It was night time at the apartment complex where the MON team called home, and the full moon was out in full strength. Deep in the basement of the building, the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Program had set up a 'Full Moon Panic Room' for the local human employees that worked for them. The basement had basically been converted to a large sleeping area that had numerous bunk beds, as well as some basic cleaning facilities, all locked behind a large vault-like door which could only be accessed by an electronic key card only given to the human employees. Most people had retired for the night, but Ms Smith and Yuuto were still up, having a very important discussion, well, it was important for Kuroko at least.
''Out of everything you could've forgotten about today, and it had to be my coffee, didn't it?'' Smith said a menacing tone, her sunglasses lowered to reveal her brown eyes contorted with anger towards the blonde agent. Said blonde agent was currently hanging upside-down, being tied and held up by linen bandages coming from Raia's arm, who was sat on a bunk bed behind him, along with Zombina.
''To be fair, Ma'am, I had a lot to deal with today, so coffee was kind of on the back burner at the time. Don't even mention that I just found out about the full moon only a few hours ago.'' Yuuto defended himself against Smith's accusations, despite the fact that his face went red from having the blood rush to his head.
Kuroko was not about to let him get away with what she thought was a lazy excuse. ''Okay, first off, if you found the time to get gifts for your little slime friend, you could've found time to get me my favourite coffee blend. As for the full moon situation, you could've easily found that out yourself, you're a big boy now, remember?'' The government agent had taken her sunglasses off her face at this point, which meant she was in serious mode.
''…Duly noted, but can I just ask one thing?''
''What would that be, Bishie-kun?'' Smith asked with a sinister smile forming on her lips.
''WHY AM I BEING HUNG UPSIDE-DOWN LIKE THIS?!'' Yuuto shouted in protest as he feebly tried to shake himself free from his bonds that were Raia's wrappings.
''It's part of your punishment, one, for letting Vee drink my coffee, and two, for failing to replace it.'' She answered as she placed her sunglasses back on her face, despite it being pointless at this time of night, though her look just wouldn't be complete without them.
''To be fair, Medjay, you should own up to your mistakes and take it like a man.'' Raia added as she pulled on the wrappings she used to tie up the human, causing him to swing backwards and forwards.
''You just wanted an excuse to tie me up, didn't you?'' Yuuto asked with a hint of annoyance.
''Is there anything wrong with that?'' She retorted as she gave him a wink.
Yuuto just scowled at her as he continued to sway forwards and backwards from his current position, while the mummy merely smiled back at him, her face feigning innocence.
Up until now, Zombina was trying her best to stifle her snickering over the current situation her fellow squad captain had found himself in. Eventually, she couldn't hold it in, and let out a gut-wrenching laugh that could wake the dead, though everyone who fit that description were already present and fully awake.
''What so funny, Zee?!'' Yuuto exclaimed as he furrowed his brows at the zombie.
Zombina continued to laugh for a good few seconds before trying to get her words out. ''HAHAHAHA! Sorry Beesh, but you look like one of them piñatas! I'm dying all over again here!'' She continued to howl with laughter as she fell on her side onto the bed, holding her sides as to try to stop her stitches from coming apart.
Yuuto sighed to himself in frustration as he got tired of being hung upside-down. ''Raia, I know you're enjoying this, but can you let me down now, please?''
The mummy looked towards Ms Smith, who in turn nodded back at her. With that, Raia undid the wrappings from Yuuto in an instant, causing the young man to yelp as he dropped to the floor suddenly and hit the ground with a loud thud.
''Whoops, sorry Medjay. Probably should've lowered you first.'' Raia said as she rubbed the back of her head out of embarrassment. ''You okay there?''
He only responded with a groan of pain, as Zombina's hysterical laughter had gotten louder again with this new incident. The blonde sat up straight and rubbed the top of his head where he landed, the exact same place that Lala had hit him with the blunt end of her scythe earlier. ''Yeah, I'm good. Probably just a concussion, that's all.'' He answered sarcastically as he stood up.
''Excuse me, Ms Smith?''
The group of four looked towards one of the nearby bucks to find the brunette receptionist that worked at the apartment complex, sat on the bed with a look of worry on her face.
''Is everything alright, Asano-san?'' Smith asked with questioning look.
