"I'm sorry, Mr. Ryuji, I disturbed you."
Tifa politely apologized to Ryuji. At that mont, Mai ca out carrying a plate of fruit, while Helena had been called away by her father to discuss what he had talked about with Ryuji.
"Well, it's not really a disturbance. We've already finished discussing what needed to be discussed."
Douglas was a very sensible person, so sensible that Ryuji didn't even know what more he could ask of him. It could only be said that soone capable of building a company from scratch and growing it into a sizable group was definitely no fool.
It just gave off a sense of distance, as if he weren't a person, but a creature born to pursue profit.
Ryuji didn't particularly enjoy talking to him. Only when Douglas faced Helena and her mother did he show any warmth or humanity.
"So, there's no need to be so nervous…"
Ryuji looked at Tifa, unsure of what to say. His understanding of her was basically just that she was an excellent "body type," and beyond that, mostly s and adult jokes. He really didn't know much else.
As for her life before being with Cloud Strife, he was completely clueless. Expecting him to know anything about that was basically wishful thinking.
If it were the world of Final Fantasy XIV, he might know a bit, because he had actually played that one a lot.
So, Ryuji couldn't help but ask:
"You look uneasy… is it because you feel lonely? And what happened to the injuries on your body?"
He tried to ask as gently as possible. Tifa pursed her lips, then spoke about her past.
Earlier, when introducing herself, she had only ntioned that her hotown was destroyed by Sephiroth, without going into detail.
Tifa subconsciously touched her body, then hesitated for a mont before speaking.
"When Sephiroth destroyed my hotown, I was the only one who survived. I couldn't find any of my other friends… only one is still working at Shinra. So… yes, I do feel lonely."
She touched her arm lightly. Her village was quite isolated, and among the boys there, once they understood marriage, they all treated her like a prize for the winner. Only Cloud treated her as an individual.
But unfortunately, most of her peers had been killed by Sephiroth. Only a few who had gone to big cities for work and Cloud, who joined Shinra's military, might still be alive.
If she had stayed in that small village, she probably would have chosen Cloud as her husband in the end, because he respected her the most and treated her as an equal.
But now…
She didn't know. She didn't even know if she could return to her world. The only person she could talk to about all this was Ryuji, and she wasn't even sure if she could trust him.
Cloud and her other friends who might still be alive were her last ties to her world. But in this world, she didn't even have that.
"As for my injuries, it's nothing serious anymore. I just replaced so bones with artificial ones before, so my master told to train hard."
Artificial bones?
Does the Final Fantasy world really have that kind of advanced technology?
Because of his experience, Ryuji knew how difficult bone replacent was. Most replaced bones were specially treated and had no possibility of further growth. But although there were slight imperfections in Tifa's aura, there was no sense of deficiency.
If there were truly no side effects, and no special complications involved, Ryuji felt it might be worth collecting this technology later.
He frowned slightly and extended his hand toward Tifa.
"If you don't mind, could you let take a look? Just give your hand. I have so unique healing thods."
Tifa hesitated a little. She thought of Ryuji's golden flas, then handed her arm over.
"Then… I'll trouble you."
In her perception, seeing a doctor was extrely expensive, so she felt like she was troubling him again.
Ryuji held her arm and began sensing the internal condition of her body. As expected, he detected slight inconsistencies in her ribs and arm bones. However, these inconsistencies were extrely subtle. If not for the significant muscle developnt around her arm and the faint irregularities in so major nerves, he wouldn't have been able to tell these bones had been transplanted.
"Truly incredible…"
Ryuji examined those nerves carefully. His own ability to reconnect nerves relied entirely on overwhelming life force, combined with techniques like Life Return and blood qi secret technique, thods that were basically impossible to replicate.
But what Tifa had undergone was clearly sothing that could be used on a civilian level.
"Is this kind of treatnt expensive?"
Ryuji asked.
Tifa's lips twitched slightly.
Because it really was expensive, so expensive that even selling herself wouldn't cover it.
The reason she hadn't been living well in Midgar was precisely because she had to pay off her dical bills in installnts. It was beyond just "expensive." Based on her previous salary in Midgar, even if she worked continuously and lived frugally, she would only barely finish paying it off by the ti she was thirty.
So, Tifa couldn't help but feel a faint, slightly childish sense resentnt toward Ryuji.
"It was very expensive. If my master weren't the well-known Master Zangan, I wouldn't even have been able to take a loan for treatnt."
"Oh…"
Ryuji nodded.
"No wonder the follow-up treatnt hasn't been done. Just bear with it a little, my healing thod is a bit rough. It'll feel like being burned by fire."
Golden flas ignited in Ryuji's hand. Since he had already sensed the issues in Tifa's body, he decided to heal them directly.
"Okay."
Tifa didn't want to trouble him, but it concerned her body, and Ryuji clearly didn't look like he would accept a refusal.
When she braced herself, Ryuji wrapped his dragon fire around her.
In an instant, Tifa understood what he ant, because it really did feel like being burned by fire.
But it wasn't unbearable. Because within the burning sensation, a strange comfort kept erging, gradually offsetting the pain.
When Ryuji withdrew his hand and extinguished the golden flas, Tifa could clearly feel that the areas where her artificial bones had been implanted were now just as flexible as before.
"My flas contain a large amount of life force, so they can heal your injuries. But for your body, you'll need to eat more at."
Looking at Tifa's still sowhat slender fra, Ryuji gave his advice.
Aside from certain special cases, if people want strength and health, they need proper nutrition, especially at and physical activity.
He never really understood vegetarian ideals, and there was no way he'd ever beco one himself.
"Thank you, Mr. Ryuji… I will repay you. But…"
Tifa looked at Ryuji, biting her lip.
"Do I really need to go to school?"
She had been struggling with this question. In her understanding, education was sothing extrely expensive.
"Even though you're willing to take in, this is already too much trouble for you… You're teaching martial arts, you've treated my injuries, and if you still have to spend more money on , I... I just can't accept it with a clear conscience!"
Tifa looked into Ryuji's eyes.
"I know it may sound ungrateful, but I still hope to rely on myself!"
Looking at Tifa's determined expression, Ryuji understood even more clearly...
That Tifa, who the people of earth saw as an almost iconic fantasy figure was, in reality, just a simple, kind-hearted village girl at her core.
~~~~~~~~~~
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