Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The air in the rest area was a bit sticky.

Ukai Shishin gripped the clipboard tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. He glanced at Sugawara Koji, who was gulping down water, and then at Kageyama Tobio, who sat at the end of the bench, his head covered with a towel and radiating a dark aura.

Sugawara's performance was impeccable; he stabilized the situation and could even be considered the hero who pulled the team back from the brink. However, Aoba Johsai is not the kind of team that can win with just one tactic. Oikawa Toru, that monster, has already begun to adapt to Sugawara's rhythm.

"Third round," Ukai's voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone stop moving, "Kageyama, you're up."

Sugawara paused for a moment while wiping his sweat, then gave a predictable, hearty smile, walked over, and patted Kageyama on the shoulder: "Go on, don't lose to that guy."

Kageyama pulled the towel off his head, his deep blue eyes still brimming with lingering anger, and a fierce ruthlessness born of being driven to the brink. He stood up and nodded without a word.

"Looks like we're going to have to fight hand-to-hand." Lu Ren tightened the cap on his water bottle, his gaze sweeping over Kageyama's stiff back.

This thing is like a nuclear reactor that's about to overload. If it doesn't find a place to release the pressure, it might blow up its own people first.

Lu Ren tossed the water bottle to Hyuga, who was still grinning foolishly, and quietly circled around behind Kageyama. He cleared his throat, lowered his voice, and began to provide live commentary in Hyuga's ear in a clear and resonant announcer's tone.

"Unexpectedly, the once invincible king of the field is currently experiencing a storm of emotions. He has to admit that Lu Ren, who usually seems so lazy, actually managed to do a hovering dribble in mid-air that even he couldn't do..."

Kageyama's shoulders jerked suddenly.

陆仁完全没有停下来的意思，继续用那种欠揍的旁白腔调念叨：「『真是不甘心啊，』影山飞雄在心里流着血泪想道，『那个男人的球商简直是降维打击，人长得也比我帅，如果我是女人，恐怕此刻已经无可救药地爱上那个名为陆仁的完美男人了……』」

Hinata, who was stretching nearby, was stunned. She turned around and looked at Kageyama with a shocked expression: "Kageyama, so that's really what you were thinking?!"

The air froze for 0.1 seconds.

"collapse--"

That was the sound of a string called reason snapping.

The veins on Kageyama's forehead bulged like earthworms, and his entire face instantly turned a deep liver color. He turned around abruptly, his posture not like he was about to play volleyball, but more like he was about to commit a criminal case in this stadium.

"Have you had enough?! You bastard!!"

Kageyama's roar nearly ripped the roof off the stadium. He lunged at Lu Ren, swinging his fists and kicks wildly, his movements completely haphazard, purely driven by the instincts of a wild beast.

"Hey! Kageyama! Calm down!" Daichi reacted quickly and grabbed Kageyama by the neck.

"Don't be impulsive! This is a competition! You'll get suspended!" Tanaka rushed over and hugged Kageyama tightly around the waist.

The two men held Kageyama back in place like they were dragging a mad bull. Kageyama kicked wildly in the air, his fists flashing through the air like afterimages: "Let me go! Just let me hit you once! Just once! I'm going to sew that mouth shut!"

"Senior Dadi, look at him, he's getting anxious."

Lu Ren stood only five centimeters away from the limit of Ying Shan's fist wind.

This distance was his meticulously calculated "safe zone." He didn't even need to retreat; a slight backward lean was enough to avoid all of Kageyama's attack hitboxes.

He had his hands in his pockets, a crooked smile on his face, a mocking grin that would put any villain to shame. He held up a finger, pointing it at Kageyama's nose.

"Is it painful, Kageyama?"

Kageyama paused for a moment, panting heavily as he glared at him.

"Humiliated? Angry?" Lu Ren's voice suddenly turned deep, no longer the playful tone from before, but instead carrying a strange philosophical quality. "Remember how you feel now, Kageyama Tobio. Humans are like this; they only truly begin to think when they are crushed, denied, and driven to the brink."

Lu Ren took a half step forward, and his usually half-open, dead fish eyes were now frighteningly bright.

"Growing up is never some heartwarming game; it's like being pulled out of one's bones, a agonizing pain. Swallow this resentment, chew it up, and turn it into your fuel. Otherwise, you'll really just be sitting on the bench watching me perform."

The entire place was so quiet that only Kageyama's heavy breathing could be heard.

Daichi and Tanaka exchanged a glance, and the pressure on their hands loosened slightly.

Kageyama stared intently at Riku, his chest heaving violently. After several seconds, the murderous rage in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a cold, icy focus.

He broke free from the earth's embrace, stood up straight, and straightened his rumpled team uniform.

