Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The cleanup after the match was proceeding unusually slowly.

No one spoke. They took off their knee pads, stuffed their sweat-soaked jerseys into their bags, and zipped them up. Their movements were slow, like a group of veterans just crawling out of a swamp.

As I walked out of the stadium corridor, the overhead incandescent lights were a bit dazzling.

A group of people wearing white team uniforms walked towards us.

Oudai High School.

Leading the way was Hoshino Kōrai. He wasn't tall, but he took large strides, and his white hair was striking under the lights. Beside him was Hirugami Yukirō, a tall man with a blank expression. Hakuba Mei followed behind, his height of over two meters forcing him to slightly lower his head to avoid the signs above the passageway.

The two teams met in a narrow passageway.

They did not stop.

Hoshino Kōrai's gaze swept over Karasuno's group. He paused for a second on Hyuga Shōyō, then looked at Kageyama Tobio, and finally landed on Rikuin, who was walking at the back of the group.

Lu Ren carried a shoulder bag, head down, his steps unsteady. He didn't even lift his eyelids; the dark circles under his eyes were frighteningly heavy.

Pass by.

The only sounds in the air were the squeaks of sneakers rubbing against the floor and heavy breathing.

There was no pre-match trash talk, no eye contact. On Karasuno's side, even Tanaka Ryunosuke and Nishitani Yu, who are usually the most talkative, kept quiet.

Their energy was completely drained. That match with Yinju had drained them of all their strength. Now, even saying a single word felt like a waste of precious oxygen.

Back at the hotel.

Inside the restaurant, a long table was laden with a sumptuous feast. The top-grade Wagyu beef, sponsored by Lu Jianguo, sizzled and dripped with oil, yet the table remained unusually quiet.

Everyone chewed their food mechanically.

Qingze Yazhi carried a plate of chopped roasted meat to Lu Ren's side and pushed the plate over to him.

Lu Ren held the chopsticks, his hands trembling. It wasn't nervousness, but muscle weakness. He didn't even have the strength to pick up a piece of meat.

Qingze Yazhi glanced at him, said nothing, and pushed the meat toward him.

"Thanks." Lu Ren lowered his head and used his chopsticks to pick up pieces of meat and put them into his mouth.

After finishing our meal, we lined up to take a shower. The hot water washing over us intensified our fatigue.

The tatami room was already furnished with bedding. Everyone lay down one after another, saving themselves the effort of even turning over.

The only exception is Hyuga Shoyo.

After taking a shower, with his wet, messy orange hair, he paced back and forth in the room. Every now and then he would stop, jump up, swing his arms, and make a "whoosh" sound.

Sawamura Daichi leaned against the wall, holding a glass of warm water in his hand, looked at Hinata, and sighed.

"Hyuga, sit down. Dry your hair and don't move around. There's a match tomorrow," Daichi said.

Hinata stopped and turned to look at the ground. His eyes were frighteningly bright, his pupils filled with excitement.

"Daichi-senpai, I'm not tired!" Hinata jumped up and down twice. "I can still jump! I'm going to spike even more balls in tomorrow's match!"

Sugawara Koji tugged at Daichi's sleeve and shook his head.

In his current state, Hinata is completely deaf to advice. The afterglow of defeating Nekoma is still coursing through his veins, and his nerves are too tense to fall asleep.

The door was pushed open.

Lu Ren walked in, holding a white dry towel in his hand. He glanced around the room and his gaze fell on Hinata.

Lu Ren reached out and rubbed his temples.

"Come with me." Lu Ren turned and walked out.

Hinata paused for a moment, then asked, "Where to?"

"Blow-dry your hair."

Hinata obediently followed Lu Ren out of the room.

The washroom.

White tiles, bright lights shining on the mirror.

Lu Ren pulled over a plastic stool and pointed to it: "Sit."

Hinata sat down.

Lu Ren plugged in the hair dryer and turned it on.

A buzzing sound filled the air. A warm breeze caressed Hinata's scalp. Lu Ren's fingers ran through Hinata's orange hair, gently manipulating it.

Hinata looked in the mirror.

Lu Ren's face in the mirror was taut and expressionless. He had heavy dark circles under his eyes, his complexion was unnaturally pale, and his lips were chapped.

Normally, Lu Ren always appears carefree and nonchalant, only showing a playful expression when facing a formidable enemy. But now, Lu Ren exudes an indescribable sense of repression.

Hinata felt a sudden pang of unease for no apparent reason.

"Hyuga," Lu Ren said.

The sound was partially drowned out by the noise of the hairdryer, making it sound somewhat muffled.

"Hmm?" Hinata looked up.

Lu Ren turned off the hairdryer. The bathroom became quiet.

"I won't be able to be with you tomorrow," Lu Ren said calmly, looking at Hinata in the mirror.

Hinata suddenly turned her head, making such a big movement that she almost fell off the stool.

"Why?!"

Lu Ren reached out and pressed Hinata's shoulder, turning him back to face the mirror.

"After playing against Inarisaki and Otoko, my body has reached its limit." Lu Ren looked at himself in the mirror. "I have a muscle strain and am exhausted. Forcing myself to play will only hinder your victory. So I've decided to take the initiative to leave the court and rest to conserve my energy."

