Episode 8: What Controls Your Mind Now

**What Controls Your Mind Now**(今，君の心を支配するもの *Ima, Kimi no Kokoro wo Shihai Suru Mono*) is the eight episode of the Aoharu x Kikanjuu anime series. It aired on August 21, 2015.

## Summary

Round One of the Top Gun Combat competition continues. With Fujimoto out of the match, team Toy Gun Gun and duo Midori and Ichi remain. Matsuoka, Yukimura and Tachibana each have a turn fighting Midori. The winner of the first match is determined.

## Synopsis

Everyone is surprised that Fujimoto, Hishishiro's Attacker Destroyer has been defeated (and that he looks happy about it). Matsuoka on the other hand is in a terrible mood. He tries and fails to hit Midori, who playfully skips around the battlefield unafraid. He tries to get closer but still cannot shoot fast enough to hit Midori. Suddenly Midori is right behind him and hits him on the head before disappearing again. He runs out of ammo, reloads, and Midori hasn't even pulled out his guns yet. He's frustrated, and begins to remember the happy times he used to have Midori, like walking together and buying survival game guns together.

    Midori tells Matsuoka that he should use high cycle weapons instead of Desert Eagles if he really wants to win, because duel-wielding seems to be too hard for him. Matsuoka tells him to mind his own business. Midori tells him he doesn't need to see them in battle because he remembers being there when Matsuoka bought them. It was the first weapon he's ever bought. He reminds him about the time he hit himself in the chin because he didn't know about the kickback. Matsuoka tells him that was a long time ago. Midori says he doesn't hear the minigun anymore. In the instant Matsuoka lets his guard down to think about Tachibana and Fujimoto Midori is right in his face. He covers Matsuoka's mouth and shoves him to the ground. Matusoka struggles to reach his black gun but it just out of his reach. Midori picks up Tsubuan, the gun they bought together. Then he cocks it with his teeth, since both of his hands are restraining Matsuoka. He tells Matsuoka that the old days were fun, but he's having much more fun right now. Then he shoots Matsuoka in the stomach with Tsubuan, taunting that the kickback feels extremely painful even through clothing. He reminds Matsuoka that such behavior is prohibited in normal survival games, but anything goes at the Total Combat Game. And since his mouth is covered he can't yell 'hit', so no one knows that he's out of the game. He proceeds to shoot Matsuoka at least 9 more times.

    During his assault, Matsuoka remembers shopping for guns with Midori as teenagers. Midori bought to Winchester Carbines, one silver and one black. Matsuoka asks if he'll be able to dual-wield when he gets a second, black Desert Eagle and Midori asks if he'll be able to handle two. Matsuoka says that he'll train really hard to learn how to duel-wield. Then mayb they can fight side by side as dual-wielders together.

Once Midori runs out of bullets he tosses Tsuban away and removes his hand from Matsuoka's mouth. Matsuoka weakly says 'hit' and Midori commends him, then asks why did he come after him alone. Has he always been so stupid? He told him long ago not to be so arrogant. That he can't accomplish anything alone. Midori comments that he doens't even cry when he's in a pathetic state like this anymore, and that he used to be a crybaby.

    Then Ichi contacts him through his headset. She tells him that she's lost the 'scruffy four-eyes'. He tells her that she went into close-quarter combat again and that it's a bad habit she has. She apologizes and tells him that he's probably headed toward him right now. Right on queue, Yukimura falls from the sky, raining pellets around Midori. But every single one misses him. He tells him he'll pay for hurting Matsuoka. Matsuoka, still on his back, tries to warn Yukimura to stay away from him but Yukimura is enraged, and threatens to kill Midori. Midori reminds Yukimura that abusive language is prohibied in survival games. Then he says that Yukimura must have trained really hard this past year if he dares to fight him head-on. “Have you already given up on the contest?” “I did it to watch you die up close.” Midorie runs behind a tree and Yukimura chases him, riddling the tree with bullets. He plans to circle around while shooting. But when he runs around the tree Midori punches him in the face, knocking him down. Midori tells him that if he's going to circle to the right, he just has to circle around the left faster than him. Yukimura calls him a moster and quickly raises his gun to shoot. But Midori grabs the gun even faster, and moves it away from his face. Not out of ideas, Yukimura pulls a knife out of his pocket and thrusts it near Midori's neck. But Midori grabs Yukimura's knife hand and steers it away as well. He comments that the TMP (Tactical Machine Pistol) was only for a distraction. He calls Yukimura repulsive for using such a tactic, but can't say he dislikes it. Then he pushes Yukimura back just enough to kick him in the stomach and ribs, instantly dropping him to the ground.

