“Tap…Tap…Tap…”

The gentle sounds of footsteps were clearly audible along the second floor hallway of IDA School-H Block. They belonged to a long light-blonde haired young lady who was walking down the otherwise silent, white-colored path.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that save for her footsteps, the silence was absolute. It was like time itself had frozen as no other movements could be detected. Not because the hallway was empty, but rather because everyone was completely still in awe. Countless pairs of eyes were transfixed on her attractive lone figure.

It wasn’t a secret that Isuka, the head of IDEA, was a sight to see. Not only did she have good looks and an elegant personality, but her overwhelming intelligence and her sharp, tactful intuition were almost unparalleled.

She had been so influential that many believed her to be a model of perfection despite Isuka’s disapproval. Alas, many considered her disapproval itself to be a sign of humility, yet another positive trait of the “Admiral.”

Sadly, that was as much as most people knew about her. Among thousands of people who resided in IDA School and IDA City, only a select few actually knew what was hidden behind her elegance.

If one were to read about economic principles, one might come upon the concepts of maximal income for fixed cost or minimal cost for fixed income. Applying these ideas to Isuka, one could theoretically say that for Isuka to have attained her “perfection” there must have been some fixed cost. Close friends and colleagues of Isuka knew well that hidden behind her seemingly effortless grace was a mountain of sacrifices. And these sacrifices came together to take on a certain form.

Stress.

Even Isuka herself was aware of this. She knew very well that it would be a problem since her first day at the school, and even more so when she unintentionally “rose to fame.”

Thankfully, most people didn’t actually realize this because of Isuka’s ability to hide it. Ironically though, the trial to hide her stress oftentimes accumulated even more stress for herself. Combined with all her duties as the head IDEAlist and as a student, one might wonder how she managed to stay sane.

Well, my friends, out of the entirety of Elzion and IDA, there was only other one person who knew the answer.

The gentle steps continued across the hall, down to the entrance of the school, and then to the Cargo Bus leaving for IDA City. Minutes passed before she got off at a later stop and made her way through the city entrance. She finally found herself at the Garden where a young man could be seen sitting on one of the benches, seemingly lost in some music while looking out at the sunset.

-*-*-*-*-

He was not the best when it came to appearances. He could be considered relatively handsome and his body build was decent, though on the taller and slimmer side, but there were definitely students in IDA School who were more handsome than him.

He was not a genius. His scores were acceptable, yet they were not “shining straight A’s.” There were sure to be more than a few boys in IDA School with better scores.

He wasn’t the type of boy others would fight over. He wasn’t likely to be at the top of anyone’s list of “People I’d like to be in a relationship with.” His qualities were nice but not the best.

But there was something that Isuka valued about him which led to this unlikely pair meeting in the fading sunlight away from the prying eyes of the school.

-*-*-*-*-

Isuka quickly spotted the quiet young man and approached him. She took the seat next to him which didn’t go unnoticed. He looked up directly into her eyes and filled her vision with the sight of his pure smile while removing the headphones that he had been using. His smile didn’t fade away even when he saw the tired and stressful look on Isuka’s face, a sight that only he and a few others were allowed to see.

“Here’s your favorite, Isuka.” The boy lifted a bottle of unsweetened tea towards her.

“Thank you, Palo.” Isuka replied softly.

Another silence emanated from the two of them. Different from the previous silence that happened in the hallway, this time the two of them, or at least the boy named Palo, intended for it to happen. This was one of the things that he realized during his first experiences in getting acquainted with the head of IDEA; one of the things that differentiated him from most other boys in IDA School.

He didn’t ask about what happened or how Isuka’s day went. Instead, he just sat back and watched as Isuka enjoyed her drink in silence. He didn’t say anything, at least not yet. He had a reason why he did this, especially since the girl beside him was the well-known Isuka.

He didn’t want to treat her like a very special girl because she would be mad if she found out about that. But he wanted to treat her like his very special girl.

He knew about Isuka’s stressful duties and he knew what his duty as her special someone was.

After a few moments, he noticed Isuka’s face changed into a calmer one. He took that as his cue to break the silence.

“So, Isuka…” Palo paused and waited for Isuka to face him. “Story time?”

Isuka smiled, knowing fully well what he had meant as she slipped in a little chuckle. “Sure.”

“Then, I’m all ears.”

Isuka took on a relaxed position and began to talk freely. Since he was not as intelligent as Isuka, Palo occasionally had a hard time understanding or appreciating topics beyond his level. But he knew what he had to do.

Listen.

Listen thoroughly, that was his goal. It seemed simple yet it wasn’t easy. Focusing his sights on her, leaning forward towards her, and staying silent without interrupting her. Thankfully, after spending months with her, Palo had become accustomed to doing so.

This was their usual routine, one that they had agreed upon. Isuka would vent any problems in her duty or her life and Palo would listen as the bottled up feelings she had to hold in throughout the day burst forth. Sometimes they would switch roles as Isuka would listen thoroughly to Palo’s vent about his life problems, which Isuka wouldn’t mind to hear even if the problems were just common problems that most students had. But today, it was Palo’s turn to stay quiet.

However, as time went by, his desire to interrupt began to rise. Not because he was fed up but because his heart felt like it was being torn apart.

It was tough hearing such stories come from the head of IDEA, venting about all her possible problems and actual problems, and yet he had to refrain from letting his feelings affect his actions.

“…so basically, I’ve got these hefty amounts of tasks, and the time I have is too short to finish them. Seriously, I am stuck now.” Isuka finally came to a stop. Her face showed a tinge of blush and her breaths were ragged courtesy of that long vent, in which she tried to hide it by looking downward to the half-empty bottle of tea on her hand.

At this point, many boys would immediately try to come up with solutions to the problems she was facing hoping to impress her. But this wasn’t what she was looking for. Even Palo had once, no, even more than once fallen into this trap.

He knew he had messed up before, but he now had a better understanding of the heart of the girl named Isuka.

“Isuka, may I?”

And with a simple nod from said girl, Palo enveloped her in a hug. Not an overly tight one, just a soft hug that radiated warmth and affection.

“You’ve done your best, Isuka.”

It was a simple statement and a simple gesture, yet this was what she needed the most. Not a solution to her worries, just a simple relief. The problems could wait. For now she just wanted to find relief from her bottled-up stress, and Palo was doing his best to provide her with that.

Isuka stayed still for a while, smiling in relief as she enjoyed his proximity. The gentle touches, the faint yet noticeable tenderness were dissolving all the worries and stress that loomed in her head.

Palo might not be the perfect partner Isuka could get, but she knew his determination to understand her, to be there for her, and to give her the relief she needed was one that differentiated him from the others, and she didn’t regret her choice.

---Fin---