TOTP, Episode Aerith, Scenes 15-21
Final Fantasy VII Remake: Traces of Two Pasts
Episode 2: Aerith
Scenes 15-21
A Light Novel by Kazushige Nojima
Translated by Stanley (@istanleyff7 on twitter)
Scene 15
"My mother and I think alike. There are too many names, and we didn't know whether they're good or not. So we said, that's good enough. This name will be somewhat fine. Whew, perfect.'
"But you're Aerith now, aren't you? So there was an issue after all?
"Yeah it was a big one. In terms of the number of incidents, I don't think you’ll beat me to it, Tifa."
She let out a huge sigh, and Tifa then showed sympathy for her struggles.
It was the day after they decided on the name 'Rona'. Marvin came down in the morning, Roger in the evening. And the day after that, Bauman came down in the morning and Lewis in the evening. All of them brought gifts for Rona, the daughter of a relative taken in by Elmyra Gainsborough. She was the wife and the representative of Clay, the second in charge, who was the representative of Gabriel, the first in charge. Apparently, the news spread quickly to everyone who was related to the business. The old-fashioned room on the second floor turned into a vibrant space full of primary colours because of the children's souvenirs.
Aerith particularly liked the 'animal cards' and 'plant cards' that Bauman had brought over. With Elmyra's permission, she pasted the cards on the wall. She was able to lose track of time gazing at the illustrations of unknown creatures. It's not that she didn't like the other gifts - such as the books and the dolls. Whatever it was, the experience of receiving things like gifts and souvenirs was new and exciting. Except in the mornings and evenings when she had to attend to her guests, mainly the members that were the third in charge, Elmyra still spent her time outside. Rodin secretly told Aerith that Elmyra no longer went to the station but roamed around the slums. She wonders if Clay was wandering the streets because he couldn't go home for some reason. That's what she thinks.
"And then, the night came."
Tifa then nodded quietly next to her.
"My mother, Ifalna, came that night and looked down the corridor with a troubled look on her face. I got out of bed, opened the door and looked down the aisle. I could see the light downstairs. I went down and saw my mother, Elmyra, washing the dishes and scrubbing them clean in the kitchen. I could smell the grass. It had a thick, stuffy smell.
I thought I heard voices, and I saw a trooper standing at the door."
Aerith thought that Shinra's soldiers had come to take her away. Startled, he called for Elmyra, but she did not move. Her voice was not heard, and the trooper turned to look at her. Then he took off his helmet. He was the man she had only seen in pictures.
His face was dirty, and when looked closely, he could be seen covered in mud. He really looked like he had been wandering around a lot.
However, Clay was only just looking around his surroundings and looked like he was unsure where to go. Elmyra didn't notice him, even though the Clay she loves was right over there!
Sure enough, she can't hear her.
Clay closes his eyes tightly and opens them again. He probably thought that this would change the scene in front of him. What was he seeing? He closed and opened them again and rubbed them with the back of his hands repeatedly. He let out a loud sigh and then crouched down at where he stood. Even though she tried to get closer, her legs would not move.
As expected, Aerith couldn't be heard. Clay sprawled his body on the floor, and it looked like he used all his strength to do so. His lips were moving. Aerith wondered what he was saying and then focused on his consciousness.
“Elmyra, I'm sorry,” Aerith felt that he said that.
"Clay, no! Mummy, please look here!" Aerith yelled.
After that, she woke up. She was on her own bed. However, she firmly believed that it was not a dream. Clay passed away. Moments before his death, his spirit connected with the planet, and he probably went to see the place he had wanted to visit the most before he died. She wondered if he had seen Elmyra.
Aerith got out of bed, went downstairs, and saw Elmyra standing in the kitchen, washing the dishes. There was no longer any unusual smell.
Elmyra turned around with a puzzled expression.
"A man you really really love just died. His heart came a long way to say goodbye. But he couldn't stay 'cause he had to return to the planet."
