The Only Delicacy

Three years ago, it was a daily routine for Kevin to lounge by the clinic every time he felt like cutting classes or taking a break in order to sleep on their comfortable beds that can literally be compared to that of a high-class hotel.

He cherished the clinic's tranquility and his time alone, despite how easygoing and friendly he was.

This showed yet another similarity between the twins: they were lone wolves. Yet unlike Kyle, Kevin never really bothered making it obvious.

He slept for about an hour when he suddenly heard a slight disturbance beyond the curtain of his bed. He heard two female voices and the other, he was very familiar of.

She was Mathilda, the old nurse of the school. Every time he would ask her for a favor, which was sleeping in the clinic, she would happily oblige. Not because he was handsome, but because of her motherly instinct to lessen all the burdens of these children within the school.

Of course, for women of all ages, being handsome was a plus.

Because of her kind generosity, he placed her as one of the people he would pay back one day in the future. Whether her favor would be against the law or not, he did not care, because he genuinely felt grateful to her from the very first time they had met.

Mathilda was like the best second mother he never had.

The second voice he heard, who kept answering the questions of the old nurse, Mathilda, in one word or one sentence, was from that of a young girl's.

It was the most beautiful and lovely voice he had ever heard. Due to his sharp instincts, he assumed they were of the same age. Because of that, he thought she belonged to another section. The sections in the school were not according to intelligence, just plain luck.

Of course, Kyle was quite the lucky individual to be constantly classmates with her for three consecutive years, indeed.

From the outside of his curtain, the girl chatted with the old nurse.

Mathilda asked, quite anxiously. "Oh dear, what happened to you? Come, come sit! We need to treat that right away!"

The old nurse hastily led her straight towards the seat in front of her desk and the girl followed as she sat down. She then immediately gathered the medical supplies needed to treat the injury on the girl's two elbows.

"What on earth had happened for you to end up in such a state like this, dear? Did you stumble on your way somewhere?"

When the girl heard that question, she was at a loss on how to answer.

If she said the truth that she actually had to finish a mission, she would have to quit her 'job.' However, if she lied, she would be guilty in front of this woman for the rest of her life.

She strengthened her resolve and said, "Mmm."

To make it seem like she did not feel like talking, she added, "Ow..."

With a slight sweat on her forehead that was filled up with so much worry, Mathilda very soon forgot about her question and replied, "Oh no, does it hurt that much? I'm sorry! I will be as gentle as possible, dear."

The girl replied with a hint of a smile, "Mm... Thank you..."

She thought it was very much cheaper to be treated inside the clinic for it was free of cost, with no money needed to buy first-aid supplies.

While the girl was happily lost in the moment of avoiding additional expenses, the old nurse's next words caught back her attention.

While treating her wounds, Mathilda promptly said, "If someone dares to bully you, do not be afraid to spill the beans to me, alright? Promise me, dear."

This made the girl widen her eyes. "Am I hearing things?" She thought, while shocked. Someone she had met for the first time had actually cared for her.

No killing intent detected. Just genuine affection and worry.

As someone who had never received or even experienced familial love ever since she was a baby, she did not know how to react towards what Mathilda had said. Simply speaking, she was dumbstruck.

At the same time, Kevin stood up and intently peeked at their direction, curious about who was the mysterious girl with a lovely voice.

He thought it would only be the voice and not the appearance that would be beautiful, since he had yet to see a girl have the best of both worlds. However now, he was proven entirely wrong and was also left with eyes and mouth wide open.

As he stared at the girl, he was dumbstruck for the first time in forever.

With widened eyes and somewhat parted lips, the girl looked upwards to where the nurse was standing. Different kinds of flowers bloomed within her surroundings, thereby enhancing her alluring features and making him stiffen.

He did not know that, apparently, a cupid arrow struck at his heart, making it beat faster after every second.

This showed yet another similarity between the twins, both their stiffening and their being struck by an arrow to the heart. Unbeknownst to them, they actually had many similarities, which proved how close they were even, if they did not show it.

But, no matter how many similarities they shared, they would never admit being close to the other, for they took pride in their individuality.

Bringing Kevin out of his fantasy unknowingly and seeing that the girl did not reply, Mathilda continued, "If something were to happen to you, it would break my heart, dear... Even if this is our first meeting, I feel quite connected to you, my dear."

When she finished treating the girl's wounds, she placed the medical instruments down, and affectionately touched her face. "As someone with years of experience, I may not know how or why I feel this way, but I do know that these feelings are true to my heart."

Such an affectionate touch to her face made the girl feel the warmth of a human being for the very first time. This warmth spread forth to her entire body and went to the deepest parts of her heart.

Mathilda placed her right hand back down and looked straight to the girl's eyes, as if she was looking to the deepest parts of her soul.

"Many people today are facing problems that maybe lesser or greater than yours. But, what they all have in common with you is a heart. A heart filled with emotions that are either bottled or shared."

Mathilda paused, while changing her expression from gentle to stern.

"Bottling your feelings up would only make your heart explode. That explains the number of suicide, homicide, and other depressing facts we can see on the news."

Then, Mathilda looked outside the window with a sad expression, as if she was remembering some of her sad but precious memories during the old times.

She continued, "My advice to you would be to choose the latter. Because, it is only through sharing that mankind is able to succeed. As my favorite saying goes, no man is an island."

Then, she affectionately looked at the young woman in front of her.

"We are born with companions. And their purpose and our purpose is to make the other's life easier and more joyful. Life is too short to spend your feelings bottled up because of a circumstance or a person. So never try bottling up whatever is in your heart, alright dear?"

When Mathilda stopped speaking and gently looked at her with a smile, the girl did not know what to say.

Well, what could she actually say? The old nurse had actually hit the mark right to her heart, leaving her even more dumbstruck than a while ago.

Meanwhile, Kevin thought Mathilda really lived up to her age, talking non-stop and saying things right where it hurt.

As he was thinking about how the girl would react, the clinic's telephone rang. Mathilda picked it up and listened, while furrowing her brows and massaging her temples. "They are actually calling me at such a bad timing." She thought while unconsciously looking at her left.

Mathilda's eyes widened when she remembered that Kevin was still there!

"Yes, this would still work!" She thought and immediately brightened. If she helped the girl in making trustworthy friends, both the girl's life and her own would be easier.

It was definitely two birds with one stone!

Since the girl was so dumbstruck with her words, she did not notice Mathilda secretly eyeing and gesturing Kevin to come over and take her place to comfort the girl.

Kevin, on the other hand, started becoming anxious when he had guessed Mathilda's intention.

Without leaving Kevin any choice to think over the matter, she hastily replied to the speaker, put down the phone, and gently said, "Dear, I will come back in a while. Be obedient and just stay here to rest, alright?"