very mystical liquid.

"This liquid's technical name is LinkConnectLiquid, commonly referred to as LCL."

His recent reading of papers, mostly in English, had improved his previously almost nonexistent English skills.

LinkConnectLiquid... the fundamental form of animal life? LCL? Oh! Right—LCL is like instant orange juice, the most basic form of life in the original setting.

"You don't need to understand these things; just know the concept, like how ordinary people deal with tech products. They don't need to understand the specifics of how it works; they just need to know how to use it." After a brief pause, Emi added with a complicated expression, "No need to burden yourself with unnecessary worries."

Fumihiko nodded. 

"Sorry if I scared you earlier. As compensation, why don't you come to my room tonight?"

???

Is that invitation what I think it is?

"Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking."

Fumihiko nervously swallowed. It was hard not to be tempted by the offer of a sexy woman's invitation, but recalling Emi's earlier unstable state made him hesitate. He kept reminding himself that "lust is a knife over the head."

Feeling awkward, he glanced around, worried that someone might overhear their conversation and misunderstand, costing him his chance at finding a partner. Whether it was a misunderstanding or just a tease, Emi looked surprised.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to be so bold. Checking the surroundings... Does that mean you want to receive your 'compensation' here in the office?"

Apart from being eight years older than him, which could be a downside, Emi had no other flaws—her looks and figure were impeccable. Age wasn't a big deal, especially since he was of similar age before crossing over. However, her mental state scared him. He feared that if they were together, she might stab him in his sleep one night.

Please, stop— I can't hold back much longer. He hurriedly changed the subject.

"At the current pace, the equipment should be ready in about a week. Have you found the test subjects?"

Such a dangerous experiment... Who would willingly participate?

"I've got eighteen volunteers, nine men and nine women. Here's the list; you can take a look."

"So many people?"

Emi's expression became complicated.

"More people signed up than you might think. Given the current situation, not everyone can continue living; many are just looking for a way to end it. For example, your previous team leader, Professor Ishida U, chose to die suddenly at his workplace to escape this twisted, hellish reality."