Elmyra looked at her in silence.
"Are you saying that Clay is dead?"
"Yes. But, I think he had properly returned to the planet."
"Aerith. Go back to your bed."
There was undeniable anger in her voice. Aerith's chest tightened.
"Clay had returned to the planet. He'll always be connected with you, Mummy. That's why..."
Elmyra forcefully took Aerith in her arms, carried her up the stairs and put her back in bed as if she were luggage. She slammed the door and left, with her anger lingering in the room. Aerith covered herself with her blanket and cried. She wasn't crying because she had angered Elmyra. She was sad that Elmyra could not see Clay.
She felt Ifalna's presence was very close to her. Even though she had her blanket, she knew it was her.
She peered out of the blanket and saw a kind face, but Ifalna looked different than usual. Aerith could see the wall through her face, and she could see through Ifalna's body. She looked like Clay just before he disappeared.
Aerith jumped up in a panic. Her mother's face blended in with the patterns on the wall. Her lips were moving, and she was saying something, but Aerith couldn't hear anything. She reached out to feel Ifalna, but she lost her balance and fell off the bed. Her whole body hurt, but she bore with it and searched for her mother. Her whole body was disappearing, and her mouth was moving. As expected, she couldn't hear her voice, and she completely disappeared. There was no longer a sign of anyone.
The next day was quiet. When Aerith woke up, Elmyra had already left the house. She had prepared a simple meal for her and left a note saying that she would be out until evening before returning home and that she would not have any guests today. Aerith finished her meal and went back upstairs to her room. She opened a drawer from her desk and took out a small pouch. In it, was a white materia that Ifalna had given her. She placed it on the palm of her hand and grasped it tightly. She then felt at ease. That was the only thing that did not change.
In the evening, the door opened quietly. The sound of footsteps, followed by the pull of a chair, can be heard if listened carefully. Aerith concealed her footsteps and headed downstairs. She saw Elmyra sitting at her usual seat at the dining table, sprawled on the table, and could hear her weeping. Elmyra probably noticed Aerith's presence and turned around to look at her. Her eyes were deep red.
"The news came from Shinra. The helicopter he was on crashed into the forest. Because he went away from the crash site, it seems that they discovered him late. He probably tried to exit the forest. Why didn't he just stand by and wait? He was always like that."
"He wanted to see you, Mummy. That's why he walked. He came to see you."
"And then he returned to the Planet? Stop talking about that already."
"Why did he return to the Planet! His home is here, isn't it? Shouldn't this be the only place he returns to? That's a reason why he couldn't do that, and because of that, he's dead. No matter what anyone says, Clay's already..."
Elmyra raised her cries and bawled like a child. Aerith chest tightened by the sight of an adult crying.
"But even so, he returned to the Planet! We are connected with the Planet! That's why he'll always be together with you!"
"Aerith, I beg you. Stop it already, please."
"But I lost my Mummy Ifalna too! I won't believe that she didn't return to the Planet, I won't!"
Over the next few days, Elmyra and Aerith were companions overcome by grief. They spent their time together, huddled together, and the warmth of each other's body was an antidote that relieved their loneliness. Butch and colleagues took turns to come and check on them after hearing of Clay's death. It seemed that Rodin told his colleagues to deliver Elmyra some food after finding out that Elmyra had even lost the will to do her house chores. Carlo appeared on behalf of Meguro, who was not feeling well. It was Aerith's first time meeting him. He was a tall, thin young man and had black, wet-looking hair combed down backwards. He seemed restless and always had some part of his body moving. Aerith was afraid of him at first because he gave a strong hooligan-like impression, but he was kind to Aerith from the start. To her surprise, Carlo volunteered to do all the house chores. Elmyra disliked him, but she tolerated him coming in and out of the house. Her spirits must have been so low.
A week or so has passed. There was a loud noise of tableware breaking in the kitchen. It did not seem like minor damage. Elmyra and Aerith were upstairs, but they couldn't ignore it and went to take a look at the situation.