Hinata opened her mouth, wanting to refute. How could someone as strong as Lu Ren be unable to defeat him?

A drop of water landed on Hinata's nose.

It's very cold.

Hinata looked up at Lu Ren. Lu Ren's hair was still wet, with water droplets dripping down from the ends.

"You are Karasuno's sharpest spear." Lu Ren turned the hairdryer back on, his voice mixed with the sound of the airflow. "You have to protect yourself. Tomorrow is against Oogami. Their blocking system is more troublesome than Nekoma's; it's a true absolute defense. You can't get hurt. If something happens to you, Karasuno won't be able to go on."

Hinata gripped the fabric on her knees tightly with both hands.

"Did you understand?" Lu Ren turned off the hair dryer and unplugged it.

Hyuga took a deep breath and nodded vigorously.

"I see."

Lu Ren reached out and touched Hinata's blow-dried hair; it felt fluffy.

"Go to sleep. Get some rest, you're all tired."

Hinata stood up and ran out of the bathroom without looking back.

Back in her room, Hinata crawled into bed and closed her eyes. She couldn't let Lu Ren down. She had to sleep. She had to recover her strength. Tomorrow, she'd have to finish Lu Ren's share too.

In the washroom.

Lu Ren looked at himself in the mirror and shook the water off his hair. He reached under the tap, scooped up some water, and rubbed it on the ends of his hair.

Ten minutes later.

Ryunosuke Tanaka sat on the same plastic stool.

Lu Ren held the hair dryer, his face expressionless.

The buzzing stopped.

"Tanaka-senpai," Lu Ren put down the hairdryer, "I won't be able to stay with you tomorrow."

Tanaka suddenly stood up: "Lu Ren, you..."

Lu Ren pressed down on Tanaka's shoulder, and a drop of water fell onto Tanaka's neck at just the right moment.

"I'm really too exhausted to fight anymore." Lu Ren looked into Tanaka's eyes. "Tomorrow's attack depends on your ace-like performance. You can't make any more mistakes; you need to stay calm."

Tanaka's eyes reddened, and he patted his chest forcefully: "Leave it to me! You can rest easy!"

Tanaka strode out.

A while later.

Nishitani Yu sat on the stool.

"Nishiya-senpai. The defense will be counting on you tomorrow. My body is too weak to receive the ball." Lu Ren lowered his head, water droplets from his hair dripping onto the back of Nishiya's hand.

Nishitani gritted his teeth: "You get some rest! I'll take care of things in the back!"

Nishitani rushed out of the washroom.

Kageyama Tokio.

"Kageyama, tomorrow's organizational tasks are all on your shoulders. Don't get stuck on this." Lu Ren sighed.

Kageyama clenched his fist: "Just watch."

Tadashi Yamaguchi.

"Yamaguchi, your serve is crucial for this point."

Yamaguchi nodded emphatically.

Within an hour, the Karasuno team members lined up to enter the washroom.

Lu Ren was like an assembly line worker.

Turn on the hair dryer. Turn off the hair dryer. Water drips. Recite your lines.

Watching the other person walk out, moved and with tears in their eyes, then moving on to the next person.

The atmosphere at Karasuno was completely changed. The team members, who were just moments ago excited and unable to sleep due to their winning streak, now all obediently went back to bed, forcing themselves to fall asleep, carrying a heavy sense of responsibility.

Until Hotaru Tsukishima walked in.

Tsukishima didn't sit on a stool. He leaned against the doorframe and adjusted his glasses.

"Have you finished your act?" Tsukishima asked, looking at Lu Ren.

Lu Ren wrapped the hair dryer cord around the handle, opened the drawer, and threw it in.

"You've been seen through." Lu Ren grabbed a towel to wipe his hands.

Tsukishima sneered, "The water in your hair, you did it on purpose, didn't you? To create that illusion of tears? Hinata is one thing, but Tanaka-senpai and the others actually believed it."

Lu Ren leaned against the sink and rubbed his sore calves.

"As long as it works, that's fine," Lu Ren said. "These guys are too tense and overly excited. If we don't put some pressure on them and instill a sense of responsibility, none of them will be able to sleep tonight. Tomorrow we're playing against Outai. If we can't keep up with the physical demands, we're doomed."

Tsukishima looked at Rikuren's legs.

My calf muscles were spasming involuntarily, and I had a thick ice pack wrapped around my knee.

"However, there's one thing I didn't lie to them about." Lu Ren looked up at Tsukishima.

"I really won't be able to play tomorrow."

Tsukishima remained silent.

"My muscles are at their breaking point. One more jump and my ligaments will tear." Lu Ren pointed to his leg. "Coach Wu Yang has approved my rest. I won't be starting tomorrow."

The only sound in the bathroom was the hum of the exhaust fan.

Tsukishima straightened his body.

"I've compiled the data for Oogawa's blocking, that guy named Hirugami Yukiro, it's under your tactics board." Lu Ren yawned. "Their blocking doesn't rely on intuition, it relies on discipline. The rational filter at the net, it's up to you tomorrow, Tsukishima."

Tsukishima turned and walked away.

"I know."

The door was closed.

Lu Ren let out a long sigh and dragged his heavy steps back to his room.

He needs to get a good night's sleep.