Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The air in June was filled with the acrid smell of asphalt after being baked in the sun, and the rusty smell of something hanging over our heads like the sword of Damocles called "final exams".

Half an hour after the school bell rang, the crowd at the school gate had thinned out.

Lu Ren, with his backpack slung over one shoulder and an unopened popsicle in his hand, was discussing with Qingze Yazhi whether to have braised pork for dinner or continue studying his English vocabulary book. Yazhi insisted that braised pork could replenish brain cells, while Lu Ren thought it was just a simple accumulation of fat, which would not be good for his movement speed on the volleyball court.

"That is..." Ya Zhi suddenly stopped and tugged at Lu Ren's sleeve, so hard that she almost flung the popsicle he had just opened away.

"What? Did you see the discount flyer?" Lu Ren casually followed her gaze.

Then, his movements stopped.

Fifty meters ahead, that iconic orange head was moving. Hinata Shoyo pushed his bicycle, his body stiff as a robot that had just come out of the factory and hadn't been lubricated yet.

That's not important. What's important is that there's a creature beside Hyuga.

Female. Short blonde hair. Approximately 1.5 meters tall. She was hunched over, looking even more nervous than Hinata, and tightly gripping her backpack strap.

The two walked side by side, with a distance between them that could probably fit a tank, but they were definitely walking "together".

Lu Ren stuffed the popsicle into his mouth and crunched it to pieces.

"Is there a system bug?" he mumbled indistinctly. "That single-celled organism that only knows how to spike the ball and make meat buns is engaging in social activities with a female human carbon-based organism?"

"Shh!" Ya Zhi pulled Lu Ren behind a telephone pole, her eyes gleaming with a gossipy light. "Don't make a sound, this is a rare plot trigger!"

The two men, like clumsy secret agents, peeked half their heads out from behind the telephone pole.

Hinata in front of them was gesturing wildly and talking, occasionally jumping up and down, probably imitating some kind of spike. The girl next to him was startled, then nodded cautiously, her face showing an expression of both fear and admiration.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Ya Zhi lowered her voice, her tone full of a mother's satisfaction, "Look at that distance, that atmosphere. This is youth, Lu Ren! This is that bittersweet feeling of 'wanting to get close but not daring to get close'!"

Lu Ren narrowed his eyes, and the processor in his brain began to work at high speed.

Hinata Shoyo. Intelligence Attribute: E, Emotional Intelligence Attribute: E, Volleyball Obsession: SSS.

Characters with this type of attribute panel are usually destined to follow a "hot-blooded idiot" single path until the end, unless some hidden romance subplot is triggered.

"I didn't expect that." Lu Ren threw the popsicle stick into the trash can next to him, his tone complicated. "I even made up a 'final exam survival guide' for him at home, and this kid actually went out to slack off and try to win my favor."

Watching that orange head sway in the sunset, Lu Ren felt a surge of indescribable emotions.

On one hand, there's a strange sense of accomplishment, like "the pig I raised has finally learned to root for cabbages." After all, besides volleyball, Hinata's brain is basically incapable of holding anything else, so it's practically a biological miracle that a girl would be willing to listen to his nonsense.

But on the other hand...

"Is this the time to be doing this?" Lu Ren asked, his face darkening. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the date. "Four days until final exams. Four days! Has he finished memorizing his English vocabulary? Has he memorized his math formulas? Starting a romance at this crucial moment, is he trying to get himself killed already?"

"Oh dear, don't be such a spoilsport," Ya-zhi said, covering her mouth and giggling. "Maybe that girl is a top student and could tutor him?"

"Would a top student fall for that idiot?" Lu Ren sneered. "Unless that girl's aesthetic system is also malfunctioning."

The two people ahead stopped at an intersection. Hinata scratched his head, seemingly saying something goodbye, then the girl bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, turned, and ran away. She ran incredibly fast, as if a ghost were chasing her.

Hinata stood there grinning foolishly for a while before wobbling away on her bike.

"It's confirmed." Ya-zhi made the final decision. "There's definitely something going on."

Lu Ren pushed up his non-existent glasses, his gaze deep and unfathomable: "It seems we need to hold a special operational meeting for tomorrow's club activities."

……

The next afternoon, Karasuno No. 2 Gymnasium.

The air was somewhat stuffy, with only the echoing "thump-thump" of volleyballs hitting the floor.

Lu Ren sat on a bench in the rest area, holding a tactical tablet, but the pen remained motionless. He was waiting.

