Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

In October, the air in Miyagi Prefecture has lost its summer heat, replaced by a dry chill that seeps into your collar.

Sendai City Gymnasium. This massive concrete building, like a lurking beast, devours volleyball players from all over the prefecture. The air is thick with the smells of Salonpas spray, deodorant, and something acridly acrid called "ambition."

The bus came to a stop, and the valves let out a weary sigh.

Hinata Shoyo jumped out of the car, looked up at the stadium's dome, and his Adam's apple bobbed. He had been here before, last time as a challenger who suffered a crushing defeat. This time, his identity remained the same, but the weapon in his hand had changed.

"Here we go again." Hinata clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white. "This time, I'm definitely going to defeat Shiratorizawa and go to Tokyo."

A commotion arose from the crowd nearby. The rest of Karasuno's team got off the bus one after another, their faces grim. This kind of pre-tournament atmosphere was the norm, except for Lu Ren. He zipped his team jacket all the way up, hunched his shoulders like a quail afraid of the cold, and muttered strange things about "map loading speed" and "early morning health loss".

"Stop making promises you can't keep, Hinata." Lu Ren yawned, squeezing out two physiological tears from the corner of his eye. "Usually, the characters who shout slogans at the entrance get critically hit by mobs in the first level of the dungeon."

Just then, a frivolous whistle came from ahead.

"Hey, isn't this Karasuno? Where's that bespectacled manager? And that beautiful black-haired upperclassman?"

Lu Ren looked up and saw a guy with dyed yellow hair and an earring leaning against a pillar. It was Terujima Yuuji, the captain of Jozenji High School. His nonchalant attitude was completely out of place with the tense atmosphere of preparation around him, making him look like a passerby who came to a comic convention to watch the fun.

"What, your intimidating coach didn't come along?" Terujima chewed his gum, his gaze sweeping past Sawamura Daichi and fixed on the back. "I didn't get his phone number last time, so you should at least give me the courtesy this time, right? After all, we've known each other for a long time."

This blatant flirting instantly ignited two powder kegs within the Karasuno camp.

"You bastard—!"

Tanaka Ryunosuke and Nishitani Yu started almost simultaneously. Their expressions twisted into demonic forms in that instant, as if a tangible flame had ignited in the background. They didn't need a running start; the height and speed of their jump from the spot defied the laws of biology, their target the oblivious blond-haired guy.

"To harass Kiyoko-senpai and Hitoka-chan on our turf? Death penalty! Execute immediately!"

Just as the two humanoid missiles were about to hit their target, a hand suddenly appeared.

"terribly sorry."

A short-haired girl stood expressionless in front of Terujima, shoving her captain so roughly that he stumbled. She was Misaki Hana, the manager of Jozenji.

"This guy isn't quite right in the head, he's caused you trouble." Misaki Hana bowed slightly, her tone as calm as if she were reading an instruction manual. "We'll discipline him properly."

Tanaka and Nishitani, who were in mid-air, were stunned.

Faced with such a polite and lovely female manager, their "devil mode" instantly short-circuited. The originally powerful and heavy attack was abruptly stopped in mid-air, and the two of them were like a video that had been paused, hovering half a meter off the ground in an extremely bizarre posture, neither falling down nor rushing out.

This scene lasted for a full two seconds.

Hotaru Tsukishima adjusted her glasses, her tone tinged with genuine confusion: "Even though I know these two are single-celled organisms, being able to freeze themselves in mid-air by sheer willpower—that's practically a supernatural phenomenon, isn't it?"

"Newton must be turning in his grave," Lu Ren added expressionlessly. "This is probably what they call 'model lag.' I suggest the developers fix this bug in the next version where people ignore gravity when they see a pretty girl; it's seriously affecting game balance."

Yuuji Terujima, who had been pushed away by his manager, rubbed his shoulder, his playful expression fading somewhat. He glanced at Karasuno and his group, then at his manager's icy face, and finally shrugged.

"Alright, see you on the field then." Terujima said seriously, although his nonchalant attitude was still there, there was something new in his eyes. "Nice to meet you in the first match."

The troops from Jozenji Temple retreated.

Tanaka and Nishiya finally landed, still savoring the manager's apology, their faces plastered with dazed smiles. Sawamura Daichi walked over with a dark expression and delivered a chop to each of them, finally bringing the two embarrassing figures back to their normal state.

The group entered the stadium lobby.

A massive match-up chart stood in the center, its red lines intricately interwoven like a giant predatory net. All the schools struggled within this net until a single victor emerged.

