Double Black

a year later (i still call your name)

A/N: Standalone continuation to my Valentine's Week series from last year <3

It was Yosano who noticed the date today.

She'd just been going through the office events calendar for February, when her eyes fell on a familiar red heart scribbled around a specific date. Checking her phone for confirmation, she successfully deduced that it was really that day today.

It was that time of the year.

Well, technically, it had been that time of the year for a while now. Ever since the week started, to be precise. The markets were overflowing with newly stocked chocolates and presents every other hour, the florists were enjoying booming businesses, and of course, toy makers were having the time of their lives. Especially the ones who made teddy bears.

Sure enough, it was Valentine's Day today. Meaning, that the past week was supposed to be celebrated as Valentine's Week. It was kind of ridiculous, actually. Yosano hadn't even known all these days existed until last year, when one of her co-workers kindly informed her of his experience with this whole Valentine's Week situation.

It had been a whole affair last year. During Valentine's Day, that is. Not only had an ability user gone rampant in Yokohama, but their ability also happened to be a type that specifically affected ability users and civilians alike, and made them break off their relationships?! 

Seriously, whoever issued out these abilities, could they really not think up a better ability for such a person? They'd have to be really desperately single if they were so bitter about couples enjoying a holiday especially meant for them. Other than that, the Agency members had also discovered that one of their own was actually married?!

Such a fact only came to light after the two people in question were bound together by pink strings, a result of that ridiculous ability, that somehow triggered every other Valentine's Day, or the occasional Christmas, considering that was a lovers' holiday too, for most purposes.

But either way, it has already been a year since then. And none of her co-workers really had partners, or were the type to go on dates with random people for a stupid little holiday. Hence, Yosano turned to the only one of them who did have a certified significant other.

She whirled her chair around, announcing to the office, "Hey, guys. It's Valentine's Day today."

True to nature, Kunikida sighed through gritted teeth, "Believe me, I know. Getting on the train was a pain today."

Ranpo lazily yawned at him, "Don't you live in the Agency dorms? Why do you need to take a train?"

Kunikida coughed, "I was visiting Katai. He's usually more depressed around this time of the year. God forbid I don't show up and he decided that it would be a good idea to take his futon on a date."

Atsushi sighed in mild exasperation, "Maybe stop picking on Katai-san already."

Yosano just laughed at that before turning to a specific genius, "Oi, Dazai. So? Do you have plans for today?"

The detective looked up from the paper airplane that he was constructing with his own two hands, "Hm? Unfortunately, no."

Naomi looked at him in surprise, "Really? That's surprising. You're going to spend Valentine's Day alone, Dazai-san?"

Dazai groaned dramatically, "Alas, as is my fate this year! Despite asking a few beauties if they would like to commit a double suicide with me, and getting them proposal chocolates, nothing ended up working out! They all said they had to work on the day of the occasion!"

Ranpo pointed out, "Technically, if you ask out waitresses, isn't that what's going to happen? All cafes and such are incredibly busy on Valentine's."

Dazai hummed thoughtfully, "I suppose that makes sense. Ah, I should have thought of this before!"