Chapter 40: The Beginning of the Original Story End

"I-Impossible... To think my Sephiroth copies would be defeated so easily..."

"Too bad. Your ambitions end here."

"Cloud?! I-It can't be!"

Looks like things are wrapping up on this end, too. We rushed up here as fast as we could, and it seems we managed to avoid leaving the destruction of the main body entirely up to Sephiroth.

"Everyone's safe on this side, too!"

"Huh, is it already over? And here I was planning to swoop in and save Cloud-senpai from a pinch!"

"I would prefer you not make such expressions while in Lucrecia's body."

It seems Elena and Vincent are safe as well. Zack is laughing while patting Sephiroth's shoulder, but he's clearly putting way too much force into it.

"Zack, why must I take damage from my own ally?"

"Come on, this doesn't even count as damage! Besides, someone way scarier than me is coming up next."

"Who exactly is scary?"

So that's Elfé, the one I heard was extracting Avalanche intel during an undercover investigation. She must have been fighting down in the village, but to catch up to us all the way up here... she's quite skilled. I'd love to spar with her sometime. Almost all the strong women in Shinra end up concentrated in the Turks, so it should be good stimulation for Elena too...

"Why are you staring so intently at Sephiroth's girlfriend, Senpai?! Wait, do you happen to like girls in suits? Is the fact that I wear a suit actually your preference?!"

"No. Lady Scarlet and I decided on it to minimize exposure so you wouldn't stand out too much within the company."

Elena asks another off-the-wall question, but she doesn't miss a beat with her hand signals in the meantime. While Elena and I draw attention, Vincent fires a bullet into Lucrecia's abdomen. It's apparently a custom-made anesthetic, but precisely hitting the abdomen where it's less likely to leave a scar is truly impressive.

"Why are you the one catching Lucrecia?"

"Because I was the closest."

"You saw me running toward her, didn't you?"

"If by some chance you didn't make it in time, your mother's body would have been injured."

Why are Sephiroth and Vincent glaring at each other?

"Senpai, look! It’s a love triangle! The drama!"

"Umm, that person in the white coat is Sephiroth's mom, and Vincent was the one guarding her back in the day, right?"

"They both look young, but they're actually around the same age as Professor Hojo."

What an incredibly unserious atmosphere. I'm grateful that Elena and Zack are mood-makers, but why are those two, who are usually so dependable, acting so loose right now?

"Sigh. Fine. Originally, this was a mission taken on by our Experimental Unit. Let's finish this quickly with our own hands."

I put my hand on the door leading to Jenova's main body, but it seems the door has been bent out of shape.

"Can't be helped. Guess we're breaking it down."

"Yes, yes, let's do it together. Ready, set—!"

Standing next to me, Elena suddenly started timing a countdown. I had been planning to slice it open with the Buster Sword, but I had no choice but to match Elena's timing and kick the door with all my might. With a thunderous crash, the door shatters, and we finally come face-to-face with the main body of Jenova.

"So this is Jenova..."

"So, how do we beat it? With this lineup gathered here, I don't feel like we'd lose to anything that pops out at this point."

Zack chuckles as he glares at Jenova floating in the giant tank.

"If possible, I'd like to deliver the final blow myself. What should we do?"

Sephiroth had silently stepped up to stand beside me. Looking back, it seemed they had settled on letting Vincent carry Lucrecia on his back.

"Apparently, to defeat Jenova, we need to completely obliterate its physical body. Naturally, we can't cause that kind of impact right on top of a Mako Reactor, so we're going to handle this using a more civilized method."

From my hip holster, I pull out a customized, magazine-fed handgun—different from the revolver Vincent uses. This is a special custom weapon gifted to me by Lady Scarlet, designed to inject a specific chemical into monsters upon impact.

"We shoot this into Jenova. It's apparently Professor Hojo's masterpiece, designed to destroy Jenova cells. The effects have already been proven on the Jenova specimens stored at Headquarters."

"Something he made, huh..."

"Are you dissatisfied?"

"No. I suppose I owe him just a tiny bit—barely a fingernail's worth—of trust as a scientist."

Sephiroth's words were harsh, but he looked as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his face. It seems having him undergo the combat simulation Chadley prepared was the right call after all.

Sephiroth slashes through the reinforced glass serving as Jenova's barrier. I insert the magazine into the gun and, without hesitation, fire at Jenova. The injected chemical liquid is rapidly absorbed into the creature.

"Well, that was anticlimactic. We took down four Sephiroth copies and we're all still standing here. Isn't this usually the part where a hidden boss swoops in?"

