Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

In an unused classroom in the corner of the gymnasium, the air was filled with the smell of chalk dust and old wooden planks.

This place was temporarily requisitioned as a tactics room. A dim incandescent light hung overhead, casting long shadows on everyone. Except for Lu Ren, who was standing in front of a faded blackboard, everyone else was huddled on several long benches, like a group of guild members waiting for a mission to be assigned.

"Let's begin." Sawamura Daichi sat at the front, arms crossed, his expression serious.

Holding half a piece of chalk in his hand, Lu Ren felt less like a volleyball team newbie and more like a dean of students forced to give a apology. He glanced at Qingze Yazhi sitting in the corner, who was enthusiastically flipping through her densely filled notebook and gesturing to him, "Please begin your performance."

"Ahem." Lu Renqing cleared his throat, turned around, and wrote a name on the blackboard. The handwriting was messy and revealed his impatience.

Oikawa Toru.

"First up is this guy." Lu Ren pointed heavily at the name with a piece of chalk. "The captain and setter of Qingye City West. Although I hate to admit it, this guy is a true 'version' favorite.'"

Hinata Shoyo tilted his head below: "Version... Son?"

"What I mean is, the strongest setter at this stage." Lu Ren explained irritably, while glancing at Kageyama Tobio sitting next to him out of the corner of his eye. "Unlike our 'dictatorial king' who only knows how to force his way through with brute force, Oikawa Toru is a top-tier support who can buff the whole team."

Kageyama Tobio's brows furrowed instantly, but he didn't refute it; he just stared intently at the name on the blackboard.

"I matched up against him for about twenty minutes," Lu Ren recalled, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing chalk dust between his fingers. "His passes were 'soft.' Not the kind of soft that lacks power, but more like feeding the ball to the attacker's mouth. No matter how bad the receiving was, as soon as the ball got into his hands, the moment he passed it, the attacker would feel invincible."

"The core mechanism of Oikawa Toru is to enable attackers to perform at 100% or even 120% of their ability."

Lu Ren paused here, turned his head, and looked Kageyama up and down with a look of disdain, as if he were looking at a "defective product".

"That's the difference, Kageyama-kun. He treats his teammates like teammates, you treat your teammates like launch pads."

"Stop nagging!" Kageyama finally couldn't hold back any longer, veins throbbing on his forehead, he gritted his teeth and said, "Oikawa-senpai... he was my senior in junior high. I learned my serve and block from him."

Lu Ren raised an eyebrow: "Oh? That's your master?"

"Not my master." Kageyama denied it readily, but a rare hint of fear flashed in his eyes. "He is... a high wall that I've always wanted to surpass but never beaten. His serve is stronger than mine now, and his ball control is even more terrifying."

The entire room fell into a deathly silence.

The fact that the arrogant "King" Kageyama could admit defeat instantly amplified Oikawa Toru's prestige in everyone's eyes. Tanaka Ryunosuke swallowed hard, feeling the previously relaxed atmosphere suddenly turn heavy.

Lu Ren shrugged and turned to write the second name next to "Oikawa Toru".

Iwaizumi Ichi.

"Next up is this guy, Qingcheng's main attacker and vice commander." Lu Ren drew a circle. "If Oikawa Tetsu is the brain, then this guy is the strongest shield and the sharpest spear."

"I've seen his receiving motion; his footwork is extremely stable, and his anticipation is precise. And his spikes..." Lu Ren recalled that powerful straight-line spike, "...very heavy. Not the kind with fancy techniques, but pure power domination. He gives off a feeling somewhat like Daichi-senpai, but with even stronger aggression."

"In a sense, he exists specifically to correct Oikawa Toru," Lu Ren added. "Sometimes Oikawa Toru would go too far in his pursuit of the limit, and that's when Iwaizumi Ichi would step in to cover for him. That kind of tacit understanding can't be built up through training alone."

"Ah, that." Kageyama suddenly spoke up, his tone as calm as if he were saying that the weather was nice today. "Iwaizumi-senpai and Oikawa-senpai are childhood friends who grew up together. They've spent more time playing volleyball together than I've spent with volleyball."

Lu Ren's hand holding the chalk stiffened for a moment.

Childhood sweethearts? This kind of setup, which comes with a built-in "bond bonus," is the most difficult to handle. It means that even if these two don't speak on the field, they can still complete complex tactical coordination.

