Her little glances didn't escape Aerith's notice. She narrowed her eyes and observed Aiden and Jessie. But Jessie must've sensed her stare and started chatting with Tifa, so the matter was dropped.
"Tifa, that guy who asked to replace the water purifier filter last ti still hasn't paid. After dropping Marlene off at school today, I went again, but he got really an and kicked out." Besides helping at the bar, Jessie also made water purifiers. Given Midgar's environnt, clean water was a big issue, so her purifiers sold very well.
"That weapon shop owner again?" Tifa knew the guy. She'd gone a few tis herself, with the sa results as Jessie.
Jessie nodded, face full of displeasure. She frowned. "That guy is always so an. Clearly he uses the purifier happily, but always makes excuses, saying it doesn't work. It's so frustrating."
Thinking of the man's bad attitude, or perhaps feeling so empathy, Tifa also frowned. "It's people like him that keep us from collecting enough funds on ti. Otherwise, we wouldn't have needed Aiden to cover the bill last night."
When Aerith heard Tifa ntion Aiden paying for them, her eyes imdiately turned to his face. Just as she was about to ask what happened after he ca back from the plate last night, Tifa said, "By the way, Aiden, since you want to be Midgar's City Hunter, here's your chance. I want to be your first custor and hire you to collect paynt. How about it?"
"I an, sure, but can't you guys collect it yourselves? Even if the guy is an and doesn't pay, can't you just beat him up? With your strength, it shouldn't be hard, right?" Aiden asked curiously. When playing the ga, he had always wondered this, not just Tifa, but any Avalanche mber could beat the guy half-dead.
"Well, we all live in the sa neighborhood. If we start a fight, it wouldn't look good." Jessie explained.
Tifa nodded from the side, propped her hands on the table and stood up, giving Aiden a pitiful look. "Please, Aiden, I'm your first custor, surely you wouldn't say no, right?"
Looking at Tifa, who was leaning over the table and facing him, Aiden unnaturally swallowed a mouthful of saliva, because he saw the ravine of Tifa's chest, it was just too eye-catching.
However, because Aerith was still beside him, he struggled a bit to shift his gaze and then said, "Of course I won't refuse. Also, because you're my first custor, I won't charge anything this ti."
"Thank you, Aiden!" Tifa smiled like a blooming flower. If Aerith and Jessie weren't beside her, she even wanted to climb over the table and give Aiden a kiss.
"Then let's head out, the two of us!" Tifa seed a little impatient.
"You two? Then what about us?" Aerith looked at Tifa and then pointed at Jessie.
"You two stay here and check today's delivered liquor and food. After all, it'll be used in the afternoon! I think it shouldn't be too hard, right?" Tifa ran to the bar counter, took the list and a pen, and placed them in front of Aerith and Jessie.
"Why do we have to stay behind?!" Aerith shouted discontentedly.
"Because I'm the owner of Seventh Heaven, and you two are helping out, so of course you have to listen to the boss." Tifa played her bar-owner authority.
"Also, it's who hired Aiden. As the employer, I have the right to accompany him, don't you agree, rcenary?"
"Yes, yes." Looking at Aerith's displeased expression, Aiden gave a dry laugh and nodded.
"Alright then. After all, this is your first mission as a Midgar Hunter. No matter what, I should support you." Aerith thought about it and felt she shouldn't be so petty, so she agreed, but her tone still carried a bit of sourness.
As for Jessie, who was sitting across, she had even less to say. After casting a slightly envious glance at Tifa, she grabbed the list and pen, stood up, and went to check the goods.
After leaving Seventh Heaven and not walking far, Tifa naturally held onto Aiden's arm. If not for being almost a whole head shorter than Aiden, she even wanted to lean her head on his shoulder.
But even this was already enough for Aiden. The soft feeling on his arm made him a little restless. If not for his self-control having strengthened recently, he feared he might embarrass himself in broad daylight.
When they passed by Stargazer Heights, an old lady with gray, broom-like hair standing by the railing on the first floor called out to Tifa, "Oh my, Tifa, the man you're hugging so intimately must be your boyfriend, right?"
"Yes, Granny Marle." Tifa gave a sweet smile and admitted directly, "His na is Aiden, and he's stayed here before too."
