Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The numbers on the scoreboard jumped mercilessly.

13: 25.

With Terujima Yuuji's final forced back pass causing the attacker to miss, the volleyball rolled helplessly out of bounds, finally bringing this farce, filled with the clash between "freedom" and "order," to an end.

There were no miracles, no breakout performances, only cold, overwhelming data.

On Karasuno's side, Tanaka Ryunosuke and Nishiya Yu were already celebrating with a chest bump in the center of the court, making a huge commotion as if they had just won the national championship. Hyuga Shoyo was still savoring the feeling of those fast breaks, his face flushed with excitement.

In contrast, consider Jozen-ji Temple.

Several burly boys with brightly dyed hair stood in front of the net, their hairspray washed away by sweat, and their arrogance had dissipated considerably as they were exhausted. Terujima Yuuji stood with his hands on his hips, panting heavily, looking at the Karasuno players opposite him. His face didn't show much bitterness or resentment after losing the match; instead, it was a kind of helplessness that suggested he had "gone too far."

"Ugh—that was a really bad loss." Terujima scratched the back of his head, grimacing. "We got completely crushed."

"After all, the other side is a mad dog that can even bite off a piece of flesh from Shiratorizawa." Shinji Futaba plopped down on the floor, too tired to move. "But to be honest, those last few spikes were pretty satisfying."

Sidelines.

Coach Yasuhara of Jozenji crossed his arms and looked at his students who, even after losing the match, were still discussing which move was cooler. He shook his head helplessly.

"gather."

The coach's voice wasn't loud, but the players from Jozenji still dragged their heavy steps over.

"In short, it boils down to one sentence." Coach Yasuhara adjusted his glasses, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "High morale is not a bad thing, and that urge to try new things is also your weapon. But remember, don't lose control. If you can't even lay a solid foundation, so-called 'freedom' is just a castle in the air, which will collapse with the slightest breeze."

He paused here, his tone softening slightly.

"From now on, no one will be able to pull you back from the brink like she did."

Everyone's gaze turned to the manager, Misaki Hana, who was standing to the side.

This third-year senior, who had always been like a mother hen, was holding her notebook at this moment, her expression still calm, showing little sign of sadness at parting.

"Alright, what are you all looking at me for? Let's go back." Misaki Hana turned to leave, but then stopped as if she remembered something. "Don't forget to do your stretches, you have class tomorrow."

The members of the Jozenji team stood there, stunned, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little sticky.

"Um..." Misaki Hana said, her back to them, her fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of her notebook. "You guys, you're not allowed to bully Runa anymore. She's only a first-year student, and she's easily scared. If I find out you're up to some prank again, I'll come back for you."

"besides."

She turned her head to the side, and finally her lips relaxed, revealing a very faint but genuine smile.

"I quite like your style of playing seriously even when you're in dire straits."

After saying that, she didn't linger and quickly walked towards the exit of the stadium.

Terujima Yuu was stunned for half a second.

The next moment, these usually unruly guys seemed to have been suddenly switched on.

"Thank you so much, senior!!"

Several people bowed deeply to Misaki Hana's retreating figure. The sound was so loud that it startled the referee in the adjacent arena. It was a roar mixed with sweat, youth, and a final respect for this "beast tamer."

……

On the other side, at the Karasuno rest area.

Lu Renzheng pulled down his knee pads and casually unscrewed his water bottle, taking a swig. His gaze drifted past the net to the emotional scene unfolding on the other side of the court, and he clicked his tongue.

"Tsk, a standard Japanese shonen manga ending." Lu Ren commented, "Although they lost the game, they gained growth and formed bonds. This kind of plot is only appealing to NPCs."

Qingze Yazhi, who was tidying up his towels, rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "Can you stop being such a spoilsport all the time? He was just expressing his true feelings."

"This is my rational analysis." Lu Ren pointed to the Tōzenji team members who were still wiping away tears. "You see, although that manager is usually a bit fierce, he's quite protective of his own when it matters. This kind of character is usually a popular supporting character in games, commonly known as a 'tsundere'."

Ya-zhi threw the towel in his face: "Shut up."

Lu Ren pulled off the towel, wiped his sweat, and his gaze darted back and forth between Misaki Hana and his manager.

