Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The volleyball hit Oikawa Tetsu's forearm, bouncing off at an awkward height.

"The first pass was inaccurate!"

Coach Wu Yang clenched his fists on the sidelines.

For a team whose absolute core is its setter, forcing the setter to receive the first pass is tantamount to crippling their command tower. It's like putting a "silence" status on a boss in an RPG game; even if it's only for a few seconds, it's enough to interrupt the opponent's rhythm.

However, Aoba Josai is not only known for having Toru Oikawa as someone who can pass the ball.

"Watari!" Oikawa Tetsu shouted, quickly withdrawing from the attack area.

The libero, Chikaharu Watari, wearing a distinctive jersey, smoothly moved up to the vicinity of the three-meter line. Instead of passing the ball, he placed his hands in front of his forehead, making a standard ball-handling gesture.

"That's... a setter's move?" Hinata Shoyo's eyes widened.

"That guy must have been a setter before, and only switched to libero because of Oikawa." Lu Ren thought to himself as he watched the ball's trajectory. "A versatile setter, troublesome."

While Watari Chikaharu's pass wasn't as freakish as Oikawa's, it was steady and reliable. Hanamaki Takahiro took a running start from the left wing and jumped.

"Stop him!"

Ryunosuke Tanaka and Daichi Sawamura put their arms together in front of the net.

"Bang!"

The spike hit the blocker's hand, but instead of going through, it bounced back directly to Aoba Johsai's half of the court.

"An opportunity!" Tanaka was about to shout when he realized the ball had landed very deep.

Iwaizumi appeared in the back row like a firefighter, diving to propel the ball up. The ball soared into the air, and by then, the man who had been afflicted with the "Silence" debuff had been freed.

Oikawa Tetsu stood at the landing point, a relaxed smile on his face that was infuriating.

"Even though our first pass was a bit bad, as long as the ball doesn't touch the ground, we haven't lost."

He touched the ball with both hands and flicked his wrists extremely quickly.

The prize wasn't given to the ace, Iwazumi, nor to the person in the back row, but rather to Matsukawa Kazushige.

Fastball.

Matsukawa's spike point is very high and very tricky.

"I'll do it!"

Lu Ren rushed out from the back row, fell forward, and landed on the floor with one hand.

"Smack."

The volleyball hit the back of my hand and bounced up in a not-too-high arc.

"Good save!" Sugawara Koji quickly moved under the ball.

At this moment, Karasuno only had Daichi Sawamura and Ryunosuke Tanaka in their front row. Without hesitation, Sugawara passed the ball to captain Sawamura.

The pass was very steady, almost too steady. It gave the attacker ample time to adjust, much like a slowed-down ball-feeding pass in a tutorial to help players familiarize themselves with the controls.

However, this kind of "consideration" is a double-edged sword in the arena.

It gave time to the attackers, and it also gave time to the blockers.

Kindaichi and Matsukawa jumped almost simultaneously, their four arms forming a high wall in front of the net.

"Tsk." Sawamura Daichi gritted his teeth in mid-air, forced to smash the ball.

"Thump!"

The volleyball was blocked.

"Nishitani!"

Without needing to shout, the diminutive guardian spirit had already appeared at the ball's landing point. Nishitani Yu performed a side roll, managing to scoop up the seemingly doomed ball.

"Do it again!" Nishitani roared.

The ball flew towards Sugawara again.

At this point, any tactical cover is too late. This is pure hand-to-hand combat, a battle of who has the harder punch and the thicker health bar.

Sugawara's gaze swept across the field, finally settling on the monk-headed man on the left with a fierce look.

"Tanaka!"

"Oh my gosh! Give me the ball!"

Ryunosuke Tanaka took a running start, stomped his feet, and his body resembled a fully drawn bow.

Faced with the double blocker already in position, he did not choose to dodge, but instead swung his arm and smashed it towards the hardest part of the blocker's hand.

"Get over here!"

"Bang!"

The ball hit the edge of Matsukawa's palm, deflected strangely, went over the net, and landed wobbly in the open space in front of Aoba Castle West.

Du Qinzhi was unable to extinguish the fire in time.

The referee blew his whistle and gestured towards Karasuno.