''I was just wondering, why are Miss Zombina and Miss Raia with us? Are they not affected by the full moon?'' Asano asked while nervously fidgeting at the hem of her skirt.
''Ah, a good question.'' Kuroko replied with a confident smile as she took her sunglasses off once more.
''I wish you'd make up your mind with those cheap shades…'' Yuuto thought to himself with a look of annoyance.
''Well, as you are well aware, the undead are basically walking, talking, human corpses. As you know, humans aren't usually affected by the effects of the full moon, so it only reasonable to assume the same applies to the undead.''
''Oh, I see.'' The brunette replied, before turning her attention to Raia and Zombina. ''I'm sorry for assuming the worst. I didn't mean to insinuate that you were dangerous to us.'' She continued as she bowed at them.
Zombina calmed herself down as she sat up straight on the bed again. ''Don't sweat is, Asano. You should've seen Beesh this time last month, Smith forgot to mention that little detail to him, and he was shitting himself when he found out we were sharing a buck!'' She said with a massive grin on her face.
''Yeah, thanks for the reminder, Zee…'' Yuuto replied unenthusiastically as he remembered the events of the last full moon. He had spent most of the night wide awake, worried that Zombina would try something. He woke up the morning after to find that the zombie had snuck into his bunk, sleeping on top of him, though getting up was easier said than done as she had a particularly bad case of Rigor Mortis that morning.
As the zombie was snickering to herself again, his phone started ringing suddenly. He pulled it out of his pocket to find that Kimihito was calling. He answered the call and put the phone to his ear. ''Hey Kimihito, what's up?''
''Oh, Yuuto! Thank god you answered, I'm in a bit of a predicament!'' The host answered panickily in a hushed tone, as to not attract the attention of his homestays.
''Well, that's an understatement, considering the whole harem situation…''
''That's not the problem! I can't find the access card for the panic room Ms Smith installed after what happened during the full moon last month! I've tried calling her, but it says that she's engaged right now, so I could really use your help right now!''
The blonde agent looked over at Kuroko, who was currently looking away from him, trying to act as if she wasn't over-hearing their conversation. ''Where are you hiding right now?'' Yuuto asked as he returned his attention to his friend in distress.
''I'm hiding under the stairs, though I'm not sure how long it'll be till the girls find out where I am! I'd rather not have a repeat of last month!'' Kimihito replied, barely keeping himself from yelling.
''Alright, I'm on my way. Try not to get raped in the meantime, okay?'' Yuuto said in a serious tone.
This had caused the liminal host to go quiet for a second, possibly shocked by the blunt statement he received from his friend. ''…I'll try…''
''Good, stay safe.'' With that, he ended the call and pocketed his phone, before returning his attention to Smith. ''How come you didn't answer his call?'' He asked his superior, sounding rather annoyed with the government agent.
She turned to face him while nervously rubbing the back of her head. ''Well, you see, I might've accidently broke my phone after I flipped out at you this morning, so yeah, that happened…''
Yuuto sighed in frustration before turning to face the two undead sitting behind him. ''Okay girls, we've got a situation at the Kurusu residence. We're suiting up.''
''Alright, some action!'' Zombina exclaimed as she practically jumped out her seat on the bunk bed.
''I was wondering when we were going to get a rescue mission.'' Raia added with a smile as she stood to her feet.
''You three go on ahead, I'll keep an eye on things here. Just stay safe, you're well aware of how unpredictable moon-frenzied liminals are. That goes double for you, Bishie-kun.'' Smith said as the trio of MON agents went to the emergency locker in the panic room.
''Yeah, I just hope Blare and the others took my advice on going to bed early tonight…'' He replied with a sense of dread in his voice.
Yuuto, Zombina, and Raia got to the locker and each pulled out a tranquilizer gun with spare ammunition, as well as a number of small spheres that seemed to contain water in them.
''Nice, they finally got us those water grenades we've been asking for.'' Zombina said to herself as she strapped a belt of the across her chest, before pulling out a pair of water guns, one in each hand, grinning menacingly as she did so.
''I'll just stick to my tranquilizers, don't want to get my wrappings soaked.'' Raia added as she checked the weapon over, making sure it was in working order.
As Yuuto finished strapping a belt of water grenades across his chest, he holstered his gun and made his way to the bunk bed he was assigned, and knelt down to retrieve Black Lotus, which he left there just in case of an emergency.
