Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The only sound in the air was the sharp whistling of shoes scraping against the floor.

The volleyball flew back and forth at the net, the pace so fast it felt like it was on double speed. But that's not the point; the point is the current predicament of a certain owl.

Kotaro the Wooden Rabbit raised his hand and even jumped twice.

"Red Reed! Here! It's empty here! Absolutely empty!"

The sound is loud, powerful, and extremely penetrating.

Kyoji Akaashi, positioned as setter, didn't even turn his head. His gaze calmly swept across the frontcourt, and he casually pushed the ball forward with both hands. As if guided by eyes, the ball bypassed Bokuto's eager head and flew smoothly towards the right wing.

That place is Konoha Autumn.

Without any extra signals, Konoha jumped, making a clever timing difference as she faced Tanaka's block.

The ball landed.

"Nice Konoha!"

"Well said, Red Reed!"

The team members from Xiaogu gave each other high-fives and quickly returned to their positions. The whole process was smooth, efficient, and without any unnecessary chatter.

Meanwhile, the wooden rabbit, left standing there, remained in the position of wanting the ball, his whole body stiff as if he had been glared at by Medusa. His signature tuft of hair visibly drooped down, its color turning ashen.

Lu Ren stood on the other side of the net, raising an eyebrow.

This is the fourth goal already.

"Hey, Kageyama," Riku Ren lowered his center of gravity, preparing to receive the serve, "Don't you feel that after the opponent lost one of their main damage dealers, they actually became... stronger?"

Kageyama Tobio stared at the expressionless Akaashi across from him, his face grave: "The rhythm has changed. There's no background noise, it's very precise."

That's right, it's precision.

The original Owl Valley was a berserk war machine centered around Wood Rabbit, full of uncertainty and emotionality. When Wood Rabbit was high, the whole team took off; when Wood Rabbit faltered, the whole team put out the fire.

But now, this vehicle has "shielded" the largest unstable component.

Akaashi no longer needed to be distracted by the ace's emotions, nor did he need to worry about whether passing the ball would be blocked and cause the ace to mentally collapse. He focused all his calculations on tactical deployment.

Washio's fast breaks, Sarutobi's backcourt defense, and Konoha's versatile support.

These people are like they're running a meticulously written program.

Is this the true strength of Tokyo's powerhouses?

Lu Ren narrowed his eyes. The so-called ace wasn't the only pillar in this team; he was more like an external nuclear launcher. They fought with conventional weapons in peacetime, making a name for themselves, but once the nuclear missile was maintained, they would unleash it.

So terrifying.

"That...Aka-ashi?"

Wooden Rabbit's voice sounded a little aggrieved, like a golden retriever forgotten in the rain by its owner. He stood outside the three-meter line, twisting the hem of his shirt with his fingers, "I want to spike the ball too..."

Akagi ignored him. He glanced at the score.

18:16. Fukutani leads by two points.

"If we don't give the ace player the ball, the team's operational efficiency will increase by 30%, and the error rate will decrease by 40%." This line of data analysis automatically popped into Lu Ren's mind. "If I were that setter, I would definitely block out this troublesome player too."

The game continues.

On Karasuno's side, Hinata Shoyo used his speed to create an opening.

"Kageyama!"

Kageyama passes the ball instantly. Fast break!

But the moment Hyuga spiked the ball, two arms appeared out of thin air. It was Washio Tatsuo and Saruhisa Yamato. Their blocking timing was impeccable; they hadn't lost their positions at all despite the earlier chaos.

"Bang!"

A block scores a point.

Mutu watched the ball land from the back row, opened his mouth as if to shout "Good shot!", but found that his teammates had already calmly turned around and were preparing for the next shot.

lonely.

Extreme loneliness.

This feeling of being abandoned by the world drove Mokuto crazy. He started looking at Akashi frequently, his eyes filled with an intense longing that was almost overflowing.

It's not about showing off, it's simply because—I'm the ace! What's the point of winning the set if I don't spike the ball!

19 points.

Karasuno's serve went astray.

The rotation began. Red Reed moved to the front row.

Wood Rabbit stood in position four and took a deep breath. His eyes changed. The resentment caused by being ignored had transformed into a pure hunger.

That was hunger for volleyball.

Kyoji Akaashi glanced at his ace out of the corner of his eye.

It's almost done.

If it's left to cool down any longer, it won't just "cool down," it will "crash."

The pass was delivered perfectly.

Komi Haruki raised the ball higher.

This is a perfect opportunity for a fastball. Washio in the middle is about to jump, and Konoha on the right is also getting into position.

Karasuno's defensive focus was inevitably diverted.

Right now.

Akaashi's fingers touched the ball. In that instant, without the slightest hesitation, he arched his back and pushed the ball backwards towards its highest point.

It wasn't a fast break, it wasn't a time difference, it was a corrective shot for the ace.

It is both tall and stable, providing ample space for a run-up.

"Bokuto-senpai!" Akaashi's voice wasn't loud, but to Bokuto's ears it was like heavenly music.

The wooden rabbit, which had turned ashen and lifeless as a stone statue just a moment ago, instantly transformed from black and white into color.

That explosive power was simply unreasonable.

