Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The score is 13-12. Karasuno is trailing by one point.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of sweat, a pheromone unique to the stadium, a mixture of the burnt smell of Salonpas and the rubber floor. Kageyama Tobio stood at the net, his fingers unconsciously stroking the hem of his jersey.

He was very irritable.

It wasn't because they were behind, but because of Lu Ren's incredibly irritating look. That guy had taken volleyball to an extreme, his technique of "braking" the ball in mid-air not only fooled the blockers but also felt like a thorn in Kageyama's eye. As a setter, seeing someone use a passing technique he hadn't mastered right in front of him was more painful than losing the game.

These past few days, besides being dragged by Lu Ren to tutor those mind-numbing academic subjects, whenever Kageyama touches a ball, his mind is already simulating the spin. Kageyama even asked Lu Ren for advice on how to pass the ball, enduring Lu Ren's mockery while teaching him, and finally grasped a little bit of the technique.

The wrist should be lowered, and the contact area of ​​the fingers should be reduced to apply a strong spin force to the ball, using air resistance to counteract the forward kinetic energy. Lu Ren had explained the theory, but Ying Shan didn't understand the physics formulas; however, he understood the feel of the ball.

That feeling of "taming" the ball in the palm of your hand.

"Beep—"

The whistle blows. Yamato Saruhisa of Furutani serves.

The ball traveled straight, heading straight for the corner of Karasuno's backfield.

"I'll do it."

Lu Ren's voice was languid, but his movements were ridiculously fast. He didn't use the conventional ball-passing posture, but instead turned half a body length to the side, raising his arms to form a slant at his sides.

Bang.

The volleyball bounced off the forearm, losing most of its force, and floated lightly towards the setter's position. The first pass accuracy was 100%, perfect like an NPC that only follows a program.

The moment the ball flew over his head, Kageyama Tobio moved.

Not only him, but the short man in orange also moved.

Hinata Shoyo didn't even look at where the ball was; he was fixated on one thing—as long as he ran fast enough, Kageyama's ball would definitely reach him. He sprang from beyond the three-meter line like a spring, his footsteps thumping loudly, and directly darted into the gap in Fukutani's blocking net.

"Too fast!" Kyoji Akaashi frowned.

This is the rhythm of that "weird fast break". Although you know you have to defend, that unreasonable speed still makes people react slowly.

Washio Tatsuo could only jump and block based on instinct.

At that very moment, Kageyama's fingers touched the ball.

In the past, the ball would have shot straight out like a bullet. But this time, Kageyama's wrist twitched strangely, and his fingers rubbed the ball hard.

Stop!

The volleyball flew out of his hand. It was still very fast, but the moment it reached Hyuga's hitting point, the tricolor ball seemed to hit an invisible wall of air, and the intense spin caused it to pause visibly in the air.

Hinata Shoyo has already reached the highest point in the air.

He had his eyes closed... no, this time his eyes were open!

The volleyball hovering in the air was reflected in those large, amber eyes.

There's no need to chase the ball or adjust the timing of the swing; the ball is just there waiting for him, like food being fed to his mouth.

"Waaaaaah!!"

Hyuga let out a strange cry, swung his arm in a wide arc, and firmly wrapped the ball in his palm.

boom!

The volleyball grazed Washio's fingertips and slammed into the floor at an extremely violent angle, bouncing even higher than the net.

13: 13.

Hinata paused for a second after landing, then jumped up as if she had been electrocuted.

"It stopped! That one! It really stopped!" Hinata grabbed his hair, excitedly babbling incoherently, "Just like Lu Ren's pass! Whoosh, then stop abruptly! And the ball was even more stable than Lu Ren's pass! I saw it clearly! I even saw the logo on the ball!"

Kageyama Tobio remained in the position after passing the ball, his chest heaving. He looked at his hands, the burning sensation from rubbing the ball still lingering in his palms.

It became.

