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 me to replace the water purifier filter last time still hasn't paid. After dropping Marlene off at school today, I went again, but he got really mean and kicked me out." Besides helping at the bar, Jessie also made water purifiers. Given Midgar's environment, 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 times herself, with the same results as Jessie.
Jessie nodded, face full of displeasure. She frowned. "That guy is always so mean. 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 some empathy, Tifa also frowned. "It's people like him that keep us from collecting enough funds on time. Otherwise, we wouldn't have needed Aiden to cover the bill last night."
When Aerith heard Tifa mention Aiden paying for them, her eyes immediately turned to his face. Just as she was about to ask what happened after he came 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 customer and hire you to collect payment. How about it?"
"I mean, sure, but can't you guys collect it yourselves? Even if the guy is mean 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 game, he had always wondered this, not just Tifa, but any Avalanche member could beat the guy half-dead.
"Well, we all live in the same 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 customer, 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 customer, I won't charge anything this time."
"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 seemed 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 me who hired Aiden. As the employer, I have the right to accompany him, don't you agree, mercenary?"
"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 name 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 met 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 met 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 smell. 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 time to replace the filter. What do you think?"
"I've been waiting for you to come over. Hold on, I'll go get the money." Granny Marle said, then turned around and went back into the room. Soon she came 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 payment for the filter replacements."
"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 mentioned 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 anytime, but…"
Tifa rubbed Aiden's arm into her chest and said with a blissful expression, "But I just wanted to spend more time alone with you."
"Then let's walk there slowly. There's still plenty of time anyway." Aiden checked the time; it was still far from noon. He affectionately pinched Tifa's nose and said.
"Mm!" Tifa nodded hard, feeling extremely 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 come here? Your filter is completely useless."
"I'm terribly sorry, please try this new filter, what do you think?" Tifa seemed startled, holding a new filter and speaking pitifully.
Aiden frowned immediately and stepped forward. It was fine when just playing the game, but now he couldn't tolerate it.
Tifa noticed Aiden's movement, and her heart immediately felt sweet. She liked this feeling of being protected by someone 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 payment." 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 me say it a second time."
"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 come after me from another sector." Aiden said coldly. Not to mention that Barret, a volunteer guard, was his acquaintance, even without that, he didn't care.
"And I'm about to say it a second time." 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 time. 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 moment 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 me 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… come to my place, okay?"
Of course Aiden understood what she meant. He gave a light cough and said, "Well… alright."
Tifa immediately hugged Aiden's waist with joy.
———
By the time 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 payments?" Jessie, holding a clean cloth and wiping a glass, frowned and asked, "Aerith already finished cooking."
"We ran into some 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 meant anyway.
"I see, no wonder. That guy really is hard to handle." Jessie still seemed 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 meat 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 smelled rich meat stew. Wedge, Cloud, looks like we came at just the right time!" Biggs exclaimed 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 fragments of memories began to emerge in his mind.
'I think… I know her?'
The memory gradually formed 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 immediately, Cloud was being mentally invaded due to Jenova's influence.
"Wedge, get away from him!" Aiden shouted.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y