Coco: I'm back, guys!~ Miss me? Probably not…I was here yesterday with a chapter…but whatever. This one is going to be a ride for sure as Katsuki finally let's all that's been troubling him finally begin to show. Are you ready for it?

Ayano felt her heart swell in happiness when she saw her name on the board. All the hard work paid off. Now, she could actually start doing some actual hero work. She was that much closer to becoming a hero. Though before she could celebrate for long, she noticed the pure look of disbelief on Katsuki's face. Ayano turned to back towards the board and noticed quickly…that Katsuki's name wasn't on the board.

"How?" Katsuki asked. "I kicked ass."

"It was probably due to your behavior towards the members of H.U.C," Konan said quite bluntly. "I could hear you shouting at them from where I was searching."

Katsuki shot the paper girl one of his darkest glares that had Eijiro looking between the two in worry. Even Ayano looked a little concerned as she watched Katsuki carefully. Konan on the other hand didn't seem fazed by the glare.

"I'm not saying this to put you down," Konan told the boy. "Besides, you're not the only one in our class who failed."

Her words brought looks of confusion from her classmates before they followed her gaze over to Shoto. Some gasped as they looked at the troubled expression on the half-and-half boy's face.

"No way," Ayumi said in shock.

She knew Shoto had done some pretty stupid stuff in the second half of the exam, but he and that Shiketsu kid had really helped a lot in the end. Not to mention, she didn't see Katsuki failing with how hard he fought.

"Todoroki!" Inasa called out as he walked over.

Shoto turned towards the taller boy with the two just staring at each other for a moment. However, Inasa then bowed much like he had done before the exam with his head smashed into the ground and everything.

"I'm sorry!" Inasa said with his voice full of regret and sincerity. "It's my fault that you didn't pass the licensing exam! My focus was too narrowminded! Forgive me."

Shoto looked off to the side for a moment with a troubled expression on his face. But he then let out a breath.

"You're fine." Shoto said. "I'm the one who got us off on a bad start."

"But still," Inasa tried to protest.

Shoto shook his head as he knew he was the one who did this to himself in the end.

"And thanks to the things you said to me, I have a lot to think about." Shoto said.

His classmates were still having trouble believing that he didn't pass. Or Katsuki for that matter. They were their best and had the most potential out of all of them.

"Holy crap, did he really fail?" Mina asked.

"How could our top two classmates not pass the exam?" Hanta wondered.

It was definitely a head scratcher. Though Ayano could also understand the judges' thinking. Shoto had put lives on the line with his little scuffle with Inasa. Both of them behaving childishly when people needed them to be strong and protect them. As for Katsuki, she hadn't seen how he was doing before he came in to help, but considering what Konan said and how badly Katsuki is at rescue and interacting with civilians…Ayano could see where he lost points.

"Should have been more careful with what you said," Denki said with a teasing tone to try and lighten the mood. "Words are important, ya know."

Though he immediately regretted his actions when seeing the go-to-hell-look Katsuki was giving him.

"Shut your mouth before I murder you." Katsuki snarled.

Denki immediately hid himself behind Ayano who let out a sigh. Katsuki was going to be in a mood for a while, and she highly doubted anything she'd say would make him feel better. He'd accuse her of coddling if she tried to cheer him up or sooth him. But if she did the tough love thing and point out his mistakes and tell him she had tried to warn him, he'd start shouting and get angry. Either way, he wasn't going to be happy for a while.

"Those entitled people at the top think so highly of themselves, don't they?" Minoru asked. "Their own egos are their worst enemies."

Minoru then climbed up Shoto's back to place his hand on the hot-and-cold boy's shoulder.

"Looks like our class hierarchy is collapsing." Minoru said smugly.

Though he wasn't smug for long as Tenya sharply smushed the small boy's face in his hands to pull him off of Shoto. Tenya put Minoru down after that while not letting go as he gave the boy a stern stare.

"So," Mera began speaking once more after the students had a chance to see who passed and who didn't. "Next we'll give you the print outs of your results. They include a breakdown of your scores, so you'll know exactly what areas you need to improve going forward."

As the papers were being given out, Ayano was curious to know just by how many points she passed. Apparently, if the points were at least over 50 the examinee passed. She wondered if she passed by the skin of her teeth or if she actually managed to do good.