18:14.

"That was close..." Tanaka wiped the sweat from his forehead after landing, panting heavily. "I thought the ball was going to bounce back into our territory."

"Luck is also a form of strength; this is a critical hit judgment." Lu Ren walked over and patted Tanaka on the shoulder. "Well done, Berserker."

Although they had secured the point, Lu Ren could sense that Qingye City's western defenses were not in disarray. They were like a sponge; no matter how much you pounded them, they could quickly return to their original state.

Alternate serving.

Lu Ren once again stood at the bottom line.

That serve aimed at Toru Oikawa was quite effective. Although it didn't score a point directly, it disrupted the opponent's first wave of attack.

"Since this trick works, let's use it until we die."

Lu Ren stared at Oikawa Tetsu on the other side of the net. The guy known as "The King" had his hands on his hips, seemingly not annoyed at all about being targeted earlier.

Throw the ball.

It was still that kind of top serve without any spin, with an extremely disgusting landing point, heading straight for Oikawa Tetsu's face.

"Again?" Oikawa Tetsu was about to move.

A figure suddenly cut in.

Iwaizumi Ichi.

This ace attacker from Aoba Castle West stood like a mountain in front of Oikawa Tetsu.

"Don't be so arrogant, you brat from Karasuno."

Iwaizumi placed his hands firmly under the ball, sending it to the best position in front of the net.

"Tch." Lu Ren curled his lip. "The hatred points have been spread out."

The pass was delivered perfectly.

Oikawa Tetsu was now completely free. He even had the leisure to wink at Lu Ren before quickly pushing the ball towards the three-position.

Kindaichi Yutaro has already jumped.

This guy with the scraggly, chive-like hair might not be the brightest, but his physical abilities are undeniable. He swung his arm at the highest point, completely ignoring the still-developing lone block in front of him.

Spike the ball with your hand over your arm.

"Thump!"

The volleyball hit the three-meter line with a crisp sound.

18:15.

"Damn it, that leek-headed guy is jumping really high." Hinata was a little envious in the audience.

The rotation continues.

Nishitani Yuu was substituted off, and ace Higashimine Asahi came on. Lu Ren rotated to the back row.

Aoba Johsai has the right to serve.

Kindaichi held the ball, standing at the baseline. He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over Karasuno's back row.

There were two people standing there.

One of them was Dong Fengxu, who had just entered the arena. Although he was tall, his expression was somewhat stiff.

One of them is Lu Ren, who just disgusted his own captain with his serve and is now looking like a dead fish.

"Who should I send it to?" Kindaichi recalled Oikawa Tetsu's previous instructions.

"Find the junction. Especially between that cowardly ace and that arrogant guy."

Kindaichi threw the ball and waved his arm.

The ball wasn't particularly fast, but its landing point was extremely tricky, flying right between Lu Ren and Dong Fengxu.

This is a classic "ball-stealing" trap.

If two people lack teamwork, they are prone to making mistakes by giving the ball to each other or fighting over it.

Seeing the volleyball flying towards him, Dong Fengxu subconsciously took a step forward, spreading his arms to catch it. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Ren beside him also move.

"Ah, should Lu Ren answer it...?"

Dong Fengxu hesitated for a moment, his body instinctively wanting to shrink back. Negative thoughts like "What if we collide?" and "What if I get thrown off balance?" instantly flooded his mind.

At this critical moment.

"I'll do it!!"

A loud shout rang in my ears.

Lu Ren practically rammed sideways into Dong Fengxu's defensive zone. His voice carried an undeniable forcefulness, even a hint of ferocity.

Startled by the shout, Dong Fengxu jumped back like a frightened rabbit, raising his hands and shouting, "You—you come here!"

Lu Ren turned sideways, brought his arms together, and steadily intercepted the ball.

"Bang!"

The pass was delivered perfectly.

"Senior Xu! Don't stand there! That's a psychological tactic!" Lu Ren shouted as he got up. "If you back down, our defenses will really be breached!"

Dong Fengxu was stunned for a moment, then a look of shame appeared on his face, and his eyes became firm again.

At the net, Koji Sugawara was already in position.

"Great pass!"

