In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

“You’ve been rushing to the store as soon as you get off school lately, you really need to take a good rest for a while.”

Gen Chiya shrugged.

Shihua finished her glass of milk and let out a satisfied sigh: "I'll go run the water for you, you can take a bath first."

Yuan Qianye shook his head: "I have something to do, I need to go back to my room to use the computer first, you guys go ahead and shower."

"Hey, it's unusual for you not to take a shower as soon as you get home..."

Ignoring Toka's teasing, Gen Chiya took the empty cup from her hand and turned on the tap to rinse it: "Alright, you should go wash up first. You just finished exercising and you're sweating, so don't catch a cold."

Just as Shika spoke to him as he approached, she smelled something and tilted her head in confusion: "Did you just eat garlic?"

Yuan Qianye placed the washed cups upside down on the draining tray: "The restaurant has a new dish called Mexican pie. I added some extra fried garlic to it for extra flavor. It tasted pretty good. My dad and I each ate one. Do I have a strong smell in my mouth?"

Shihua shook her head: "It's just a tiny bit; you can only smell it when you get close."

After saying that, she walked towards the bathroom and started filling the bathtub with water. Then she called out towards the room, and Rikka responded by telling her older sister to go first.

Yuan Qianye returned to his room, closed the door, and breathed on his hand to confirm.

It was indeed just a very slight smell, so he didn't pay much attention to it and went to his desk to turn on his computer and get down to business.

In Japan, the internet is not subject to any firewall. He easily found the information he wanted by entering the keywords he learned about on the computer that afternoon.

The "English LV5" skill that I acquired through hard work from Yukino played a huge role at this moment.

Yuan Qianye browsed all-English web pages without any difficulty. Whether it was news broadcasts or text messages, he understood their meaning very naturally, completely skipping the process of translating in his mind.

Praise to Study Queen No. 1!

Yuan Qianye browsed the web and thought very quickly, and within ten minutes she had a general understanding of the situation regarding the "novel flu virus" in Chicago.

More than 100 people at local community hospitals in Chicago have shown basic cold and fever symptoms, such as severe cough, fatigue, and loss of appetite.

A few elderly people and children experienced more severe breathing difficulties and had to be hospitalized and put on ventilators for treatment.

Because experts and doctors from well-known hospitals came forward to give media interviews and provide explanations.

They claim that this "novel cold virus" is not significantly different from the common cold and flu, and that it is completely "controllable" under modern medical conditions!

Furthermore, the symptoms exhibited by the infected individuals are indeed indistinguishable from those of a common cold or fever, with almost no one presenting a life-threatening severe condition.

Therefore, despite the rapid increase in the number of patients in a small area, it did not actually attract the attention of the US federal government.

If the federal government at the top is like this, then the people below naturally don't take it seriously either.

On social media, there wasn't as much discussion about this "novel cold and flu" as one might expect.

The more Yuan Qianye looked at these messages, the more his brows furrowed.

The current situation is strikingly similar to the beginning of the global flu pandemic that he remembers.

At the beginning of their discovery, they took it lightly and were extremely dismissive.

By the time they realized what was happening, the spark had already become a raging fire, and it was too late to turn back.

What destroys humanity is not ignorance and weakness, but arrogance.

Numerous examples have proven the validity of this statement, such as the Titanic, the financial crisis, and the nuclear disaster...

Gen Chiyo appeared worried, his hands tapping on the keyboard.

They no longer limit their focus to the United States, but instead search the entire world.

Using unfamiliar text and the webpage translation function, I searched for symptoms similar to "novel flu" in other countries and regions.

Unfortunately, he actually found it.

Similar symptoms have appeared in Canada and Mexico, which border the United States.

Similar reports were found even in Ireland and Spain, which are far across the Atlantic.

The good news is that I haven't found any similar news in Japan, where I am currently located.

The bad news is that Ireland is located just west of the United States.

Yukino's school is located in London, which is only 464 kilometers away from Dublin, the capital of Ireland.

Upon realizing this, Gen Chiya immediately dialed Yukino's number.

The microphone beeped twice, and then the other party hung up.

Considering the time difference between the two countries, it's afternoon where she is, so she should still be in class.

Just then, Toka finished washing up, dried her hair, peeked in, and called to Gen Chiya to go take a bath.

Yuan Qianye nodded. Although he was worried and wanted to remind her while she was studying away from home, he wasn't in a hurry.

He took his phone and a change of clothes and went into the bathroom.

The space where Toka (who is not related by blood) had just taken a shower still retained the fresh scent of the shower gel she used.

After thoroughly washing himself under the showerhead, Yuan Qianye then sank into the bathtub where Toka had just soaked.

Let warm water wash over your body, soothing your tense mind and tired muscles after a long day.