Elmyra stared at the vast number of broken fragments scattered about the floor. Carlo drooped his head to the side.
"I have no idea. These were collected and given by Gabriel when Clay and I first got together."
"That probably isn't cheap... Or should I say, it's perhaps an exceptionally top-grade item? My apologies, Elmyra. I looked in the cupboard and saw a lot of dust... I can’t stand things being dusty, so I couldn't help myself but clean it..."
Elmyra was still staring at the fragments, ignoring Carlo, who was looking at her. Carlo, having given up on words of forgiveness, squatted down and began to pick up the broken pieces.
"Hey, Carlo. Can you go home now?”
"Elmyra," he said in a shameful voice. "Give me a chance."
"It's not that. If you pick up the pieces like that, won't you hurt yourself? I'll clean up afterwards. You go back. I'll talk to Meguro and tell him that you've helped a lot. Yes, that's the truth. You've helped me out."
"You are so simple. You have to hide your emotions more to get ahead in this world."
Carlo slapped himself on the face, and his expression changed.
"Well then, I'll get going now, and call me if anything comes up. And, about the injury on your face, I'm sorry."
"I fell on my own, you know."
"No..." Carlo shook his head in denial. "I don't know how to apologise to Clay otherwise."
His voice was trembling. They looked at Carlo in surprise. He was crying.
"'He was a good man. He was always there for me when I made a fool of myself, scolding me and even connected me to Gabriel. I can't believe he's gone..."
"Hey, don't cry. It isn't cool."
The usual Elmyra was back. Carlo rubbed the area around his eyes with his arm and grinned.
“You too,” he awkwardly remarked and left.
"Well then..." Elmyra said as she looked around the house, "They've cleaned the place pretty well, but it's far off my standards! I'll have to clean the whole house. Aerith. No, Rona. Do you have the energy to help?"
Aerith was surprised by her own cheerful voice.
"Then we did a major cleanup of the whole house together. Firstly, we cleared the broken fragments, then we opened all the windows and used a feather duster and a broom to get rid of the dust and the tears — Mum loves to clean, she has many brooms and mops in the house. She cut the handle of one of them with a saw for my use. We wiped the house down the next day. Once the house was clean, it was time to remodel the home. We decided to change the curtains in my room and the cover of my bed. It was then that we went shopping for the first time. It was the first time that we went out together.”
They were walking down an alleyway that continued from the front of their house and went past the neighbourhood "Sector 5 House" orphanage. Children around the same age as Aerith leapt out and blocked their way.
"You're Rona, right?", "Rona? She's Rona?", "You're an orphan?" , "Nope, I heard she's an adopted kid. How lucky!", "Come live here!", "How cute...", "Why are you so flashy?"
Aerith was disorientated by the rapid succession of crude remarks pouring down onto her and hid behind Elmyra. She felt uncomfortable because she wasn't addressed by 'Rona' when it was just the both of them back home. After Carlo left, the self-consciousness that she's Rona was also diminishing. She was feeling nervous, and then someone touched her hair from the side. Startled by the suddenness, Aerith let out a small shriek.
"If you pick on Rona, you'll get in trouble."
"I wasn't picking on her!"
"Yeah, she wasn't. I was just shocked. She isn't a bad kid."
"If that's the case, it's fine, but..."
"No, no, this is not fine." Elmyra butted in. "Jean, who would y'all get in trouble with?"
Elmyra frowned at the reply of Jean, the older boy.
"Did you hear about Rona from Carlo?"
"Yup, that's right. If we make Rona from the Gainsborough household cry, he'll make us cry threefold."
"Well, Rona, don't be shy. Say hi to them. These kids are from the Sector 5 House. They're like neighbours to us, so be nice to them, okay?"
"Hello, I'm Rona. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you!" A cheerful voice replied.
"I'm Sarah", "I'm Zoey", "I'm Glad", "I'm Yoko", "This is Ayumu. She's my sister."
