Scarlett is the woman who made Zack give up Aerith and even helped Su Ye by facilitating connections.
For many older brother–type characters like Prime Minister Cao, Scarlet's charm even surpassed that of Tifa and Aerith.
Her body, which would be censored if described in detail, really is unfair.
"Hello, sister-in-law! I'm Zack's brother, just call me Cloud!"
Su Ye greeted Scarlet with a smile and affectionately patted Zack's shoulder.
Just for having a sister-in-law like this, we'll be brothers for life.
Su Ye had even made up his mind—if there was nothing else going on, he'd drop by Zack's house more often for drinks.
Maybe… ahem.
Wait, no, no, this is not the time to discuss sister-in-laws and dumplings.
Su Ye walked up to Aerith and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Aerith, you did it. Xandar has been saved!"
"Cloud!"
Aerith looked up, her small face still pale with fear. Only when she saw Su Ye did she finally calm down.
"Cloud!"
Aerith threw herself into Su Ye's arms, her face pressed against his chest as she burst into an uncontrollable sob.
Even though Bumblebee was strong, he couldn't give her a sense of security.
Now that Su Ye had returned, Aerith finally felt grounded again.
Su Ye gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said softly with a smile.
"The Aerith I saw earlier was a brave girl who dared to pray to the planet to save the world—not a little crybaby with a runny nose."
"If the people outside saw you like this now, they'd be disappointed."
"Hmph! You're the crybaby!"
Aerith looked up and shot Su Ye a glare, then lowered her head again, wiping her tears and snot all over his clothes.
"Heh," Su Ye chuckled again.
"Alright, alright, I'm the crybaby. You're the esteemed Queen Aerith admired by all. Right now, all those people outside are calling for you to become the queen of Xandar."
"So, Your Majesty Queen Aerith, will you go with the flow and become Xandar's queen?"
"What did you say?"
Aerith looked up in shock, her face filled with disbelief as she stared at Su Ye.
"Queen? I've never thought about being a queen—I don't even know how! And why would they want me as queen? Isn't Nova Prime still around?"
Su Ye shook his head. "It's exactly because Nova Prime is still around that they're calling for you to be queen."
"Because when the Kree invaded, Nova Prime only protected herself, and the entire city was nearly reduced to ashes."
"But you stayed here, praying silently for everyone. It was you who led them in prayer and received a response from the planet, summoning this mechanical emissary."
"And that's how the planet was saved!"
Su Ye spoke with emotion and conviction—so much so that Aerith almost believed it herself.
"Cloud, wasn't it you who…"
Just as Aerith was about to speak, Su Ye shut her up with a kiss.
According to Hollywood movie logic, if the male and female leads don't kiss after saving the world, it doesn't count.
Aerith, as an alien born on Xandar, had never been in love, but she didn't resist it.
So when Su Ye kissed her, she instinctively kissed back.
And then…
Zack awkwardly turned his head, scratching the back of his head as he glanced at Scarlet.
"Uh… my little brother is just a bit straightforward, don't mind him."
Scarlet smiled and shook her head.
"Why would I mind? He's not kissing me."
Then she shrugged and turned to look at Bumblebee.
Compared to Su Ye and Aerith, she was more interested in the metal giant.
Scarlet was a seasoned expert in developing mechanical armor and robots, having worked in the field for years with a sharp and experienced eye.
Backed by both Xandar and Shinra, her knowledge far surpassed that of Tony Stark.
However, a massive mechanical creation like Bumblebee, which seemed flawless and with each part perfectly integrated into ergonomics, was something Scarlett had never heard of, let alone seen.
"How did it manage to change size from a thousand meters to just three?"
"Is it purely structural transformation, or did the metal components themselves undergo some sort of change during the process?"
"Originally, it was built from construction steel from city ruins—probably iron alloy, mostly composed of iron compounds."
"But after shrinking, its mass didn't change, while its density increased drastically. Does that mean the iron atoms and compound molecules transformed into an entirely new metal element?"
"Is this new element stable? Does it have a decay period? Could it be developed and used as an energy source?"
"And what does its energy core look like?"
"What kind of technology is it based on? Can it be remotely controlled? Converted into unmanned operation? Or equipped with an internal cockpit?"
"Can this thing be mass-produced? Can it fly and fight in space? Engage in interstellar combat?"
A flood of questions swirled through Scarlet's mind.
As a techie, she wasn't thinking about romance at all—her mind was full of technological thirst and admiration.
Zack looked at Scarlet, who was practically drooling over Bumblebee, eyes shining with curiosity.
Then he looked back at Su Ye and Aerith, who were practically glued together, and suddenly felt very much like a third wheel.
How did that song go again?
I should be under the car, not inside it, watching how sweet you two are…
Off to the side, even Bumblebee looked a bit awkward. He turned away and went to admire the flowers and plants in the church.
A Transformer that liked flowers wasn't too strange—after all, on the purely mechanical planet of Cybertron, flora didn't exist.
Scarlet followed behind Bumblebee closely, her eyes not leaving his body, practically dying to crawl inside for a better look.
Zack followed behind her, automatically slipping into the role of bodyguard.
Meanwhile, Su Ye and Aerith finally pulled apart.
"Cloud, how could you do that?"