"Reality doesn't work like the simulations. That's just Chadley's personal hobby."

"Seriously! Why does someone with such a cute face always unleash surprise monsters on us? That insidious streak of his is definitely Professor Hojo's influence."

For the members who constantly undergo Chadley's custom simulations, I suppose this feels a little underwhelming. Honestly, even I feel like we're about to be forced to fight a Summon Materia sample or the data of a new weapon in development right about now. The training regimen really is too extreme. It's fine for me and Zack, but I'll make absolutely sure the new recruits coming in next year don't have to go through it.

Jenova crumbles away. Just like its copies, it collapses and dissolves without even being able to let out a single cry.

"Is it over?"

"At the very least, we've disposed of the main body, Jenova. Sephiroth had the deepest connection to it, but as long as his mind is this stable, they say there shouldn't be any problems. The Science Department will observe the other SOLDIERs for a while just in case, but they'll likely be fine. Apparently, Professor Hojo is dumping the work onto his subordinates."

He's the type of person who absolutely refuses to do anything he has no interest in. Perhaps, as a sample, Jenova no longer look all that appealing to him.

"Alright, let's head back to the village!"

"Ah, Senpai... This is a little hard to say, but..."

"I'm sorry, but Nibelheim village was completely devastated in the battle with the Jenova copies. Your family home was probably blown away too."

"Huh?"

A dumb-sounding voice escaped me unintentionally.

"The Turks should have evacuated all the residents. Your mother and childhood friend are likely safe."

"I saw it from above in Cid's plane too, and it's probably gonna take a while to rebuild."

Elena pats my shoulder, acting overly cheerful.

"But, but! Since everyone made it out safely, Shinra will get straight to rebuilding the village! Let's go ask Director Reeve directly ourselves! I'm sure Director Scarlet will approve too."

"Well, considering the scale of the battle, the villagers will probably be living as evacuees in Midgar for a while. Might as well take this opportunity to spend some time being a good son, something I haven't done in years."

I wanted to hold my head in my hands, but it couldn't be helped. My apartment is going to be cramped for a while, but I'll invite my mom to stay with me and we can spend some quiet time together. We just finished a massive mission; for the time being, the work will mostly be post-mission cleanup and paperwork. I'll hold off on training and just head straight home.

"Of course, I'll be coming over to hang out too! I still haven't talked nearly enough with my mother-in-law!"

"Isn't your phrasing a little strange?"

"Nope, not strange at all!"

The pronunciation and tone sounded normal, but something about it bothered me. And I get the feeling that if I invite Elena over, I'll end up losing my own place in my own home.

"Whatever. Anyway, we need to head back to Headquarters and report the outcome."

"We'll need a cover story for the public. They won't make this Sephiroth's sole achievement this time."

"It's the perfect opportunity. You try shouldering the title of 'Hero' for a bit, Zack."

"Oh? Does this mean I've finally caught up to stand beside you?"

"Don't get cocky. Tseng and the others should be making their way up, so let's rendezvous with them on the way down."

Things sure got noisy all of a sudden. We usually operate as a trio, but right now we have double the numbers. And every single one of them is a top-class Shinra elite.

"This lineup is a bit too overpowered, isn't it? We have the elites from the SOLDIER Division, the Advanced Weaponry Division, and the Turks all in one place."

"I heard from Zack that Cid from the Space and Aeronautics Division flew you two here. He's quite skilled, from what I hear."

"Yeah, he's stronger than your average SOLDIER. Once we meet up with him, it's going to get even louder."

Being a bit noisy might not be so bad after all.

"Alright then, let's all go home."

Back to Shinra, where Lady Scarlet is waiting.

I heard the report from Cloud, but man, things got crazy out there.

I mean, everyone is just way too strong. They fought four Sephiroth copies and won without a single casualty, right? Did I power them up a bit too much? From what I heard, Cloud took one down all by himself, and while the others cooperated, they managed to win without anyone dropping.

But with this, the crisis threatening the Planet has passed, and Shinra essentially has no enemies left. Even if the Weapons wake up, with our current military power, I don't feel like we'd lose.

Of course, we still need to gradually suppress the extraction of Mako, slow down our consumption, and research alternative energy sources... but that's a whole lot easier than dealing with Jenova.

It seems Nibelheim surprisingly still ended up a burnt wasteland just like in the original story, but the Urban Development Division immediately stepped up to handle the reconstruction. Reeve's inherently good nature is a godsend at times like this; the company is allocating resources as a top priority. Naturally, it serves as great PR for Shinra, and if we can establish faces other than Sephiroth to act as advertising pillars, it will generate plenty of profit.