"Hey, Lu Ren." Tanaka Ryunosuke walked over shirtless, wiping sweat with a towel. "Why isn't Hyuga here yet? He's usually the first one here."

"They're probably busy," Lu Ren said slowly, his voice not loud, but loud enough for everyone around to hear. "After all, once people have 'special' social activities, their sense of time becomes weak."

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

Kageyama Tobio, who was practicing his ball-handling skills, stopped and turned around.

Lu Ren put down the tactics board and said in a somber and serious tone, "Gentlemen, I must deliver some unfortunate news. Our first-year ace, the decoy, may be facing the biggest crisis of his life—or rather, a turning point."

Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara Koji also came over: "What happened? Is Hyuga injured?"

"No." Lu Ren shook his finger. "It's more serious than an injury. Yesterday after school, Ya Zhi and I witnessed Hinata Shoyo walking side by side with a girl. It lasted for more than fifteen minutes, during which they exchanged body language and he seemed to be 'shy'."

The stadium fell into a deathly silence.

one second.

two seconds.

"What?!?"

Tanaka and Nishitani Yu simultaneously let out screams like pigs being slaughtered.

"A girl?!" Nishinoya was completely stunned, clutching his head and kneeling on the ground. "That Hinata? That Hinata whose head is only filled with volleyballs? There's a girl there?!"

"Unforgivable!" Tanaka instantly transformed into a vengeful demon, tears welling in his eyes. "We're still fighting tooth and nail for a single glance from Kiyoko-senpai, and that kid's already started real combat?!"

Kageyama tilted his head, looking bewildered: "A girl? Would that help him improve his spiking success rate?"

"Is this the important point, Kageyama?!" Sugawara couldn't help but complain, then a gossipy look appeared on his face. "Really? Rikuin, did you see that clearly?"

"Absolutely true." Lu Ren sighed, looking utterly disappointed. "Right on the eve of the final exams, at this crucial moment that would determine whether he could go on the expedition to Tokyo, he actually diverted his energy to this high-risk, low-reward 'love game.' This was a serious tactical blunder."

Hotaru Tsukishima, drinking water beside her, had a sneer on her lips: "Hey—even a simple-minded person can have a spring? Girls these days have such unique tastes."

"That's not the point." Lu Ren tapped the tactics board. "The point is, if we don't intervene in time, once his mind wanders, he'll definitely fail his final exams. Then we'll lose a bait when we go to Tokyo."

Just then, the stadium doors were flung open with a "whoosh".

"Sorry! I'm late!"

Hinata Shoyo rushed in, panting and covered in sweat, carrying his bag. "Something came up and I was held up..."

The sound stopped abruptly.

He found the atmosphere in the entire stadium to be extremely eerie.

No one speaks.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, and a dozen pairs of eyes stared intently at him. Those eyes contained shock, jealousy, scrutiny, and a kind of inquisitive desire to dissect and study him.

Tanaka and Nishiya stood at the front, their bodies radiating a black aura of resentment.

Sawamura Daichi crossed his arms, his face as solemn as if he were interrogating a criminal.

Even Sugawara, who is usually the gentlest, had a meaningful smile on his face at this moment.

"Uh..." Hinata swallowed hard, instinctively taking a step back. "W-What's wrong, everyone? Is there something on my face?"

Lu Ren sat on the bench, twirling his pen like a mastermind, breaking the silence.

"Hinata-kun."

"Yes, yes!" Hyuga stood at attention.

"I heard," Lu Ren drawled, "that you've been really busy lately. Busy... hunting for cabbages?"

"Huh?" Hinata looked completely bewildered. "Cabbage? I don't grow vegetables!"

"Stop playing dumb." Tanaka approached step by step, his face close to Hinata's, his expression ferocious. "Yesterday after school! That girl! Who was she! Confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist... heh heh!"

"Don't even think about hiding it." Nishitani blocked their escape route from the other side. "Lu Ren saw it all! You brat, you actually got a girlfriend behind our backs?!"

Hinata was stunned for several seconds before finally realizing what they were talking about.

There was no shyness or panic that Lu Ren had expected.

Instead, Hinata's eyes lit up instantly, and she shouted as if she had grasped a lifeline, "Ah! You mean Yachi-kun? That's great! I was just about to tell you about that!"

"Valley?" Sugawara keenly caught the name.

