38 Degrees, Peak Battle

Miko-chan.

…What is it.

Onii-chan’s at 38 degrees.

…I’m aware. His voice was lower than usual this morning, nya.

Wait, you already noticed?! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

…Voice, skin tone, gait. That’s what health management looks like.

So I started digging around. What’s actually going around the country right now?

…A cold.

You can’t just call it “a cold” right now. There’s like three totally different things going around at the same time.

…Three.

Flu A, flu B, new COVID variants — and on TOP of that, the regular rhinovirus cold is going super hard too. All of them, all at once.

…Three directions at once, nya.

And y’know what? This season’s B strain? It goes for your stomach. Not just fever — it can totally wreck your digestion too.

…Master’s diet changes tonight. Not porridge — watered-down gruel first, nya.

Miko-chan, you’re fast~!

So I pulled up the map for all 47 prefectures, and it’s not random at all. It’s moving as a wave.

…A wave.

It started in Kyushu and Shikoku, then spread to Kanto, and it’s been climbing north ever since. Right now the Sea of Japan coast and Tohoku are right at their peak.

…What about Hokkaido, nya.

The big wave hasn’t hit yet. But Hokkaido’s kinda used to dealing with winter dryness, so they’ve got their habits down already.

…People carry the wave. Viruses don’t move on their own, nya.

Exactly! It rides the big cities, hops along the train lines, and slowly works its way north (≧∇≦)

…Watch the people, not the map.

But y’know what blew my mind the most? What “38 degrees” actually MEANS.

…High fever.

Not just that! 38 degrees is where your lymphocytes — those are immune cells — are at their absolute best.

…Lymphocytes.

They’re the cells that fight viruses! And when your body goes into battle mode, it cranks the temp up to 38 on PURPOSE — so those cells can go all out.

…The body builds its own fire, nya.

So 38 degrees doesn’t mean “danger.” It means the battle’s at its most intense.

…

Scum in a pot.

Wait what?! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

Simmer low and the scum barely rises. Crank the heat, bring it to a boil — that’s when it all comes up, nya.

…Scum surfacing doesn’t mean the pot’s dirty. It means now’s the time to skim.

…38 degrees is Onii-chan’s scum-skimming time.

…You thought “she used the scum analogy again.”

I sooo did (〃´∪｀〃) Jack Daniel’s charcoal, the pancetta and the Pichit sheet — Miko-chan, you always circle back to the scum thing~

…Use what works. Truth doesn’t wear out, nya.

So then I started thinking — fever reducers. If 38 degrees is peak battle mode, is it bad to bring the temp down?

…Meaning you shouldn’t use them?

So some people say dropping the fever too early kinda gets in the way of the immune response and slows everything down. BUT — if you can’t sleep, can’t eat? Take them. Keeping yourself going is what lets you keep fighting.

…On a battlefield, the rear team delivers food. You don’t fight in their place, nya.

Supply corps, huh.

…Have you checked the room humidity.

Oh — (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

…50 to 60 percent. Viruses last longer in dry air. Humidifier. Now, nya.

That came up in my research too! Turns out keeping it in that range makes it sooo much harder for viruses to survive.

…The body knew before the data did. People hung wet cloths indoors in winter for centuries before anyone explained why, nya.

So so so — I told Onii-chan about how 38 degrees is when lymphocytes are at their strongest.

…What did he say.

“Oh, so I’m actually fighting hard.” And then he just pulled his blanket back over himself (〃´∪｀〃)

…The body already knows. It was fighting before the brain caught up, nya.

The wave across all 47 prefectures works the same way, y’know? Nobody decided “okay, time to head north.” People moved, viruses tagged along, and the wave just… happened.

…Body heat and infection waves. Both move without intent. But both have direction, nya.

I just want Onii-chan to get better soon.

…Still fighting means it can still end. Wrap it up quick, nyan.