Yuffie Kisaragi had never been this angry before.
She had never expected Aerith, who looked so gentle and kind on the outside, to come up with such a ruthless form of payback.
Aerith had not only stopped Yuffie's plan from succeeding, she had also seen through it from the start. Then, in that calm older-sister tone of hers, she had said it was all for Yuffie's own good.
She said Yuffie was only sixteen, still a child, and that what she felt right now might be nothing more than a burst of impulse.
She said Yuffie's thinking was not mature enough yet, that she had not properly considered the consequences, and that she might suffer badly later because of it.
In simple terms, they were treating her like a little kid. Not an adult. Not someone mature and steady enough to make her own decisions.
What was that supposed to mean?
It was infuriating.
Yuffie hated being treated like a child more than anything.
She was not acting on impulse either. She had decided that the guy would never change in her heart.
Even if they were separated by two worlds.
And about that separation between two worlds, Aerith had revealed a few things to her. The person Yuffie had set her heart on really was from another world.
He simply could not remain in this world for long.
They might only meet a few times a year. Or perhaps not even for years. Maybe decades.
Could she endure that?
On top of that, Aerith had said the place he came from was extremely dangerous, which meant his life could be at risk at any moment.
Maybe once he left this time, it would be farewell forever. Would they ever meet again?
Yuffie's answer, of course, was yes.
But neither of them believed her. They still treated her like a child.
They stopped her plan with that "it's for your own good" attitude.
What did "for your own good" even mean?
In the end, Aerith and Tifa were just being selfish. They did not want one more person getting involved.
At least, that was what Yuffie stubbornly told herself while sulking.
Aerith was hateful.
What right did she have to decide for Yuffie? She was not Yuffie's family.
Yuffie had called her "big sister," and Aerith had really taken it seriously, acting as if she were Yuffie's actual older sister.
As for Tifa, she was a complete idiot too.
Whatever Aerith said, Tifa listened. Sooner or later, Aerith would sell her off, and Tifa would probably help count the money.
That woman Aerith had clearly pulled Tifa to her side first so they could deal with Yuffie together.
Once Yuffie was taken care of, Tifa would definitely be kicked aside by Aerith, who would keep everything for herself.
Tifa looked so smart, yet Aerith had completely fooled her.
People said love made people stupid, and Tifa was the perfect proof of that.
"Hmph!"
Yuffie let out an unwilling sound and struggled again, but unfortunately, she still could not break free of Tifa's hold.
The main reason was that Aerith had used some kind of magic on her, leaving her unable to muster much strength.
Otherwise, a restraint of this level would have been laughably easy for a super-beautiful ninja girl like her to escape from.
Once she realized struggling was useless and anger was useless too, Yuffie could only glare fiercely at the two of them.
Aerith and Tifa had already ruined her scheme.
Yuffie had expected the two of them would stay by the sleeping man's side, so she had very kindly brought them food, supposedly so they could take better care of him without leaving.
It looked thoughtful on the surface, but in reality, it was her plan. She had slipped a sedative into the meal, enough to make the two of them sleep for quite a while.
To avoid suspicion, she had eaten with them as well. However, she had taken an antidote in advance.
Or at least, that was how things were supposed to go.
But the two of them had clearly seen through her from the start.
Aerith had neutralized the sedative, and Tifa had caught Yuffie before she could do anything reckless.
Afterward, the two of them made Yuffie change into a strange outfit as punishment.
It was called a Christmas outfit.
Aerith and Tifa were wearing the same style as well.
Then they brought over two cardboard boxes.
One was extremely plain. That one was set aside for Yuffie, mostly as a joke, though Aerith still made sure she could breathe properly and move enough to stay comfortable.
The other was a large cardboard box that looked exactly like an oversized gift box.
Aerith and Tifa hid themselves inside that box, then closed the lid.
What were they doing?
"Aerith, about this…"
"Tifa, you still think it would be better to send Yuffie out, don't you?"
"Ah, that's not what I meant."
