Work Text:
Her name, Sonia Nevermind.
The words, although foreign, sounded smooth and calming. She spoke softly, yet she had enough umph to carry her voice across the room. The power and control she held impressed many of her new classmates, and that fact made the edges of her lips lift upwards into a small smile. She felt confident and elegant, the aura of her presence radiated off of her, as if luring others to go talk to her. She seemed to be the popular foreign type, impressing everyone she met.
Now if only she could tell them her talent.
?/16
-
Sonia Nevermind was a mystery, her past a secret. The rumors that spread after she decline to reveal her talent cut deeper than any knife ever had. She sighed, eyes glazed over and she stared down into her desk.
After only a few weeks at Hope's Peak Academy, she wished once again to redo her introduction. She royally screwed up, but her body hid the nervousness that wracked her soul on that first day in class. She was so excited to attend the school, especially with her liege and best friend attending alongside her.
Welp. At least she still had him.
That morning, she arrived early as always, immediately seated at her desk behind her liege. Her posture was perfect, (it always is), and not a strand of hair was out of place. If not for her subtle movements, she could've just been a life-size porcelain doll seated at a desk.
The blonde sighed softly, mumbling some foreign words to herself as she typed furiously into her phone. The recipient of the messages seemed to have been elsewhere, and if anyone in the room bothered to connect the dots, it was almost obvious whom the texts were to. After all, the supposed SHSL Leader, the person she spent the most time with (the only person), was absent from the room once again, and she, once again, was texting hurriedly. The supposed leader, Hajime Hinata, the boy who sat in front of her, the boy who was actually the SHSL Prince.
Hinata always seemed to be late, along with the class president. Their excuses of “leaderly business" may have fooled some, but Sonia could have sworn something else was going on. Her liege and the class president may have been friendly in general, but the excessive amount of time the two spent each morning together was… odd. Especially since the president wasn't the most… alert person. Her being awake at such an early time confused Sonia, and Sonia knew that Hinata coming into the class at the same time as the small girl was never a coincidence.
The jewelry maker that was the class president was sweet and kind, but even Sonia never really conversed with the girl enough to say they were close. Group gatherings were the only social events that tied her to anyone in her class, and even then she barely spoke.
Some would find it strange that the SHSL “Leader” wasn't the class president, and if she didn't know any better, she would be apart of the confused group. But she knew Hinata rather not take on the responsibility if he didn't have to. He didn't find himself worthy, and he was already shouldering the burden of being next in line to the Novosleician crown.
Surprisingly, the SHSL Yakuza was the first to support his decline to the position. The silver haired woman with the silver tongue was a good family friend and business partner to the royal family, and since she visited the island multiple times before, her recognition of the two natives in her class was no surprise. Eventually the class gave in, and ended up choosing the soft spoken Jewelry maker. An odd choice, but with her amicable aura and charming smile, she was a class favorite.
And while Nanami Chiaki was loved, Sonia Nevermind was hated. Or was it just feared?
4/16 (?)
-
The wooden floorboards of the dojo calmed her. Sure, she had a western-style technique versus the Japanese-style the dojo was meant for, but that didn't stop her from being comforted by the feeling of wood under her feet. In truth, she was fascinated by the eastern-style of swordfighting, wanting to learn it herself. Perhaps she’d have to ask Pekoyama to teach her one day.
“... Hey,” a figure stood by the screen door, shaking Sonia out of her stupor. The wry smile the chef gave her made her shudder; while she knew he meant no ill will, (probably), the eerie smiles he gave put her on edge.
“Hello there, Komaeda-san,” Sonia politely replied, turning around to face the boy. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “did you need something?”
“Nah, I just poked into this room on a whim! I guess my luck granted me to see an ultimate at work,” his smile grew, but then dropped down to form a thin line, face darkening, “isn’t that right… Little miss swordswoman?” He giggled as he watched her eyes grow slightly, “it.. Wasn’t all that hard to figure out.”
“...” she didn’t reply, instead ignoring the chef and spun on her heel to turn around, hair fluttering behind her. She picked up her sheathed sword off the ground from where she left it, and debated whether or not she should continue to train or try to leave. Komaeda answered that question for her.
“Oh, don’t mind me! I’ll be on my way. Oh, and I won’t tell anyone of your secret, though I’m sure most of them know already anyways….”
Sonia closed her eyes and breathed.
5/16
-
It didn’t surprise her. That Nanami figured out her talent. For being such a lethargic girl, the class president was quite smart and a quick learner, picking up on small details of others and quickly figuring them out.