"Yes! Hitoka Yachi!" Hinata gestured excitedly, "She's in the next class! I was begging her to join the volleyball club yesterday!"

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

The dark aura surrounding Tanaka dissipated slightly: "Join... the volleyball club?"

"Yeah!" Hinata nodded vigorously, her face completely at ease. "Isn't Shimizu-senpai always looking for a new manager? I noticed that Yachi-kun hasn't joined the club yet, so I'm thinking of recruiting her! After all, if Shimizu-senpai graduates, we won't have a manager!"

Lu Ren stopped twirling his pen.

Ya-Chi covered her face, seemingly unable to bear witnessing this awkward reversal.

"So..." Lu Ren raised an eyebrow, "Yesterday you walked all the way here, and you were just trying to sell her the volleyball club?"

"Yeah!" Hinata scratched his head. "But she seems a bit timid. She kept saying she couldn't do anything, so I told her how fun volleyball was and how great our team was... although she still ran away in the end."

The entire room fell silent.

That pink bubble called "gossip" was shattered in an instant by the steel needle called "reality".

"cut--"

Tanaka and Nishiya simultaneously let out a huge hiss, and collapsed like deflated balloons.

"What? Oh, it's just a manager recruitment drive." Tanaka turned away to retrieve the ball, looking bored. "I got all excited for nothing."

"Yeah, I knew it." Nishiya pouted. "How could that kid possibly have that kind of ability?"

Even Tsukishima chuckled, "As expected, it's a single-celled thought process."

Only Kageyama breathed a sigh of relief: "Great, it's not a relationship. That means it won't affect my practice."

Hinata, seeing everyone's sudden change in attitude, was even more confused: "Huh? Why does everyone look so disappointed? That's the new manager! If we succeed, we'll have three managers!"

"Idiot." Lu Ren stood up, walked up to Hinata, and tapped him on the head with a book roll.

"Ouch!" Hinata clutched his head.

"Since it's about recruiting a new manager, then it's a serious matter." Lu Ren's expression returned to normal, even carrying a hint of approval. "Although your motives are simple, the direction is right. We need logistical support."

He paused, glanced at his teammates who had resumed training, and said in a low voice, "But don't be too optimistic. That girl seems timid; it's a miracle she didn't call the police after being bothered by someone as hot-blooded as you."

"Am I that scary?!" Hinata protested.

"You are," Lu Ren said mercilessly, "especially when you talk about volleyball and your eyes light up, you're no different from a missionary of some kind of fanatical religion."

Hinata puffed out her cheeks, but quickly deflated: "But... I also want to do something for the team. Besides scoring points."

Lu Ren looked at him.

This kid's eyes are clear, without a trace of impurity. He's genuinely thinking about the team's future, even if it's in this clumsy way.

"Alright." Lu Ren sighed, turned and walked towards the court. "Since the goal is to recruit people, we need to be strategic. Dry lines like 'You're amazing at volleyball' won't work."

"What should we do then?" Hinata caught up.

"Show her," Lu Ren said without turning his head. "Let her see that this is more than just a 'fun' game. Let her see how we are on the field. Let her feel that being part of this team is something to be proud of."

He picked up a volleyball and weighed it in his hand.

"But before that..."

Lu Ren suddenly turned around, revealing that "nuclear-kind" smile that had been haunting Hinata's dreams for the past few days.

"Have you finished memorizing your English vocabulary? If you fail today's test, forget about recruiting a manager, you'll have to stay in school for remedial classes, and you won't even get a chance to get to Tokyo."

Hinata's face turned deathly pale instantly.

"Oh no! I forgot! I left my vocabulary book in the classroom!"

Watching Hinata scream as he rushed out of the gymnasium, Lu Ren shook his head.

"Still that idiot." Yazhi walked over with a smile. "But if it's him, he might actually be able to pull that girl in."

"Who knows?" Lu Ren shrugged. "What if that Gu Direnhua really joined..."

He looked at Higashi Mine, who was spiking the ball, and then at Tanaka and Nishitani, who were running around the court.

"The concentration of 'weirdos' in this team is probably going to rise to another level."

However, before that.

Lu Ren glanced at the densely packed training plan in his hand.

These guys need to crawl out of the "hellish dungeon" of final exams alive first.

"Assemble!" Daichi Sawamura's roar echoed throughout the stadium.

"yes!"

Lu Ren took a deep breath, putting all that messy gossip to the back of his mind.

The game continues. The current objective is: for everyone to survive.