Aerith lowered her head, blushing. That was her first kiss.
Su Ye scratched his head in embarrassment. "Well, the mood was already there… if I didn't go for it, it felt like a waste, so…"
"Sorry, if you didn't like it, I'll be more careful next time."
Aerith murmured softly, "No, it's okay… I kind of liked it."
"Then maybe we should review the lesson?"
Su Ye teased.
Seeing Aerith's face turn bright red as she buried herself in his armpit, he finally let her off.
"Alright, no more joking. Let's talk serious business."
Su Ye cleared his throat. "The people outside want you to become Nova Prime—the queen of the Nova Empire. What do you think about that?"
Aerith shook her head. "I don't want to think about it."
"I'm just an ordinary flower girl. Praying to the planet might be something I can do, but becoming Nova Prime? That's impossible—I don't know how to do that."
"Besides, I want to visit that country you told me about, Cloud. I want to see different places and cultures. Only by understanding what's missing here can I understand why the poor suffer so much, why even surviving is a luxury for them."
"When I've seen more of the world and learned more about life, maybe one day, I'll come back and share what I've learned with the people here. But not now."
Aerith's voice was firm, sincere, and without any pretense. Clearly, this was how she truly felt.
"I understand," Su Ye nodded.
"Do you want to tell the people outside this yourself?"
Aerith thought for a moment, then agreed.
"Alright, but you have to stay by my side and encourage me. Otherwise, I'll get stage fright."
Praying in a moment of crisis was different from giving a speech to the world.
"Don't worry—I've got you."
Su Ye held Aerith's hand and gently comforted her.
Soon, everyone on Xandar involved in the anti-monarchy movement heard the same voice in their minds.
"Everyone, please calm down and listen to me."
"I'm just an ordinary flower girl…"
Aerith rephrased everything she'd just said in a gentler, more persuasive way and spoke softly.
Many listeners were moved just by hearing her voice.
"Miss Aerith's voice is so lovely—it sounds like heaven. Just hearing her speak feels healing."
"Yeah, we were so eager to push her into something she may not have wanted. We were thinking only of ourselves and forgot her feelings. That was wrong of us."
"Miss Aerith, please follow your heart. Walk the path you wish to walk. We may not have your grand vision, but we'll wholeheartedly support your dreams."
"Miss Aerith, we'll be waiting for your return. Don't forget, there are people here on Xandar who will always welcome you back!"
"Miss Aerith, we support you!"
A speech of refusal actually made the public love Aerith even more.
If someone had run a poll then, Aerith's approval rating would have far exceeded Nova Prime's.
This outcome surprised even Aerith herself.
Inside the command center, Nova Prime also sighed in relief.
Throughout history, nothing is more frightening to rulers than a popular uprising.
Especially in a democratic civilization like the Nova Empire, where they often touted democracy for its own sake, public opinion was crucial.
Of course, when their personal interests were involved, all that democracy talk was just crap—they'd toss it out in a heartbeat.
So, when the people began fervently supporting Aerith to replace Nova Prime, the current ruler almost deployed troops to suppress the movement.
They may have been weaker against the Kree and Shinra, but they were pros at crushing their own citizens.
They've often resorted to kneeling and executing suspects.
Doing so would've hurt Nova Prime's reputation, sure—but power mattered more than reputation.
With power, someone else could take the blame, and reputation could be cleaned up later.
That's the seductive nature of power.
Fortunately, that girl knew how to play by the rules—otherwise, Xandar would've needed a new capital planet.
Blood would've flowed again on these ruins.
"Actually, you should be grateful to her."
Just as Nova Prime breathed a sigh of relief, a stranger's voice suddenly appeared in her mind.
"Who are you?"
Nova Prime wasn't panicked. As a seasoned fox who had lived many years, she wasn't easily rattled.
"Who I am isn't important. What matters is how you view Aerith's influence on the people."
"If you see her as just a naive girl you can manipulate, then you're gravely mistaken."
"What you need to understand is—if she could summon a mechanical guardian to repel an invasion, she could just as easily use that same guardian to overthrow your rule.
Make no mistake—with what little military you have left, you're no match for that giant machine."
"But Aerith didn't do that. Her intentions were for the planet and the people of the Nova Empire. You'd do well to remember that."
"Now, Aerith has decided to go off to explore the different worlds. That was her own decision, and I hope you'll respect and treasure it."
"But if one day she returns to find Xandar the same as before—or worse—someone will have to face her wrath."
"That person, obviously, cannot be me."
"That's all I have to say. Please, enjoy the aftermath."
After saying that, the voice disappeared.
At the same time, Bumblebee transformed into a shuttle at the church and slowly ascended, carrying Su Ye, Aerith, Zack, and Scarlet toward the sky.
"Lady Aerith is leaving!"
"Take care, Lady Aerith!"
"We'll miss you, Lady Aerith!"
On the ground, countless people waved at the shuttle with deep affection.
Inside the shuttle, Aerith had turned into a crying mess again.
"I'll come back! Even if it's just for these people, I'll come back!"
Watching her, Su Ye couldn't help but think to himself.
"You don't necessarily have to return personally. If you gave birth to a little prince and sent him back to Xandar with your ideals, that'd work too."
Now that was a task Su Ye would be more than happy to help with.