Smith eyed up the blonde suspiciously as he pulled the weapon from under his bed. ''Bishie-kun, I hope you're not…''
''It's a last resort.'' He interrupted his superior. ''Besides, two of the homestays are known to have weapons of their own, so I'd rather have a means of defending myself in that regard.'' The blonde agent continued as he strapped the katana to his belt before making his way back towards his undead comrades. ''You two ready to go?''
''You don't have to ask me twice!'' Zombina exclaimed excitedly.
''Ready when you are, Medjay.'' Raia answered confidently as she grabbed the car keys for the SUV.
''Great, let's go.''
With that, the trio of MON agents left the panic room and shut it behind them. As the group left, Asano stood up from her bed and made her way to Kuroko, who was looking towards the sealed door. ''Ms Smith, are they going to be okay?'' The brunette asked worriedly, with her hands held to her chest.
''As long as they're careful, they'll be just fine. We're talking about some of the best combatants currently working in Japan, so you have nothing to worry about.'' Smith said this to calm down the poor woman, but in her own mind, she was just as worried about her subordinates' wellbeing. They were good, but they were dealing with moon-frenzied liminals, who are a lot more dangerous in their current state of mind, having no control over their strength and inhibitions. If the MON agents weren't careful, they could easily be killed, but not before being taking advantage of by the lust-crazed individuals. They had skill, but they would also need all the luck they could get.
Racing down the road at full speed, Raia drove the SUV to its limits as they raced their way to the Kurusu residence. Zombina was in the back, pumping up her water guns, readying herself for the conflict ahead. Meanwhile, Yuuto was in the front passenger seat, checking his tranquilizer gun over to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with it. As he did so, he suddenly tensed up, and looked at the side mirror of the car with worry on his face.
''What's the matter, Medjay?'' Raia asked as soon as she noticed that he went on edge.
''Call me crazy, but I think we're being followed.''
Zombina looked through the rear window, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. ''Can't see anything, though you can't be too careful.''
Out of nowhere, Yuuto was struck by a sudden but sharp pain in his head, which caused him to wince in pain.
''Medjay, you alright?!'' The mummy asked with worry, trying her best to keep her eyes on the road.
''Yeah, that looked really painful.'' Zombina added as she leant forwards and place a hand on his shoulder.
''I'll be alright. Just hit my head hard a couple times already today, it's probably just a backlash.'' The human replied defensively, more concerned about not worrying his companions.
''Beesh…''
''I'm fine, trust me.'' He said abruptly, not wanting the zombie to worry about him right now, as they had more important things to be concerned about.
Zombina removed her hand from his shoulder and sat back into her seat, though she wasn't satisfied with his answer. Before they knew it, they made it to the Kurusu residence without much difficulty, and Raia pulled the SUV if front of the pathway leading to the house. The mummy turned off the engine as Yuuto and Zombina got out of the car in a flash. Raia was right on their tails as the group silently made their way to the front door. As they got there, Yuuto heard a commotion coming from the living room. With that he made his way to the window, gesturing his undead companions to follow. The trio looked through the front window to find Miia, Papi, Mero, and Suu, wearing nothing but their undergarments, laying on the ground, surrounding poor Kimihito.
''Oh, Darling, forget about that stupid law. You know you want me.'' Miia whispered seductively into his ear as she coiled her tail around him.
''No! Boss wants to do naughty stuff with Papi!'' The blue haired harpy shouted in protest as she tried to snuggle up close to him.
''I must object, Beloved desires to do such lewd things to me! Having him ravish me in front of you two would be so tragic!'' Mero interjected as she tugged at his arm to gain possession of the poor human.
''Suu! Suuuuuu!'' The blue slime exclaimed as she wrapped her arms and tendrils around his chest.
''Girls…! You're… going to kill me… at this rate…!'' Kimihito shouted between ragged breaths as Miia's coils tightened around his chest, with seemingly no way out.
''Shit, we need to get in there, fast.'' Yuuto said in a hushed tone.
''So, what's the plan?'' Raia asked as she readied her weapon.
''I'll need you to contain Suu with your wrappings, I'll dart the other girls and secure Kimihito. Zee, I need you to… Zee?'' He looked to where the zombie was to find that she had disappeared.
