Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The hustle and bustle of Sendai City Gymnasium was shut out from the gates of Karasuno High School. Inside the Second Gymnasium at night, the air was filled with the mixed smell of Salonpas and floor wax.

Ukai Shishin sat in a folding chair, clutching a well-worn tactical notebook, his brow furrowed in a deep frown. Before him, the entire Karasuno team had formed a semi-circle, their excitement from the just-finished match still lingering. Hyuga Shoyo was secretly gesturing with Kageyama Tobio to demonstrate the height of Naga's fast break from earlier.

"Everyone, calm down." Ukai Shishin slammed his notebook on his lap. His voice wasn't loud, but it silenced everyone. "Today's Jozenji is the 'wild faction.' It'll be tiring to fight them, but as long as we keep them on their rhythm, we'll be fine. But tomorrow's opponent—Wakuya Minami—is a completely different kind of trouble."

He stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and wrote a few words heavily with a marker: defense, resilience, completion.

"Minami Wakuya, this is a team whose style is extremely similar to Otoko."

Upon hearing the name "Otokoma," Hinata and Kageyama's expressions instantly turned serious. That red cat was one of the most formidable opponents they had ever encountered; the feeling of helplessness—that no matter how they tried to catch it—was still fresh in their minds.

"Their captain, Takeshi Nakajima, and all the key third-year students have stayed." Ukai's gaze swept over the crowd. "This means their teamwork is extremely high, and their defensive system has no loopholes. Unlike today's chaotic battle, tomorrow will be a tug-of-war of patience."

At this point, Wu Yang paused, his gaze lingering on a few specific heads in the crowd for a few seconds.

"Especially you few single-celled organisms." He pointed at Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Hinata, "If your offense is blocked, or if you just can't get the ball to kill it, don't get impatient. Once you lose your composure, you'll fall into their trap."

Tanaka Ryunosuke straightened his back, looking like he was a "reliable adult"; Nishitani Yu patted her chest, indicating that she was as steady as a mountain; Hinata nodded vigorously, almost shaking her head off.

Only Tobio Kageyama stood aside, calmly watching the three people, as if the coach's words about the "three idiots" had nothing to do with him, the genius setter.

"And you, Kageyama." Lu Ren sat on the floor, unwrapping the bandages from his wrist, and added without looking up, "Don't pretend to be a passerby. You're also a VIP member of the 'Emotionally Excited and Foolish Four'."

Kageyama paused for a moment, then glared angrily at Rikuren: "Huh? I didn't..."

"Alright, alright."

Sawamura Daichi stepped forward at the opportune moment, interrupting the impending infighting. The Karasuno captain, with his ever-present, warm smile, stood steadily at the front of the group.

"Coach, don't worry," Daichi's voice was deep and powerful. "If they mess around, I'll take care of the support and corrections. After all, defense and covering for them are what we third-years are supposed to do."

Upon hearing this, Tanaka, Nishiya, and Hinata, who had been cowering under the coach's scolding, instantly brightened up. It was a sense of trust, like seeing a loving father, as if as long as the earth was there, even if the sky collapsed, it could be used as a blanket.

"Daichi-senpai!!" Tanaka was so moved he almost cried.

Ukai Shishin sat in his chair, watching this scene, his lips twitching slightly. He shoved his notebook back into his pocket, inwardly cursing: "Damn it, how come this kid is more trustworthy than me? I'm the coach, aren't I?"

"Alright, since the captain has said so," Wu Yang waved his hand, "Dismissed! Go back and get some rest, tomorrow's a tough battle."

The earth clapped its hands, signaling everyone to gather together.

"Tomorrow, we will continue to stay on the field."

"oh!!!"

Everyone formed a circle, with a dozen or so hands stacked together.

"Kanasano, do your best!!!"

……

The following day, the third round of the Miyagi Prefecture representative selection competition took place.

The Sendai City Gymnasium was bustling with excitement. As the competition progressed, fewer and fewer teams remained, and the audience's attention grew accordingly.

Lu Ren walked into the venue with his sports bag on his back. As soon as he looked up, he was so shocked by the scene in the stands that he stopped in his tracks.

On the other side of the net, in the support box for Minami Wakuya, there was no well-organized brass band or cheerleaders in uniform. Instead, there was a very ordinary, everyday scene.

That's...bringing a family?

Lu Ren squinted and saw a young woman holding a baby, an old lady with a cane, and a middle-aged woman wearing an apron who looked like she had just run out of the kitchen. They were holding homemade support fans with crookedly written words such as "Go Xiao Meng!" and "A Yong is the best!"

It was less like a competition and more like a community's autumn sports meet.

"Is this the legendary 'family bond' halo?" Lu Ren felt a chill creep up his spine.

If, at this moment, Lu Ren's own extended family members appeared in the stands, holding signs that read "Lu Ren, eat more" or "Don't embarrass the Lu family"...

Lu Ren shuddered. Just imagining the scene made him want to dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the gymnasium floor and bury himself in it.

"That's a top-tier social suicide attack," Lu Ren exclaimed sincerely. "The opposing captain's mental fortitude is definitely S-level. To be able to play under the watchful eyes of hundreds of relatives like that, he's a ruthless person."

Just then, a roar like the sound of an engine suddenly came from the stands on Karasuno's side.

"Ryunosuke!!!"

The sound was extremely penetrating, instantly drowning out the noise of the entire venue.

