"My past, huh?" I mirror the question back to the rather sheepish figure stood in front of my desk. "Well... Would you like the research paper version, or the autobiography version?" I chuckle dryly. The student before me falters for a second before replying.
"Uhm... A-Autobiography?" He answers timidly, clearly not knowing how long my story really is.
"Absolutely!" I feel a grin on my face as I lean forward, ready to tell my story. "Where to start..." I idly mutter as my mind flashes through various memories.
"Ah! As you may know, I was a student here. I landed myself a spot in this very class after a heart attack." I begin, my smile faltering slightly. "Though those times were miserable, they led to much better times. I met a deaf/mute girl in this room, and ended up getting pulled into the student council against my will." I pause, as the figure sitting opposite me chuckles, causing me to tilt my head slightly.
"I'm s-sort of in a similar situation." His chuckle becomes nervous as his hand reaches for the back of his head.
"That's women for you. " I grin. "I was in the council for less than a year, but still found myself hopelessly in love with her... In love with her will to get things done, I suppose." I continue, idly deciding if this is the sort of thing I should be telling him. He
did ask for the autobiography version.
"We moved to Tokyo together after we graduated, I studied science. After that I became the joint owner of... many awards due to my research into Sensori-neural deafness for my final project. Unfortunately, it wasn't all that viable due to production costs..." I lean back, taking a small sip of my water to give both myself and my listener a break for a moment.
"After my deafness research got big, the group I worked with were able to get jobs in any lab we wanted. I decided to pursue... other paths, while my colleges went on to work on more neural, brain related topics. They saw me as a fool, but I had my reasons. There was another girl I knew from my time here, a double above the knee amputee who spent all of her time running. Her drive was incredible." I murmor, my nostalgia drive now working at 100%.
"She pulled me out onto the track every morning on nurses orders, no matter how hard I protested. The only reason I've still got blood pumping through my body is because of those early morning track meets. She is the main reason I decided to work on prosthesis." I grin, those days of working in a real lab making my chest warm slightly. "But,
again, the things I made were expensive, a single join costing over three hundred dollars to produce, let alone get working." I sigh.
I chuckle to myself and I pull my drawer opening and grab a can of coffee before offering it to him. "Then... right. After that, I took a break. Years of work can really tire you out, you know?" I begin to speak more informally, hoping to get the timid figure sitting across from me to relax a little more.
"However, I did spend that time off well. I married the woman I loved, the same deaf/mute from class 3-3, actually." I smile, now leaning up against the desk, recalling the various memories from the time I spent with her. "Though at that point she was no longer deaf, nor mute." I add with a chuckle.
"Have you ever noticed how quickly things change when you aren't watching them? It's a scientist's job to observe, yet I only observed the television and newspapers for... quite a while. During that time, my career flourished." I sip at my drink before shooting a look over to the boy sitting in the front seat, now more relaxed, tilting his head in confusion.
"H-how did your career f-flourish if you spent time off?" He asks quietly, his timid nature showing through once again.
"The world changed around me." I smile. If I were a book character then I'd throw my arms out wide and laugh manically. "3D Printing and open source hardware became very popular, making my designs a lot cheaper... we're talking one thirty second of the cost."
"T-that was the 'less than ten d-dollar prosthetic'... right?"
"Correct!" I smile, he knows my work. Most people do at this point, but it's still something. "I found out when I received a sizable yearly payment from the copyright service. I thought something was wrong, they had added extra zeros somehow, but they informed me that many people were using my work to mass produce prosthesis and sensory aids."
"T-that's when y-you got your title?" He steals the words from my mind.
"Mhmm. It was the right decision to remove the copyright from my work. Nobody should pay for designs that bring so much joy to so many people. And so I became 'the charitable scientist'." I grin, a title I'm honored to hold.
"I agree, b-but how did you s-survive without any income?" He questions. He's clearly become a little more relaxed since I began telling this story, since he's interjecting more and more.
"That's where my wife came to the rescue. During my prosthesis research she became the manager of a rather large business, allowing me to take time off without having to work."
"U-uhm... sorry... if you don't w-want to answer this then... that's o-okay, but... is the deaf/mute girl the principal?" He speaks up, his timid nature now fully returned.
"You catch on quickly... Shizune Hakamichi is her full name, to you, at least. Emi Ibarazaki is the double amputee, she holds three Paralympic golds and one Olympic gold."
"I KNEW IT!" A feminine voice explodes from behind the door, making both myself and Akira jump in surprise. Akira looks as though he's about to die of embarrassment as we share some awkward eye contact.
"S-s-sorry, M-mr.Nakai." He apologizes as Natsuki rushes in and grabs his wrist before attempting to drag him from the room.
It was a ruse... they just wanted to know if Shizune was my wife...
I didn't even get to explain how Emi managed to get into the Olympics,
damn it.
I give an exaggerated shrug to the pair as they exfiltrate before checking my watch.
I'm late.
---
"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated” I call out as my coat flutters behind me, I really do feel like a main character.
"He already beat you to it, man." Akio chuckles with a point to the mountain of a man that is Taro. He steps forward and grasps my hand in his. His handshake still crushingly painful.
"Liking the beard, it suits you." He chuckles as the other members of the group move to greet me. Akio, Molly, Suzu, Ritsu, Miki, looks like mostly everyone is here...
"Right back at you, big stuff." I retort, causing almost everyone in earshot to burst into laughter, warm laughter that puts a smile on my face. Akio places a whiskey glass in my hand and gives me a wink before nodding towards the back of the room. Just out of earshot lies a small, round table, flanked by those I call my closest friends. Hanako and Lilly sit at one side of the table, opposed by Shizune and Misha.
A smile grows on my face as I approach, only to hear them debating about
who's sensory aid is better.
---
This takes place in a cheerier version of 'Shizune in the snow' / 'Monomyth' where Hisao isn't killed by a T-shirt cannon.
Damn you sharp. 