It's quite normal in their family for the sworn brother to follow his sworn sister into the bath.

The three children in the family often share the same bathing tub, without distinguishing between them.

After all, it takes more than ten minutes to fill a bathtub with water, and water isn't cheap, so it's better to save as much as possible.

In the past, when following Toka in the bath, Chiya would sometimes have some uncontrollable daydreams popping into her mind, but today, because she was worried about Yukino, she didn't have that thought at all.

Fortunately, Yukino called back in just over ten minutes.

"It's rare for you to call me first. Is there something you need?" Yukino didn't seem to be smiling, but her tone was noticeably gentler than usual.

Yuan Qianye got straight to the point without keeping everyone in suspense: "Recently, there has been a serious outbreak of a new type of flu virus abroad. When you're out, make sure you wear a mask properly. Not one of those thin masks that only protect against dust, but an N95 medical protective mask."

In addition, you should avoid going to crowded places and avoid close contact with people who show obvious signs of a cold; keep your distance as much as possible.

After returning home, do not go directly to your room. Instead, immediately spray your clothes, coat, and backpack with medical alcohol to disinfect them. Afterward, remember to rinse your mouth and wash your hands several times to eliminate any possible routes of infection.

Yukino never expected that Chiyo would say such a long and detailed thing to her right away, and that he would show such meticulous care.

The weather in Eagle Country turned cool in November, and the breeze in the school garden made Yukino hunch her shoulders, but her heart was warm at that moment.

A slight smile played on her lips, but her tone remained impassive: "You called me specifically just to talk about something like this?"

"What do you mean 'just this kind of thing'!" Yuan Qianye was unusually serious.

If things really develop as he imagines, then if someone gets infected with this flu during the initial strain period, even if they recover, there is a certain probability that it will cause irreversible damage to the body, such as a weakening of the sense of taste and smell, or in more severe cases, the complete loss of the sense of taste and smell!

"Don't take this flu lightly. It's said that if you get it, you'll suffer terribly and it could even be fatal. Like Eriri, you've never been very healthy since you were little, and you're studying away from home without any family around. You really need to take good care of yourself, understand?"

Chiya held nothing back from Yukino, revealing everything he knew in order to gain her attention.

In fact, Yukino did react to his serious tone and nodded earnestly: "Sorry... I understand."

"Promise me you'll take good care of yourself as I just told you."

"...Okay, I promise you."

"As soon as school is over, remember to go to the pharmacy to buy masks and medical alcohol."

"Ah."

"Oh, and while you're at it, buy some vitamins too. Taking them during this time will help boost your immunity a little."

"..."

Yukino smiled silently.

It was a cloudy day in London when she went out, but now the clouds have dissipated and a few rays of sunlight are emerging, much like her mood at this moment.

"Okay, I see."

With the honest and upright Yukino Yukinoshita personally guaranteeing her agreement, Chiya Minamoto felt somewhat relieved.

"Um... it's not just me, you should also take care of your health back home."

"Yes, I understand. I'll remind Eriri later... Oh, and Yukino too."

"what?"

"Do you think it's possible for you to tell your mother that the flu is rampant abroad and it's not safe, and then you should come back to China as soon as possible, and not go to study abroad for the time being, and just study in China?"

"..."

Yukino shrugged her shoulders slightly, took a shallow breath, and replied as casually as possible, "I'll be going back to my country by the middle of next month."

Yuan Qianye knew she had misunderstood, but he didn't want to explain. After giving her a few more instructions, he hung up the phone.

After the call ended, Yukino searched online but couldn't find the kind of frightening flu that Minamoto Chiyo had mentioned.

However, she didn't care about these things. Since she had just agreed, she naturally wouldn't go back on her word.

After school, I'll go to the pharmacy. For the next while, I'll take good care of myself as he said.

Yukino carefully reached her hand towards her neck.

The silver, fierce-looking panda pendant he had given her swayed on her fingertip, its light dazzling.

We'll see each other again soon.

she thinks.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Having become aware of and alerted to the flu, Yuan Qianye knew that he was too weak and powerless to save everyone from their suffering.

All he could do was try his best to ensure the safety of himself and those around him.

Back home, he bought masks and medical disinfectant alcohol the next day, using the recent flu outbreak and the fact that Shihua was about to participate in a competition and couldn't get sick at this time as reasons to get the whole family to cooperate with his arrangements.

He also emphasized and reminded his friends, Saeko, Eriri, and Utaha, as well as Sunohara Youhei, who was on good terms with him at school.

Like Yukino, the girls around him were more like the flu, which was something you never saw in the news and had no real connection to.

What's even more concerning is the fact that Yuan Qianye suddenly cares so much about their health. Putting everything else aside, their already high level of goodwill towards him has suddenly increased significantly.