Target 120 Virtual Space
Takeshi Yamamoto is continuing down the route we led him on.
Hayato Gokudera is currently in combat with Gamma in the training room.
As you envisioned,
the now-scattered Vongola are having their destinies
snuffed out like candles.
Is Phantom Knight continuing to monitor the research lab?
Yes, as you instructed.
Very well.
The only remaining issue is determining the location of Vongola X.
Hurry up, Tsuna.
But...
No "butts" or what comes out of them. Put those things on.
Ouch!
Ow-ow-ow!
What are you doing?
It hurts!
They're thinner than normal, so they shouldn't, but...
Suck it up, would you?
I'm bad at this sort of thing.
I told you I'm bad with eyedrops too...
It even hurts when I clean my ears.
You're pretty sad.
You're gonna spend your whole life dealing with earwax build-up.
He's so mean sometimes...
How about I try changing the material?
Huh?
I'll swap it from a hard lens to a soft one.
It should lessen the discomfort to your eyes.
Can you do that?
I'm a little concerned about how durable they'll be, but it should be fine.
Well, we can't do anything at all if Tsuna can't even put them on.
How long will it take?
It's the same basic HUD system...
I can probably throw something together in about an hour.
Sorry, Spanner-san.
It'd be a waste of time to just sit around here waiting.
True.
Oh, I know. Why don't you give that a try?
What's that?
A simulator I used to develop the combat program for King Moska.
It sends images directly to your brain,
so you feel like you're actually in battle.
So like virtual reality?
Yeah? Sounds like fun!
I could gather combat data on you from it.
Huh?
I got some during your fight with King Moska,
but it wasn't enough.
I want to confirm exactly what level you're at
when you go at full strength.
Huh?!
Sp-Spanner-san, I can't just...
What's the problem?
It'll help build experience, so just do it.
B-But...
You can go a bit overboard in a simulated world.
The tougher conditions should bring out your full power.
Uh, "tougher conditions"? I don't like the sound of that.
Sit your butt down.
Huh, me?
Who else did you have in mind?
Comfortable?
It's not bad.
That's good.
Wh-What are you doing?!
Collecting combat data.
Wait! I haven't agreed to this yet!
Please wait!
Giannini?
It's dangerous!
VR is no different from reality to the person experiencing it.
If you were to die in the virtual world,
you could lose your life in the real one!
Seriously?!
Sure.
But there's nothing to worry about.
Of course there is!
Please don't. If something were to happen...
Doesn't bother me. Do it.
Oh, give in already.
I can't see a thing!
I'm going to switch it on now.
All right, where am I?
What's going on?
I know I was just in Spanner's room...
There's no helmet either.
You're already in the VR world.
Spanner-san?
What you're seeing are nothing more
than images created by a computer.
However, that world is just like the real one.
I don't believe it.
A Moska?
It's a Strau Moska that I tweaked.
It's a hologram too,
but it should have the same combat ability as a real one.
W-Wait! Giannini said if I get killed here, I could actually die!
Don't be freaked out.
Huh?
You'll fight harder when your life's on the line.
Reborn!
I'm just a hologram.
I had Spanner put me in this world.
You ready?
Yeah.
Round one: battle start.
If all you do is run, you won't get any training out of it.
Try using the X BURNER if you can.
I'll be continuously monitoring the flame output over here.
No need to hold back.
No.
You were afraid of the kickback and withheld the flame output.
There's no point using the X BURNER like that.
If you're gonna use it, act like your life's on the line.
Okay.
Spanner, give him a hand. Got anyone who can take him head on?
Be serious about this.
That was just a warm-up.
This is where the real fun starts.
The ocean, huh?
He's fast.
That one's equipped with a combat aircraft jet engine.
It amplifies its maneuverability.
You certainly are fast, but this guy won't be outclassed.
Give me all you've got.
Let's get started.
Round two: battle start.
I'll set the King Moska to auto-battle mode.
The rest is up to them.
I have to get started on my work too.
The problem lies in when Shoichi figures out what we're doing.
Don't dilly-dally, Nosaru.
Yeah, yeah.
Man, you've got it good, Tazaru.
Huh?
You were given orders to guard the command room.
I got nothing.
We're a team.
My mission is your mission.
I don't like that Irie guy!
He's completely ignoring me,
and doing weird stuff with the base too!
You complain too much.
He's not just irritating you, you know.
But he's our commander right now.
Carry out your mission.
You're so mature.
Up ahead is...
Right, so keep going forward then?
I wonder what Tsuna's doing right now.
Flame output has exceeded the estimated values?
I have to correct it...
What a guy. I wonder how much power is hidden within him.
But he'll never win if he keeps running away.
How will you respond, Vongola?
Flame output has exceeded the estimated values?
I have to correct it...
What a guy. I wonder how much power's hidden within him.
But he'll never win if he keeps running away.
How will you respond, Vongola?
X BURNER: Air!
Crap.
Ah! I'm going to drown!
Th-Thanks.
I'm completely soaked and my mouth tastes like salt.
Oh, I'm not wet.
There's no way you would be.
Huh?
You were in a VR world.
Oh yeah, my bad.
I shouldn't have panicked.
I don't know about that.
If I'd left you like that, you would've drowned.
What happened there?
The enemy was moving too fast.
Don't make excuses.
I can't say his output was at maximum either.
Judging from your maneuverability,
you should be able to fire a much more powerful X BURNER.
