Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The early winter night wind in Sendai swept across the street corner, carrying a biting chill.

Karasuno and his team emerged from the gymnasium, their sports bags slung over their shoulders. Their steps were unsteady, their muscles ached, but their spirits were high, an unusual level of excitement. They had defeated Shiratorizawa. The team that had dominated Miyagi Prefecture for three years, considered an insurmountable mountain by outsiders, had been utterly dethroned by them.

Lu Ren walked at the back of the line, rubbing his throbbing neck. This intense five-round battle had completely drained his energy and mental stamina. Qingze Yazhi handed him an opened sports drink from the side and helped him pull up his jacket, which had slipped down.

"I'm hungry." Hinata Shoyo clutched his stomach, his voice drawn out, his whole body hunched over.

"Me too." For the first time ever, Kageyama Tobio chimed in, his stomach making a thunderous protest.

Uyang Shishin, who was walking in front, stopped. He turned around and pointed to a long-established family restaurant on the street corner with a warm yellow sign. "Eat whatever you want today, it's on me!"

Hinata and Nishiya Yu jumped up at the same time, their eyes shining brightly.

"Really?!" they both exclaimed in unison.

"Of course." Wu Yang patted his empty wallet, his tone magnanimous. "You guys secured your ticket to the national tournament, what's a little reward? Go all out."

Lu Ren followed behind, shaking his head at the coach's resolute, death-defying demeanor. For players who have cleared high-difficulty dungeons, their appetite is directly proportional to their stamina expenditure. Coach Wu Yang's assessment of his wallet's resilience was far too optimistic.

Pushing open the glass door of the restaurant, a wave of warmth washed over them. The owner warmly greeted them and pushed two long tables together, just enough to accommodate the entire Karasuno group.

The war began as soon as the menu was brought out.

"Fried chicken set meal, large! And two more servings of fried chicken on the side!" Tanaka Ryunosuke shouted, raising his hand.

"I want pork cutlet rice, double hamburger patty, and extra-large rice!" Xilan Yu followed closely behind.

Hinata Shoyo pointed at the pictures on the menu, his mouth practically watering: "This, this, and this, one of each!"

Not to be outdone, Kageyama Tobio ordered: "Three bowls of pork miso soup, five soft-boiled eggs, and a large beef rice bowl."

Hotaru Tsukishima sat in the corner, adjusted her glasses, and said calmly, "One strawberry cake, please."

Tadashi Yamaguchi quickly added, "I want the soft-fried pork tenderloin set meal."

The third-year students, Sugawara, Higashimine, and Daichi, were a bit more restrained, but they still each ordered large set meals.

The waiter held the ordering device, his fingers flying across the keyboard, sweat beading on his forehead.

The menu was eventually passed to Lu Ren.

Lu Ren flipped through the greasy plastic sheet menu. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wu Yang Xixin holding a water glass, her Adam's apple bobbing, her gaze occasionally drifting in their direction. This was a typical state of anxiety, like someone whose health was about to plummet.

"Let me see." Lu Ren closed the menu and waved to the owner. "I'll just order a curry pork chop rice."

Wu Yang let out a long sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing. He put down his water glass, forcing himself to maintain the air of an elder: "Lu Ren, don't worry about the coach's wallet. I've been working for a few years now, I can afford this meal. Order whatever you want."

Lu Ren looked at Wu Yang's face, which clearly showed he was in pain but was still stubborn. Interestingly, in games, players usually don't refuse when NPCs offer hidden rewards.

"I see." Lu Ren pushed the menu to the waiter, his tone casual. "Then, except for the one I just ordered, bring me one of everything else, whether it's on the menu or not."

The restaurant was silent for a second.

The waiter's finger hovered above the ordering device, and he stood there stunned.

The smile on Wu Yangxi's face shattered inch by inch, and his whole body weathered into a stone statue.

"Pfft—" Qingze Yazhi couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh out loud.

Tanaka and Nishiya slammed their fists on the table and burst into laughter.

"Hey! Are you trying to bankrupt me?!" Wu Yang finally snapped out of his daze and frantically rubbed his hair.

"The coach himself said to just say whatever," Lu Ren shrugged. "Besides, with their current metabolic rate, this amount of carbohydrates will only last until tomorrow morning at most. It's worth noting that the supercompensation period for carbohydrates usually peaks within two hours after a match. These guys' eating speed perfectly matches this physiological pattern."

The kitchen staff worked quickly. Before long, plates and bowls filled the entire long table.

The scene of scrambling for food was anything but graceful. Hinata and Kageyama were fighting under the table for the last piece of fried chicken, and each received a flick on the forehead from Sawamura Daichi. Tsukishima Hotaru ate her cake in small bites, oblivious to the chaos around her. Higashimine Asahi choked on wasabi, tears streaming down his face, while Sugawara Koji thoughtfully offered him water.

Steaming hot food, boisterous teammates, the clinking of cups and plates. This is the most authentic feeling after victory.

Uyang, holding a cup of barley tea, watched the group of hungry wolves pouncing on their prey. Heartache was palpable, but more than anything, there was an indescribable sense of satisfaction. Coaching this group was like driving a sports car without brakes. The Chimera system shattered the traditional positional warfare logic of volleyball. When he initially agreed to Lu Ren's plan, he was prepared to pack his bags and leave. Dismantling and rebuilding a team is extremely risky. Fortunately, they won the gamble.

He cleared his throat and stood up.

The commotion at the table subsided. Everyone stopped eating and turned to look at him.

