“ think it’ll work? ” hajime says to the reflection of sonia in tanaka's glass casket. no matter how many times you've checked up on him, it's odd to see the breeder so... still. so oddly serene, as if not wanting to leave his coma. you know that he would fight for his life, & sonia is well aware. but is bringing them back to life this way such a good idea?
“It does not matter what I think,” Sonia answered solemnly, gaze never moving from Tanaka’s face. “It has to work, does it not? We have no other choice.”
Ever since she had awoken from the ruined paradise that was the Neo World Program, Sonia’s every waking hour had been consumed with worry for their sleeping classmates - as well as a deep, unsettling feeling of guilt. Of course, they were all in the same scenario, those of them who had ‘survived’ the killing game, but that did precious little to alleviate her concerns. How should they know if their classmates were to ever recover? There was no guarantee of such things - only the vague idea that they ought to hope.
“We ought to hope,” the princess repeated aloud, lips pursed. They had suffered enough, surely; their time at Hope’s Peak cut short by the tragedy, their classmate killed in cold blood, and then forced through a killing game - surely it was their right to a fairytale ending, of sorts. Surely they had earned this peaceful future. “and have faith that they shall fight for their future, as we have done.”
Normally, in this sort of scenario, Sonia would give some sort of inspiring speech; declare victory before the war has even begun, foster morale and act as the royal beacon of hope a princess ought to be -
however, the keyword there truly was normally. She no longer had a kingdom to defend, citizens who had faith in their leader; she had no right to go about declaring her virtues when she was as guilty as anybody else.
“Do you think he - and, they, too - will awaken?” Sonia asked, addressing Hinata directly, expression somewhat tearful, “I don’t suppose you have any ideas, do you? Is there nothing we can do?”
