Worthy of Love (Hajime Hinata x Reader Fanfiction)

Chapter 26

  All eyes were now on Hajime, standing center stage behind a lectern flooding with microphones. Hordes of newscasters bombarded him with camera flashes and raised hands, pressuring him to spill everything.

  You sat in the back of the audience with your teacher, your body tense with anxiety as you watched Hajime cautiously select a hand to answer. 

  "Mr. Hinata! How long were you involved in the Kamakura Project?" one reporter hollered.

  "In it's entirety, as long as I've been attending Hope's Peak. I had only undergone the true experiment for roughly a day and a half, though."

  "How long was the experiment intended to last?"

  "As far as I know, six months." Hajime lacked any timidity as he spoke, unafraid to brave the treacherous field of balancing reputations and saving face. 

  "Did you hold any doubts regarding the process?"

  "Certainly. Still, the Steering Committee led me to believe that what I was participating in was for the betterment of humanity. They manipulated me into thinking I had no chance to back out, and put me into the operation by force once I lost compliance." 

  Murmurs pervaded the room coupled with the scribbling of notes and further camera flashes. 

  "Hinata! Has the faculty at Hope's Peak discussed compensation for your unethical treatment?"

  "Not yet. Confirmation of whether or not that will happen is still up in the air."

  "What's to become of the Reserve Course?"

  "I can't answer that." Hajime gripped the lectern. "I don't dictate what happens. I was only the test subject."

  "Do you think it's fair for you to be removed from Hope's Peak following this incident due to the liquification of the Reserve Course?"

  Hajime stopped, taking a moment to think. "Once again, there hasn't been a determination regarding whether or not the Reserve Course remains." His lips pursed and the audience waited for his next statement. "If the Reserve Course is removed and Reserve students are sent away, I will hold no hatred towards this academy." 

  The hushed whispers rose in volume at his response. Some other reporter wanted extrapolation.

  "Hinata, in the past you were exhibited as a model for the exam of the Ultimate Tailor, and often seen with them around campus and out of the city. Did (y/n) have anything to do with coercing you into the project?" 

  Hajime's brow furrowed as he burned with sudden anger. "Of course not! It was because of (y/n) that I was saved from the experiment! I was never under the guise that I was being used. The Steering Committee are the sole perpetrators of this scheme, nobody else. I hold a lot of gratitude towards the students of Class 77 that rescued me." 

  His aggression quieted the audience, but didn't silence them. "What does this imply about the integrity of Hope's Peak?" 

  "I don't know," Hajime declared. His uncertainty wasn't appreciated by the mass. "That's not my jurisdiction. I'd like to resume my life as a Reserve Course student. I'll handle however Hope's Peak decides to proceed."

  "Hajime! Is-"

  "No. I'm done for now." Hajime abruptly stopped the flow of questions, stepping away from the podium. Without another word, he moved farther back on the stage, allowing Mr. Kirigiri to take the stand again. 

  "I'll handle your questions regarding the state of the academy. With the Steering Committee under legal fire, I'm assuming leadership of academy operations in their entirety," Jin proclaimed. The audience awoke with energy at the sight of a new victim.