“.... I won’t tell anyone,” Nanami’s soft, pink eyes gazed into Sonia’s pale, green ones.
Sonia sighed and sipped her tea. Nanami surprised her by asking to share a cup of tea alone, but it turned out just to be an excuse to inform the blonde that she held the knowledge of her talent. “I.. I would appreciate that. Thank you, Nanami-san.”
The two sat in silence for a while, sipping the peach tea from their cups. Multiple times Nanami opened her mouth to speak, only to shut it again and glance away. It seemed she couldn’t work up the nerve to speak.
“You know, your hair is cute in a ponytail.”
The sudden comment from the blonde startled Nanami, almost making her spill the hot tea onto herself, but she managed to catch herself in time. Another strand of her pink locks fell in front of her face, making the girl huff and move it back in place behind her ear. She smiled softly and giggled along with Sonia, all the previous tension and awkwardness from earlier fading away as they delved into a normal conversation.
6/16
-
“Tch. I’m not gonna keep cleaning up after everyone in class,” Kuzuryuu rolled his eyes, “everyone needs to stop getting hurt, those dumb idiots.” The nurse was bandaging Sonia’s arm as Tsumiki squeaked from behind.
“I-I’m so sorryyyyy!!!!”the mechanic cried, fumbling with the small, metal object in her hand.
“S-stop crying, you big baby!” Kuzuyruu’s attempt to calm down the frightened girl old made it worse, tears escaping the girl’s eyes as she shook in her spot next to Sonia.
Sonia sighed, pulling away her arm as the nurse finished bandaging her up, “don’t worry, Tsumiki-san, I’ve had worse cuts than this. Tripping over one of your metal devices was merely an accident, so there’s no need to worry.” The smile Sonia dawned in an attempted to calm down the other girl barely worked, but it did manage to stop the tears from falling so much.
“I-is that b-because you’re a s-swordfighter?” Tsumiki asked meekly, earning surprise looks from the other two in the room, neither knowing how to respond.
“Heh, seems you really are bad at keeping a secret, blondie,” Kuzuryuu smirked, closing one eye.
“Hmph,” Sonia flicked the nurse’s forehead before crossing her arms, “I did a fine job, mind you. I just stopped trying to hide it, is all.”
“Sure, Jan”
7/16
-
**Click**
Sonia blinked, the flash had temporarily blinded her, making her see spots in her vision. She glanced around, searching for the source of the enemy. She crouched down and got into battle stance, drawing her weapon. Her immediate reaction of fight or flight, (mostly just fight. Flight only in dire need to protect her liege), led her to having the tip of her sword pointed at her classmate. The photographer gulped, dropping the camera to hang freely around his neck as he raised his hands up in surrender.
“I’msorryfortakingyourpicturepleasedontkillme!!” Souda cried out, shutting his eyes as if to brace himself for the inevitable.
“I'm not going to kill you, Souda-san! You… you just startled me, that's all,” she put away her sword and place a hand over her mouth, “my apologies for giving you a fright!”
“Er, n-no! It's all good! Sorry for freaking you out, ahah, it's all my fault! Don't worry about it, miss!” Souda nervously laughed off her words, scratching his cheek.
“Ah, well I do apologise for my behavior, and for almost killing you.”
“It's fine, man. I doubt you'd actually kill me… Right?”
“...”
“W-well then! I'm sure your silence is just to freak me out! Haha, very funny!” He tugged at the beanie on his head, “m-miss Sonia….” he whimpered, cowering at her seemingly blank expression.
She laughed. She didn't know why, but she did. The blank expression previously on her face broke into a smile, and laughter spilled from her lips. The sorta awkward conversation they were having divulged into a series of laughing fits by the blonde beauty, while the photographer sat stunned, eyes wide and slightly embarrassed.
“My apologies, I’m not quite sure what came over me, but seeing you about to cry like a child caught with, um, 'a hand in the cookie jar’ was quite humorous!” she said after calming down, clearing her throat for good measure.
“Um. It’s, uh, it’s fine, I guess?”
After that, they continued to talk about little things. From the weather to funny memories they shared with their classmates, the conversation stayed upbeat as they smiled and had a nice time. It was when the nighttime announcement rang that they noticed the time.
“Oh, it seems like it’s getting late…. we outta head back to our dorms before Yukizome-sensei comes to kick our butts ‘cause of curfew,” Souda sighed, fiddling with his camera.
“Of course....” she paused, staring off into space for a moment before speaking, “you... you can take a picture of me, if you want to do so. I trust you enough. Enough to tell you my talent.”