Ayumu was the girl who touched her hair.
"'I'm Jean,' said the older boy at last. "You can come and play with us whenever you want."
"Do you want to play now?"
Ayumu invited her. The children all looked at her with eyes of expectancy, and that tickled Aerith. It was the first time that so many children of the same age, even though it's six of them, were staring at her. When she was at a loss as to how to respond, Elmyra stepped in to help.
"My bad, you all, but we're going shopping today. I'd like Rona to choose lots of things, so I can't leave her here. Please let her play with you all next time."
Elmyra took Aerith by the hand, and after a short distance, she looked back to see the children staring at her. One of the children, who introduced herself as Sarah, waved her tiny hand across her chest. After she waved back, the other children waved wildly in return. What a happy sight, wasn't it? Until they were out of sight, Aerith turned around and continued to wave her hand.
"It seems like you all can get along, doesn't it?"
Aerith was then introduced to numerous acquaintances of Elmyra, including a café owner and the town doctor. They were all very friendly. Before they parted, Elmyra told them about Clay's death as if it were just another topic. Before they could express any surprise or words of condolences or sympathy, she would add, "I miss him, but having her helps me take my mind off him."
Before the slight smile on their faces faded off, Elmyra would walk away.
"I'm sorry, Aerith, for using this as an excuse to end the conversation. But I don't want to talk too much about Clay. It's probably better for me to talk about it, but for now, let me do this, please."
"Okay. I'm fine with it. But, I'm Rona, right?"
"Ahhh, yes. Rona. Even when it's just the both of us, I'll still have to address you as 'Rona'."
It was one week after the introduction of Rona. Aerith was playing with the children in front of the Sector 5 House when she saw Meguro walking down the road. His pure white suit stood out against the earthy-coloured road. She was told earlier that he was coming over to visit and promised Elmyra that she would play at the House until then. A boy, probably around ten years old, was walking behind him. He was wearing relaxed-fitting trousers, a bright white shirt and had a bored look on his face. There was also a girl who walked up behind him. She was wearing a skirt, with the hem almost touching the ground, which was a rarity in the slums. She pinched her area around her thighs, and it looked like she had difficulty walking. She was wearing an ornate blouse and a large hat. With one look, they were three people who appeared to be well off.
'Rona' (Aerith) understood the meaning of what she was seeing. Even though the impression was that Meguro was coming over alone, that was not the case. He had brought his children with him. In other words, the real Rona had come.
She apologised to her playmates and ran down the road. She then ran through the planked road in the garden and darted into the house.
"'Mummy, it's Mr Meguro. He's with his children. The real Rona is here!"
Elmyra did not seem too disturbed.
"'He didn't tell me that he would be with his children."
"You mean the name? He isn't a shallow guy. He'll understand. I'm sure he already knows it too."
Meguro first introduced his son, Marcellus, then his daughter, Rona. Rona was looking at Aerith, who was not hiding her curiosity. Meguro then opened his attache case and took out three white flowers. He gives one to Marcellus and the other to Rona. Elmyra looked at the remaining one, which Meguro was holding onto.
"I'm sorry that these flowers are fake, but there's no way I would steal flowers from your garden."
Elmyra nodded and pointed at the photo frame on top of the table. It had a picture of a father and son, Clay and Gabriel, together. They looked as though they were brothers. Meguro and his children placed a flower in front of the picture. They crossed their fingers in front of their chest, put their palms together and closed their eyes. Aerith wondered what they were doing, and she looked at them with her mouth agape. Eventually, they opened their eyes and looked at Meguro. Aerith hurriedly closed her mouth.
"Is it unusual to pray? I'm old-fashioned, so this is how I convey my thoughts to the dead."
"Can you actually convey your thoughts?"
Marcellus snorted after she asked, and he probably felt fear the next moment as Meguro glared at him. Aerith glanced at Rona for a moment. Their eyes met, and Rona smiled.