"Ishida," A man called her name as he held out the paper.

Ayano thanked the man then took the paper from his hand as Eijiro was also getting his paper. Both teens looked at their papers to see their scores, but before they could get a good look, an overbearing presence came up behind them.

"Hand them over," Katsuki said. "I wanna see."

"Uh, maybe you should worry about yourself." Eijiro nervously suggested.

"Yeah," Ayano agreed. "No reason to upset yourself even more, Katsuki."

Katsuki growled at the pair of them, but neither one of them was about to budge. What was really upsetting wasn't just the fact he failed, but the fact Ayano was actually ahead of him now. Just like she said she would do, she surpassed him…she's closer to being a pro now than he is.

"We lopped off points when you did something wrong," Mera was saying as the students were looking over their papers. "Fall below fifty and you were done. These demerits are itemized on your result forms as you see, so I'd look at them."

Ayano was going to do just that, but she really just wanted to know her overall score before getting into the details, which is why her eyes quickly went to the bottom of the paper. Her score was in a box in the bottom right corner and when seeing the 90 looking back at her, she felt even prouder of herself.

"So, how'd you do, Ishida?" Eijiro asked.

When she didn't reply, he turned to see her staring at her paper with a beaming smile. He felt his own lips turn up when seeing how happy she was. Katsuki noticed the look as well, which meant he knew she had to do pretty well if making a face like that. It added to his annoyance, but also at the same time, he wasn't as angry as before.

"Anyway, moving forward," Mera said. "Those of you who passed can exercise the same authority as pro heroes, but only during emergency situations. In other words, fighting villains; saving the victims of criminal acts or accidents, you may act using your best judgement with no direct orders. Keep in mind that your every action from now on carries with it a deep responsibility towards bettering our society, and that the world is watching you."

That's true, and Ayano hoped to live up to those responsibilities and to help people.

"I'm sure you're aware that All Might—our greatest hero—no longer has his incredible power." Mera continued. "One of the reasons why crime in this country has been so low is due to his presence. With that deterrent gone, criminals should become bolder and more widespread. Expect the balance we currently have in our world to be destroyed and things to change quickly."

Villains have already shown that they're willing to take more risks now. Even before All Might retired, the League of Villains had been causing a stir. With Stain's supposed connection to them, they grew stronger as more people flocked to their group. Now All Might was no longer able to be the Symbol of Peace, and the change in the air was evident. Ayano could already feel it.

"You, young people, will be the hope for our future. It's imperative that you become exemplary heroes." Mera told them. "That your reputations grow to suppress crime as did his. Remember the license you earned today is provisional, and you still have much to do. I would like for you to think as yourselves as fledglings and be even more diligent in your studies. And as for those who fell short and did not pass, we don't have time for you to feel bitter about your loss. Instead we offer you a chance to redeem yourselves."

Katsuki, Shoto, and Inasa's eyes widened in surprise as Mera's words as they were now listening intently.

"After you attend a three month long special course and pass individual tests, we plan to issue provisional licenses to those of you who failed as well," Mera said, which received a few happy cheers. "In order for us to reach the idealist future that I just spoke of, we're going to need as many good heroes on the street as we can get. The first round was one to weed people out, but we would like to grow the 100 selected in that test as much as possible. That's why we watched you all until the end, so that we could see for ourselves that you each have promise. That once your shortcomings are corrected you have the potential to be as great as your fellow classmates. This special course will keep you busy as it will run coherently with your normal studies. Your welcome to retake the exam in April if you prefer to wait."

As expected, Katsuki wasn't going to wait and was raring to go. Seeing the determination in his eyes had Ayano smiling. It was good to see this loss didn't damper his spirits too much.

Ayano smiled down at her provisional license as she and her classmates were heading towards the bus, so to head home. Or rather back to the dorms. It felt a little unreal, but she was actually holding proof of her progress in her own hands.

"Enjoy it while you can, Aya." Katsuki said as he walked over to her. "You won't be ahead of me for long. I'll catch up and surpass you."

His words only made Ayano smile more, which had his brow twitching slightly in annoyance.

"Could you say that again, Katsuki?" Ayano requested. "Who are you having to catch up to?"

