Winds of Destiny: Rising ~ {Hawks x OC}

Chapter Nine: Blue Christmas

"Misaki, it's time," the President's cool toned voice spoke out from her right.

Misaki raised her head and swiftly stood from her seat just outside the media hall within the Hero Public Safety Commission headquarters before nervously smoothing down the skirt of her gray pencil dress. A press conference had been organized to report on their plans for addressing the public concerns about hero response in the wake of the attack on Deika, and they were using the opportunity to announce Misaki's promotion along with the details of the role of Commissioner of Analytics. It was a partial ploy to give the Meta Liberation Army a false sense of security that the Safety Commission was still ignorant to their involvement in the attack and their team up with the League of Villains. This wasn't the first time she had been present at one of these press conferences, but it would be her first time engaging in one. She nodded to the President before following her through the door and taking her seat next to Shadou behind the podium. As she usually did in situations like this, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, hoping to expel her nerves along with the air in her lungs.

The noise in the room quickly died down as the President walked up to the podium and began to address the gathering of reporters. "Before we begin, I would like to take this opportunity to announce the appointment of a new executive position with the Hero Public Safety Commission. As of the first of December, Torimodo Misaki has been promoted from her secretarial position within the company to Commissioner of Analytics."

A flurry of hushed conversation spread throughout the room like wildfire for a moment before one of the reporters raised their hand and stood to ask, "Could you explain the role please?"

All conversation ceased as the crowd waited in rapt anticipation of the President's answer to the question.

"Since All Might's retirement, and as a result of everything that has happened in the months that followed, we've decided to place more of an emphasis on social analytics. Torimodo Misaki's role as Commissioner of Analytics is to identify, predict, and respond to social issues within our society as it concerns to the public's perception of heroes and the work they do. The goal in mind is to develop outreach programs which aim to bolster hero support within communities where it's been lacking lately, in hopes of preventing another incident like Deika," the President explained.

A middle-aged, male reporter in the middle of the group raised his hand and stood before asking, "What exactly are Torimodo-san's qualifications for fulfilling this role?"

'Oh, great...' Misaki thought to herself while making a conscious effort not to let her discontent show on her face. She'd been anticipating a question like that, and unfortunately, there was no good answer. It was still one of the biggest thorns in the side of many members of the executive board.

"Commissioner Torimodo has spent the last year as an upper-level employee within the Hero Public Safety Commission developing tools and practices which have been implemented to optimize efficiencies and maximize workflow company wide. A combination of her abilities, work ethic, overall job performance, and the significance of her contributions to the company were evaluated when considering her for this position," the President calmly replied.

The reporter who'd posed the question scoffed slightly and said, "That's all well and good, but what is her background? Relatable experience? Specialized education? What are her actual qualifications?"

"I have none of that," Misaki found herself saying before she could think better of it.

She glanced up at the President apologetically, but the woman just silently held her gaze and stepped back from the podium in a clear invitation for Misaki to take her place. She swallowed heavily as she stood and walked over to the stand, rolling her shoulders back and holding her chin up in a show of confidence that she wasn't really feeling much of at the moment.