"That's what I believe, and the important thing is to believe. Gabriel used to tell me often that it is the foundation of everything."
Elmyra was listening, and she quietly nodded.
"Well, Elmyra. I would have immediately come over, but my body didn't allow me to," Meguro said apologetically.
"It's alright. You sent Carlo over, didn't you? He really helped me out."
"He worked as though he was a different person, I can't help but wonder if something strange happened.”
"Clay was someone he adored dearly like his own brother, you know. I think he wanted to repay Clay by helping you out. He probably was so aggressive towards you all the time because he didn't like that you took him away from him, Elmyra.
"That's childish of him. Nope, I was the same as him too. Clay always took Carlo with him when he goes out for the night, and I can't tell you how many times I've complained about it."
"Hey, I'm thirsty," Marcellous muttered to his father. He was pouting.
"What should you do if you're thirsty?"
The boy looked annoyed for a moment, but he quickly realised what he should do and asked Elmyra for a drink.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't notice. I'll be right with you."
As Elmyra was preparing the drinks, Rona came running up to Aerith.
"I was born in March. What month were you born in Aerith?
"I was born in February."
"Ahhh, so you're only a month older than I am."
"She's not Aerith. She's Rona, isn't she? She stole your name," Marcellus condemned.
"I don't mind at all, okay?" Rona uttered with a smile.
She truly didn't seem to mind. However, there was a premise amongst everyone that Aerith stole her name. Aerith felt pain in her breathing as if her heart had been clenched."
Elmyra was carrying a tray of lemonade. She handed them out to everyone, interrupting Aerith.
"Meguro, I was thinking of a new name for Aerith at your suggestion, but I didn't decide on it properly, and Aerith had to introduce herself suddenly. And at that time, she replied 'Rona' on the spur of the moment."
"After I heard from Mr Meguro about Rona, I wondered what she was like. I wondered if I could meet her and wondered whether we could get along. I kept thinking about Rona, so I said her name."
"It's my fault that I didn't control the situation properly. Since the word has been spread across the neighbourhood, may we leave her name like that?"
Meguro gave a composed nod.
"Of course. There shouldn't be an issue."
"I'm happy about it!" Rona's voice lit up. "After all, you liked the name, didn't you? My mama thought up the name 'Rona' and named me that."
"But she died after giving birth to you, though."
Marcellus struck his sister in the shoulder, and the expression on Rona's face completely went away.
"Marcellus, if you blame Rona for that again, I'll throw you out of the house," Meguro declared with a low voice.
"Okay." Marcellus nodded. He looked like he was sulking.
He was foaming and playing with the lemonade, blowing it through a straw inserted in the glass. He was having fun gushing the lemonade out from the glass and getting the table wet. It's going to be tough getting along with this boy, Aerith thought. But Elmyra trusts Meguro, and that was his son. She decided to make peace with it all and went ahead with it.
"Then we will also..." Meguro uttered, "address you as Rona, not Aerith. It's important to make a habit of these things regularly."
"Rona, nice to meet you," said the real Rona.
"Nice to meet you, Rona," Aerith replied. "Marcellus, nice to meet you too."
"Okay, children. We have some business to attend to, so you all can go outside and play. Only in the garden, though. Don't go into the alley."
Marcellus replied firmly and drank his lemonade in one gulp. Rona imitated him in a hurry and Aerith also did so, but she choked and spilled some on the table. Elmyra laughed and pressed her to go off quickly.
When they went out into the garden, they saw Jean and his friends from Sector 5 House watching them from the garden entrance.
"'Pathetic orphans!” Marcellus spat and waved at them.
"What should we do, big brother? Orphans are scary."
"We don't have to worry since we've got a powerful dad."
The conversation between them made Aerith nervous. She had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen.
"Come on, y'all!" Marcellus called out for them in a cheerful voice.
"Is it alright if we come over?" Jean asks again.