If I don't know your maximum output,
I won't know how far to set the values on your contacts.
It's not enough to just fire the thing.
He wants to know the limits of what you can do in battle.
I know that, but...
I always lose my balance in the middle of a fight.
That shouldn't happen if you put the contacts on.
The issue is how quickly you can react to the flame's output,
and how much we can raise that.
You can see and hear, so by trying to simplify the data...
Assuming the default settings are correct...
I guess I'll just have to get used to them.
Simulation or not, it's no different from a real battle.
I have to figure out something in there that'll help...
Leave all the details to Spanner.
Just do what you can.
To us, this might just be a chance to collect data.
But it's different for you, right?
With every fight, you gain valuable combat experience.
Don't underestimate it.
Right.
Leave thinking for later and prep for the next stage.
R-Right.
You'll be facing a King Moska with a more powerful offense.
It's equipped to dole out an unending barrage of attacks.
Unending...?
If you've got it, then get your helmet on.
We can't go easy on this.
R-Right.
Spanner-san, I'm going to try my best.
Right.
Round three: battle start.
At this rate, I won't have a chance to fire the X BURNER.
In a tough battle,
the amount of time to finely adjust the flame output is limited.
I guess the output data should be simple.
So you're going to strike using the rock as a shield?
I want to say good idea, but...
We haven't found Vongola X yet?
My apologies.
We're still investigating the matter, however...
How long does it take to investigate a single spillway?
It's rather deep, and water is still flowing through it.
I believe the search team is having a hard time.
So we just need to drain it, right?
Irie-sama?
I'm going to move the spillway and remove the water.
What was that?
The spillway is undergoing an emergency seal-off.
All units evacuate immediately.
All units in the spillway are to evacuate immediately.
Get out! Hurry up!
Flame energy being absorbed into the bypass.
Start up the mobile block.
A-Again?!
Tazaru!
Nosaru!
Damn it!
This is bad.
What's going on, Spanner?
I'm sorry.
It seems my computer crashed...
Part of the program is acting up.
It might be best to stop for now.
You can't fix it?
I'm doing that now, but it might be a bit tricky.
It looks like another program got mixed in...
That's...
Not something I made. Ignore it.
That's a fascinating design.
Who made it?
Spanner?
Shoichi.
Shoichi Irie.
That's right.
He sent it to me back when we were in high school.
He said that he'd come up with a brand-new concept for robots.
It's definitely avant-garde.
And dangerous.
I can't control it, so I can't guarantee your safety.
For now, I'm going to force quit.
This is bad.
What's wrong, Spanner?
It won't let me force quit.
So we can't go back?
R-Round...battle...start...
The Vongola can't return until the round's over.
So basically, it's do or die.
Looks like we're having a showdown
with Shoichi Irie in an unexpected place.
I'll fix the program somehow.
Run away or whatever until then.
Buy me some time.
No, I won't run.
What?
I can get back if I beat this, right?
Its combat ability is unknown.
It's too dangerous to fight it.
Round...battle start!
Vongola...
Hi!
It's another episode of everyone's favorite
"Haru's Haru-Haru Dangerous Interviews!"
Who do we have today?
Sure, our guest today is
the guy who's been protecting Namimori, from the shadows, alongside Hibari-san:
Tetsuya Kusakabe-san!
Hi there.
Thanks for having me.
Hibari-san was interviewed here too!
Was he? Man, that Hibari... Must've been rough.
Eek! No, umm...
He can be hard to deal with, but no one loves Namimori more.
What type of work do you do?
It's my job to make it easy for Hibari to do what he wants.
So you work for Hibari-san's benefit, not Namimori's?
Acting on behalf of Hibari is the same as acting for Namimori.
Kusakabe-san, do you have any desires or goals?
My goals are the same as Hibari's.
And I want what he wants.
Everything's about Hibari-san...
Everything I am is for him.
Even your hair?
All of the members of the Disciplinary Committee have that hairstyle, right?
Was that by Hibari's orders?
It wasn't necessarily an order...
I think you just get into things more with hair like this.
But Hibari doesn't wear his hair like that.
Hibari doesn't care about hairstyles. He's always full of fight.
If Hibari-san's hair looked like that...
It'd be so wrong!
He'd almost stop being himself!
I know, right?
Yeah, it definitely wouldn't suit him.
By the way, isn't that style hard to maintain?
Hmm?
Do you sleep with it that way?
After I take a bath, I shape it while it's still wet.
And to keep it from coming undone, I wear a nightcap.
Eek! A nightcap!
Ah! Totally unexpected!
It's what you have to do.
It looks pretty bad when it loses its shape.
Back when I was at Namimori Middle, I used to wake up at four in the morning.
Four?!
I'd apply some gel and shape it.
The whole process takes about three hours,
and I didn't want to be late.
Three whole hours?!
Wow, quite the effort.
Wow! An incredible secret has been revealed right here!
You're pretty serious about it.
You can't maintain this hairstyle with half-hearted feelings.
You've gotta be determined. It enhances both body and spirit.
In a way, this hairstyle is part of my daily training.
Training, huh?
Okay. Maybe all of the Vongola should try that.
Tsuna-san might look kind of cool...
I recommend it.
Shall we give it a try too?
How cool!
I've always wanted to be like this.
YOROSHIKU!
That's it for today.
That's all for this week's "Haru's Haru-Haru Dangerous Interviews!"
See ya again next time!
See ya!
Next time:
Two Battles.