"You guys eat, I'll just say a few words." Wu Yang Xixin scratched his golden hair, his mouth, which was usually always dangling from his lips, was unusually clean today.

"To be honest, when I took over this team, I never imagined we'd get this far." He looked at the tea swirling in his cup. "My grandfather was a famous coach, but I'm not. I'm just an ordinary person working at a shop in Sakashita. This is my first time coaching."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"The final of the Spring High School Qualifying Tournament in Miyagi Prefecture. We defeated Shiratorizawa. This is also my first time leading a team into the National Tournament."

There was no impassioned tone. The words were spoken very plainly.

"You bunch of kids, you have a lot of problems, different personalities, and sometimes you can drive people crazy. But your unreasonable tenacity on the court is something even I'm afraid of." Ukai Shishin raised his teacup. "Really, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You're the ones who brought me to that stage."

Hinata Shoyo, with half a hamburger patty still stuffed in his mouth, had tears welling up in his eyes.

"Coach..." Nishitani sniffed.

Sawamura Daichi put down his chopsticks and stood up. This usually composed captain had noticeably bloodshot eyes.

"Since the coach has started, I'll say a few words too." Daichi glanced around at his teammates at the table, his gaze lingering on Sugawara and Higashimine, both third-year students, for a couple more seconds.

"In the third year, before the new freshmen joined, we were almost ready to give up. In competitive sports, sunk cost is a cruel term. The third year invested two and a half years, only to be repeatedly stuck in the same place. Giving up was the best solution. But then, you came."

He looked at Hinata and Kageyama.

"A decoy who never tires, a genius with a terrible temper but incredibly accurate passing."

The gaze shifts to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi.

"A blocker who complains about the trouble but is calmer than anyone else, and a server who saves the team at crucial moments with his jump float shot."

Finally, he looked at Lu Ren.

"There's another one, who treats volleyball like a game, yet uses logic more rigorous than anyone else to painstakingly piece together an invincible tactical system for us."

Lu Ren leaned back in his chair, twirling the glass in his hand, without saying a word.

"Whether it's you, or Nishiya, or Tanaka," Daichi's eyes were completely red, "you're all like family, supporting us old folks as we go. You're the ones who pulled Karasuno back to the heavens."

He picked up the oolong tea in front of him, his back ramrod straight.

"Really, thank you."

Sugawara Koji turned his head to wipe his eyes. Higashimine Asahi buried his face in his hands.

Hinata Shoyo burst into tears, grabbing Kageyama's sleeve to wipe his tears, only to be pushed away by Kageyama in disgust.

A somber mood permeated the restaurant. This seemed somewhat inappropriate for a team that had just won a championship.

Lu Ren sighed. He couldn't stand this kind of sentimental segment typical of Japanese youth dramas.

"Alright, alright." Lu Ren stood up, holding a glass of cola in his hand. The ice cubes clinked against the glass, making a crisp sound.

He bent his finger and tapped the table.

"We can do the debriefing and reflections when we get back to school. Now it's time to settle the rewards."

Lu Ren looked at his teammates, whose eyes were bloodshot.

"We've already cleared the Miyagi Prefecture instance. We've also defeated the numerically-based boss, Shiratorizawa. But for hardcore players, this is just the graduation exam from the beginner village. The servers for the national tournament are full of monsters with more complex mechanics and more outrageous stats. What we need to do is keep updating the game and smash all the systems they're so proud of."

He held up the Coke in his hand, and water droplets on the glass slid down his fingers.

"No more talk, no less." Lu Ren raised his chin, a triumphant gesture. "Our next target is—"

No rehearsal is required.

A dozen glasses were raised at the same time and collided heavily in mid-air. Tea, cola, and juice splashed onto the table.

"Number one in the country!!!"

The unified shouts nearly blew the roof off the restaurant.

The owner, standing behind the bar, was startled and dropped the plate he was wiping, shattering it on the floor.

"You bunch of idiots are so noisy!" Wu Yang cursed, but a smile played at the corners of his eyes.

The atmosphere heated up again. Hinata started gesturing wildly, mimicking his final smash, while Kageyama pointed out his flaws and corrected his movements. Tanaka and Nishiya put their arms around each other. Tsukishima Hotaru shifted aside in disgust, avoiding the rice grains that Yamaguchi Tadashi sprayed at her.

Lu Ren sat back down in his chair and took a bite of the fried pork chop on his plate. It tasted good.

Qingze Yazhi leaned over and bumped him with her shoulder. "What's wrong? Even the Great Strategist has his passionate moments?"

Lu Ren swallowed his food and pursed his lips. "We've built up the atmosphere enough, we need to go through with the formalities."

"You're just saying that, you don't mean it." Qingze Yazhi laughed and scolded, pushing her portion of pudding in front of him.

This meal took a full two hours.

Only when all the plates on the table were turned upside down, with not a single drop of soup left, did the group of exhausted teenagers finally rub their round bellies, slump in their chairs, and burp.

Wu Yang went to the bar to pay.

The shopkeeper held the long bill, his fingers flying across the calculator. The numbers kept increasing.

"That's... 78,500 yen in total," the shopkeeper announced.

Wu Yang's hand, which was focused on his heart, froze in mid-air.

He slowly turned his head and looked at the group of rascals who were eating and drinking their fill and walking out laughing and joking.

"Lu Ren—!" Wu Yangxi's voice, filled with gritted teeth, echoed through the restaurant. "You really didn't hold back at all!"

Lu Ren, who was at the back of the group, turned around and waved when he heard this.

"Thank you for the hospitality, Coach. We won't be any less polite at the national tournament."