Tanaka Ryunosuke turned around abruptly and saw a bold woman with dyed blonde hair, wearing a short vest, and waving an inflatable stick hanging on the railing, with most of her body sticking out.

"Oh! Big sister!!" Tanaka waved excitedly, without the slightest embarrassment, but rather with a proud look on her face.

Lu Ren watched the interaction between the siblings expressionlessly, then turned to Tsukishima Hotaru beside him and said, "It seems that for some single-celled organisms with maxed-out defenses, the 'sense of shame' debuff doesn't exist."

Tsukishima pushed up his glasses, a hint of sarcasm playing on his lips: "After all, idiots have dulled pain receptors."

The warm-up was over, and the whistle blew.

Both sides lined up.

"Nice to meet you!!"

Karasuno's starting lineup quickly took its place.

Front row: Tanaka Ryunosuke (outside hitter), Hinata Shoyo (middle blocker), Tsukishima Hotaru (middle blocker).

Back row: Kageyama Tobio (setter), Sawamura Daichi (opposite hitter), Riku Jin (opposite hitter/substitute outside hitter).

Lu Ren stood on the right side of the back row and stretched his ankles. Today, Kageyama was positioned to move up from the back row to organize the attack, which meant there were three attacking points in the front row, making it one of Karasuno's most aggressive rotations.

"Beep—!"

Minami Wakuya serves.

The ball trajectory was very stable, without any fancy or unpredictable feel, heading straight for the center of the back row.

"I'll do it!"

Daichi Sawamura took a step to the left, lowering his center of gravity. His movement was completely unadorned; his arms were in front of him, like a sponge, steadily catching the incoming volleyball.

"The pass is perfect!"

The ball bounced high, with a perfect arc, and landed straight in front of the net three meters away.

Kageyama Tobio's figure flashed like a black lightning bolt, instantly cutting from the back row to the net. The moment the ball landed in his hands, the three players in the front row moved simultaneously.

Tanaka spread out on the left flank, Tsukishima feigned an attack in the center, and Hyuga Shoyo—

The orange figure was already kicking the floor on the other side of the court, making a teeth-grinding scraping sound.

"Whoosh!"

The Hyuga cut in diagonally, its speed as fast as a bullet leaving the barrel.

The blocking players from Wakuya Minami had clearly studied Karasuno's video; their reaction was quick, with the two in the front row moving towards the middle.

But Kageyama's pass was faster.

This can't even be called a "pass"; it's more like a precise "shot."

The volleyball traced a very short straight line in the air, precisely striking Hinata's outstretched hand.

"Weird Man's Quick Attack!"

There was no pause, no observation while in the air.

"Bang!!"

Hinata slammed his palm hard against the surface of the ball.

The volleyball, like a blur, instantly pierced through the gap in the not-yet-fully-closed net and struck the outside of libero Minami Wakuya's arm.

too fast.

Even the libero instinctively reached out, and the ball bounced off, flying crookedly out of bounds.

"Beep!"

The referee gestured towards Karasuno.

0: 1.

A great start.

The spectators in the stands, witnessing this goal for the first time, fell into a brief silence, followed by an incredulous gasp.

"What is that?!"

"That fast break just now...it looked like the ball was delivered directly to his hands?"

"That short guy jumped way too high!"

Lu Ren stood in the back row and did not participate in the attack, but he keenly observed the reaction on the other side of the net.

Normally, when faced with such a counterintuitive and rapid attack for the first time, the opponent would typically show surprise, panic, or even fear. Just like Jozenji before, or Date Kou even earlier.

But unlike Hisaya Minami.

Their captain, Takeshi Nakajima, who was only about 1.7 meters tall and looked somewhat like the former "Little Giant," simply glanced calmly at the volleyball rolling away.

"Don't worry about it." Nakajima clapped his hands, his voice surprisingly calm for a high school student. "That ball was indeed fast, but you'll get used to the rhythm. We'll get back on track with the next one."

"yes!"

The players from Wakuya Minami responded in unison, their faces showing no sign of wavering. They quickly returned to their positions, their eyes clear and focused, as if the stunning fast break they had just executed was merely a routine mistake.

Nakajima Takeshi stood at the net, his gaze passing through the net and landing on Hyuga, who was excitedly high-fiving Kageyama.

He knew very well that Karasuno was no longer the "fallen powerhouse" that couldn't even get past the prefectural qualifiers. Having defeated Aoba Johsai and put up a good fight against Shiratorizawa, this team was undoubtedly a top-tier powerhouse in Miyagi Prefecture.

"It's really lucky to be able to fight against such a formidable opponent."

Takeshi Nakajima's lips curled up slightly, not with contempt, but with a pure excitement as a challenger.

This side of the net.

Lu Ren took in the calm and composed reaction from the other side.

His hands, which had been relaxed and hanging down, slowly clenched.

"This is troublesome," Lu Ren sighed inwardly.

This feeling is like you rushing into a dungeon with a newly upgraded, fully-powered divine weapon, ready to wreak havoc, only to find that the BOSS not only has an absurdly high health bar, but has also already read your skill manual.

They weren't surprised because they had expected it.

They remained calm because they had prepared a response plan.

"It seems we're no longer the dark horse lurking in the shadows, launching sneak attacks." Lu Ren's eyes sharpened as he looked at the heavily armed defensive formation opposite them. "The Karasuno we know now is the 'dungeon boss' that's been put on the table and scrutinized by everyone with a magnifying glass."

That being the case.

Lu Ren licked his dry lips.

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