Cloud and Vincent are both incredibly handsome, and Elena is cute, so I expect the Advanced Weaponry Division is going to be flooded with job applications next year.

"For the time being, cleaning up the aftermath will be our main job, so you can take it easy for a while, Cloud."

"Yes. The other two have already started to unwind."

"I can understand Elena, but it's rare for Vincent to take time off."

Vincent visits Lucrecia every day since she hasn't woken up since they brought her back. He claims he's there to keep an eye on Hojo, who is examining her as a 'valuable sample of a Mako addict,' but deep down, his feelings are likely the same as Sephiroth's, whom he constantly bumps into in her hospital room. The Director of the Science Department believes that her internal Jenova cells have stabilized, and as treatment progresses, she will eventually wake up.

Elena volunteered to show Cloud's mother, Claudia—who is living in Midgar until Nibelheim is rebuilt—around the city. Apparently, they're going shopping together today too. She is completely maneuvering to secure her position; over at the Cloud Fan Club, the rumor is that they're already dating. I've spoken with Claudia a few times as well. She said that while getting used to city life is tough, she's happy to see her son's face every day. Cloud is the cool type, so his facial expressions don't change much, but apparently, Elena and Claudia can read his emotional shifts.

I've known him a long time, so I can read him a little bit, but I'm no match for girls who are naturally good at that sort of thing. I was curious about whether Cloud preferred Elena or Tifa's type, so I asked him directly a few times, but he just gets embarrassed and refuses to answer. Aha, so it's the classic "I have a genuine crush on one of them but I'm too embarrassed to admit it" pattern.

Speaking of which, in a surprising twist, Tifa ended up joining the Turks. Since she couldn't work in the village anymore, I thought she might open a bar in Midgar, but it seems Tseng scouted her. Thanks to that, sightings of Cloud sandwiched between Elena and Tifa have become a common occurrence within the company. Well, they seem to get along well, and it looks like a healthy rivalry.

By the way, the destructive power of Tifa in a suit is absolutely insane. The standard-issue uniform didn't fit her properly, ending up heavily emphasizing her chest area, and a fan club for her formed almost immediately. I thought Cloud would be flustered by this, but he kept his composure and acted completely normal. Has his mental fortitude gotten too strong? Or perhaps he's just gotten used to a beautiful, well-endowed woman in a suit somewhere along the line?

Anyway, my position within Shinra is rock solid thanks to my contributions to resolving this incident. Rufus thinks highly of me, so even after he becomes President, my status is guaranteed to be secure. Now I just get to work every day, go to the spa, eat amazing food, hang out with Cloud and the gang, and live my best life!

It really is a great feeling. Happy endings are the best.

"Lady Scarlet, actually, there is something I've been wanting to tell you personally for a while."

"Oh? What is it? You're being so formal."

Huh, was there something? W-Wait, he's not quitting Shinra or anything, right?! That would be a huge problem! I need him to stay by my side as my right-hand man to guarantee my safe and comfortable lifestyle!

"I'm glad that you were my boss."

"And I'm truly glad that you were here, Cloud."

Getting praised so straightforwardly face-to-face actually makes me blush. Come to think of it, it's like I reincarnated from one black company to another black company, but I've been blessed with great subordinates, my work is fulfilling, and I might just be thoroughly enjoying this second life.

Being a woman now gives me mixed feelings, though. I mean, I'm beautiful, sure, but I'm getting up there in years, so I've completely missed the prime age for marriage. But seriously, I feel like I’m aging very slowly, considering that I look younger than Scarlett did in the original story. I look more like an Onee-san than an Oba-san—maybe I should get a thorough check-up, just in case there’s something unusual with my body.

But more importantly, don't all the main characters have too many love interests? Sephiroth has Elfé, Zack has Aerith... you guys are grabbing onto way too much happiness. I'm the only one left out, Partly because there's no one around my actual age, though.

As for Cloud, Tifa is the ironclad heroine, but he honestly has a good vibe going with Elena. From my perspective, I've come to find Elena ridiculously cute too, so if she's going to get together with anyone, I kind of want her to end up with Cloud and be happy. I'm sure I'll be invited to the wedding, and I'll probably have to give a speech as his boss... I might actually end up crying.

Though even I can't imagine a scene where Scarlet cries.

"Lady Scarlet... I've always..."

Cloud tried to speak, as if he had made up his mind about something. However, before the words could come out, an emergency call pinged on Cloud's terminal.

"I apologize."

"It's fine, take it."

Wow, that was close. Seeing Cloud with such a serious expression made my heart skip a beat. Even his face when he's holding a terminal and doing his job is handsome. No wonder he's so popular.

