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Ah, Valentine's Day. The day when all couples believed they needed to spend money buying worthless things for their partners. Also the day when people decided they just had to confess to their crush. Throughout her life, Haruka had been content to peacefully ignore all of it. Until now, that is.
Haruka glared down at the flowers on her desk. She had just entered the classroom when she spotted them. Twelve roses with the thorns cut off. How thoughtful. The other students whispered amongst themselves.
“Who do you think they’re from?” a girl asked her friend.
“I don’t know,” the other girl said. “It’s gotta be someone crazy enough to fall for Cerberus.”
Haruka felt her eye twitch at the nickname. She took minor offense to that. “Cerberus” was a Greek name, and they were at Romana. If they were going to call her something, they could at least get their mythos right.
Mikoto turned around from the seat in front of Haruka’s. She chuckled darkly, though that was usual for her. “It appears you have an admirer.”
A little card was attached to the bouquet. Haruka scooped them up without so much as another glance and dumped the flowers into the trash.
Mikoto stared dumbfounded. “You aren’t going to check who sent them?”
Haruka slid into her chair. “I know I won’t be interested.”
Mikoto didn’t have a response to that. Silently, she turned around in her seat to face the front. It might have been Haruka's imagination, but she thought she felt a dark wave of energy emanating off of Mikoto for the rest of the day.
Unfortunately, Haruka’s troubles didn’t end there. A day later, a stuffed bear appeared in her locker. She glared at it while whispers started behind her. Surely the students at this school had better things to do than speculate on her non-existent love life?
"Oh, wow," a girl said. "Flowers and a teddy bear? I wish someone would do that for me."
"That's what I'm saying!" her friend whispered back. "Cerberus has some real dedicated love interests."
Mikoto slid up next to Haruka's locker and peered inside. “Ah, it appears they're serious. I wonder who it is.”
Whoever it was, they were interfering with her day by doing this.
“Perhaps you should check if there’s a message?” Mikoto suggested.
“No need.” Haruka grabbed the bear and tossed it into the garbage.
Mikoto scoffed. She seemed personally offended by this. “Someone tries to give you a present and you throw it away? I can’t say I understand.”
She glared again at the bear sitting on top of the trash can. “Someone interested in me should know I have no use for flowers or stuffed animals.”
Mikoto had a thoughtful look on her face. “Hm…”
The Caligula was deep in thought for the rest of the day. Try as they might, no one could get her to listen to them.
To Haruka's great dismay, the gifts continued the next day. An extravagant box of chocolates sat on her desk. A gold ribbon sealed the box, but Haruka could tell by the brand name that it cost a fortune.
“Chocolates?” Mikoto said with a smirk. “Surely you can make some use of those? They look quite good.”
Haruka sat at her desk. She pushed the box a little closer to Mikoto. “Would you like them? I’m afraid I don’t like sweets.”
Mikoto’s face grew hard as a stone for a fraction of a second. “Better that than you toss them, I suppose.” She plucked the box off the desk and turned around.
All day, Haruka heard whispers about the Caligula “angrily eating chocolates.”
It was only the day after that when Haruka received something she could use. Sitting in her locker, she found an ornate box. Opening it up, she saw an expensive fountain pen. Haruka picked it up and rolled it over in her hands. The craftsmanship was a beauty to behold.
Mikoto looked particularly smug. “Wow. Your admirer seems to know your tastes.”
“It’s very nice,” she admitted. “Thank you.” Haruka leaned in and pecked a kiss to Mikoto’s cheek.
Mikoto glanced away. “How did you know…?” She shook her head. Even with her head turned away, Haruka could see the tips of her ears flushed. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” Mikoto grumbled.
“To you as well.”
After this incident, students at Romana became deeply obsessed with the relationship between "Cerberus" and the Caligula, whatever it may be. It wasn't uncommon for Haruka or Mikoto to have to scold younger students and classmates alike. They amassed a sizable fanbase, though Mikoto's fangirls took issue with anyone dating her.
Still, Haruka found she might be changing her mind on Valentine's Day. Perhaps it wasn't so bad, after all.
"You'll get me something for White Day, right?" Mikoto asked, days later.
Haruka's new pen glided across the paper as she signed her name on a document. "If it's the Caligula's will." When she felt Mikoto's glare boring into her skull, she suppressed a smile. "I'm merely teasing you."
"You will get me something?"
"Naturally."
Perhaps she'd get Mikoto another set of those chocolates she'd given her. For all her bravado, the Caligula seemed to have a sweet tooth.