Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

After finishing his business in Rio de Janeiro, Lu Ren did not immediately book a flight to Tokyo.

He glanced at the map of South America, his fingertip tracing below Brazil and stopping at a long, narrow country.

阿根廷。

Four hours later, Lu Ren landed in Buenos Aires. This city, known as the "Paris of South America," was filled with the aroma of grilled meat, mate tea, and a carefree atmosphere. The European-style buildings lining the streets were gilded by the intense sunlight, and children could be seen kicking footballs everywhere.

Lu Ren did not visit the branch office, nor did he arrange any business meetings. He sat down at an outdoor café in the Boca district, wearing a simple black casual shirt.

On the table is an iced Americano with double the espresso, water droplets sliding down the glass.

A group of young people in sportswear walked across the street. They were tall, with muscles that were clearly defined in the sunlight. They talked loudly in Spanish at a very fast pace, and burst into hearty laughter every now and then.

One of them walked on the very edge, idly tossing a volleyball in his hand.

The man had a distinctive head of slightly wavy brown hair, and even among a group of South Americans, his tall stature and striking features were quite eye-catching.

The volleyball is tossed up in the air and then falls.

Their eyes met unexpectedly in mid-air.

Lu Ren picked up the glass in front of him and raised it across half a noisy street.

The man stopped throwing the ball. He squinted at it for a few seconds, gestured to his companion, then crossed the street, walked straight to Lu Ren's table, pulled out the chair opposite him, and sat down.

"Long time no see, Oikawa Tetsu-senpai." Lu Ren put down his cup, the glass base hitting the wooden table with a crisp sound.

Oikawa Tetsu put the volleyball on the table, scratched his hair, and leaned back in his chair: "What, is the big boss so free that he flew all the way to South America to watch his defeated rival make a fool of himself?"

"Don't overdo it. I'm not so bored as to fly halfway around the world to mock NPCs." Lu Ren waved over a waiter and ordered him a glass of iced water. "Come see an old friend. How's it going here?"

"Leaving home and not speaking the language, what else can I do?" Oikawa Tetsu spread his hands, making an exaggerated helpless expression. "Every day it's just training, training, training. The coach's tactics board looks like abstract art, my teammates' jokes are lame and hard to understand, and there isn't even a pretty girl who can appreciate my cool serve."

"You're still persevering in a place like this." Lu Ren looked him over, his tone unusually serious. "To be honest, I'm quite impressed with you."

Oikawa Tetsuya paused for a moment, then clutched his chest: "Oh dear, hearing praise from that sharp-tongued vice-captain Karasuno... am I still half asleep? Or did you put some kind of hallucinogen in this coffee?"

He dropped his joking expression, his long, slender fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. "Because I'm holding my breath. Whether it's being benched or ostracized by the locals, I've endured it all. After all, I'm going to bring down those so-called geniuses one by one on this world stage. If I can't even handle the setbacks of this beginner's village, what's the point of playing volleyball?"

The two exchanged a smile. Gone was the tense rivalry they'd shared on the court during high school; they truly seemed like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years.

Oikawa Toru took a big gulp of ice water and then opened up completely. He had been cooped up in a foreign land for too long, and now that he had finally met a familiar face, he bombarded him with questions like a machine gun.

"Speaking of which, that little Hinata? He really went to Brazil to play beach volleyball? That's amazing! But it suits his unorthodox style quite well. Sand must eat up all his jumping ability, right? Just thinking about his embarrassed face makes me want to laugh."

Lu Ren nodded: "Just came from Rio, and casually gave him a cheat code. That kid's probably eating sand on the beach right now. But with his regeneration, he'll probably adapt to that terrain debuff in no time."

"What about Kageyama?" Oikawa Toru asked, his tone still carrying a hint of habitual disdain. "That grumpy genius setter, he must have made it to the national team by now, right? Ugh, just thinking about how unlovable his face still is makes me sick."

"He's in the V-League now, Schweden-Adler," Lu Ren said. "His face is still as sour as ever, and his communication skills are still at a primitive stage. But his passing is becoming more and more like a monster. He can now accurately calculate the attacker's stride and jump height. He's practically a ruthless serving machine."

"Hmph, at least my teaching wasn't wasted." Oikawa Toru raised his chin. "What happened to Karasuno afterward? I heard you guys won the national championship? Honestly... you actually showed off while I wasn't around."

"Just lucky." Lu Ren fiddled with the stirring stick in his hand. "After graduating from the third year, we restructured the system and finally managed to bring down Jingtashan in the second year. But that was a hellish challenge; we almost wiped out. Sakusho's wrist rotation was absolutely disgusting to defend against."

"What about Iwaizumi?" Oikawa Tetsu's tone became more serious. "Is that guy alright now?"

"He plays in the university league," Lu Ren replied. "I heard he's been researching sports rehabilitation lately, and I guess he'll be developing in that direction in the future. He was complaining to Ya Zhi the other day, saying that you didn't even send a postcard when you went abroad, and that you deserve to be a bachelor in Argentina."

Oikawa Toru listened with great interest, sometimes laughing out loud, sometimes pursing his lips, and sometimes sighing with emotion.

