Kurusu asked me after dinner, "Are you going to Zombina-san's tonight?" The meal had been a pleasant change from the usual chaotic atmosphere, as Cerea had arrived home late from her MON work, appearing exhausted. The rest of the girls were contentedly savoring their food, refraining from boisterous activities.

"Yup," I answered casually, leaning against the wall in the hallway. The sounds of Smash Bros. reverberated from the living room ahead of us.

"Alright," he drawled, folding his arms and looking skeptical. Although his expression didn't seem to fit the situation, he was expecting some kind of conversation similar to the one they had the night before. "So, I'm guessing this will be another 'talk' then, right?"

"... You remember what we talked about last night?"

"Well, everything up until we got in Smith-san's car," he admitted, "Maybe a little on the ride back. Do you?"

"Yeah, most of it," I scratched my head. "It's probably going to be a 'talk' like that, though she was being rather ambiguous about it. That was strange since, usually, she's very straightforward."

Kurusu nodded, his brow furrowing in thought. "Right," he said, rubbing his chin, "And this was shortly after you had a conversation with Mero, right? It almost seemed like she was in a different headspace when we ate dinner."

"... Yeah, she did, didn't she?" I sighed, "I just told her that pursuing a tragic romance with me wouldn't happen and that she should try to, you know, do what she wants."

"You don't honestly think that solved everything, do you?" chimed in a harsh voice from above.

Kurusu and I looked up in astonishment to find Rachnera glaring down at us, clinging to the ceiling with her arms folded. Unsurprisingly, she had managed to stealthily sneak up on us without us noticing.

"clearly not," I replied defensively, trying to keep my voice low, "I don't expect to eliminate a considerable part of her culture after just one conversation. I'm taking small steps since simply shouting at her that tragic romance is ridiculous would not be helpful."

"Hm," Rachnera thoughtfully murmured as she descended the wall, "I understand why you made this decision, but I can't help but question it. You told Mero that you weren't interested in dating, yet here you will meet with Zombina alone tonight, under the light of a full moon, when it's clear you are still uncertain about what you want. Can you see how Mero might be picking up on mixed signals from you?"

"Of course I can," I reluctantly said while rubbing the bridge of my nose. "I had already given the matter some thought. I have been managing many tasks lately, and I've been doing my best. Zombina wanted to talk, so I had to talk with her. I owed her that much, especially considering she had saved my life."

"That's fine," Kurusu said, trying to appease Rachnera before she could interject. She gave him a warning glance before staying silent. "You two should probably have a conversation about this. Just...I think you shouldn't drag this out any longer. Otherwise, I'm afraid someone might get hurt."

"Pot, meet kettle," I quipped, though no malice was behind it. Kurusu let out a nervous laugh in response. "Yeah, I know. I'll come up with something. I always do. But let's put my relationship drama aside for now; there's something more important we need to talk about."

Kurusu asked Rachnera, "I remember you said it was the full moon tonight. Does this have any effect on you as well?"

"Regrettably," she replied unhappily, "I have managed to keep myself in check in the past, but it is admittedly...challenging. I have also never gone through a full moon while surrounded by people, and I'm not looking forward to it."

"Damn it," I exclaimed as the darkness began to settle, "I already spoke to Miia about this, and she promised to try her best to control herself."

"Not exactly confidence-building," Rachnera said, "That girl is the most likely out of everyone here to give in to temptation."

"Hey, Miia has done an amazing job in controlling herself over the past month," Kurusu quickly defended her, "She only hurt me four times since the last full moon."

Rachnera sighed in exasperation. "This is not giving me much reassurance. So, what are you suggesting we do for tonight? If Counselor-san is going to abandon us, you need to devise a plan of action."

"Already implemented," Kurusu answered happily, "Say, Rachnee, are you drowsy?"

"Hm? Not particularly," she said with a yawn that revealed her large fangs, the sight of which was disquieting. After she finished, she looked at us with a hint of exasperation. "Of course, that happens just when you ask." Her six red eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Honey, did you drug us?"

He hastily replied, "Absolutely not! I only made sure that dinner was full of food that made people feel sleepy. I even went the extra mile and made larger portions to ensure everyone would consume it all."

Damn, Kurusu, I didn't know you had it in you. Pretty clever, though it was a bit of a gamble since you never knew how different species would react to it or if they even ate enough to feel the effects.

"So that's why there was so much turkey," I commented, suppressing a yawn. Stupid contagious yawns. "Do you believe it'll work, though?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Cerea has already gone to bed, Miia looked drowsy on the couch a few minutes ago, and Mero should be alright no matter what. Papi and Suu are the only ones who are unpredictable, in my opinion."

"You're not including me, Honey?" Rachnera teased, "You wound me."

"Oh, I'm not worried about you," Kurusu said with a warm smile, "You've always been thoughtful and have been able to handle yourself quite admirably so far, so I have complete faith in you."