"Let's go, it's time to warm up." Lu Ren glanced at the "Shiratorizawa Academy" sign at the top and turned around without much expression.

Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio exchanged a glance, and a flame suddenly ignited in their eyes—a signal that some kind of fuel called "revenge" had been ignited.

"It's about to begin..." Hinata clutched her stomach, her expression suddenly changing. "No, my stomach... my stomach feels a little..."

"Not again?" Kageyama looked disgusted. "Are you in elementary school? Do you have to make a pilgrimage to the toilet before every major tournament?"

"This is a physiological reaction! Don't you understand what a physiological reaction is?!" Hinata said, his legs clamped together, looking pained.

Sugawara Koji sighed and patted Lu Ren on the shoulder: "Lu Ren, go keep an eye on him. This kid always seems to run into some strange people every time he goes to the restroom. Last time it was Aoki, and the time before that it was Otoko... I'm worried he'll be bullied by other schools in the restroom."

"Am I a nanny?" Lu Ren rolled his eyes, but still put his hands in his pockets and slowly followed. "Fine, just treat it as an escort mission, although the rewards for these kinds of missions are usually very low."

The men's restroom at Sendai Gymnasium is a legendary spot in the volleyball world. The confrontations that have taken place here are even more exciting than those on the court, and countless harsh words and bold pronouncements have been made here.

As soon as Lu Ren reached the door, he felt the air pressure inside was so low it made it hard to breathe. It felt like you were wearing beginner gear and had accidentally wandered into a party of max-level monsters.

He peeked inside and burst out laughing.

In front of the narrow sink, Hinata Shoyo was huddled up, clutching the pitiful bottle of hand sanitizer. And around him stood four towering figures.

Oikawa Toru and Iwaizumi Ichi, from west of Aoba Castle, are washing their hands.

Wakatoshi Ushijima of Shiratorizawa was wiping his hands with a tissue.

Date Industries' Aogen Takasuke stood like a wall blocking the entrance.

This lineup brings together half of Miyagi Prefecture's volleyball world. Hinata, like a little rabbit that has strayed into a pack of wolves, trembles with fear and can barely speak.

Just as Ushijima Wakatoshi turned to leave, he saw Hyuga's expression and frowned slightly, as if he thought such a weak creature was not worth paying attention to.

"What, did Shiratorizawa's ace get scared off by Karasuno's little guy?"

A lazy voice broke the silence.

Lu Ren leaned against the tiled wall by the door, twirling a bottle of mineral water in his hand. His nonchalant demeanor was completely out of place with the tense atmosphere here.

All eyes immediately turned to him.

Ushijima stopped, his unwavering eyes fixed on Lu Ren. Oikawa Tetsu raised an eyebrow, his fake smile freezing for a second.

"Lu Ren." Oikawa Tetsu narrowed his eyes. "Your mouth is still so annoying."

"Likewise." Lu Ren walked into the restroom and stood directly in front of Hinata, shielding him behind him. The action was natural, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, even though this "mother hen" was spewing venom.

He turned to look at Oikawa Tetsu, his gaze lingering on the man's stomach for a couple of seconds, a smug, almost punchable smile playing on his lips: "How was it, Oikawa-senpai? Was that extra-spicy Chengdu hot pot broth from last time still authentic? Did it make you realize the true meaning of life on the toilet, and perhaps even make you not want to get out?"

The air freezes.

Oikawa Tetsu's forehead instantly bulged with a cross. The memory of that night was a nightmare; the burning pain that ran from his mouth all the way to the end of his digestive tract left his legs weak during training the next day.

"Hmph." Oikawa Tetsu forced a smile, crossed his arms, and said, "The taste is alright, but it's a bit too bland. It's not good enough."

"Too bland?" Lu Ren raised an eyebrow.

Standing beside him, Iwaizumi suddenly spoke up, his voice steady and powerful, with a hint of merciless slap on the wrist: "Stop pretending, Oikawa. That night you were crying like a three-year-old in the bathroom, yelling 'Iwai-chan, help me!' If I hadn't brought you milk, you probably would have died of dehydration."

"Iwa-chan!!" Oikawa Tetsu exclaimed, covering Iwaizumi Hajime's mouth in despair. "How could you betray your teammates at a time like this! This is an intelligence war! Don't you understand what an intelligence war is?!"