His brow started twitching even more when seeing how much she was enjoying this. And in truth, she really was. Ayano kept saying she was going to surpass Katsuki. That he'd sooner or later have to try and catch up to her, and now he was.

"You have three months until you get your license." Ayano said as she tapped her chin as if thinking hard about something. "I wonder just how much hero work I can get done in that time. How many more things will I accomplish before you get to where I am now?"

She gave him a teasing grin as she spoke, and at this point Katsuki felt the veins in his forehead thumping along with his annoyance. As she kept teasing the boy, some of their classmates stood off to the side with a mix of amused and slightly concerned expressions.

"Ishida sure is brave." Denki said.

"Yeah, well, she's been fighting with him since they were kids, right?" Kyoka asked. "So, this is pretty normal for them, I guess."

"Still…takes guts to poke that irritated explosive hedgehog." Ayumi commented.

Eijiro and Mina nodded in agreement as they continued to watch from a safe distance. Ayano then forgot all about Katsuki as she turned away suddenly. Katsuki blinked at her sudden shift in mood as she was pulling out her phone.

"I have to let Sir and Togata-senpai know I passed. Probably Bubble Girl too since she'll get upset if I message them but not her. Maybe even Centipeder-san as well?" She mumbled to herself.

As she hurried to take a picture herself with her license, Katsuki watched her with his annoyed expression to turning to one that was unreadable.

'She's really passed me,' He thought. 'Why am I so weak? Why can't I keep up?'

The thoughts kept swirling in his mind as he looked off to the side, so Ayano wouldn't notice his bothered expression.

Nighteye looked up from the file he was reading when he heard his phone ding. Bubble Girl, who was with him, blinked as her phone went off too.

"I wonder who that could be," She wondered as she pulled out her phone. "Ah, it's from Ayano!"

Nighteye could see that as he too was looking at his phone. He opened the message she sent to see she had sent a picture. It was a picture of her beaming happily as she held her provisional license against her cheek.

"She passed," Bubble Girl said happily. "That's great, isn't it, Sir?"

Nighteye hummed in reply as he felt his lips turn up ever so slightly. He then read the message underneath photo.

Be seeing you soon—A

He set his phone down to pick up the folder he had been reading over their latest case.

'She'll be back just as this investigation is getting to its peak,' Nighteye thought. 'It'll be a hard first task as a fledgling hero, but I think she's ready.'

Mirio laughed happily as he looked down at his phone to read the message, he has received from Ayano. Tamaki and Nejire, who were with him as they had been getting ready for the classes that would start up tomorrow, paused in what they were doing to look at their friend.

"Hey, Mirio, what's up, huh?" Nejire asked. "Something good?"

Mirio looked up from his phone to his friends before turning the screen, so for them to see. They saw the picture Ayano sent, and Tamaki understood why Mirio was so happy.

"Ishida got her provisional license." Mirio said even though his friends could see that just fine on their own. "And just look at the smile. I don't think I've ever seen her so happy."

He looked back at the picture with his own smile growing even wider if it were possible. He remembers how down Ayano used to get during their training and how she never seemed fully satisfied with how she did. But right now, she just looked so elated. Mirio then typed on his phone to send her a message back.

Congrats, Ishida! I knew you could do it!—M

Thank you, Senpai. I wouldn't be here without you and everyone else who helped me—A

Mirio chuckled with fond shake of his head as he continued to message the girl. As his friends watched him, Tamaki looked away in thought.

'I wonder if Kurafutoshi passed as well,' He wondered. 'Yeah…she probably did.'

Ayano hummed to herself as she walked around her dorm room while trying to get things together for tomorrow. It was the first day back to regular classes, and she wanted to make sure that she had everything she needed ready. That way in the morning, she wouldn't have to feel rushed. As she was putting away her last notebook in her bag, her door opened with Katsuki walking in. And he didn't seem unhappy, but it wasn't the same kind of unhappy he was for failing the exam. She could see something else was bothering him.

"Katsuki, what's wrong?" She asked as he took a seat on the edge of her bed.

Katsuki sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. He then looked up with his red eyes boring into her white ones.

"I want to talk about Hive." He stated plainly.

Ayano's eyes widened at his statement. Though she should have known this was coming. She didn't know how much Katsuki knew, but he did see her use quirks not her own, so she knew he knew something was up. But they didn't really come out and talk about it afterwards. Made her wonder how he even knew to call Hive…well, Hive.