"Of course. Let's play 'Tickling Ogre'."
"What's that? We don't know what that is."
Jean came into the garden accompanied by a group of children from the Sector 5 House. There were around two or three faces Aerith didn't recognize.
“It's a game that's popular in the Sector 4 Slums. Ahh, you all won't know that since you all live in an orphanage.”
Aerith did not overlook the gloominess that dwelled in Jean's eyes. But Ayumu was still young and unaware of Marcellus' malicious intent.
"Sounds interesting! Can you teach us how to play 'Tickling Ogre'? Hey, what're your names?" asked Ayumu.
The siblings introduced themselves. Aerith braced herself nervously.
"Ehhh? There are two Ronas!" Ayumu looked at Jean with an amazed look on her face.
"It's not a rare coincidence," Jean replied with a know-it-all look.
"It's a coincidence, alright."
Marcellus said in a low voice and looked triumphantly at Aerith.
"She stole the name of my little sister over here. Her real name is Aerith. She's Aerith, the name thief. Right?"
There was a grin on Marcellus' face. All the children who were there looked at Aerith.
"I'm not a thief! I'm not a thief!
"All thieves say that," Marcellus, who has finally shown his true colours, mocked her.
"Stop it, big brother!" Rona pleaded, but Marcellus didn't seem to hear her.
That was the only thing she did not want to admit.
Her voice was hoarse. She thought to herself that she should not cry, but tears rolled out of her eyes.
"You're an orphan, aren't you? You know what? You suit being at an orphanage. But you went into Clay's house. How clever!” Marcellus showed his disgust.
Someone rammed himself into Marcellus. It was Jean. With a short period of anguish, Marcellus falls on his back. Another boy pinned Marcellus down. His name was X. He doesn't usually play with the others much and instead helps the teachers. He was a small boy, but he must have been three or four years older than Aerith.
"Stop it! Get out of the way!"
"Don't make fun of the House!" X shouted.
"Shabby orphans, poverty-stricken orphans," Marcellus' abusive language did not stop.
"Fight! Fight!" the girls cheered on.
The children's violence made Aerith cower in fear.
"Stop it!" Rona shouted. "Big brother, apologise to them!"
X grabbed the collar of Marcellus' shirt and shook him.
"The first one that should apologise is Aerith! She's the name thief."
Marcellus did not give in. Jean looked down the alley and then at the door of the Gainsborough house.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I used Rona's name without her permission."
"You used it without her permission? Tell them you stole it!
X slapped Marcellus on the cheek.
Aerith felt as though she had been struck. She did not feel like standing up for Marcellus, but she felt this was too much.
"Not unless he apologises. I can't forgive him for making a fool of us and the House.”
X shouted and was about to strike him again.
Aerith wanted it to be over.
"I'm sorry. I stole Rona's name. I'm sorry, Rona. I'm sorry, Marcellus."
She was in tears. Jean moved and helped X up to his feet. Marcellus, now free, staggered to his feet.
"Hmm. You finally admit it."
There was a trickle of blood oozing from the cut on his mouth. His whole body was trembling. He looked as if he was doing his best to keep up a bold front.
"You're next. Apologise for insulting our House."
Marcellus slowly looked at Jean, then at the children of the House.
"Poverty-stricken orphanage!"
Firstly, Jean, X and the children whose names she did not know because it was the first time she saw them, jumped onto Marcellus one after another. Another fight had begun. Rona then let out a scream and ran to the Gainsborough house. That was it! She should have called for help from the start! Aerith also chased after Rona. Just as Rona was about to put her hand on the door, it opened, and Meguro appeared. He understood the situation at an instant.
It was an angry voice that sounded like it gushed from the depths of the earth. Aerith could not imagine Meguro other than what he usually was, and she shuddered. The same was for the children who were fighting. Elmyra was astonished as she appeared by the doorway. Leaving Aerith, Rona and Elmyra behind, Meguro shortened the distance between him and the children.