He only had a two-step run-up, but the floor screamed when he pushed off the ground.

"Watch me!!!"

Wood Rabbit leaped into the air. All the pent-up anger from the five or six balls, the resentment of being ignored, and the eagerness to prove himself were poured into this one arm.

Hotaru Tsukishima only had time to extend one hand from the side.

too late.

Wood Rabbit even paused noticeably in mid-air, a sign of his core strength being extremely abundant. He spotted a gap in Karasuno's defense—the deepest part of the straight line, a palm-sized area pressed against the corner.

"Extremely small diagonal line!!"

boom!

The sound of the volleyball hitting the floor was so dull it made your teeth ache.

The ball was so fast that Nishitani Yuu only instinctively moved her heel, and the ball bounced onto the second-floor balcony railing.

The entire room fell silent for a second.

then……

"Nice-Kill-!! Wooden Rabbit-!!"

Konoha Akiki had somehow rushed to the net, raising his hands high, his expression so exaggerated that it was as if the cold-blooded killer from before wasn't him at all.

"As expected of the ace! That was such a cool shot!" Yamato Saruhisa gave a thumbs up, his sincere tone almost bringing tears to one's eyes.

"Only Bokuto-senpai could have hit that angle!" Even Washio, who is usually quiet, joined in the praise.

Kyoji Akaashi walked over, his expression calm and his tone appropriate: "This kind of ball really should be left to Bokuto-senpai."

The wooden rabbit, surrounded in the middle, was stunned for a moment.

The next second, his chest puffed out, his nostrils began to flare, and his two tufts of hair stood up spiritedly.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!!!"

Bokuto stood with his hands on his hips, looked up to the sky and roared, "Wasn't that shot incredibly tricky?! Wasn't it?! Akaashi, did you see it?!"

"I see, it's perfect." Akaashi handed him a towel and casually wiped his sweat with such practiced ease that it was almost imperceptible unless you looked closely.

"In that case! You absolutely have to pass me the ball! I want to hit that curve shot too! Just like that number 13!"

"Okay, if there's a chance."

Looking at Xiao Gu, who instantly transformed from a "cold machine" back into a "hot-blooded anime scene," Lu Ren stood three meters away and couldn't help but click his tongue.

What a show!

Those few minutes of silence were all for this explosion. A strategy of first suppressing then elevating the player's emotions, building up their energy to the maximum, and then releasing it at this crucial moment.

This isn't playing ball, it's raising a treacherous snake!

"Akagi..." Lu Ren sighed as he looked at the seemingly obedient but actually lightning-wielding setter on the other side. "If this were an RPG game, he would definitely be the kind of necromancer who treats his teammates like summoned beasts."

too tired.

Just looking at it makes me feel tired.

She has to manage the game, keep score, and even soothe the kids. This kind of nanny-like setter deserves at least three times the salary.

Lu Ren turned his head several times and looked back at his own home.

Kageyama Tobio, his face grim, gripped the volleyball and yelled at Hyuga, "Idiot! That run was a fraction of a second too slow! If you do that again, I'll shove the ball into your mouth!"

Hinata retorted defiantly, "You passed it too fast! Who can catch that kind of ball?! I want a ball that stops 'whoosh' instantly! Like Riku Ren's!"

Hotaru Tsukishima stood to the side, pushed up her glasses, and gave a look of disgust that said, "These single-celled organisms are so noisy." She didn't forget to add insult to injury, saying, "If some people can't jump high, even if the ball stops, it will still be hit back."

"Shut up, Tsukishima!"

"Tsk, so noisy." Tanaka Ryunosuke tried to suppress the scene with his boss-like aura, but was slapped on the back by Nishitani Yuichi and almost choked.

It's a mess.

Everyone has eight hundred cunning thoughts (or no cunning at all).

No one will indulge anyone like Akaashi.

If Kageyama dares to leave Hyuga hanging for five minutes, Hyuga will probably climb onto Kageyama's back and bite him.

Lu Ren sighed and pulled up his knee pads, which had come loose a bit.

"Although it looks chaotic..."

He cracked his knuckles, looked at his teammates who were fighting amongst themselves, and a villainous smile crept onto his lips.

"But compared to those trump cards that need to be pampered and pampered, it's more satisfying to raise these idiots who hurt each other."

Lu Ren walked behind Ying Shan, gestured with his hand on the back of Ying Shan's head, and then withdrew his hand the instant Ying Shan turned around.

"Now that the opposing ace has restarted, we should update our system too." Lu Ren pointed at the opposing Bokuto who was having a blast. "Kageyama, whether you can shut that owl up depends on how fast your 'killer pass' is."

The anger in Kageyama's eyes instantly cooled, transforming into a chilling focus.

"nonsense."

"Alright," Lu Ren turned around and looked at Hyuga, "Ultimate bait, go and tear down that wall."

"Oh!!!" Hinata's eyes shone like two 100-watt light bulbs.

No matter how mature a system is, as long as it's a machine, it will inevitably have its operational limits.

Since you all want a happy ending for everyone, then I'll be the villainous BOSS who comes to ruin things.

The laziness that Lu Ren had exuded faded away, replaced by an unsettling aura of "calculation."

"We're only on our second playthrough of the game yet."