"How…?" She trailed off.

"Your sister told me about it when we were in that stupid League of Villains hideout." Katsuki replied. "Told me that it was your true power and that you've been using someone else's quirk all this time…How long did you know?"

Ayano frowned as her own sigh left her lips. She moved her desk chair around, so to sit in it while able to face Katsuki.

"Since I-Island." Ayano said. "During our fight with the villains…Hive woke up. Hive is the reason why I was even able to get up and help Professor Shield when I did. It was Hive who helped me regain control of my body when the League had us, and it was Hive who caused me to have that episode at the training camp."

Katsuki, who had his hands clasped together, felt his jaw clench slightly. His hands clenched together more tightly as well.

"I'm still learning to work with Hive." Ayano said. "There have been plenty of bumps, but I feel like we've come to an understanding."

"So, this quirk of yours has a mind of its own?" Katsuki asked. "Your sister mentioned it did and that it reacts violently. That it killed someone important to you both."

Ayano sighed while guessing Rina had told him the version of their past that All for One had had her older sister believing.

"That's not completely true." Ayano said. "It's true that Hive would react badly if I was upset as a child. At least that's what my father told me. He said it was like Hive was trying to protect me and just lash out at anything it saw as a threat hence why Hive had to be put into a dormant state. As for killing my mother that didn't happen."

Ayano took a deep breath before finally telling Katsuki everything. About why she was put up for adoption. Why she hadn't known about Hive until recently. How Hive was sealed away to begin with and All for One's involvement with her family. At least everything she knew. There were still details even she was in the dark about. Like the main reason behind why she and her sisters were separated. After she was done talking, things were quiet between the two. Ayano was sure Katsuki had to be mad at her for keeping things like this quiet.

"So, your family is involved with that boss villain All for One." Katsuki finally spoke. "The villain able to take people's quirks and give them to others. The same villain All Might seems to know personally. Does that mean you know about what's going on between Deku and All Might? About that damn nerd's borrowed quirk?"

Ayano stiffened at Katsuki's question as she lifted her eyes from her lap to meet his gaze once more.

"I…" Ayano began.

"Don't lie to me, Ayano." Katsuki cut her off. "You've known all along, haven't you?"

"What you're asking…I can't say anything about." Ayano said as her hands clenched into fists in her lap. "It's not my secret to tell. I'm sorry. I didn't want to keep you in the dark. Despite all our differences in the past, you've always been the person I've been closest too. I've always shared everything with you, but I felt like I couldn't this time. In the beginning I felt like it was something impossible to explain…I didn't even understand it, and then it became more like I didn't want to burden anyone with my problems. So, I tried to handle everything on my own."

Again, silence fell between them and the two just kind of stared at each other for a moment. Katsuki then stood, which had Ayano looking away as she had a feeling he was just going to walk out. She didn't blame him. If she was in place, she'd be angry and she'd want time to think. However, that wasn't what she heard in his mind.

'I'm so weak,' Katsuki was thinking. 'Everything that's happened is because of me. Getting caught by those stupid villains. All Might losing his power. Aya…Everything she's gone through is because I was too weak to protect her…Too weak to stay at her side. She and that damn nerd have passed me, and now I'm having to chase after them. What's wrong with me?'

His pain filled thoughts had Ayano shooting up from her seat to wrap her arms around him. Katsuki didn't react to her sudden embrace as he could guess she heard his thoughts. He really was a mess if he couldn't keep them from her like he'd normally do if he didn't want her to know what he's been thinking. He's been hiding it pretty well, but after seeing how Ayano and Izuku passed today. How they surpassed him. And how that damn nerd was chosen to be his idol's successor…all of it was too much.

'I don't want her to leave me behind,' Katsuki thought as he felt his eyes well up into tears. 'And what am I even doing anymore? Has everything I've been doing until this point wrong?'

"Katsuki, please," Ayano begged. "Don't think like that. You're not weak. What happened with the League and All Might's retirement isn't your fault. I was there too. I couldn't stop anything either. You can't just take all the blame yourself."

