Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

In the days following their loss to Shiratorizawa, Karasuno High School was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.

This isn't due to the weather; it's purely because some kind of negative buff called "defeat" is in effect.

In the classroom, Hinata Shoyo lay slumped over his desk, his face buried in his arms, like a robot vacuum cleaner that had lost power. The teacher was lecturing on classical Chinese texts with great enthusiasm, but Shoyo remained motionless; even his usually spirited, perky ahoge (cowlick) drooped down.

Lu Ren sat in the back row, twirling his ballpoint pen and looking out the window with a bored expression.

"Everyone's entered 'sage mode' now."

For him, this defeat was just a "plot kill" in the game. The boss's stats were too high, and his current equipment and level weren't good enough, so losing was inevitable. But for these guys who treat volleyball like their life, this was probably the end of the world.

During lunch break, this somber atmosphere intensified.

Faculty and staff office.

Sawamura Daichi, Sugawara Koji, and Higashimine Asahi stood side by side. Across from them, the college counselor pushed up his glasses, slapping the report cards and college application forms in his hand with a loud thud.

"Are you three really sure about this?"

The teacher's tone was tinged with disappointment, "Although it might sound discouraging to say this now, I'm doing this for your future. Retiring and focusing on preparing for exams is the choice most third-year club members make. Especially Sugawara and Sawamura, your college preference scores aren't low."

"Can volleyball put food on the table? Unless you plan to join a corporate group in the future, you're just wasting your precious time preparing for the exam."

The three of them lowered their heads, none of them refuted, but none of them nodded either.

Ittetsu Takeda stood to the side, watching the awkward scene, and sighed softly.

"Teacher, could I speak with them alone?"

After the instructor shook his head and left, Takeda gestured for the three of them to relax. Instead of immediately spouting motivational platitudes as usual, he put his hands behind his back and looked out at the playground.

"If you push yourselves too hard and get injured, leaving you with lifelong consequences, even if you beg me in tears, I will use my advisory authority to prevent you from playing."

Takeda turned around, his expression serious, unlike the small, stumbling teacher he usually was.

"However, if there's a chance to try again after failing, that's a different story."

"I won't say irresponsible things like 'It's okay to fail the exam.' To balance club activities and studies, you have to put in double or even triple the effort. While you're sweating in the gym, your competitors are doing practice problems. While you're studying tactics, others are memorizing vocabulary."

"The gap that has arisen is an objective fact. Perhaps five or even ten years from now, you will regret the choices you made today and think, 'If only I had focused on my studies back then.'"

Daichi Sawamura raised his head, his gaze gradually focusing from confusion.

Takeda adjusted his glasses, his voice softening: "Please consider this carefully. Make a choice that your future self won't regret, no matter what circumstances you face."

……

The gymnasium after school.

Even though it was a day off for the club, the main gate was ajar.

"Bang!"

"Again!"

"Bang!"

"One more ball!!"

Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shoyo were like two perpetual motion machines that had gone out of control. Kageyama tirelessly tossed the ball, while Hinata tirelessly jumped and smashed.

Sweat soaked a large area of ​​the floor.

They didn't exchange tactics, didn't blame each other, they simply wore themselves down. They used the soreness in their muscles to numb their nerves, letting the bitterness of losing be released with their sweat.

"Aaaaaah!!" Hinata roared to the sky after spiking the ball, his voice echoing in the empty stadium, "I don't want to lose again!!"

Kageyama gripped the ball, his chest heaving, his eyes blazing with a murderous intent: "Nonsense! We absolutely have to win next time!"

That voice sounded like some kind of rallying cry.

When Lu Ren strolled leisurely to the door with his schoolbag on his back, he found that the inside was already bustling with activity.

Tanaka Ryunosuke and Nishitani Yu were leaning on the second-floor railing looking down, Tsukishima Hotaru was wearing headphones and leaning against the wall, and Yamaguchi Tadashi was standing next to him with a worried look on his face.

Everyone is here.

Although there was no training plan, my feet still led me here involuntarily.

"Um..." Hinata saw Kiyoko Shimizu walk in carrying a stack of notebooks and rushed over, almost kneeling down in time to stop. "Shimizu-senpai! Daichi-senpai... oh no, Daichi-senpai and the others..."

He stammered out the question that everyone wanted to ask but dared not.

"Will they...retire?"

The air froze instantly.

Tanaka and Nishiya stopped fooling around and stared intently at Kiyoko Shimizu's lips.

Kiyoko Shimizu adjusted her glasses and said casually, "They said they're going to Spring High School."

"Ooooooo!!!"

The cheers nearly lifted the roof off. Hyuga jumped three feet high on the spot, while Nishiya and Tanaka hugged each other and cried, shouting, "I knew Daichi-senpai wouldn't want to leave us!"

Is this really a good idea?

An untimely voice was like a bucket of ice water poured into a boiling oil pan.

Everyone turned around.

Lu Ren leaned against the door, holding a bag of oden he bought from a convenience store, with half a bamboo skewer in his mouth, looking completely nonchalant.

"Lu Ren? What do you mean?" Tanaka frowned.

Lu Ren chewed the bamboo skewer, spat it into the trash can, and slowly walked in.