From behind, the pair heard the pounding of feet, followed by what sounded like a battle cry, as Zombina rushed towards the window as fast as she could. ''AAAAAARRRRRHHHHHHHHH!'' As she let out a bellowing roar, she jumped towards the window, tucking her arms and legs to her chest, and smashed through the window with the force of a wrecking ball.
''…Keep forgetting she loves to play Rambo….'' Yuuto sighed to himself, almost forgetting about the zombie's reckless behaviour. ''C'mon, let's get in there.''
Zombina crashed through the window and went into a forward roll before she stood up and pulled out the two water guns she brought with her, pointing them at the group in front of her. ''Freeze!'' She shouted at the top of her lungs, before firing the freezing cold water at the lust-crazed liminals.
Suu rolled to the side as Kimihito and the other homestays were struck by the cold water, which brought the girls back to their senses for the time being. Yuuto and Raia made their way through the broken window while the girls were trying to make sense of what was going on, giving the blonde agent enough time to dart Miia, Papi, and Mero with tranquilizers. Raia shot her wrappings at Suu and trapped the blue slime within her wrappings, forming a spherical prison with her bandages. The mummy secured her for now, but it would only be a matter of time until she could squirm her way out.
''I'll go get a bag to put her in, just hold on tight! Zee, go help Kimihito!'' Yuuto ordered as he ran towards the kitchen as fast as he could.
''Got it, just hurry up!'' Raia shouted back, struggling to keep the slime contained.
''Hey Loverboy, you alright?'' Zombina asked the human as she pulled him up from under the unconscious girls.
''Yeah, though I think I might've broken a rib or two…'' Kimihito replied, rubbing the back of his head as he stood to his feet.
Yuuto had made it to the kitchen in record time, and frantically searched the cupboards till he found a plastic bag large enough to fit Suu in. He made his way through the dining room and back into the living room as fast as he came in, though as he left, a shadowy figure started forming behind him, seemingly from nowhere.
''Zee, Catch!'' The blonde shouted as he reached the living room, scrunching up the bag into a ball before throwing it towards the zombie.
After sitting Kimihito onto the couch, she caught the bag and made her way to where Raia was keeping Suu contained, opening the bag up as she did so. ''Alright Slimy, in you go!'' Zombina exclaimed as the mummy opened up a hole in her prison so she could force the slime into the bag.
Yuuto sighed in relief as he leant against the doorframe and wiped his brow with his forearm. ''Great job girls, that was a close one.''
His relief was short lived as the blade of a black scythe materialised in front of him, the notch of the blade pressed against his neck. Before he could react, he was dragged backwards into the dining room by the weapon, flinging him into the table with a great amount of force. The table broke where he landed, causing it to snap in half. He was left lying up against the table as the back end of it was still standing, supporting his weight. As he came to his senses, he looked up to see the figure of Lala standing before him, holding her scythe to her side, wearing nothing but her scarf, a black frilly bra, and black frilly panties, looking down at him, her face filled with lust.
''Lala, what are you…'' He was cut short as the dullahan struck the blade of her scythe into the floor right next to him, causing him to flinch.
As he was caught off guard, Lala straddled his waist and pressed herself up against him, before forcibly pressing her lips against his. She moaned with pleasure as she wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing him closer into her lustful embrace. Yuuto tried his best to protest as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, grinding her hips against his manhood as she did so. After a moment, their lips parted as the dullahan caught her breath, her grinding slowing to a halt as she looked deep into him eyes, a seductive smile creeping onto her face.
''Yuuto, it is time fer ye tae fulfil yer destiny, and bind yer soul with mine.'' Lala said with half lidded eyes, clearly not in control of her own actions right now. Even in her moon-frenzied state, she was unwilling to waver from her chuunibyou nature.
''Lala, we can't…'' Yuuto was cut off again as the dullahan pressed her lips to his once more.
Suddenly, his mind went blank, his senses overpowered by the woman currently showering him with affection, her lips gliding across his own, her breasts pressing up his chest, her hips grinding up against his. With all this sensory overload, he found it hard to concentrate as his thought became clouded. Without realising it, he found himself placing an arm on her back, and the other wrapping itself around her waist, seemingly of their own accord.