Ayano tightened her hold on him as she said this, and Katsuki finally put his arms around her in return. He looked down at her crying form as he tried to ignored the tears in his own eyes. It didn't matter what she said, the feeling didn't waver. He still felt so much guilt. It was like he couldn't get rid of it. Because he couldn't stop thinking that if he had been stronger, she wouldn't have been hurt and All Might wouldn't have lost his power. He wanted to be just like All Might one day, but he felt like he destroyed him instead.

And that damn Deku. The one who used to chase him as a kid. The one who could never keep up…he was chosen by All Might—the person Katsuki admired most in this world—to be his successor. Izuku had saved Ayano when Katsuki couldn't from those League of Villains. That weakling that Katsuki had always been able to squash like a bug was now better than him…stronger than him.

'How the hell did this happen?' Katsuki wondered as his jaw clenched tightly.

Ayano let out a small grumble as she began to feel herself wake from her slumber. After her and Katsuki's talk from earlier, he had coax her to lay down and rest. Though he had to lay down beside her before she'd settle. He had held her until she fell asleep, and she was hoping he'd stay there for the night. However, as she now opened her eyes, she saw Katsuki wasn't with her anymore.

'Where did he go?' She wondered. 'Back to his room?'

She stretched out her telepathy in search for Katsuki's mind, but she didn't feel it. She frowned as she stretched her mind out through the entire dormitory, but she still didn't feel his mind. In fact, he wasn't the only one absent.

"Where's Izuku?" She asked aloud.

She then felt dread fill her as she thought back to everything, she had gotten from Katsuki's thoughts earlier. How he thought he was weak. How he blamed himself for everything that's happened, but most importantly his troubled feelings against Izuku. Those two have always had issues. Ever since they were kids. She's seen those two at their worst when it came to each other.

She had thought things couldn't get any worse than they had been before the finals they had before summer vacation. But it seems like she was wrong, and with both of them missing…she had a feeling they were out there together. And probably not simply talking things out. Katsuki didn't talk things out. Not even with her. Lately, she's been having to use his thoughts to kind of gauge how he's feeling, and try to help him from there. However, the one real way for Katsuki to get his feelings across was through fighting.

'Those idiots.' She thought as she threw her blanket off of her.

She hurried from her room while not even bothering to grab her shoes or put anything over her t-shirt and shorts. She had to find them. Before they took things too far. She's always tried to be there whenever those two fought. Always trying to be the mediator. Most of their fights have never been more than simply disagreements or Katsuki just trying to prove his strength. This was different. The fighting has become more intense since they've entered high school, and she was afraid of what they'd do. She was truly scared just thinking about how far they'd take things.

'Why do you two always have to do this?' She wondered. 'Don't you realize just how much you put me through when you fight? Don't you realize how much I worry, Katsuki, Izuku?!'

Coco: Well, things certainly changed from happy to sour really quick in this chapter. I never planned to let Katsuki pass. I did want to show that Ayano kind of has changed things for him a bit, but him failing helped him a lot in character development. I wasn't about to take that away. Also, if he passed, he and Izuku wouldn't have the fight that's about to happen between the two. It needs to happen as it's another big leap in their development not only for themselves but for their relationship as well, so I wanted to make sure that all remained canon.

I'm not sure how I'll have Ayano get involved just yet. I know I don't want her to stop it, so will she arrive just as its over? Or will she arrive and All Might stop her and tell her that it has to happen. That these two have to resolve their issues once and for all? Not sure. I'll have to play around with a few ideas before I make a decision.

Now, moving onto the chapter bonus, I've had two requests, but since SweeneyPop put their request in first, it's going to be the one I use for this chapter. Then the person who came after them will have their request in the following chapter. So, it's a first come thing where whoever put their request in first will get it in the following chapter and then it'll follow with the next person and person after that. I believe that's the fairest way to do it.

So, I now bring a snippet from All Might's school days with Giichi and Etsudo as requested by SweeneyPop. Hope you enjoy!

!Chapter Bonus!

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"Really, Giichi, you've got to stop causing so much trouble!" Etsudo scolded as she pointed up at the white-haired teen.

Said boy was covered in scrapes and bruises and even had a bit of blood running down from his nose. He was pretty sure it had been broken, but his bones tend to set pretty quickly, so he wasn't too worried about it. In fact, he didn't seem to care about any of his injuries as he scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"I wish you'd quit with the nagging already," He complained as he ran his hand through his hair. "Who cares if I got into a fight with some punks. They had it coming."