"I mean, is it really the best solution for the seniors to stay?"

He walked to the center of the field, ignoring the stares coming from all around, like a rational data analyst doing a post-battle analysis.

"The spring college entrance exams are in October, which means they have three months less to prepare than other students. Don't you know how many papers there are in the current university entrance exams?"

Lu Ren counted on his fingers.

"This means they have to train and prepare for the exam at the same time, which reduces their sleep time and distracts them. If they fail the exam, they can only go to a less prestigious university. When they look for a job later, if they write 'Spring High School Experience' on their resume, HR will only ask, 'Oh, did you pass the CET-6?'"

"When you go on a blind date, the other person looks at your education and income; who cares if you were a passionate volleyball player in high school?"

The audience was silent.

Hinata opened his mouth wide, wanting to refute but unable to find the words. Tsukishima Hotaru glanced at Rikuren, seemingly surprised that this guy who usually talked nonsense could say something so realistic.

"Now, it's time to retire gracefully, use these few months to cram for academic subjects, and get into a good university. Isn't that the 'strategy' that aligns with societal logic?"

Lu Ren shrugged. "Gambling your future for a few matches is too low a cost-benefit ratio."

"Lu Ren!" Tanaka clenched his fist. "You bastard..."

"Let him speak."

A steady voice came from the doorway.

Sawamura Daichi, Sugawara Koji, and Higashimine Asahi walked in. They had changed into their training uniforms and were clearly ready.

Dadi looked at Lu Ren calmly: "You're right. From a cost-benefit perspective, staying is indeed a 'losing proposition'."

Lu Ren raised an eyebrow: "Since you know it's a losing proposition, why do you still play?"

He stepped forward from the ground and stood in front of the net.

"Because if I don't go to the Spring High School, even if I get into the University of Tokyo, work for the best company, and make a lot of money... when I'm old and sitting in a rocking chair reminiscing about my youth, I will definitely want to slap my present self hard."

He glanced around at his teammates, his voice not loud, but it was so loud it made everyone's eardrums tingle.

"As long as you've fought and worked hard for your goal, even if you lose in the end or fail the exam, that's a 'setback.' But if you run away now, that's a 'regret.'"

"I don't want to live my life with regrets."

Hinata's eyes instantly turned into stars, sparkling: "Daichi-senpai...so handsome!"

Lu Ren paused for a moment, then curled his lip and muttered under his breath, "Tsk, what a cringeworthy statement. Is this what they call the protagonist's halo in a shonen manga? Their logic has been completely distorted."

He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

"Lu Ren."

Sugawara Koji appeared behind him with a sly smile, a smile that was unsettling no matter how you looked at it. "While what you said makes a lot of sense, as a junior, shouldn't you be punished for discouraging your senior's enthusiasm like this?"

"Uh... Sugawara-senpai, let's talk this out. This is just my honest advice, even if it's hard to hear..."

"Chokehold!"

Sugawara suddenly sprang up and grabbed Lu Ren by the neck from behind.

"Ugh! It's broken! My neck is going to break! I'm a mage! I'm not resistant to physical damage!" Lu Ren frantically patted Sugawara's arm.

"Asahi! Daichi! Come quick! This guy needs to be taught a lesson!" Sugawara shouted.

"They're here!"

Da Di grinned maliciously, rubbed his hands together, and pounced. Even the usually docile Dong Fengxu joined the fray, and the three of them pinned Lu Ren to the floor and began to frantically rub him.

"I was wrong! I was wrong! I shouldn't have tried to be a rational observer! Help! Ya-zhi, save me!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Seeing the four people writhing on the ground, the gymnasium erupted in the loudest laughter in days. Hinata and Nishiya also pounced on them with strange cries, turning it into a human pyramid competition.

Lu Ren was pinned to the bottom, his face pressed against the floor. Although he was shouting for help, a barely perceptible smirk appeared on his lips.

"A bunch of idiots," he thought. "But since you've chosen Hell difficulty, I'll have to risk my life to help you with the dungeon walkthrough."

……

Outside the stadium.

As dusk fell, the streetlights came on.

Ukai Shishin stood in front of the Sakashita store, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, but he didn't light it.

He hadn't intended to come. Losing the match meant giving the students a few days off, which would also be a break for himself. But somehow, he ended up here anyway.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The familiar sound of the ball being hit, along with the noisy chatter of the kids, pierced through the walls.

There was no lifelessness, no wailing or lamentation.

Wu Yangxi was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head and chuckled, "These brats, their recovery ability is simply monstrous."

He put the unlit cigarette back in the pack and turned to walk towards the stadium.

Since they haven't given up yet, there's no reason for the coach to slack off.

Pushing open the door, I saw Lu Ren with messy hair and disheveled clothes crawling out of the crowd, looking utterly hopeless.

"Oh, everyone's here?"

Wu Yang clapped his hands, instantly dispelling the decadent air that belonged to adults.

"Now that everyone's here, let's not waste any more time. Everyone assemble! Let's begin training!"

"yes!!!"

His response was a unified, deafening roar.

Even if the road ahead is a cliff, this flock of crows is ready to take flight.