Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

Tatsuo Washio stood at the baseline, spinning the ball in his hand. His serves weren't fancy; they were just steady.

The whistle blows.

The ball floated over, its trajectory was straight, and it plummeted rapidly after clearing the net.

"I'll do it!"

Nishitani Yu didn't even need to take a step; she simply shifted her weight, her arms like trays already placed there, steadily lifting the ball. The volleyball obediently flew high into the frontcourt, landing with terrifying precision.

Kageyama Tokio arrived, his hands outstretched in front of his forehead.

Hotaru Tsukishima and Ryunosuke Tanaka started running simultaneously in the front row, their overlapping runs stretching the defense. Kageyama, however, gently pushed the ball to Daichi Sawamura on the right wing.

Backflip.

He leaped from the ground and swung his arm. His movements were so precise that there was no fault with them.

"One Touch!"

Washio's palm grazed the ball. The volleyball changed trajectory, didn't hit the ground, and was saved by Saruhisa Yamato in the back row with a diving save.

"Red Reed!"

Yuan Yi shouted.

Kyoji Akaashi glanced at the situation. It was a chaotic mess; the best option was to correct it and pass it to the ace.

"Bokuto-senpai!"

Kotaro Bokuto cut in from the left, each step of his run-up seeming to shatter the floor. The light in his eyes was frightening; his desire to score was almost tangible.

Take off.

Karasuno's netting hadn't been closed yet.

Right now.

Wooden Rabbit swung its arm like a whip, aiming at a sharp diagonal line. The angle was extremely tricky; most people wouldn't be able to react in time.

Bang!

A muffled thud.

It wasn't the sound of the ball hitting the floor, it was the sound of it hitting my arm.

The moment the wooden rabbit landed, its pupils contracted.

In the blind spot he had aimed for, Lu Ren was half-squatting there, arms together. His posture was rather awkward, like a toad squatting in a latrine, but the ball still bounced off his forearm.

"So heavy...tsk." Lu Ren flicked his wrist and raised the ball.

"Kageyama!"

No further communication was needed. Kageyama adjusted his position the instant the ball began to fall and made a behind-the-back pass.

The volleyball arced through the air, heading straight for the left wing.

There, Dong Fengxu had already drawn his bow to its fullest extent.

"Make way!!"

With a roar, Dong Fengxu slammed his large hand onto the ball. This shot, carrying all the frustration he had accumulated in the previous practice match, forcefully broke through Xiao Gu's double block.

thump.

The volleyball hit the center of the Owl Valley court and bounced towards the back wall.

6: 4.

Karasuno scores.

"Good shot! Asahi-senpai was so cool!" Nishitani jumped onto Higashimine Asahi's back and shouted.

They are facing each other across the net.

Kotaro Bokuto remained in his landing position, staring at Lu Ren for two seconds. He had clearly felt his touch was perfect on that last shot, and the trajectory was incredibly precise, so why was that guy there?

It was as if... we already knew he was going to hit there.

"Bokuto-senpai," Akaashi's voice sounded from behind, "Don't worry about it, get the next ball back."

Bokuto scratched his head; his signature black and white hair looked a little flat, but he still patted his cheeks forcefully: "Ah! I know! Pass the ball to me again, Akaashi!"

He said that, but there was a clear crack in his "I am invincible" aura.

Lu Ren stood in the back row, rubbing his reddened forearm, a smug grin spreading across his face.

This feels amazing.

It's like fighting a boss in Dark Souls. You don't need to be stronger than the boss; you just need to memorize the mechanics. Once you know what the boss is about to say, it's just a matter of one-sided teasing.

"Don't rush, this is only the first stage," Lu Ren muttered to himself.

Rotation.

Daichi Sawamura serves.

The serve was decent, targeting Yamato Saruhisa.

Saruhito barely managed to receive the ball, which flew towards the net, getting a little too close to it.

"Sorry! We're getting close!"

Akaashi jumped. He could see clearly that his ace owl needed a boost. If Bokuto didn't get this boost, the owl would enter "retreat mode" for the rest of the game.

"Bokuto-senpai!"

This pass was made extremely quickly, with the aim of using speed to break through the defense.

Wood Rabbit's reaction was also top-notch. He practically leaped up from the spot, displaying astonishing explosive power.

At that moment, Karasuno's block was indeed too slow. Tsukishima Hotaru's arm wasn't fully extended, and Konoha Akiki hadn't even had time to close it.

An empty door.

The gloom in Mutu's eyes vanished, and a smile returned to her lips. As long as she pressed the button, as long as she heard that sound, everything would be alright.

He swung his arm, pressed down on his wrist, and smashed the ball.

That shot was as fast as lightning.

however.

Just one tenth of a second before the wooden rabbit's palm touched the ball, he caught a glimpse of a shadow out of the corner of his eye.

The guy wearing the Karasuno number 13 jersey moved to the left as if by magic. Exactly one step.

Bang!