When Aiden had stayed over at Tifa's house, he always woke up very late, so he had never t the landlady of Stargazer Heights, Granny Marle.
"Good day, Granny Marle." Aiden politely nodded toward the old lady.
"Such a well-mannered child, unlike that cold guy I t this morning." Granny Marle smiled and nodded back to Aiden.
Tifa knew Granny Marle was talking about Cloud. Probably to avoid misunderstandings, she didn't want to explain why Cloud was so cold, and simply said, "Oh, right, Granny Marle, how's the new water purification device working?"
"Very good, the purified water doesn't have any strange sll. That girl Jessie's skills have improved compared to before." Granny Marle praised.
"As long as you think it's good." Although the praise was for Jessie, Tifa still felt happy and said with a smile, "It's also about ti to replace the filter. What do you think?"
"I've been waiting for you to co over. Hold on, I'll go get the money." Granny Marle said, then turned around and went back into the room. Soon she ca back with money.
"Hold it tight, don't let anyone snatch it!" Granny Marle reminded, "The slums haven't been very peaceful lately."
"Don't worry, Granny Marle, my skills are pretty strong." Tifa didn't count the money, just stuffed it into her pocket, then took a filter from Aiden's large bag and handed it to Granny Marle.
"Even so, it's better to leave things like this to Aiden." Granny Marle received the filter and casually put it aside, then said to Aiden, "Tifa is a good girl. Since you're her boyfriend, you have to protect her well."
"Of course." Aiden nodded, "I won't let her get hurt."
"With that, I'm relieved." Seeing the happy smile on Tifa's face, Granny Marle also smiled.
Maybe it was because of old age, but Granny Marle was very talkative, even a bit naggy, and she pulled Tifa into chatting again.
Although Tifa didn't really mind, after a while she still said, "Granny Marle, let's stop here for today. We still have other places to collect paynt for the filter replacents."
"I'm so sorry, I actually forgot you still have things to do. Ah, that's what it's like being old. I hope you don't mind." Granny Marle apologized.
"It's okay." Tifa shook her head, then waved and said, "We'll be going then."
"Goodbye, Tifa, and that young man too." Granny Marle waved as well.
After saying goodbye to Granny Marle, the two of them went on to collect money from a few more houses, and everything went quite smoothly without trouble.
"Finally, there's only one left." Tifa packed away the money and said to Aiden, "Next, we're going to a weapon shop. The owner there is the one Jessie and I ntioned who has a really bad attitude."
"So that's my real target, right!" Aiden patted the bag on his back, there were still quite a few filters left inside. He felt more like a delivery helper.
Tifa hugged Aiden's arm again and nodded, "We could've gone to him first. The others always pay happily and don't owe anything, so we can go to them anyti, but…"
Tifa rubbed Aiden's arm into her chest and said with a blissful expression, "But I just wanted to spend more ti alone with you."
"Then let's walk there slowly. There's still plenty of ti anyway." Aiden checked the ti; it was still far from noon. He affectionately pinched Tifa's nose and said.
"Mm!" Tifa nodded hard, feeling extrely happy inside.
Of course, no matter how slow or how much they dawdled, they soon arrived at the weapon shop.
Standing at the door, Tifa let go of Aiden's arm, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. Aiden followed right behind. Before they could even steady themselves, the shopkeeper behind the counter grumbled, "Hey, you still have the nerve to co here? Your filter is completely useless."
"I'm terribly sorry, please try this new filter, what do you think?" Tifa seed startled, holding a new filter and speaking pitifully.
Aiden frowned imdiately and stepped forward. It was fine when just playing the ga, but now he couldn't tolerate it.
Tifa noticed Aiden's movent, and her heart imdiately felt sweet. She liked this feeling of being protected by soone she loved. In fact, this was her reason for bringing Aiden along.
"No need, just get out!" The weapon shop owner didn't care about Aiden's actions at all. He waved his hands strongly, looking impatient.
"Really sorry, but since you don't want to use it anymore, please settle the previous paynt." Tifa clasped her hands to her chest and continued speaking in a pitiful tone.