"Lady Scarlet. A male and female pair have breached Shinra's security using forged keycards. They are currently taking the elevator toward the Advanced Weaponry Division's sector."

"Ara, who could it be at a time like this? Route the security camera feed to me as well."

The quality of forged cards has been going up year by year, but unfortunately for them, our countermeasures are flawless. We don't even let the poorly made ones through in the first place, but when it comes to high-level forgeries, we want to investigate their supply routes. Plus, they might be intruders with some backbone, so we intentionally monitor and isolate them, allowing them into the building. Normally, this would be a matter for the Public Security Division. But in the Science and Advanced Weaponry Divisions, luring them in allows us to gather data using new weapons or samples. It lets us conduct dangerous experiments we can't normally perform, so truthfully, some employees actually look forward to this.

"Judging from their attire, perhaps Wutaian shinobi? The evacuation of personnel and the standby orders for Public Security have already been completed."

"Are the test machines ready?"

"They can be deployed immediately."

Oh, I see. So they showed up at this exact timing.

"In that case, let them swim for a bit to figure out their objective, and guide them to the development area. If they manage to make it that far, I leave capturing them alive to you. It just so happens that neither Elena nor Vincent are here today, but that won't be a problem, right?"

"Of course. To fulfill your wishes, Lady Scarlet, having just me is no problem at all."

"That's my Cloud. Well then, I'll head to the control room and watch you perform."

"I will escort you halfway... Shut down the main system in the development area and restrict access to classified information. Track their route to deduce their objective. Once they are lured in, I will handle the intruders. Have the Public Security personnel fall back and act as Lady Scarlet's personal guard instead."

I slip out of the room with Cloud—who is busy barking orders—and we board the executive elevator. Assassinations and stuff are scary, and moving around in the regular elevators is terrifying. That's why I've been pushing for renovations around the company.

"I'll help lure those kids in with a hologram from my end too, so do your best, Cloud."

I strike a slightly seductive pose and whisper into his ear.

"It's your first solo mission in a while, and the opponents look like skilled veterans. If things go well, I'll give you a reward."

Fan club intel suggested that he might have a thing for alluring older women, so I tried acting the part. Huh, Cloud's face looks a bit red... Does he really like older women?

"I will definitely capture them alive and make them spit out their objective. Leave everything to me, Lady Scarlet!"

Oops, looks like I completely lit a fire under him. Now that I think about it, he hasn't had a chance to fight external enemies since the Jenova incident, so I appreciate the enthusiasm. But... is Yuffie going to be okay? Cloud isn't going to try so hard that he permanently disables her, right?

Well, he's never severely injured Elena during training, so I guess it'll be fine. He might go a little overboard since they're intruders, but... hang in there, Yuffie!

"Hey, hey, we just kicked our way through a parade of weapons! Who's next?!"

"I am the captain of the Advanced Weaponry Division's Experimental Unit. And I am the final tester who will capture you."

"Which means you're that old hag's subordinate from earlier!"

"Old h—?! Watch your mouth. Lady Scarlet is not someone who can be described with such words. Though I suppose it can't be helped that a little girl like you wouldn't understand the charm of a mature woman."

"It's a fact that she wears expensive makeup and dresses way too revealing for her age, isn't it?"

"That is exactly one of her charms! I've decided. I was going to hold back reasonably well, but you two had better prepare yourselves for some injuries."

A single warrior leaped down to stand before the two intruders. He lowered the tip of his readied Buster Sword, his stance completely unwavering.

"I'll ask for your names before we fight. That is, if you have the resolve to give them."

"Yuffie Kisaragi! I'm gonna beat you to a pulp with ease!"

"Sonon Kusakabe. Don't let your guard down, Yuffie. He's quite skilled."

In the massive space built for testing weapons, a hologram suddenly projects. It's the woman who had guided and lured the two intruders all the way here.

'To our two guests from Wutai: dealing with Cloud is going to be tough, but do your best~!'

The female intruder distorted her face, glaring threateningly at the woman waving with a pleasant smile. But she quickly readied her signature weapon against the warrior standing before her and made her demand.

"You give us your name, too! You made us introduce ourselves, so you'd better do the same!"

Normally, there is no need to give one's name to an intruder, and the earlier exchange was merely a tactic to probe for the enemies' identities. But in this exact moment, the face of his boss, watching from a separate room, floated into his mind. She had smiled and waved, telling him to do his best. He had to answer those feelings and put on a good show for her.

"Cloud Strife. Lady Scarlet's number one right-hand man!"