The volleyball slammed heavily onto Lu Ren's wrist.

Because the ball was moving too fast, Lu Ren was thrown backward. But the ball didn't fly; it bounced straight towards Kageyama's position.

"……ha?"

The wooden rabbit landed, its expression frozen on its face.

The feeling is like you've built up all your rage and unleashed a powerful attack, only to have the enemy monster with just one drop of health casually raise its shield and give you a "weak as hell" gesture.

"Fight back!" Lu Ren shouted, sitting on the ground.

Although Kageyama Tobio disliked Riku Ren, his actions were anything but hesitant.

Pass the ball, Dong Fengxu.

It was another strong attack from the left wing.

This time, Owl Valley reacted quickly, with Washio and Konoha forming a double-team defense.

Snapped.

The ball hit the blocker's hand, slowed down, and bounced back.

"remedy!"

Konoha Akiki reacted with lightning speed, scooping up the ball with one hand.

Opportunity ball.

Kyoji Akaashi didn't hesitate. He knew Bokuto all too well. Bokuto was on the verge of collapse. If he didn't pass the ball to him now, it would be tantamount to admitting that Bokuto was "incapable."

It must be transmitted.

And we must let him score.

"Bokuto-senpai! One more time!"

Akaashi shouted and sent the ball to the exact same spot as before.

All eyes were on the black-and-white-haired ace.

The wooden rabbit gritted its teeth and jumped.

This time, Tsukishima Hotaru followed. The tall man with glasses had a cold face and blocked the straight line with both hands.

We cannot force a fight.

Wooden Rabbit made a decision in a flash. Since the straight line was blocked, it would hit the ball out of bounds. Using its fingers, it would send the ball flying.

This is an advanced skill, and also the foundation of an ace player.

With a flick of his wrist, the volleyball grazed Tsukishima's little fingertip and flew out of bounds.

"Good shot!" Akaashi breathed a sigh of relief.

The ball is at a very wide angle and moving very fast; it's definitely going out of bounds...

If we disregard that "madman".

A dark shadow flew out, skimming the ground.

Lu Ren was like a salted fish that had just come ashore and was still thrashing about, throwing himself out of the arena without any regard for his image. He stretched his body in the air, his right hand outstretched as far as he could.

Before the ball hits the ground...

That's where the GG card is located.

Lu Ren's hand slipped in just before the ball hit the ground.

Snapped.

The volleyball was lobbed high and flew back onto the court.

Inside the venue.

Kageyama Tobio watched the ball fly back and quickly passed it to the ball.

"Senior Daichi!"

Sawamura Daichi didn't launch a strong attack; he dealt with a net ball and pushed it into the back corner of Fukutani's court.

Although they didn't win this point, it was extremely damaging.

Kotaro Mokuto stood in front of the net, his hands hanging at his sides. He looked at Riku, who was shouting, and then at his own palms.

That thing called "confidence" is being stripped away from him at a visible speed.

"Why..." Wood Rabbit muttered to himself, "Why can't I kill him..."

His shoulders slumped, and his hair, which had been standing upright like an antenna, seemed to have drooped down in a few strands.

The atmosphere inside the Owl Valley was somewhat heavy.

Tatsuo Washio received the first pass.

Kyoji Akaashi glanced at Bokuto.

The owl had turned completely gray. Its eyes were unfocused, and it was muttering nonsense like "I can't go on" and "It's not a good day to go out."

Hopeless.

There's no hope for at least the next few minutes.

Akagi sighed and turned her gaze to the other side.

Since the Ace has crashed, let's replace the CPU.

"Long tail!"

Akaashi made a back pass, and the ball flew towards position two.

The first-year main attacker, Onaga Wataru, was well-prepared. Although he didn't have the terrifying aura of Bokuto, his movements were solid.

Facing a single block from Tanaka alone at Karasuno, Onaga Wataru calmly jabbed a diagonal line.

thump.

The volleyball lands.

6: 5.

Okabe scores.

Despite winning the point, there was absolutely no celebratory atmosphere on Fukudani's side.

Akaashi walked over to Bokuto, patted him on the back, and said nothing. He knew that saying anything now would be useless; he could only wait for the guy to restart himself.

On the other side of the net.

Lu Ren got up from the ground and wrung out his soaked clothes.

Although he lost points, his smile was even wider than before.

He looked at the dejected owl ace and mentally ticked off his own tactics.

The BOSS's berserk mode has been forcibly interrupted, and it is now in a weakened state.

"Hey, Kageyama." Lu Ren walked up to Kageyama and lowered his voice, "Even if we lose this round, we'll still be rich. Look at that guy on the other side with the cool hairstyle, doesn't he look like a drowned rat soaked to the bone?"

Kageyama Tobio frowned, glanced at Bokuto, then at Rikuin, and finally could only manage to stammer, "...bad personality."

"That's called tactics," Lu Ren shrugged nonchalantly. "Now it's time to kick a man when he's down."