''Yuuto, what the hell are you doing?! You know this isn't right!'' His rational thoughts screamed at him to stop.
''But she's practically telling you to fuck her. You know you want it as much as she does.'' His primal urges reasoned, all too aware that he was enjoying the experience.
''Mmmmm, Yuuto…'' Lala slurred as the pair continued to kiss passionately, starting to trace a hand down the man's chest, slowly inching towards his nether regions.
''You can't do this to her! She may not be in her right mind now, but she trusts you, and you're willing to throw that away just for a quick fuck?! She'll get deported, and the chances are that you'll never see her again!'' His rational thoughts protested once more, demanding that he stop this instant.
''She wants you to take her. Are you going to push her away all for your own self-righteousness?'' His urges argued, knowing his self-control was at its limits.
''But you can't take advantage of her like this! She loves you!''
In that instant, his mind replayed all the memories he had of Lala, from their first meeting in Limbo, to their unexpected reunion, and everything since then, all the way to her tender kiss on his cheek earlier that day. He knew in that instant that she trusted him wholeheartedly, and he knew he could never betray that trust. Something in his mind snapped as his thoughts became his own once more, no longer a slave to his primal desires. Without any delay, he grabbed the wrist of her arm tracing down his chest with his left hand, and pushed her back slightly with is right, causing them to part for the moment. Lala looked at him in confusion, unable to understand why he was putting a stop to their affections.
''Lala… we can't… not like this…'' Yuuto strained as he looked into her golden eyes, tears trickling from his own, pleading her to stop.
The dullahan's eyes widened with shock, momently freed from her lust-crazed state at his pleading words. She realised what she had done, what she had almost done to him, as tears started trailing down her own cheeks.
''Yuuto…'' Lala replied, struggling to keep her words coherent as she fought to hold back her tears, ashamed that she couldn't control herself, and nearly defiled the man she loved out of need of her own lust.
Before she could continue, she felt a pair of hands grasp at her head, and pulled it up from her shoulders. Kimihito held her head up high in the hopes that her body would do what it could to retrieve it. Thankfully, the host's efforts weren't in vain, as her body rose from the blonde agent, trying desperately to get her head back, but was just barely out of reach. As her body struggled to get back her cranium, it was hit with a tranquilizer dart, fired from Zombina's gun, who was currently standing in the doorway between the living room and the dining room. The drugs quickly took effect as her body fell limp to the ground, falling backwards on top of Yuuto, who grunted in pain as her body fell on top of him. Surprisingly, as her body fell limp, Lala's eyes strained to stay open, before her head slipped into unconsciousness.
Kimihito sighed in relief as he brought her head down from above him and held it in his arms. ''Well that was close.'' He then looked towards his friend who was currently propping the dullahan's body off of himself so he could give himself room to breathe. ''You alright, Yuuto?'' The host asked with visible concern.
The blonde agent gently laid Lala's body to the ground before he sat himself up straight, rubbing the back of his head as he did so. ''Yeah, I'm good, though I've felt better.'' He replied looking up at Kimihito, as well as Lala's head.
Zombina holstered her gun as she made her way towards the blonde, while Raia came in behind her, with Suu tied up inside a plastic bag as to prevent the slime's escape. ''Geez Beesh, don't scare us like that.'' The zombie said as she crouched down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.
''Sorry, I got caught off guard, but I'm fine now.'' Yuuto replied, giving her a reassuring smile.
''What was that all about, Medjay? It's not like you to lose your focus like that.'' Raia asked, curious as to why the captain had allowed himself to let his guard down.
''Yeah, you're normally on point with this sort of thing.'' Kimihito added with a hint of worry.
Zombina sighed to herself before directing her attention towards the human and mummy. ''It might sound crazy, but Beesh here suffers from the effects of the full moon too, though to a lesser degree than most liminals.'' She answered in an all too serious tone.
''Wait, what?!'' Kimihito exclaimed in surprise, not quite believing what he was hearing.
''But how is that possible? He's human.'' Raia added as her face sported a look of confusion.
Yuuto stubbled to his feet as Zombina helped him up. ''I don't understand it myself, but Smith told me that a small minority of humans still hold a strong connection to their primal instincts, much like the case with most liminals. I've had problems getting to sleep during a full moon for as long as I can remember, and it's the same for my sister too.''