Although it couldn't match Lu Ren's effortless skill, the sense of control was genuine.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze passing through the net, and precisely locked onto Lu Ren, who was standing in the back row rubbing his wrist.

Kageyama didn't speak, but his lips twitched upwards in an extremely stiff manner, revealing a smile that was full of provocation, disguised as "kindness." His eyes clearly said: See, this thing isn't that difficult.

Lu Ren was about to say a few words of praise when he looked up and bumped into this face, instantly getting goosebumps all over his body.

"...What kind of expression is that?" Lu Ren took a half step back in disgust. "If you want to fight, just say so. Don't use your face to insult me."

"It's nothing." Kageyama relaxed his lips, resuming his poker face, but he couldn't hide the smugness in his tone. "I just think it feels nice."

"Heh." Lu Ren rolled his eyes. "You plagiarist, that's my copyright."

"On the court, there are no copyright issues, only scoring opportunities," Kageyama stated confidently.

"Alright, alright, stop flirting like that." Sawamura Daichi walked over with a dark face, pressing down on one head with each hand. "The match isn't over yet, go argue somewhere else."

Sidelines.

Coach Ukai Shishin's tactical board creaked as he gripped it. He looked at Kageyama, who was riding high on the field after successfully replicating a new skill, and then at Rikuin, who, despite complaining, was clearly more excited.

The time has come.

This team's engine is already burning hot; if we don't give them a boost, their energy will be wasted.

"Substitute!"

The referee raises his sign.

Sugawara Koji took a deep breath, patted his cheeks, and walked to the sidelines with his number plate in hand.

"Oh? Karasuno is making a substitution now?" Coach Nekomata stroked his chin from the stands. "Is that cheerful guy coming on... to stabilize the rhythm?"

However, everyone was stunned when they saw that the person who was replaced was Tsukishima Kei.

Under Tsukishima, above Sugawara.

At this moment, Karasuno's lineup on the field was as follows: front row: Higashimine Asahi, Hinata Shoyo, Tanaka Ryunosuke; back row: Kageyama Tobio, Sugawara Koji, Riku Jin.

There are no dedicated middle blockers (except for Hyuga, who is a pseudo-middle blocker), but there are two setters and four strong players who can attack at the same time.

"What kind of formation is this?" Konoha Akiki was a little confused. "Aren't they going to defend?"

Kyoji Akaashi's pupils contracted. No, it wasn't that defense was unnecessary. Lu Ren was in the back row, and although Sawamura wasn't there, Sugawara's defensive capabilities were not weak. The key issue was... this offensive power was excessive.

"All-out attack mode, huh..." Akaashi murmured softly.

The game continues.

Kageyama Tobio serves.

This kid's serve is starting to resemble that of a champion: high ball toss, forward contact point, and powerful shots.

Bang!

The ball hurtled towards Shinobuya's receiving area like a cannonball.

"So heavy!" Yamato Saruhisa gritted his teeth, half-squatting to brace himself. The first pass was inaccurate, and the ball flew beyond the three-meter line.

"Red Reed!"

Akaashi had to make running passes. This kind of pass couldn't be used for a fast break; it could only be passed to the flanks.

"Bokuto-senpai!"

Kotaro Bokuto couldn't wait any longer. He leaped high on the left wing, facing Ryunosuke Tanaka's solo block, his eyes gleaming.

"Take this—!!"

This shot was powerful and heavy, heading straight for the diagonal line.

"One Touch!"

Although Tanaka was not tall, he was tough. He held on with his palm until the very end, his fingers bent backward by the impact of the ball, but he successfully slowed the ball down and changed its direction.

The ball bounced high and landed in Karasuno's backfield.

Chaos.

Logically, at this point, the libero or a back-row player should pass the ball to the setter, who then organizes the attack.

But now, Kageyama Tobio is standing in the back row of Karasuno.

Kageyama didn't try to catch the ball; instead, he rushed directly to the spot where the ball was about to land.

"That's..." Mo Ren, standing in the stands, put down his game console. "He's going to pass the ball directly from the back row?"