“H-huh? Why? There’s nothin’ special about me or anything.”
“Well, as I said, I trust you. Besides, it was about time I let the truth be known,” she sighed, tucking back her hair behind her ear. She took a breath, and then looked him in the eyes and stated the word “swordswoman.”
“W-what?” his eyes widened, confusion obvious in his face.
“My talent. That’s what is it.”
The strange conversation was still odd to Souda, but he supposed it was normal compared to the other wackiness of his other classmates. He smiled slightly at her comment, glad that it seemed as though she was opening up to him. His shark-toothed grin dawned his face as they parted ways and he realized he wasn’t so lonely or an outcast in the school. The odd mix of the students let him blend in just fine, and it was an oasis in the harsh desert that was his life.
He grew up around beauty and nature in his backyard and he, wanting to treasure it, learned to take photos of it all. He learned later on he especially liked taking photos of people, along with their smiling faces. That's why he wanted to talk to Sonia and introduce himself personally, possibly even asking to take a photo of her. He just wanted a picture of a dazzling, genuine smile.
The click of the camera made him smile, even if it was just a tiny bit. Picking up the camera and joining photography club were the best decisions in his life, for it led him here, even if his father highly disapproved. Entering Hope's Peak Academy as a photographer was disappointing to his father, but Souda couldn't care less. Seeing other people’s smiles and their happiness always made up for his lack of one.
He even dyed his hair pink as an act of rebellion against his father (who wanted him to become more “manly”), the color has stuck with him, and he learned to love the vibrancy that makes him unique. All he wanted was a genuine smile out of the mysterious blonde who only showed a poker face or a facade of happiness--he recognized the mask immediately, for it was something he had himself.
He was glad he finally cracked her mask.
8/16
---
“Hm, so it seems the shining one was indeed a woman who divulges in the art of the blade! I have met few on my travels abroad, but my senses recognized your aura immediately! The great racer, Tanaka Gundam, is never mistaken!”
“... I guess he’s glad his hunch was right?” Hinata scratched the back of his neck.
Sonia blushed, was she really that obvious? Was Kuzuryuu-san actually right?
“Too be fair, you do carry around a bag for your sword, and while it’s not that obvious to what’s inside, you always head up to the dojo on your free time. That, or the gun range our school has for some reason,” Nanami points out, tilting her head, “that’s how I figured it out, anyways.”
“I knew as well,” Komaeda added, “I don't think Nevermind-san was trying very hard to hide it, though.”
“Huh? Marshmallow knew your talent?” Owari, the SHSL Animal breeder, wondered out loud, “I had no clue! How’d he figure it out?”
Nidai, the SHSL Musician, responded, “Haha! I think Nevermind hid it superbly!” He bellowed, shaking the room slightly, “it's amazing how some people figured it out!”
“Heh! Maybe to you! But it was pretty obvious Big Sis had a talent related to fighting and stuff!” Saionji said cheerfully. The ice skater smiled in a carefree way, “didn't you think so too, Big Sis Mahiru?
Koizumi smiled awkwardly, the ballerina laughing nervously at the comment, “er, actually I, uh, didn't know….”
“Wha-”
Saionji was cut off by a cacophony of sounds, the rest of the class chiming in on whether or not they knew, along with comments and reactions on everyone else's knowledge of the fact. As it turns out, a lot of the class did have a sneaking suspicion of her talent.
Mitarai, the SHSL Actor, turned out to have known off the fact they saw her carrying her sword out in the open once. They mentioned discussing the matter with the SHSL Costume designer, who isn't actually an SHSL due to declining the option of attending Hope's Peak, but that's another matter entirely. Hanamura, SHSL Farmer, (claims to be Garderner, but no one cares,) pretended as if he knew, but no one believed him. Others, such as Pekoyama and Kuzuryuu, surprised everyone at their knowledge of Sonia's talent, but the Yakuza stated she personally met with the swordswoman at a fencing tournament before. Kuzuryuu implied he knew her as a patient once, but other than that he said nothing. Mioda was clueless. The coach admitted she didn't want to pry to find out, which was touching until she decided that Sonia had to join her daily training she did with the other athletic classmates.
“I'm glad you finally decided to announce your talent, Nevermind-san!” the class turned to their teacher, Yukizome, standing at her desk and smiling. The former SHSL Student Council President stacked her papers as she started getting ready for class, “now that everyone finally knows, we can start class!” She winked towards Sonia.
Welp. It turns out her teacher already knew as well. Sonia seemed to be awfully bad at keeping her talent a secret.
16/16