    Midori asks what's next, since his TMP is out of ammo. Yukimura asks him if he feels anything at all for his actions. He hurt Matsuoka bad enough to make him cry, worry and suffer. He demands to know if that is fun to him. Midori calmly says “yes”. Yukimura rushes forward with his knife again, but Midori pulls out his silver Winchester and tells him that someone not trying to win is worse than a loser. And that's why he can't beat him. Then he shoots at the side of Yukimura's face, on his ear. Yukimura stands up with his knife out and races towards Midori. Midori knows that he hit Yukimura and says we will not show mercy to cheaters. Once Midori is done with him, is on the ground with Midori's foot on the side of his face. Now Yukimura weakly says 'hit'. Midori tells him that if Kamenashi find out he cheated he will be barred from survival games, so he'd better be careful. All Matsuoka could do is watch. Yukimura cries and tells Matsuoka he's sorry. Then Midori tells Tachibana she's too late.

Tachibana arrives to find Yukimura and Matsuoka both on the ground. Midori says that if she's there than she got rid of Fujimoto. He tells Tachibana to draw her gun as he draws his.

    Tachibana thinks back to early, when Matsuoka explained his plan. They were to fight the Hishishiro members one-on-one. Because they are so good together it would be best to split them up. Tachibana wonders where the teamwork is in this strategy, since Matsuoka made such a big deal about not doing things alone. Also, she still can't believe Midori is a truly evil person. But she decides that they are more experienced than her so she will trust them. She still wants to reveal that she's a girl after she's beaten Hoshishiro. And they will be able to enjoy playing survival games again.

When Tachibana returns to the present, she ignores Midori when she sees Yukimura lying on the ground. Then she hears Matsuoka and goes over to him. He tells her she has to forfeit. He was too naïve to think that he could beat Midori. Then Midori steps on Matsuoka's head and says that dead people cannot speak. People who get shot should leave the field right away. Tachibana quickly gets angry and swings at Midori, making him take his foot off of Matsuoka.

Tachibana cannot understand why such cruelty is happening. Midori tells her that only Top Gun Combat allows this sort of behavior. Brutallity and emotional harm is considered part of the game. Midori admitts that he finds this fun and feels no guilt about his actions. He looks down at Tachibana and sees her crying. He thinks she's done fighting but she begins to laugh. She tells him that she's sorry to have doubted Yukimura and considered Midori to be kind. She tells him he is evil person and she's done with feeling betrayed. She tells him she cannot condone evil deeds and he will be punished.

    Tachibana rushes towards him and quickly draws her gun. She leaps at Midori but he blocks her attack with his Carbine. She flips over his head and lands behind him. Matsuoka and Yukimura wonder whats happening, but Midori knows that Tachibana was aiming for his head. Tachibana is trying to get as close to Midori as possible to make sure she doesn't miss. And she won't let up. Tachibana spins, flips dashes, runs up any surface available, all to hit Midori somehow. Midori is surprised by Tachcibana's abilities. He was not expecting such a strong fighter, but he's not ready to give up either.

As he deals with Tachibana Ichi tells him she can take over in order to give him to recover. He tells her he's having fun, to stay out of his way, and go to Plan D. Meanwhile Matsuoka and Yukimura head to the safe zone. The other TGC players look at them and wonder how the 'newbie' is dealing with the two remaining Hoshishiro players. They ask Kamenashi, the promoter what he thinks and he says anything is possible in the survival games. He looks at the sky and says rain is coming, and the game will be over soon.

Then the rain comes. Tachibana finds Midori resting against a log and tells him that this is a suitable way to kill scum like him. Midori laughs and Tachibana can't judge anyone since she's a liar and a girl. Then Ichi shoots her from her sniping position. 'Plan D' was to wait at coordinate D-6 until Midori leads Tachibana there.

    Tachibana is in a daze. Midori tells her that she's been shot and the game is over. He also tells her found out she was a girl when he touched her at Echizen. And apparently Matsuoka and Yukimura don't know yet. He asks if she took advantage of them not realizing it in order to join their team. He says she must be a very bad girl for lying to her friends. She says she can still move so she must still be alive. But Midori tells her that if this was a real fight the pellet that hit her would have passed through her head and killed her. He tells her she's alive but she died, so she now feels the pain of loss humiliation and defeat. He tells her she wouldn't feel this way if she'd actually died. And now she's feeling what Matsuoka and Yukimura have lived with for years. He tells that this brings her closer to her friends. And he calls her a liar. He tells her that if she wants to experience this again than she should come back to the TGC. Then he leaves her.

    When Tachibana returns to the her teammates she drops to her knees. She tells them that she thought she could be useful. But instead she returns to them without avenging them. She calls herselve a disgrace and Matsuoka drops to his knees and hugs her. He tells her he's sorry for the plan he came up with and together they cry and apologize to each other under Yukimura's umbrella.

After the match, Midori and his teammates get ready for their next match. He tells Fujimoto that his punishment for losing will have to wait, to which Fujimoto, who's being used as a chair, is surprisingly happy about. Ichi says that Tachibana was very skilled for a beginner, but that she seemed to freeze for a moment before she was shot. When asked what was said to her before that Midori says that it's a secret.

Once the rainstorm stops and the tournament begins again. Hishishiro won again, making this a 5-tournament wining streak.

## Image Gallery

Matusoka aims TsubuanMidori aims his WinchesterYukimura aims a gun at MidoriMidori and Matsuoka shop for guns as teensMidori confronts Tachibana about her secretMidori punishes Fujimoto