"Or are you embarrassed because Yuffie knows what we're planning? Don't worry, I'm embarrassed too. Consider it Yuffie's punishment."
How dare she drug them and try to make the first move before they did? Aerith was petty enough to tease Yuffie for it.
"Shh."
Just as Tifa was about to say something, Aerith suddenly gestured for silence.
Because the man who had slept for an entire day was about to wake up.
...
The battle with Sephiroth had felt like fighting a world boss in an online game, one with an absurdly thick health bar.
To deal with that kind of opponent, you had to bring enough red and blue potions, then brute-force the fight by drinking potions until the other side's health bar was finally ground down.
So this was also the first time Kain had ever fought for so long.
He opened his eyes. After a solid sleep, he sat up.
The layout of the room before him told him that he had been brought to Aerith's room.
Of course, he had not collapsed right after the battle ended.
On the way back, Aerith had given him a lap pillow and told him to rest properly. When he woke up, there would be a surprise waiting for him.
Once his head rested on her thighs, that gentle warmth had made him lower every guard and close his eyes.
Now that he was awake, was the surprise she mentioned the large gift box in front of him?
With how sharp his senses were, he could tell there were two sets of breathing inside the large gift box, both slightly quickened.
Behind the large gift box, against the wall, there was another box. A very crude-looking one. There was breathing inside that one too, along with a faint annoyed huff.
What kind of surprise was Aerith trying to play on him?
He stepped up to the large gift box. Beside the huge bow tied around it was a heart-shaped note.
The words written on it made him pause.
This is a Christmas gift for Mr. Kain. We hope you'll like it.
This really was an unexpected surprise.
It felt like the kind of scene that should only happen in a story.
He opened the box.
Inside were Aerith and Tifa in Christmas outfits, both blushing with embarrassment.
"Mr. Kain," Aerith said with a playful note in her voice, "next, we're going to make one of your daydreams come true."
"We mean the Christmas scene from the footage you collected," Tifa added, her voice full of embarrassment. "The one with 'Aerith' and 'Tifa.'"
"The difference is that we're real," the two of them said together.
That really was a fantasy he had once imagined, and despite himself, his face warmed slightly.
It felt like a dream.
But this was reality.
A fantasy had truly stepped into the real world.
Before anything else could happen, however, Aerith walked over to Yuffie and lifted the plain box away.
Yuffie immediately showed her an extremely angry expression, as if she might bite.
"Honestly…"
What was she sighing for?
"Yuffie."
Aerith placed both hands on Yuffie's shoulders, her expression more serious than Yuffie had ever seen it.
"I wasn't joking about a single thing I told you before regarding Mr. Kain. Are you sure you've thought this through? After he leaves tomorrow, it may be farewell forever. He might never be able to come back to this world."
In truth, Aerith was certain he could still return, because she had seen fragments of a farther future.
"I'm sure! Completely sure!"
"You won't regret it?"
"I won't regret it!"
Yuffie confirmed it again.
At that moment, she was not angry at Aerith, because she knew Aerith truly was thinking about her.
All those complaints she had screamed inside her own head earlier—calling Aerith vicious and assuming the worst of her—had only been Yuffie throwing a tantrum and deliberately reading things in the ugliest way possible.
Aerith studied her for a moment, then sighed softly.
"Then remember that feeling. Keep it safe. But for tonight, you're still sixteen, and I'm not letting you rush into something you can't take back."
Yuffie opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out.
Aerith's tone left no room for negotiation.
"When you're older, if your answer is still the same, then no one will have the right to laugh at you or treat it like a childish whim. But tonight, your punishment ends here."
Yuffie looked away, still resentful.
If Aerith had already seen through her plan, then she should have just exposed it from the start. Why wait until Yuffie acted, then jump out and catch her?
This had to be on purpose.
Aerith really was wicked enough to mess with her like that.
After that, Aerith asked Tifa to take Yuffie to another room and help her calm down.
The rest of the night belonged to the adults.
Whatever happened after the door closed was private, quiet, and left unspoken.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]