013. Remember to Take Precautions: Nagging from a Cousin

After work, instead of returning to his dorm, Ikari Fumihiko went directly to Kana Fuyutsuki's room, which was closer to the medical department.

After swiping his card to enter, he noticed the interior was relatively simple, with a layout similar to his own dorm. The only differences were a bookshelf and a vanity. On the bedside table was a family photo with a noticeable sign of being edited. It was clear that a woman had been added to the picture later.

"Did Kana's mother die when she was just a child?" Fumihiko wondered briefly.

He took a shower in the bathroom and then picked up his phone to send a message to Kana Fuyutsuki.

**[Fumihiko]:** "I'm home. Is the surgery still not finished?"

Still no reply. This surgery was taking a long time—more than two and a half hours and it still wasn't over.

It wasn't until around midnight that Kana finally returned. She moved quietly, but still managed to wake Fumihiko up.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Kana asked, her face showing her exhaustion.

Seeing how tired she looked, Fumihiko got up and started massaging her shoulders. "You've worked hard."

For a moment, Kana seemed at a loss for words, only responding softly with a "Mmm." Then she came to her senses and said, "I'll go take a shower first."

When she was living alone, she didn't bother with such things and would go straight to bed. But now that she had a boyfriend, she had to pay more attention to her appearance.

"Alright, but keep it simple. You look too tired to keep your eyes open."

"I will," she replied.

Fumihiko waited for a long time outside, almost falling asleep himself before he got worried. "Kana?" he called out.

No response. He rushed into the bathroom and found Kana asleep, her head resting on the edge of the bathtub. Fumihiko sighed in relief, though he felt a bit conflicted.

As soon as he picked her up, Kana woke up, dazed for a moment before she understood what had happened. "Sorry, I was just too tired... I fell asleep accidentally."

Fumihiko shook his head and helped dry her off with a towel. Then, he guided her to a chair. "Sit here, and I'll blow-dry your hair before you go to bed."

"Mmm," she nodded, enjoying the warmth of the moment.

Once he finished drying her hair, they both lay down on the bed. Feeling her soft, warm body in his arms, Fumihiko fought to suppress his growing desires, struggling to fall asleep.

---

The next day, after his morning class, Fumihiko headed to Lab 1.

"Where is Dr. Ibuki?" he asked.

"She fell ill. The medical team just took her away."

Fumihiko felt a surge of anxiety. *I hope she doesn't end up like Ryu Ishida and suddenly die on me. Otherwise... I'll be swamped with work.*

"What happened?" he inquired.

"She was overworked, leading to a weakened immune system and complications."

"That's a bit roundabout. Can you explain it simply?"

"It's likely a viral flu. It's not just Dr. Ibuki; other team members have also caught a cold over the past few days."

*I knew it! This is what happens when you overwork yourself too much. Now look at the mess—everyone's getting sick.*

"Keep working. I'm going to the medical department to check on them," he instructed.

"Okay."

Upon arriving at the medical department, he went straight to find Kana Fuyutsuki to get an update. 

"How are my team members doing?" Fumihiko asked.

"They're all experiencing viral flu due to weakened immune systems from fatigue. It's not serious, so don't worry too much."

"You're in a similar situation, so make sure you get some rest too," he reminded her.

"Mmm, you too."

"I'm going to visit the team members now and then head back to work afterward."

"Mmm."

Ibuki Hime lay on the hospital bed, constantly coughing, her face pale and bloodless.

"I told you this would happen. Overworking like this is bound to cause accidents," Fumihiko chided.

"Alright, enough with the…cough, cough…complaining. Can you ask Yui if she can send someone to take over my work?" Hime requested.

"You really are something. You're barely able to speak clearly and you're still thinking about work."

"Our time… might be running out. We have to race against it," she said weakly.

From his time working at the base, Fumihiko had realized that most researchers in the Level 2 Experimental Area knew parts of the truth about the Second Impact. They were informed that their research was to prevent the Third Impact, which could happen anytime—maybe the next moment, maybe tomorrow, or even a year later. This was one reason why the researchers were working so tirelessly. After all, they were bearing the weight of saving human civilization.

"Fine. I'll notify the director to assign someone else. You just focus on getting better," he relented.

After visiting Hime, he checked on the other members as well before heading to the director's office.

The moment he walked in, Yui Ikari approached him eagerly. "Are you dating Kana from the medical department?"

"Yes," he answered.

"She's my professor's daughter. She's a good person. You'd better not hurt her," Yui warned.

"…"

"Try to delay marriage and having children as long as possible. Make sure to take proper precautions. Right now, the situation is not suitable. Both you and she need to focus mainly on work… wait, you're still young, but Kana's not. If you drag it out too long, she might become an older mother, which can be dangerous."

Yui sighed, looking troubled. "You sure know how to give me problems."

"…"

"Anyway, you came here because of Hime's illness, right?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry. Gendo has already arranged for someone to take over her work. Next time, just report this to your brother-in-law by phone. He mainly handles this kind of thing now."

"Alright, I'll head back then."

"Remember to take precautions. Given the current situation, neither having children nor raising them is ideal right now."

Fumihiko left the office, his face a bit dark, and returned directly to the lab.

With fewer people on the team, the work wasn't affected much. Each person's daily workload was already at its limit, squeezed to the max. Except for him, who had been slacking a bit, there wasn't much more they could do. The project's progress was inevitably going to be delayed for a while.

Not long after, a new employee arrived.

"Hello, Dr. Fumihiko. I'm Aoba Fuji."

"This is Dr. Ibuki's workstation. Your job is to complete her remaining tasks," Fumihiko explained.

Aoba Fuji glanced through the work diary and checked the notes in the code.

"How does it look? Can you manage?" Fumihiko asked.

"I still have some questions I need to clarify with Dr. Ibuki."

"This is her contact number. If you have any questions, call her."

"Got it. Thank you."

Watching everyone working so diligently, Fumihiko yawned and slipped into the team leader's office. Unlike the others, he was very clear on one thing…

The Angels wouldn't attack for another decade. The timeline wasn't as tight as it seemed.

*Everyone's busy… no one's going to look for me for a while,* he thought, settling down for a nap at his desk. He slept until the lunch bell woke him up.

He picked up his phone to check his messages.

**[Kana]:** "I have a surgery to assist with, a complicated one. Don't wait for me for lunch."

*Being a doctor is tough.*

**[Fumihiko]:** "Got it."

After replying, he got up and headed to the cafeteria. As soon as he walked in, he noticed an out-of-place figure who looked like a high school student.

*Could this be… Akagi Ritsuko, the daughter of Naoko Akagi from the original series?*