Nomura also supports Zerith! Here are some of his interviews about Crisis Core.
(From Dengeki Maou, October Issue 2007) Will you be portraying the relationship between Zack and Aerith in detail in CC?
Nomura: They do have a lot of conversations together. Whenever something comes up Zack heads straight to the church, as if he's looking to be healed. It's a brutal story, but Zack and Aerith's conversations are somewhat heart-warming and offer a bit of respite. I hope people will look forward to watching their scenes together.
(from Fanmitsu Vol. 972) - You've also revealed some scenes with Zack and Aerith. But to people who know what the future holds for them, they must be quite sad to watch.
Nomura: There are a lot of scenes that explore what kind of relationship they had. If you take note of Zack's changing hairstyle--I think you'll have realized this, but Zack meets Aerith when he's still 2nd Class, so it's safe to say he spent a long time with her.
Meanwhile, Nojima...
"Q: Some parts we didn’t imagine from Aerith’s saying of “he’s my first love” in FF7 are depicted in Crisis Core.
Nojima: The setting that “falling from the roof of the Church” repeats Aerith’s encounter with Cloud was decided in the beginning. Though we’re talking about love, they are still young back then and there’s no time to describe “how they become fond of each other” in the game. So I made it like “falling into a sudden crush.”
~Crisis Core Ultimania, the interview, Page 579
This is the same Nojima who said "they're young, wouldn't he just hug her?" for Cloti in FF7R lol