"Run!" either Jean or X shouted.
The children of the House quickly disappeared into the alley. Meguro grabbed Marcellus by the ear as he stood there and brought him back to the Gainsborough house. Marcellus stumbled along, exclaiming that it hurt.
"I'm seriously fed up with you."
"They came into the garden. I tried to chase them away, but they started it."
"That's the reason for your actions?"
"It was firstly Aerith's fault."
"It has been settled. Rona and I gave her permission. It has nothing to do with you."
"You have to be smarter than that! How many times do I have to tell you for you to understand? Listen, Marcellus. You don't have a mother. Whenever you mess up, they'll say it's because you don't have a mother. You'll be smearing mud on the face of your mother and me, you understand?" Meguro continued to pull Marcellus's ear while scolding him.
"Meguro, that's about time to stop it."
Elmyra could not keep watching this and gently pressed down Meguro's hand.
Meguro then let go of Marcellus' ear―
"Aerith, I'm sorry. Please forgive Marcellus. He's a moron, but he did what he did because he thought of his little sister. Please forgive him for Rona's and my sake."
Marcellus was behind Meguro, glaring at her. Aerith was okay to accept whatever conditions so that she could put an end to this mess now.
"It's okay. It's my fault. I'm really sorry."
Aerith faced Meguro, Marcellus and Rona and apologised to them individually. Lastly, she looked up at Elmyra, and she gave her a tiny nod.
"Well then, Elmyra. Let's finish up the job. Rona and Aerith, you can go inside. Marcellus, you'll stay here and reflect."
Once inside the house, Aerith was looking out of the window at Marcellus. She wondered if that was what monsters were like. Soon it was time for Meguro and the others to leave.
"I'll stop by the orphanage to warn them. They are not to enter the Gainsborough garden. And if anything happens to Aerith... no... Rona, the orphanage may disappear. I probably should nail that into them that much."
"No, Meguro. I'll talk to them. I'm very close to the adults there. I'd like to keep things peaceful."
"...Well, if you like it that way, then it's fine. It's your property. But if you ever need my face, feel free to turn to me. Don’t need to hesitate."
He was no longer the kind-looking gentleman that Aerith met at first. That was a front for the children.
While she was vaguely thinking about that, Rona ran up to her and whispered, "My name, I'll let you use it, okay? You're special, Aerith."
Rona was both kind and cruel.
"Hey, is the Sector 5 House that Jean and the others were from, different from the Leaf House?"
Tifa, who had been listening in silence, raised the question.
"It's the same, it's the same. If I recall correctly, the 'Lower Class Sector 5 House' was the official name, and Sector 5 House was the common name. That name was changed to the 'Leaf House'. I didn't know it at the time, but there was a rumour that its proprietors were selling kids away."
"It seems that neither the children nor teachers knew about it. Negotiations were then held with the house's proprietors by X, and he bought the house over. He was one of the kids that stood up against Marcellus and had grown up."
"I see. There was a fellow Avalanche member who had been aiding the orphanage he was raised in, so I thought he was related to this, but it seems like it's different..."
Tifa looked disappointed.
"I never met him, but a lot of the teachers and kids were talking about him. He was respected... ahhh!?"
Due to shock, Aerith's voice unconsciously became louder.
"He didn't have a name because he was picked up as a baby. So the people in the House decided to call him 'X' until his name was decided. He liked the alias, and he kept calling himself 'X'. He declared that he would give himself the best name one day."
When the kids at the House found out that Aerith's name 'Rona' was fake, the reactions were mixed. But only X, talked about the situation about his name and consoled her. It was better to decide one’s name on one’s own.
Aerith saw Tifa's eyes welling up.
"Amazing, Biggs... You were amazing... I have to tell Barret about this too."
↞↠
You’re on page 93/142 of Aerith’s segment of the Light Novel.
to be continued
Next Scenes: Scenes 22-27
Previous Scenes: Scenes 10-14
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