"Speaking of which, are all team managers this angelic?" Lu Ren stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Look at that one over there, she might be a bit sharp-tongued, but she still gave us something sweet in the end. And look at our senior, Jiezi, she's a pure goddess. Renhua may be timid, but she's also a healing little angel."

At this point, Lu Ren suddenly turned his head, his dead fish eyes staring straight at Qingze Yazhi.

"Compared to this, it feels like a demon has infiltrated my life?"

The air froze for a second.

Yazhi's tactical board made a crisp sound, the mournful cry of a plastic board subjected to some unavoidable force.

"Lu, Ren." Ya Zhi smiled brightly, but in the background, it seemed as if black lilies were blooming. "Who are you calling a devil?"

"It's just a metaphor, you know what a metaphor is? A rhetorical device..." Lu Ren instinctively shrank back.

"I think you're asking for trouble."

"Snapped!"

The tactical board whistled through the air and struck Lu Ren precisely on the head. It wasn't too heavy, but it was extremely humiliating.

"Ouch! Violence won't solve the problem!" Lu Ren protested, covering his head.

"But someone who can solve manufacturing problems." Yazhi snorted, turned and left, her ponytail swinging gracefully behind her head. "Hurry up and pack your things, the bus won't wait."

Lu Ren rubbed his head, watching Ya Zhi's back, but couldn't help but smile.

"Tch, violent woman."

……

After packing up their gear, Karasuno and his group walked in a grand procession down the corridor of the gymnasium.

Everyone was in a great mood after winning the game. Tanaka and Nishinoya, in particular, would enter a state of euphoria, feeling like "I am the king of the world," whenever they won.

"That was so cool! That spin catch!" Hitoka Yachi jogged after the two, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "Nishiya-senpai is like a hero from a manga!"

"Hahaha! Right, right!" Nishitani Yu puffed out her chest triumphantly. "Hitoka, your taste is getting better and better! I'll treat you to popsicles next time!"

"Tanaka-senpai's smashes were incredibly powerful! That thud felt like the floor was about to crack!"

"Oh, oh, oh! Hitoka-chan, you understand so well!" Tanaka Ryunosuke was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes, and he almost wanted to perform a dogeza (a deep bow) for Hitoka on the spot. "From now on, you're our number two goddess to protect!"

Seeing this harmonious scene, Sugawara Koji, who was walking behind, couldn't help but sigh, "Jinka is becoming more and more integrated into the group."

"Yes," Daichi Sawamura nodded with a smile, "Although he was a little shy at first, he's now an indispensable member."

Just then, a huge shadow suddenly fell in front of them.

The feeling of oppression was like suddenly bumping into a moving load-bearing wall while walking down the street.

Date Industries.

That iconic white team uniform, and that giant with no eyebrows and a fierce look—Qinggen Gaoshen.

The temperature in the corridor dropped several degrees instantly.

Tanaka and Nishiya, who had been playfully bickering, subconsciously stopped smiling and entered battle mode.

Qinggen didn't look at anyone else; his gaze swept across the crowd and precisely locked onto the short man with orange hair in the middle of the line.

He strode forward, each step seeming to tread on the nerves of everyone present.

Hinata Shoyo swallowed hard. Although his body was trembling, his eyes met hers without flinching.

Aone stopped in front of Hinata, raised his hand, which was much larger than an ordinary person's, and pointed it at Hinata's nose.

"tomorrow."

Qinggen's voice was deep and muffled, like thunder rumbling from his chest.

"I'll stop you to death."

A simple, blunt, and unadorned declaration of war.

Hinata paused for a moment, then the fear on his face faded, replaced by a fervent fighting spirit. He straightened his back abruptly and nodded vigorously: "Oh! I will definitely break through your block too!"

The air between the two seemed to crackle, thick with the pungent smell of gunpowder.

Just as this heated confrontation was about to escalate, a lazy voice intruded at an inopportune moment.

"I said, big guy."

Lu Ren, with his hands in his pockets, slowly strolled out from behind Hyuga and stood between Aogen and Hyuga, abruptly cutting off their intense eye contact.

He tilted his head and looked at Qinggen with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken about something?"

Qinggen frowned and turned his gaze to Lu Ren.

"If you want to stop this brat, you'll have to get past this first." Lu Ren gave a thumbs-up and pointed to a direction behind him that couldn't be seen. "If I remember correctly, your next opponent is Qingye City West, right?"