"What? No effect, and you still want money?" The weapon shop owner raised his voice. Seeing Aiden already walking up to the counter, he added, "Don't think life is that easy… Hey, what are you doing?"
Aiden reached over the counter, grabbed the owner's collar, and pulled him close, "Pay her. Don't make say it a second ti."
"You want to get violent? I'm warning you, this area has volunteer guards patrolling." The weapon shop owner trembled in fear but still tried to sound tough.
"Volunteer guards? Heh, I'm not from Sector Seven, I'm not afraid of your guards. Even if I beat you up, they won't co after from another sector." Aiden said coldly. Not to ntion that Barret, a volunteer guard, was his acquaintance, even without that, he didn't care.
"And I'm about to say it a second ti." Aiden placed his empty hand on the counter and pressed down hard, instantly leaving a hole in the solid wooden counter.
"I'll pay, I'll pay!" the weapon shop owner said in terror.
"Then, thank you for your patronage." Tifa's pitiful look vanished, replaced by a proud smile, and she gave a small bow.
After coming out of the weapon shop, Tifa patted her bulging wallet and said, "Aiden, it's all thanks to you."
"Actually, even without my help, you could've solved it, right?" Aiden glanced sideways at her.
Tifa didn't answer the question, but checked the ti. Realizing everything had gone so smoothly that it took only a few minutes, she suddenly had an idea. Her face reddened as she said softly, "There's still an hour until noon. Before returning to Seventh Heaven… do you have any plans?"
"No." Aiden shook his head, then thought for a mont and said, "How about we go for a stroll?"
"I've long gotten bored of the nearby places." Tifa clasped her hands behind her back and traced her toes on the ground.
"Then what do you want to do?" Aiden looked down at her and asked.
"This is your first mission, and you didn't even charge a fee. I want to thank you properly." Tifa's face turned even redder and her voice grew quieter, "Before we go back to the bar… co to my place, okay?"
Of course Aiden understood what she ant. He gave a light cough and said, "Well… alright."
Tifa imdiately hugged Aiden's waist with joy.
———
By the ti Aiden and Tifa returned to the bar, it was already 12.30 PM. Seeing the two of them only just coming back, not only Aerith but even Jessie looked puzzled.
"Did it really take that long to collect paynts?" Jessie, holding a clean cloth and wiping a glass, frowned and asked, "Aerith already finished cooking."
"We ran into so trouble with the last one. You know, that guy's not easy to deal with." While Tifa spoke, her face still had a faint blush, but it wasn't noticeable unless you looked closely. And Jessie and Aerith didn't know what that ant anyway.
"I see, no wonder. That guy really is hard to handle." Jessie still seed a bit doubtful, but after glancing at Aiden's serious expression, she nodded.
"Alright, now that you're back, let's eat first." Aerith said, bringing out a bowl of at stew from the bar's kitchen.
Everyone sat around the dining table, but just as they were about to eat, Cloud suddenly appeared, followed by Wedge and Biggs.
"I slled rich at stew. Wedge, Cloud, looks like we ca at just the right ti!" Biggs exclaid upon entering.
"Yeah! I'm starving." Wedge, the official taste-tester for Seventh Heaven's new dishes, smacked his lips.
Cloud didn't say anything, his eyes falling on Aerith, who was serving stew to Aiden. A familiar feeling stirred in his heart, and fragnts of mories began to erge in his mind.
'I think… I know her?'
The mory gradually ford in Cloud's mind, the silhouette of a woman slowly becoming clearer, yet he couldn't see her face clearly. Digging deeper triggered a headache. He held his head, groaning in pain, his body unsteady.
"Are you okay, Cloud?" Wedge quickly supported him with concern, but was answered with even more painful wailing from Cloud.
The others, who were just about to eat, also stood up. Watching Cloud clutch his head in pain, each of them wore different expressions, but all showed concern.
"Let him sit and rest for a bit." Tifa, Cloud's childhood friend, said to Wedge.
Wedge nodded and was about to help Cloud sit on a nearby chair. Just then, Cloud suddenly shoved him away and drew the Buster Sword strapped to his back.
Seeing this, Aiden guessed imdiately, Cloud was being ntally invaded due to Jenova's influence.
"Wedge, get away from him!" Aiden shouted.
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