Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The heating in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium was on full blast.

The sounds of volleyballs hitting the wooden floor mingled under the huge dome, mixed with the brass bands and shouts of various cheering groups, making one's eardrums throb. The court was divided into several areas by high barriers, and different colored team uniforms moved around the court.

Karasuno High School's volleyball team was assigned to Court C.

The luggage was piled on the bench behind the substitutes' area. Coach Takeda took the player list to the organizing committee for verification. Coach Ukai stood at the sidelines with his arms crossed, measuring the ceiling height and the angle of the lights.

"I'm going to the restroom." Hinata Shoyo's face turned pale, he clutched his stomach, and moved toward the players' tunnel with his legs tightly pressed together.

Kageyama Tobio slammed the volleyball in his hand onto the floor, pointing at Hinata's retreating figure and yelling, "You idiot! We're about to warm up, why are you running around! Take care of your stomach!"

"Is this kind of physiological phenomenon something that can be suppressed by a few curses? Even the sphincter muscles have to obey the King's orders?" Tsukishima Hotaru slowly stretched on the side, adding insult to injury.

Kageyama turned his head and glared at Tsukishima through gritted teeth.

Lu Ren took off his black sports jacket and casually draped it over the back of his chair. He cracked his neck, his knuckles making two crisp sounds. His gaze swept across the other half of the court, where the Kanagawa representative team, Tsubakihara Academy, was practicing passing and receiving. Their movements were precise, their footwork solid, and there were no unnecessary, wasteful actions.

A very standard goalkeeper setup for beginners.

Lu Ren looked away, preparing to grab his knee pads. Just then, a discordant commotion erupted from the left side of the second-floor stands.

"Splash—"

A huge banner, five meters long, was swayed down from the second-floor railing. It had a bright red background, bold golden three-dimensional lettering, and a ring of sequins around the edge, making it blindingly bright under the stadium's high-powered spotlights.

The sign above read in large Chinese characters: "Rise up, Sichuan! The Lu family's sons will crush the entire arena!"

Several subheadings hung nearby: "Kanasano High School is awesome!" "Lu Ren, go go go!"

Everyone in the C area stopped what they were doing and looked up in unison. Even Kageyama, who was cursing, opened his mouth.

Lu Ren's hand, which was holding the knee pad, froze in mid-air. His eye twitched twice.

A group of extremely conspicuous people stood in the front row of the stands. Leading them was a middle-aged man, dressed in a sharp, custom-made Armani suit with a black cashmere overcoat. Despite the cold weather indoors, he wore a pair of dark sunglasses, and the gold chain around his neck subtly reflected the light. He held a high-powered megaphone and waved towards the audience.

"Son! Your old man is here to tie you up!" The loudspeaker amplified this Sichuan-accented phrase, which resonated throughout half of the stadium.

Standing next to this "gangster boss" was a middle-aged woman who still retained her charm. She was wearing a dark red velvet cheongsam and a white mink shawl, and was reaching out to pinch the man's arm with a look of disgust.

"Lu Jianguo, put that damn loudspeaker down! It's so embarrassing!" the woman cursed in a low voice, but her actions showed no mercy.

Lu Jianguo winced in pain and quickly turned off the loudspeaker: "Wife, take it easy, I'm just trying to create hype for our son. Look at this grand display, isn't it impressive!"

Next to this lively couple, Kiyosawa Aya, wearing a black Karasuno High School support T-shirt, was holding a telephoto SLR camera and frantically snapping photos of Riku Ren in the audience. She was laughing so hard she couldn't stand up straight as she took the pictures.

Even more outrageous, behind them stood two rows of burly men in black suits, each wearing a uniform company badge on their chest. They were all expressionless, their hands clasped in front of them, resembling a gathering of some kind of yakuza organization.

Lu Ren sighed and put on his knee pads; there was no way to avoid it now.

He strode across half the field and walked to the railing below the stands.

"Dad, Mom," Lu Ren looked up at them, "Are you guys holding the company's annual party at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium?"

Lu Jianguo took off his sunglasses, leaned on the railing, and grinned from ear to ear: "What kind of annual party is this? The company is closed today, so I dragged all the key members of the Tokyo branch here to be our cheerleaders. It's such a big event like the National Tournament, we can't do it without some prestige. Your dad's status is what it is, we can't let others look down on Karasuno."

Lu Xin rolled her eyes at her husband, took out a large stainless steel insulated bucket from her bag, and handed it to Lu Ren through the gap in the railing.

"Don't listen to your dad's nonsense. Here." Lu Xin's tone was firm and left no room for refusal. "I got up at five this morning to make you some free-range chicken soup with cordyceps and ginseng. Drink it while it's hot. Playing in the competition takes a lot of energy. Don't go on the field like those Japanese kids who just eat rice balls; they won't get enough nutrition."

Lu Ren took the insulated container; it was heavy. He could feel the heat even through the metal casing.

"Okay, Mom."

Qingze Yazhi leaned on the railing, pointing the camera at Lu Ren's face. "Young Master Lu, let's have an interview. What are your thoughts on competing with this group of bodyguards in black?"

"My only thought is to smash your camera." Lu Ren reached out to block the lens.

Yazhi deftly dodged: "Uncle booked the best Wagyu restaurant nearby and said that if you win, he'll pay for the whole team's meals tonight. You're bringing your own funding to the team."