Tanaka and Sawamura started their run-up simultaneously, pulling at Aoba Castle's blocking net.

But Sugawara didn't give them to them.

He pushed his finger back.

"Asahi!"

Back row attack.

Dong Fengxu, who had been hesitant just moments before, now felt his frustration transform into strength as he watched the volleyball fly towards him. He leaped from behind the three-meter line like an enraged brown bear.

"boom!"

This shot was powerful and heavy.

But Aoba Castle West's defensive tenacity was simply outrageous.

Iwazumi once again appeared at the end of the ball's trajectory, forcefully blocking the powerful dunk with his chest.

"It's pilling!"

The ball bounced high into the air.

Another chance to strike back.

Oikawa Tetsu stood under the net, his eyes becoming extremely sharp.

"Run!"

At his command, the entire Aoba Castle West team began to move. It was a dazzling, synchronized attack, with four attackers simultaneously cutting in from different positions, each seemingly calling for the ball.

"Who? Who will it be given to?" Daichi Sawamura's gaze darted frantically between the group of people.

Oikawa Toru's hand touched the ball.

In that instant, Lu Ren noticed a detail.

On the far right of the group of attackers charging like they were on steroids in the west of Qingye City, there was one person whose running posture was a little... casual.

The country sees the British.

That guy who always lacks motivation and believes in "high efficiency and energy saving".

At this moment, Kunimi Hide is facing a double block from Karasuno. If he were a hot-blooded idiot (like Tanaka), he would definitely choose to smash the ball with all his might to break through the block.

But Guo Jianying is not.

"If it were me..." Lu Ren's mind raced, putting himself in Kunimi Hide's shoes. "Facing two walls, having to waste energy on a spike, is too much trouble."

The easiest way is...

Drop ball.

Or, to put it another way, lightly tap a diagonal line over the blocker's head, landing in an open space where no one is defending.

This style of play may not be cool, but it's "smart" and also "lazy".

"We're the same kind."

Lu Ren's lips curled into a cold smile, and his body had already begun to move before Guo Jianying spiked the ball.

really.

Guo Jianying's arm swing motion had a noticeable pause in the air, and the original powerful spike turned into a light diagonal push.

The ball passed Tanaka and Sawamura's fingers and fell into the gap inside the three-meter line.

The moment a knowing look appeared on Guojian Ying's face, it froze.

Because someone was already squatting in that spot.

Lu Ren seemed to have known all along that the ball would land here, and he didn't even need to make a save; he simply used both hands to cushion the ball's fall.

"I knew you'd hit like that." Lu Ren stared at Kunihime and mouthed a silent sentence, "Because that's what I thought too."

Guo Jianying's eyebrow twitched slightly.

"Counterattack!"

The ball returned to Sugawara's hands.

This time, a gap finally appeared in the defense of Aoba City's west side. The all-out attack had exhausted their stamina for retreating.

"Asahi!"

It's still a back-row attack.

Dong Fengxu jumped again, and this time, there was a smooth road ahead.

"Thump!"

The volleyball slammed heavily onto the floor of Aoba Castle West and bounced towards the back wall.

The whistle blew.

19:15.

Karasuno wins another game.

"Yay!!"

Nishitani waved a towel on the sidelines, and Tanaka rushed over to hug Riku and Asahi.

"Lu Ren, you're amazing! How did you know that guy could hit a drop shot?" Tanaka excitedly ruffled Lu Ren's hair.

"Intuition." Lu Ren straightened his disheveled hair, panting as he looked across the net. "Because lazy people all have the same brain circuits."

The point difference has widened to four points.

For most teams, this is already a dangerous sign.

But when Lu Ren looked at the field in the west of Qingye City, he didn't feel much relaxed.

Oikawa Tetsu stood there, talking to Kunimi Hide, his face still bearing that confident smile.

He turned his head and his gaze met Lu Ren's.

"Oh dear, you've been seen through." Oikawa Toru shrugged, his tone revealing no hint of panic, but rather an unsettling sense of admiration.

"Kasuno is really amazing, the gap between them is so big."

He said this as if he were commenting on a game that had nothing to do with him.

Lu Ren felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end.

"This guy... his health bar isn't even red yet?"