Etsudo's face turned slightly red in anger as Toshinori looked at this white-haired friend in concern. Giichi has always been known for getting into fights since they were little. Mostly because people kept messing with him. Giichi's personality tended to rub people the wrong way and they'd start the fight, which Giichi would quite quickly end. However, lately it's gotten worse. He seems to be getting into more and more fights, and these people didn't even seem to have anything against Giichi or even try to pick a fight in the first place.

"You'll never become a hero if you keep acting like this," Etsudo said as she hit his arm repeatedly.

Giichi didn't even seem fazed by her punches as he rolled his eyes in annoyance once more.

"I never said I wanted to be a hero." Giichi pointed out as he made a shooing motion for Etsudo to back off. "That's for you and our resident golden boy."

He jerked his thumb over to point at Toshinori who's been pretty quiet since they found Giichi covered in injuries.

"Someone like me isn't meant for heroism." Giichi said before spitting a bit of blood from his mouth. "So, I'll leave that to the two of you."

He then picked up his bag off the ground to sling over his shoulder with his hand gripping onto the handles. His free hand he shoved in his pants pocket as he started walking in the direction of their neighborhood. As they watched him go, Etsudo sighed.

"What are we going to do with him?" She asked.

"He's been fighting a lot lately." Toshinori said looking concerned. "Do you things are okay?"

Etsudo looked up at Toshinori's worried expression as his eyes were watching their friend walk away. She sighed again though a small smile pulled across her face.

"He's fine," Etsudo said. "He's not getting into fights for the heck of it. He's fighting because of you, Toshi."

Toshinori's eyes widened as he turned towards the short, ginger-haired girl who crossed her arms over her chest.

"Me?" Toshinori asked.

"Yeah, all the fights he's been getting into lately are because people keep talking down about you." Etsudo said. "I've heard more and more people keep mocking you because of your dream. People kind of ignored it when we were younger since we were kids. But now as we're nearing high school and really having to think about our future, people expected you to give up on your dream and think of something…practical. I'm sure you've heard what people have been saying."

Toshinori frowned with a nod as he has heard people whisper behind his back and mock his dream. He's quirkless, but he wants to be a hero. And not just any hero, but a hero strong enough to be a symbol. A symbol of hope for people to hold onto, so even if he can't be there physically with them that they still feel at ease. People in their country were pretty scared.

He wanted to change all that and give people a better life. A life where they weren't afraid and could live in peace. But many people didn't believe in him. His friends were the only ones who never even suggested he give up on his dream. Though Giichi has never came out and said he believed in Toshinori or anything, the blonde wanted to believe he did.

"When Giichi hears them mock you, he gets angry." Etsudo continued. "He fights because he believes in you and he doesn't like hearing people put down your dream because he sees you as someone our society needs. Not that he'd ever say anything like that out loud."

Toshinori's eyes widened as he turned his gaze back to Giichi who had gotten pretty far ahead of them by this point.

"Though I wish he'd find a better way of getting his point across than throwing fists." Etsudo said. "You hear me, troublemaker?!"

She yelled this after Giichi who flipped her off over his shoulder in reply. Etsudo gasped at his rudeness before running after him to yell at him. As the two got into one of their usual arguments—or rather as Etsudo yelled at the white-haired youth while Giichi basically ignored her—Toshinori smiled.

'I will become the pillar that the world needs,' Toshinori thought. 'A symbol of hope.'

"Hey, idiot, stop standing around with that stupid look on your face," Giichi, who was pushing the angry Etsudo away from him, said. "It's time to go home."

Despite Giichi's tone or the fact he insulted Toshinori twice, the blonde's smile widened.

"Right," Toshinori said as he started hurrying towards them. "I'm coming. Don't leave me behind, okay?"

As he ran towards them, Etsudo stopped thrashing around and smiled. And as Giichi turned to keep walking away, his own lips gave a barely noticeable tilt upward.

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And there we go! This one was a bit longer than the others, but when I chose this kind of scene to write, I felt like it couldn't be as short as the other bonuses. It felt natural to write the three's dynamic together and hope it flowed as well as I felt it did.

Anyway, I hope to have another chapter up soon. So, here's to seeing you guys soon! See ya!