"As expected... no one stopped moving." He looked at the crowds coming and going on the street, his tone filled with mixed feelings of relief.

The cafe got a bit noisy after sitting there for a while, so the two went to a barbecue restaurant frequented by locals.

This is an old shop without fancy decorations. The meat sizzles on a huge iron rack, and the fat drips onto the charcoal fire, sending up a cloud of white smoke. The aroma of spices wafts straight into your nose.

The two found a seat by the window and ate and chatted.

They talked for a long time. They talked about the evolution of volleyball tactics, the pace of life in Argentina, and their different understandings of the game.

Oikawa Tetsu remained narcissistic and talked as much as a mother hen, but Riku could sense the changes in him.

His years of experience overseas have smoothed out many of the sharp, awkward thorns on Oikawa Toru's body. He has become more open-minded and composed.

In the past, Oikawa Tetsu was always obsessed with the word "genius," and was suffocated by Kageyama and Ushijima Wakatoshi, always feeling that there was a monster chasing him.

Now, he is a professional athlete who truly enjoys volleyball and strives to prove himself on the world stage.

"You know what, Lu Ren?" Oikawa Tetsu cut a thick slice of beef with his knife, "I used to think that I had to be perfect, that I had to trample everyone under my feet. But after coming here, I realized that the world is too big. Monsters are everywhere, all kinds of monsters."

He put the meat in his mouth, chewed a few times, swallowed, and pointed out the window: "The players here have physical abilities like wild beasts; they can easily overpower opponents with a simple jump. When I first arrived, my serves couldn't even break through their defense. It felt like a max-level account suddenly having all its data wiped and thrown into a map full of slime kings."

"The defensive style here is completely different from that in Japan," Oikawa Tetsu gestured. "They rely more on their body's instincts. Sometimes a completely illogical jump can shut down your carefully planned fast break. It took me a full six months to figure out their illogical, 'random' style of play."

"So you turned yourself into a virus to infect their system?" Lu Ren pointed out incisively.

"You got it right!" Oikawa Tetsu snapped his fingers. "Since conventional tactical orders are ineffective, let's use the purest form of deception. I'm the chief commander here now, and even the most irritable main attacker has been brought to his knees by me."

Lu Ren scrutinized him. Previously, Oikawa Tetsu's passes were about maximizing the attacker's ability; now, he had probably learned how to unleash that 100% ability at the most crucial moment. This was a qualitative leap.

The resilience in this person's bones is different from the pure animalistic instinct of Hyuga Shoyo; it's a clear-headedness that comes from meticulous calculation, yet still chooses to face challenges head-on. He knows his limits, but he insists on breaking them.

"You're definitely a troublesome boss." Lu Ren picked up his wine glass.

Oikawa Tetsu laughed loudly, raised his beer glass and clinked it against his: "Of course. When we meet at the World Championship, I'll show you what a real Demon King is."

"I'm retiring," Lu Ren said slowly and deliberately, dropping the bombshell.

"Huh?!" Oikawa Tetsu almost spat out his beer, staring at him with wide eyes. "How old are you? Retired?! What are you doing if you're not playing volleyball? Fortune telling?"

"The family business needs someone to take over. Besides, I've already cleared the volleyball dungeon." Lu Ren leaned back in his chair, his tone calm. "Now I'm playing the business dungeon. It's not easy either. Every day I'm not facing the blockers on the other side of the net, but a bunch of old foxes in suits."

Oikawa Tetsu stared at him for a long time, then finally sighed, "What a willful guy. But that's just your style. Once you've made up your mind, nothing can change it."

He raised his glass: "Then I wish you, don't lose too badly in the new instance."

"Thank you for your kind words."

The two ate until nightfall.

As they said goodbye at the restaurant entrance, Toru Oikawa stood with his hands in his pockets, gazing at the night view of Buenos Aires.

"Hey, Lu Ren."

Lu Ren stopped and turned around.

Oikawa Tetsu didn't look at him, but stared at the distant lights, the streetlights casting long shadows of him.

"Go back and tell Xiao Feixiong, and Niu Ruo, to wash their necks clean and wait. I, Oikawa Tetsu, will go back sooner or later and beat them to a pulp."

Lu Ren smiled.

"I'll pass on the message." He waved his hand, turned, and walked towards the taxi parked by the roadside. "However, they won't just stand there and wait for you."

"That's interesting." Oikawa Tetsu's voice came on the night wind, carrying undisguised ambition.

The taxi drove towards the airport.

Lu Ren leaned back in the back seat, watching the foreign street scenes rushing past the window.

Hinata struggled on the beaches of Brazil, Oikawa Tetsu persevered in the Argentine league, and Kageyama dominated the domestic professional scene.

These former teammates and rivals are all racing on their respective tracks.

My phone vibrated; it was a message from Yazhi: "When are you coming back? I bought a new game, a two-player co-op one, and I'm stuck."

Lu Ren replied, "On my way to the airport. I'll take you flying when I get back."

He put away his phone and closed his eyes.

The volleyball challenge has indeed been completed. But the main storyline of my life has only just begun.