Just then, hurried footsteps came from behind.

Tanaka Ryunosuke and Nishitani Yuu suddenly appeared, clinging to the railing with their eyes wide open, staring intently at the scene unfolding in the stands.

"Lu...Lu Ren!" Tanaka stammered, "These...these are your parents? They're so imposing! Just like bosses in a movie!"

Nishitani Yuu nodded vigorously: "That's so cool! That banner is so impressive! Even though I can't understand what it says, it feels very powerful!"

Upon hearing someone praise him, Lu Jianguo immediately perked up. He pulled out a stack of gold-embossed business cards from his coat pocket and handed them out over the railing.

"Guys, you must be Lu Ren's teammates. I'm his dad, Lu Jianguo. Thanks for taking care of my rascal all this time. Go all out today, and if you beat us, I'll treat you to top-quality Wagyu beef in Ginza! All you can eat!"

"Wagyu! Top-grade!" Tanaka and Nishiya's legs went weak, and they knelt down before the railing. "Thank you, father-in-law... no, thank you, uncle!"

Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara Koji ran over, covered in sweat, and pulled the embarrassing second-year duo up.

"I'm so sorry! Those two guys were incredibly rude!" Daichi bowed ninety degrees. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sawamura, the captain of Karasuno. Thank you for coming to watch the match, Uncle and Aunt."

Sugawara also bowed, saying, "Lu Ren has been a great help to the team. His tactical guidance was key to the team's advancement to the national championships."

Looking at the polite children, Lu Xin's expression softened. She took out a few more small thermos cups from her bag and handed them over.

"Captain, right? Here. This is rock sugar pear water, it'll soothe your throat. I see you straining your voice shouting tactics on the field. Don't be shy, it's all here."

Dadi was flattered and accepted the thermos, thanking him repeatedly.

Coach Wuyang and Teacher Wuda also came over. The two adults looked at the row of burly men in black in the stands, and then at Lu Jianguo, whose face clearly said "money is no object," and for a moment they didn't know what expression to make.

Lu Jianguo leaned forward and shook hands with Coach Wu Yang: "Coach Wu Yang, it's an honor to meet you. My son Lu Ren is stubborn and loves playing video games, thank goodness you've been so tolerant of him. If the volleyball team needs any sponsorship in the future, whether it's changing equipment or chartering a bus, just contact my secretary. Don't try to save us money."

Coach Wu Yang chuckled twice: "Mr. Lu, you're too kind. Lu Ren is a very talented player. Please watch his performance closely in today's match."

"Sure, sure!"

On the opposite half of the court, the Tsubakihara Academy team members were gathered together drinking water. Captain Echigo, watching the commotion on Karasuno's side, wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Hey, look at that group of friends and family over there, number 13," Echigo whispered. "That banner, and that row of guys in black suits... What's the background of Karasuno High School? Is it a yakuza school?"

Offensive player Terahi swallowed hard. "That guy in sunglasses just said he'd treat the whole team to Wagyu beef in Ginza. How much does that cost? Are we playing against a bunch of rich kids?"

"Ignore off-court factors," Tsubakihara's coach interrupted them, frowning. "Focus on the game. Karasuno is representing Miyagi Prefecture and defeated Shiratorizawa's team. Keep an eye on their fast breaks."

He returned to the bench.

Lu Ren unscrewed the thermos, and a rich aroma of chicken soup wafted out. A layer of golden oil floated on the surface, and underneath lay large chunks of chicken and a few pieces of cordyceps.

"It smells so good..." Hinata Shoyo had just returned from the bathroom exhausted, and his mouth was watering at the smell.

Lu Ren used the lid as a bowl, poured himself a bowlful, and drank it down. The hot soup rolled down his esophagus into his stomach, dispelling the lingering chill in the gymnasium. The temperature of his limbs and bones began to rise.

He closed the thermos and put it in his bag.

The referee blew the whistle. The fifteen-minute warm-up time was over. Both captains stepped forward and tossed a coin to decide who would serve.

Karasuno got the first move.

The starting lineup is on the field.

Lu Ren stood at position two, looking across the net at the Tsubakihara Academy on the other side.

His brain began to work at lightning speed. The scene in his field of vision was divided into countless grids. The positions, heights, and movement habits of the Tsubakihara team members were transformed into strings of data that danced on the panel of his mind.

[Tsubakihara Academy: Defensive system. First pass stability 85%. Setter Echigo: Prefers safe ball distribution. Outside hitter Terayama: Power type, low hitting point.]

There are no overpowered stat monsters.

There is no strange mechanism that breaks the logic.

A highly standardized, step-by-step traditional volleyball system.

Lu Ren flexed his fingers. After drinking his mother's nourishing chicken soup, his stamina bar was now overflowing.

"Feed." Lu Ren turned his head and called out to Kageyama Tobio, who was standing in the back row.

Kageyama looked up at him.

"The system on the other side is honest and law-abiding." Lu Ren pointed to the other side of the net. "For the first ball, give them a virus. Max out the speed."

Kageyama turned his neck and looked at Hinata Shoyo in the front row. "Did you hear that, idiot? Don't be late jumping."

Hinata patted her cheeks, her eyes shining brightly: "I won't!"

The referee raised his hand.

The entire stadium fell silent. Only Lu Jianguo's loudspeaker in the stands blared once more, before Lu Xin slapped it shut.