"I'll pass it." Kageyama's voice was low, but as hard as a rock. "A pass a million times better than your so-called lucky shot."

After saying that, he walked towards the field without looking back.

Dadi breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "Although the process was terrifying, the result seems... alright?"

Tanaka looked at Lu Ren with a complicated expression: "You, buddy, have a really sharp tongue."

Lu Ren stood there, watching Ying Shan's back. The deep look on his face vanished instantly, and he returned to his lazy demeanor.

He stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "I really delivered those lines well. I was so handsome."

……

The referee blew his whistle, and the third and decisive game officially began.

Karasuno has the right to serve.

Kageyama Tobio took the ball and walked towards the baseline.

He didn't spin the ball impatiently as usual, but stood quietly for a few seconds. Lu Ren's trash talk was still echoing in his mind, like tiny knives cutting into his nerves with pain.

But he had to admit that the pain brought him to his senses.

The desire to "do something" and "prove myself" overwhelmed all other thoughts.

Throw the ball.

approach.

Take off.

Kageyama's body stretched out in the air like a taut bow, and at the moment his arm swung, his palm collided perfectly with the sphere.

"Bang!!"

This bang was heavier than any before. The volleyball, like a cannonball, spun wildly and hurtled straight towards the backcourt of Qingye City's west side.

Standing there is Hanamaki Takahiro.

As a third-year regular, Hanamaki has a wealth of defensive experience. He reacted immediately, lowering his center of gravity and bringing his arms together.

"I'll do it!"

Huajuan shouted, but his expression changed when the ball actually hit his arm.

too heavy.

This shot didn't have the power of a first-year student; it was more like some kind of heavy battering ram.

"Bang!"

The volleyball hit Huajuan's forearm, but instead of being deflected and bounced up, it bounced violently to the side and slammed into the GG sign with a loud "bang".

A point is scored from a serve.

Karasuno takes the lead with a score of 0-1.

"Great serve!!" Tanaka roared, clenching his fist.

Lu Ren stood in front of the net, subconsciously touching his wrist. If he had been the one to receive that ball, his wrist would probably be bright red by now.

"Tsk, looks like he's accumulated quite a bit of anger," Lu Ren thought. "At least half the force in that shot was probably meant for me, right?"

If Kageyama knew what he was thinking, he would definitely roar: You know that!

Kageyama, expressionless, took the ball thrown to him by the caddie and walked back to the baseline.

The feeling of that shot still lingered in his palm. The sensation of releasing all his anger and resentment was addictive.

Throw the ball again.

This time the arc was lower and the speed was faster than the last time.

The goal remains the same—Hanamaki Takahiro.

"Not again?!" Hua Juan frowned and quickly adjusted her position.

But Kageyama's shot was too tricky, almost flying along the sideline. Although Hanamaki judged the landing point correctly, her body movement was a fraction of a second too slow.

"Snapped!"

The ball grazed the outside of Huajuan's arm and flew out of bounds, hitting the side of the court again.

Another direct score.

0: 2.

A slight disturbance appeared in Aoba Castle West's formation. Two consecutive points scored directly from serves were a huge blow to their morale.

"Wow—" Lu Ren whistled silently, turning to look at Tanaka beside him, "As expected, they are setters of the same lineage."

Tanaka was taken aback: "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Look," Lu Ren pointed to Hanamaki on the other side, and then to Tanaka, who had just been badly targeted by Oikawa Toru's serve, "that old fox Oikawa Toru is targeting you, while that little fox Kageyama is targeting Hanamaki. Their tactical choices are pretty much the same."

Lu Ren shrugged and solemnly concluded, "This is what they call—you hit my son, I'll hit your son too."

Tanaka's face instantly contorted, a "well" shape appearing on his forehead: "Who's whose son again?! Lu Ren, do you have a death wish?!"

Lu Ren ignored Tanaka's roar; his gaze remained fixed on Hanamaki across from him.

After conceding two goals in a row, one would expect their mentality to waver a bit. Just like Tanaka just now, who almost became depressed after being targeted by Oikawa.

But Hanamaki Takahiro simply shook his arm, his face showing little sign of panic. He even turned to Matsukawa beside him and joked, "Has this guy been eating gunpowder? He's got a really strong grip."

"After all, he's Oikawa's junior." Matsukawa shrugged.

Lu Ren narrowed his eyes.

Is this the foundation of a top team?

For Hanamaki, Kageyama's serve, though fierce, is not an insurmountable "unknown fear." After all, in their regular team training, they face Oikawa Toru's deadly serve every day, which is not only powerful but also has extremely insidious landing points.

People who are used to the hell mode may find the hard mode challenging, but they will never despair.

"It seems unlikely that I can crush the opponent just by serving." Lu Ren looked away and readjusted his defensive stance.

The real battle has only just begun.