"That's because you're a disgrace." Iwaizumi ruthlessly shoved his hand away, turned to look at Rikuren with sharp eyes, "Don't be so smug, Karasuno. If you dare to be eliminated in the preliminaries this time, I'll beat you all up."

"Don't worry, we'll step over you to get up there." Lu Ren shrugged.

After dealing with Qingcheng, Lu Ren turned around to face the real final boss—Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Ushima remained completely calm, as if the farce that had just occurred was not in his dimension.

"Looks like Shiratorizawa is still the same as ever." Lu Ren looked Ushijima up and down, his tone laced with sarcasm. "This kind of absolute confidence can sometimes be a form of arrogance. But that's fine, the results of my special training can be used on a stuck, old-fashioned boss like you."

Ushijima Wakatoshi looked at Riku Ren, his voice deep and resonant, as if it resonated from his chest: "Shiratorizawa doesn't need to change. The strong only need to prove their strength. No matter what you do, Shiratorizawa will win in the end."

That was absolute confidence, a towering mountain built upon countless victories.

These words made Hinata's legs go weak again.

Although Aone Takashi remained silent, the flames burning in his eyes were almost bursting forth. He stared intently at Hyuga, then glanced at Rikuren, clearly not having forgotten the grudge of being obstructed in the last match.

The atmosphere was tense, with sparks flying around in the cramped toilet, threatening to escalate into a full-blown fight.

Hinata Shoyo finally couldn't take it anymore. He tremblingly reached out and tugged at Rikuren's sleeve, his voice trembling with tears, "Rui...Ruiren, stop talking, or we'll really fight...This is the bathroom..."

Lu Ren looked down at Hinata and suddenly gave her an "OK" sign.

Then, he raised his head and revealed an extremely bright and innocent smile, which sent chills down Hinata's spine.

He cleared his throat, pointed to Hyuga behind him, and loudly addressed the powerful figures from Miyagi Prefecture in front of him:

"Our ace attacker, Hyuga Shoyo, asked me to tell everyone—"

Hinata's eyes widened suddenly, and an ominous premonition exploded within him.

"He said none of you are worthy to speak to him." Lu Ren's voice echoed clearly in the bathroom. "He said that this time he will defeat you all, whether you are 'Grand King' or 'Absolute King', in his eyes you are all just stepping stones to the national competition. You'd better wash your necks and wait, because he is about to unleash his killing spree."

Dead silence.

A deathly silence a hundred times more terrifying than before.

Oikawa Toru's mouth dropped open. Iwaizumi Ichi raised an eyebrow. Ushijima Wakatoshi's eyes turned extremely dangerous. Aone Takanobu took another step forward, casting a huge shadow over him.

All eyes, like spotlights, were fixed on Hinata Shoyo.

Hinata felt as if his soul had left his body. He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but no sound came out; he could only utter meaningless syllables like "aba aba."

"Very ambitious." Ushijima Wakatoshi nodded, giving Hyuga a deep look. "I'll be waiting for you in the finals."

After saying that, he turned and left.

"Ha! This little brat is so arrogant?" Oikawa Tetsu laughed angrily, pointing at Hyuga, "Fine, let's see who's the stepping stone! Iwa-chan, let's go!"

The Qingcheng duo also left with a murderous aura.

Aone Takanobu gave Hinata one last deep look, his eyes seeming to say, "You're dead," before turning and walking out of the restroom.

Only Karasuno and his companion remained in the restroom.

Hinata Shoyo's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, looking at Lu Ren with teary eyes: "Why did you say that! I'm going to die! I'm really going to be killed!"

Lu Ren squatted down and patted Hinata's head, as if comforting a frightened puppy.

"This is called 'hatred pull.' It helps you turn pressure into motivation." Lu Ren stood up, straightened his collar, and spoke as casually as if nothing had happened. "Besides, if you set enough flags, they'll form a shield called 'protagonist halo.' Let's go, Hinata, let's see who's the best on the field."

After saying that, Lu Ren put his hands in his pockets and swaggered out.

Behind him came Hinata's desperate wail: "Lu Ren, you big liar—!!"

The smile vanished the moment Lu Ren stepped out of the restroom. He glanced back in that direction, his eyes becoming somewhat profound.

Those people from before, whether it was Toru Oikawa or Wakatoshi Ushijima, all exuded a stronger aura than before. That sense of oppression wasn't feigned; it was a genuine increase in their stats.

"We're not the only ones updating our version."

Lu Ren murmured softly, his fingers tapping a rhythm in his pocket.

"However, the more difficult the dungeon, the better the equipment it drops, right?"