I rolled my eyes in exasperation as Rachnera's cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink, and she let out a tiny giggle. "Oh, Honey, you should be careful with dropping lines like that when the full moon is so close..."

"Huh?"

"Maybe it'd be best if you just kept quiet for the rest of the night, just to be safe," I said jokingly. "Anyway, Papi should be fine since she's had an active day and has been playing a lot of Wii Tennis. I'll talk to Suu, and then I'll have to head out."

At that moment, I decided to leave them and head over to the family room. Suu, Papi, and Miia were the only ones present; just as Kurusu had said, Cerea had already retired for the evening, and it seemed like Mero was in her room too. Miia was starting to show signs of weariness, lying lazily on the couch while the other two were occupied playing Smash Bros. Her tail swayed slowly from side to side as she watched them.

"Hey guys," I greeted them as I joined them. "How's it going?"

"Goochy!" Papi chirped, turning to face me without pausing the game. Lucky for her, Suu was too busy glomping me to take advantage. "I'm trying out Caption Falcon 'cuz he's a bird!"

I glanced at the screen. "... That's Falco, Papi."

"Yeah, him!"

"Do you like him?" I replied after a laugh.

"Yeah, he's super fast when he goes 'shwing!'" Papi swung her wings back in a rough approximation of Falco's dash attack. "But not as fast as Sanic, though...."

"Pretty sure no one's as fast as Sonic in that game," I told her, "Anyway, how're you both feeling?"

"Mmmm..." Papi yawned. "Maybe a little sleepy..."

"I'm okay," Suu answered sweetly. "How are you?"

I shouldn't be too shocked that Suu wasn't as negatively impacted by the food as the other, more 'ordinary' individuals in the house. However, this presented an even more pressing question.

"I'm not sure yet," I responded with a fond smile as I affectionately ran my hand over Suu's gelatinous head. "Tonight is the full moon, and I'm going to Zombina's for a while, so I just wanted to make sure you'd be alright before I go."

"Papi might just go sleepy now," she answered with another yawn. "Why're you going to Bina's, big brother?"

"She wanted me to come over for some reason." I shrugged. "So I dunno."

"Okay~" Papi replied with a smile, "Maybe she wants to play bideo games with you!"

"Hah, maybe! And what about you, Suu? I have no clue if the full moon affects slimes...."

Suu hummed to herself, her head feeler slightly drooping as she pondered the question.

"Slimes aren't affected by the full moon," she eventually stated, sounding more than a little confused and as if she was only learning it, "I dunno how I know, but... I know."

"What do you mean?" I asked, leaning forward to ensure I was at eye level with her. "Have you not learned this from other slimes?"

She shook her head, her cheeks reddening with shyness. "I don't remember anything from before I met you," Suu admitted. "I've never even met another slime before... though..." Her features scrunched as she tried to recall, her brows furrowing in intense concentration. "I remember... a fountain tree. And a lady's voice, telling me..." She trailed off, unable to place the words.

A fountain tree? That sounded strange, and I couldn't make sense of it. Or perhaps I was overanalyzing it, and it was just a fountain in the shape of a tree. The mention of a woman's voice was also captivating... almost as intriguing as Suu seemed to have no recollection of anything before she arrived here.

I was more than a bit intrigued and eager to try and uncover her past, even though I had nothing to go on. Sadly, I had to rush off to keep my promise to Zombina, so I put my investigation on hold.

"If you're interested, we could attempt to link our minds later and see if we can uncover something from your past," I said. "But for now, I have to go."

Suu's emerald eyes shimmered with glee at my words. "That sounds like fun! Also, we haven't read much lately..."

"Dang, you're right," I sighed, "I'm not sure how long I'll be out, but once I get back, we'll do that. Sound good?"

Suu enthusiastically nodded and let out a joyful giggle as she wrapped her arms around me. I laughed and returned her embrace, feeling a pair of soft, blue-feathered wings wrap around us.

"Papi wants to be part of the hug, too!" Papi whined, prompting Suu and me to laugh again.

We eventually parted, and I waved them goodbye. On my way out, I lightly bumped my fist on Miia's tail.

"You Gucci for tonight?" I asked her.

She yawned in response, her eyelids droopily peeking open as she daintily brushed a thin strand of red hair from her face.

"Mhm," Miia hummed, "Have fun with Zombina, Romance Master."

"Thanks. Sleep well, Miia."

"Mhm."

As I walked through the streets towards Zombina's, I looked up at the full moon in the night sky, its brilliance almost mesmerizing. I momentarily thought that the moon might influence me due to my temper outburst a month ago and my current liminal state, but I quickly dismissed it. I knew I didn't have to worry about myself tonight; I had more important things to think about.

I tucked my hands into my pockets, banished all thoughts of zombies, mermaids, and other perplexing matters from my mind, and quietly hummed a tune that had nothing to do with any of them.

"Now, this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute
Just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air."

To be continued!