Kimihito and Raia looked at each other, somewhat sceptical about what Yuuto had just told them, but they pushed their doubts from their minds, and nodded at him, trusting his explanation.
After he nodded back at them, he knelt to the ground and picked up Lala's body, holding her in a princess carry. ''Anyway, enough about that. I think we should tuck the girls in for the night while it's quiet.'' He said as he made his way to the living room.
''Right, I'd rather they didn't catch a cold on my watch.'' Kimihito added as he followed after him.
''Alright, but let's hurry it up. Spider-butt might be laying a trap for us as we speak, and I'd rather not find out what Lil Miss Knight will do if she catches us trying to drag Loverboy away from here.'' Zombina responded, readying her tranquilizer gun just in case.
Fifthteen minutes had passed as Yuuto and Kimihito were putting the girls to bed, with Zombina and Raia standing guard, just in case Centorea and Rachnera decided to show themselves. Yuuto was currently in Lala's room, which was decorated with a number of gothic-themed posters and a small collection for fantasy themed figurines, most relating to death in some way. There was also a bookshelf that had a small manga collection, which mainly consisted of Soul Eater, Berserk, and also Bleach. Sleeping under a black duvet, Lala was laying on her front, her head held in her arms as it sat on a black pillow. Yuuto pulled the duvet over her with a smile on his face, finding the sight of the sleeping dullahan too adorable. As distressing as the situation was earlier when he was pinned under the lust-crazed reaper, he knew that it wasn't her fault, and he couldn't say much himself, seeing he was partially affected by the full moon himself.
''Hey Beesh, we better make a move! Who knows what's waiting for us out there!'' Zombina yelled from the other side of the door.
''Just give me a sec!'' He exclaimed in response. He returned his attention to Lala as he gently kissed the girl's forehead before getting up to make his way to the door. ''Sweet dreams.'' He said quietly as a blush appeared on his cheeks, before turning the knob on the door and left the room, closing the door behind in a quietly as he could.
Zombina was waiting outside for him with her tranquilizer gun out, looking at him with a teasing grin. ''Took your damn time, Beesh. Almost thought you were going to sneak into bed with her.'' She said in a sultry tone, at which the human's face went bright red with embarrassment.
''Th-This isn't the time to joke around, you know.'' Yuuto protested in a hushed tone, as to not wake Lala up.
''Yeah, I know. Raia and Loverboy are waiting downstairs for us, so let's get a move on.'' She replied as she made her way downstairs.
''Right.''
As the pair made their way downstairs, they saw Raia and Kimihito waiting by the front door for them, with the human holding the bag that Suu was currently confined to. ''You all done?'' The mummy asked, clearly wanting to get back to the apartment complex as soon as possible.
''Yeah, we're good.'' Yuuto replied as he readied his own tranquilizer gun.
Raia nodded in response as she opened the front door and made her way to the SUV, with everyone following behind her. The group got to the car and got in, Raia taking the driver's seat, Yuuto in the front passenger seat, Zombina in the back behind the blonde agent, and Kimihito sat right behind Raia. They all buckled up as the mummy started up the engine.
''I hope the girls are going to be okay…'' Kimihito said worryingly to himself, not happy with leaving the girls by themselves.
''They'll be fine, Liminals are pretty tough.'' Zombina replied in an upbeat tone.
''Yeah, they'll be fine in the morning.'' Yuuto added with his tranquilizer gun readied.
''Right, anyway, let's get going.'' Raia said with a sense of urgency.
With that, they drove off and started to make their way back to the apartment complex. As they drove off, a slender figure that was sat on top of the Kurusu household spread their wings and took flight, silently trailing the SUV in the night sky. This night was far from over for the MON agents.
A/N: Hey everyone, just so you know, the Full Moon arc will be a long one, so I'll be dividing into two, maybe three parts, that and I seem to love leaving you all with a cliffhanger. My reasoning for having Zombina and Raia being largely unaffected by the full moon is that as undead, they already have lower inhibitions, as explained on Zombina's character profile in the manga. As to why Yuuto is affected by the full moon, I'll be keeping that a secret, and leave you to your own conclusions. As always, if you enjoyed my story, feel free to follow and favourite, as well as drop a review, and maybe add your own suggestions for the story. Once again, thank you for reading, and I'll see you next time.