Mentioning Aoba Castle West, Kenji Futakuchi, who was standing behind Aone, changed his expression.

"If you want to fight us, you'll have to beat that nasty guy Oikawa Tetsu first." Lu Ren's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Don't end up cheering us on from the stands before you even see us. Otherwise, your tough talk will become a joke."

That's a really hurtful thing to say.

It's like rubbing salt into a wound and then stomping on it.

The faces of the Date Industries employees instantly turned ashen. Kenji Futakuchi was about to retort when Aone stopped him.

Aogen gave Lu Ren a deep look, then glanced at Hinata, said nothing, and turned to leave.

"I'm gone."

Watching Date Industries' departing figure, Kageyama Tobio frowned and leaned closer: "Was that a provocation just now?"

"This is just stating the facts." Lu Ren shrugged. "With the current level of completion in Aoba City West, it will be difficult for Date Industries to win. Unless their 'Iron Wall' can evolve into the 'Wall of Sighs,' they'll just be easy prey for Oikawa Tetsu."

……

Just as I walked a short distance away, the final whistle blew from the other side of the field.

That was a match in arena C.

"Is it over?" Hinata stood on tiptoe and looked in that direction.

On the scoreboard, Wakuya Minami High School had cleanly won the game with a score of 2-0.

In the stands, a group of people dressed in matching cheering outfits were waving flags wildly, their enthusiasm even more exaggerated than that of a typical school cheerleading squad. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the people all looked somewhat alike, and there were even elderly people and children among them.

"Wow, that's amazing... Did the whole family come to cheer them on?" Hinata exclaimed.

"That's Minami Wakuya." Tobio Kageyama's expression turned serious. "Coach Ukai specifically mentioned that, in the prefectural qualifiers, besides Aoki and Shiratorizawa, she's one of the teams we need to be most wary of."

"We definitely need to be careful."

Lu Ren stopped and looked through the crowd, fixing his gaze on the short guy wearing the number 1 jersey in the Kazuya Minami team.

The man was surrounded by his teammates. Although his height was a significant disadvantage among volleyball players, the leadership qualities and confidence he exuded were impossible to ignore.

Takeshi Nakajima.

"That number 1 is their captain." Lu Ren narrowed his eyes, and the data panel about this person in his brain had begun to be built.

"It doesn't look very tall." Hinata muttered to himself, seemingly finding a sense of kinship with someone like him.

"Don't underestimate him." Lu Ren turned to look at Hyuga, his tone unusually serious. "That guy is currently the closest person in the prefecture to the so-called 'Little Giant'."

"Huh?!"

Hinata's eyes widened instantly, as if he had heard something incredible, and he jumped up: "Little-Little Giant?! Really? He can fly as high as Yuu-senpai too?"

Not entirely.

Lu Ren shook his head, shattering Hinata's naive fantasy.

"What you call 'little giants' doesn't simply refer to jumping high. There are plenty of people who can jump high, but to survive at the net with that height against a field of giants requires brains and skill."

Lu Ren stretched out his hand and made a cutting motion in the air.

"Use the blocker."

"That Nakajima Takeshi is textbook-level in aerial combat skills. He's not the kind of reckless player who just blindly spikes the ball; he's the kind of 'technical player' who can watch the blocker's little finger and deliberately hit the ball up to make it go out of bounds."

At this point, Lu Ren glanced at Hyuga, a playful smile appearing on his lips.

"Simply put, he's the nemesis of your 'beast-like' style—the complete embodiment of the 'technique-based' style. If you run into him tomorrow, you'd better pray your brain can keep up with his wrist movements, otherwise…"

Lu Ren didn't finish his sentence, but the unspoken meaning sent a chill down Hyuga's spine.

"Air combat... techniques..." Hinata looked at the figure in the distance, the light in his eyes not extinguished by Lu Ren's intimidation, but burned even brighter.

"Alright, stop watching." Daichi Sawamura clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back. "No matter who the opponent is, we only have one goal. Go back and rest; tomorrow is the real battle!"

"yes!!!"

Lu Ren walked at the back of the group and glanced back at the empty stadium.

The chaotic battle at Jozenji Temple, Kunan's skill, and the looming threat of Aoba Castle to the west.

"The dungeons are getting harder and harder."

He muttered to himself, his hands in his pockets, his fingertips gently stroking the coin.

"But that's what makes it interesting."