The ball falls.

Kageyama spread his arms in front of his forehead. The front-line attackers—Higashimine, Hinata, and Tanaka—launched simultaneously, like soldiers who had heard a bugle call to charge. Three men, three directions, like three sharp knives thrusting into Furutani's defenses.

The net of Owl Valley was torn apart in an instant. Washio stared at Hyuga, Konoha guarded against Higashimine, and Akaashi stared at Tanaka.

However, Kageyama's ball was not given to any of them.

The volleyball traced a flat and fast arc, passing over the heads of everyone in the front row, heading straight for the open space in front of the net on the right.

That was originally the setter's position.

Sugawara Koji had somehow already reached that spot. He jumped.

"Setter spikes the ball?!" Komi Haruki shouted, rushing over to cover.

Sugawara's posture in the air was fluid, his left hand aiming, his right hand pulling back – a perfectly executed spike. Fukutani's defensive focus inevitably shifted towards him.

In that very instant.

Sugawara's right hand, which was about to swing down, suddenly stopped.

He curled up in mid-air, his hand that was originally spiking the ball changed into a supporting hand shape, and his wrist gently pushed it out.

The volleyball did not fly towards the opponent's court, but flew backward.

That place is...

"Rikuhito——!!" Sugawara yelled.

A dark figure darted out from the back row like a cheetah hunting its prey. Lu Ren jumped from the three-meter line, his body taut like a bow in mid-air.

This is a back-row attack.

But because of Sugawara's feint, Fukutani's net was completely breached. At this moment, Rikuren was facing an open field with no cover.

The feeling is like when you're playing an FPS game and your teammate has shredded all the enemy's armor and thrown a flashbang, and all you have to do is walk over with your shotgun and pull the trigger.

Cool.

So cool.

Lu Ren even had time to glance at the terrified expression on the other side while he was in the air.

Thank you for your hospitality.

He silently recited a phrase in his mind, and his arm lashed out like a whip.

Boom! ! !

This ball had no skill involved, only power. The volleyball slammed into the three-meter line in the center of the court with a heart-stopping thud, then bounced high into the air and crashed into the ceiling.

14:13. Karasuno is in the lead.

The entire room fell silent for half a second.

"Yay!!!"

After landing, Sugawara rushed straight towards Rikuren, and the two collided chest-to-chest.

"That pass was brilliant, Sugawara-senpai!" Lu Ren rubbed his chest, grinning like a villain. "That feint, even I almost thought you were going to dunk."

"Hehe, it was just a spur-of-the-moment idea." Sugawara laughed, his eyes narrowing into slits, his cheeks flushed from exercise. "After all, we have two setters on the court, so how can we not try something different?"

On the other side of the net, Kyoji Akaashi watched this scene and felt a headache coming on.

Multi-core driven.

Kageyama is the primary core, responsible for brute-force calculations and forced cracking; Sugawara is the secondary core, responsible for logic processing and error detection. Add to that Riku Ren, the "plugin" who could mutate at any moment.

This team is like a Frankenstein's monster right now.

It was a mess, completely disorganized, but... ridiculously strong.

"So this is what they call 'Chimera'..." Akaashi sighed, looking at the scoreboard.

Lu Ren stood on the field, feeling the chaotic beauty brought about by the multiple points of attack.

This is the volleyball he wants.

It's not the rigid, textbook turn-based game, but an RTS (real-time strategy) game full of deception, strategy, and real-time calculation.

"Kageyama." Lu Ren turned to look at the single-celled organism who looked annoyed that he hadn't been able to directly assist him.

"what?"

"That setter relay just now," Lu Ren pointed to his head, "I'll write it down, and next time I'll pass it to you."

Kageyama was stunned for a moment, then his eyes shone with an alarming light.

"oh."

Although it was only one word, Lu Ren could hear the eager thirst in it.

Coach Wu Yang stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, watching the group of teenagers running rampant on the field, a satisfied smile curving his lips.