[ There sure is something that hinders people from looking into it more!

Maruki isn't going to dwell on it. Can't, not right now. It's far too early for him to lay such a heavy load on Akira's shoulders. He did so right away when he appeared; he has to balance the scales first, get to know him better before they discuss anything that might be awaiting Maruki back in his own reality.

Besides, that question is much easier to answer. ]

All I want is to help people. That's all I've ever wanted to do. It's what my research focused on, as you can imagine.

[ Akira is more than welcome to liken it to the changes of heart all on his own. It's a reversal of how these conversations originally happened, after all. ]

Without that, I was a bit lost. A good friend of mine from grad school pointed out that I could help people as a counselor instead, and I had the skillset for it, so... it was a natural fit, in the end.

[ Debatable, but he wishes it was, so that's as good as it being true. ]

That's probably a pretty cliche answer, huh?