Chapter four:

I pace nervously. I have my first idea created and it's almost time that Hikaru will come to pick me up. I think I'll want to practice showing my idea with him before I try it with Professor Jamie.

Everyone is here working on their own projects with it being mostly quiet other than working noise and mumbles.

I hope that I'll be able to keep up with them all. I've never had this worry before. I suppose it's because I've never been at a school that's at my level. I am broken out of the ought as I get a text from Hikaru. I check it even though I know he's just saying that he is here. I grab my stuff texting a promise to be there soon. I head out with Mai especially just giving me a polite bye. I know I'll get to know the others if I stay though for the first bit it might be a little awkward. I hurry to the limo where Hikaru is waiting. I settle in next to him with a rolled up blueprint in my hand.

"Homework?" Hikaru inquires blinking at the blueprint.

"You could call it that. I just want to work on pitching the idea before I go ask for materials." I admit glancing to the blueprint not yet unrolling it. "I'm a bit nervous. This will be my first project and my first time wanting materials." I turn to my brother when he puts a hand on my shoulder.

"I know you're going to do fine. They'll love your idea." Hikaru offers a smile to me so I smile back at him feeling a little better. "What even is your idea if you don't mind me asking."

"Well I thought for my first project I could make a new type of knife. One to help stop cutting accidents and stabbings. Something to cut through what's needed, without getting dull, and not cut skin. I also thought about robot prosthetics but I decided to try to not step on Toshi's toes in case he already had that idea."

"Well maybe you could pitch the robot prosthetics to Toshi." Hikaru clearly doesn't know who that is but is willing to support me, his brother, in this. "You two could work on it together."

I smile at this feeling warmth in my chest. "I think I'd like that if it's okay with him." I agree to which Hikaru smiles even more. "How was school?"

"Okay. Everyone misses you though understand you taking this opportunity for your own future. We at the host club have figured things out so your absence would be alright. They're ready to support you and glad that you got such an opportunity." Hikaru makes me smile a little widely at his words.

"I am glad to hear it." I admit to him leaning my head onto his shoulder.

"So. How do you plan on making this knife?" Hikaru asks wanting to know more about what I want to make.

"Well." I unroll the blueprint to show him some of it. "I was thinking about some kind of sensor that is able to tell human skin from other things. I also thought about improving the blade so I went through various materials though didn't find any that seemed right. So I remembered some others using projections that can be interacted with. I thought I could lean on that idea to make a blade."

"I think it's a great way to go." Hikaru nods his head at this. "I may not fully understand how this will work however I trust you've got it covered." He sits there letting me tell him all about the idea.

I am aware that he can't really follow all of the high technology talk, however I appreciate him letting me talk his ear off about this. I stop when we arrive back at home.

"You're going to blow your professors mind." Hikaru mentions before getting out of the limo.

I follow after him after grabbing all of my stuff. I hope that he is right.

The next day...

I am standing before the professors door. I take a breath then knock.

"Come in!"

I step inside seeing the professor give me a warm smile.

"Hello Kaoru. How are things going?" Jamie inquires looking ready to listen to anything I want to say.

"It's going good. I think I figured out what I want to start with. I just need materials."

"Over your budget amount?"

I pause as I had almost forgotten about that. "Well I don't know yet for sure. I just don't know how to order things."

"Ah. Silly me." Jamie shakes his head getting to his feet. "Allow me to show you. And if you need extra funding let me know." He grabs a tablet then he leads me to my work station. He boots up the tablet. "Here. The student tablet." He shifts so I can watch as he types things. "So you have your student ID which is all you need to access your stuff. From there you type out whatever you need. Then press order. You can also check how much you have left here. And it'll give you a notification if you don't have enough funds at the moment. Don't be shy to ask me immediately if that happens."

I watch how he does it very closely.

"Okay. Well I need some stuff." I start picking out all I will need. "That should be good to start with." I check out and am glad I have enough funding.

"Looks like you're going to do just fine." Jamie pats my back. "You can still tell me about what you want to make. Unless you want to build it first."

I tell him about the knife I want to make excitedly knowing I don't have to impress him for approval. I finish telling him about it.

"I think that is a wonderful idea. Will help save the hospital some patients. As well as help people not be hurt by knives from attackers." Jamie sounds proud making me happy to hear that from him. "While you wait for the materials to arrive you can also work on other ideas or refine your current idea." He borrows my tablet and pulls up a wallet app like on a phone. "You can take this tablet anywhere. If you need to go out to a store somewhere and buy it in person just use your student payment card here. Use it by clicking on it. It will ask for your student ID again before it can be used. Tap it against a debit machine and voila! You'll be able to pay for it as long as you have the funds."

I nod my head. "Thank you so much." I am glad to hear this as it does make me glad that I can do things my own way. I suppose it is the point of the program. "Professor?" I am given my tablet back.

"Yes Kaoru?"

"Is Toshi okay with a collaboration? I want to work on a robot prosthetic. It's just I also don't want to step on his toes so to speak." I see him give me a warm look.

"He is alright with others doing medical inventions. He thinks it's wonderful if someone else makes something to help medically. You could pitch your idea to him. He might have a similar idea however together you two might be able to reach new heights. You could both think of something that the other wouldn't have. Don't be afraid of talking to him. He will welcome you and your idea. Students here also work together on some things. So it won't be new to them for someone to approach with an idea or asking for help with an idea that they have."

I sigh in relief at this. "Thank you professor."

"Anytime my student." Jamie assures. "Anything else you need?"

"Not right now."

"Alright. You have fun." Jamie heads off with that.

I glance to Toshi before going to grab a new blueprint. I think I'll want to make a blueprint before I approach him with my idea. I just hope that he'll think that it'll work. I am halfway done when I hear someone approach. I turn spotting Toshi.

"Hey."

"Hey." I greet him in return wondering why he came over. I then notice a basket like some kind of shopping basket in his arms.

"We all know it's tough to wait for materials for the first time. So we all grabbed some stuff to offer." Toshi offers to me placing the basket on a clear space on my desk. "You could start with something small while you wait for other materials you need. This is our way of saying welcome to new students."

I look into the basket spotting different supplies I could use to make something if I am creative. I smile at Toshi. "Thank you all so much. I really appreciate it." I suppose I should pitch my idea to him. "Say. Have you ever thought about robotic prosthetics?" I wait to see what he will say.

"I have. Just has been a project in my back pocket for now. I just had some other ideas I'd rather try to do first. Though I do have some research into getting nerves to respond to newly attached body parts. I could lend you that information to see if you could find a way to extend it to being able to control a robotic limb."

"Well I do want to work on it as well as my first idea. So if it's alright I'll check out what you have found for it. Then get it started." I offer to him and he nods his head.

"We could also talk to Len. He might be able to help with some of the robotics stuff. Might as well make it easier on ourselves. Plus less likely to cause glitches in the first bit. Let me help you talk to him." Toshi leads me towards where Len is working. "You know he started with animatronics. Now he is working on other things. Me and him have worked together several times. I know a bunch of the robotics stuff thanks to him." He approaches the other who turns to us. "Len! How's it going?" He hugs the other who just blinks at him with some warmth in his eyes giving away his happiness to see Toshi.

I really hope that we'll be able to make this all become a reality. I just need to be able to convince Len to help us. I hope I don't fuck this up.

AN:

I wrote this on my phone so hopefully I caught the autocorrects.

I hope you're enjoying so far!

Kaoru.