"Alright, the bond is locked." Lu Ren sighed and continued writing down the third name.

Kindaichi Yutaro.

And next to it, he drew a very vivid sketch of a hairstyle that looked like chives.

"Pfft—" Hinata and Tanaka couldn't help but cover their mouths and let out a sound of air leaking out.

"Don't laugh, this is a serious tactical analysis." Lu Ren tapped the blackboard. "This first-year middle blocker is characterized by his unforgettable scallion-shaped hair... or rather, his spicy onion-shaped hair. He's good height and has a long wingspan."

My assessment is: a lower-budget version of Tanaka-senpai.

Tanaka Ryunosuke was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "Haha! The low-end version! So that means I'm the high-end version? Lu Ren, you have a good eye!"

"You can understand it that way." Lu Ren nodded perfunctorily, "This guy's playing style is quite straightforward, he doesn't have much guile. As long as you're not intimidated by his height, he's actually quite easy to target."

"Kindaichi..." Kageyama stared at the name, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and said in a low voice, "He was also my teammate in junior high school."

Lu Ren's hand, which was writing, paused.

"ha?"

"He was the team's middle blocker in junior high," Kageyama added expressionlessly. "His accuracy was indeed very high, and we used to play together frequently."

Lu Ren's lips twitched. He ignored Kageyama and quickly wrote down the last name.

The country sees the British.

"The last one was also a first-year student. He looked lazy, like he hadn't woken up yet." Lu Ren recalled the boy named Kunimi. "He wasn't very active on the court, you could even say he was slacking off. His spikes weren't very powerful either, he looked completely harmless."

"However," Lu Ren changed the subject, "he conserved his energy best in the second half of the match. And he's very clever, or rather, very 'cunning.' He doesn't use those energy-consuming power attacks; he specifically targets gaps in the blocking and blind spots in the defense."

"A typical 'energy-saving person,' if you're not careful, you can easily get tricked by him at a crucial moment."

"Kunimi too." Kageyama's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of barely perceptible stiffness. "Junior high school teammates. The three of us were in the same grade."

The chalk made a crisp "click" sound on the blackboard and broke into two pieces.

Lu Ren turned around, dusted off his hands, and looked at Kageyama Tobio with an utterly absurd expression.

"Wait a moment."

Lu Ren pointed to the four names on the blackboard, then pointed to Ying Shan.

"The commander, Toru Oikawa, is the senior you've always wanted to defeat."

"Vice Commander Iwaizumi Hajime is your senior brother's childhood friend and a senior who watched you grow up."

"Middle blocker Kindaichi was your teammate for all three years of junior high school."

"The main attacker, Guo Jianying, was your teammate for all three years of junior high school."

Lu Ren took a deep breath, feeling a throbbing sensation in his temples.

"So, half the opposing team are people you know? This Saturday's match isn't a practice game, it's your 'ex reunion' or a 'family drama'?"

An eerie silence fell over the classroom.

Even Hinata Shoyo's mouth was agape as he looked back and forth between Kageyama and the blackboard.

"No wonder..." Sugawara Koji chuckled wryly and rubbed his forehead. "No wonder they specifically asked to play a practice match against Karasuno. It turns out it's because Kageyama is here."

Lu Ren tossed the broken piece of chalk precisely into the trash can, letting out a sneer. "This is clearly the 'Avengers.' Kageyama, tell me honestly, what heinous thing did you do in middle school? It feels like everyone on the other side is after you!"

Kageyama Tobio pursed his lips, his expression turning grim. He lowered his head, gripping the fabric on his knees tightly with both hands, and remained silent.

The memories of being isolated, of being all alone on the court, surged back like a tidal wave.

"Oh, isn't it obvious?"

A lazy, mocking voice broke the silence.

Hotaru Tsukishima pushed up her glasses, a wicked smile curving her lips, her eyes full of mockery.

"The former 'king' was abandoned by his subjects because he was too dictatorial. Now they're forming a group to 'overthrow' the tyrant. Doesn't that sound pretty exciting?"

Tsukishima turned her head, looked at Lu Ren, and smiled even more deeply.

"Dear player, that 'version' champion you just mentioned, Toru Oikawa, is probably here to teach our 'King' a lesson. This Saturday's match looks like it's not just a volleyball game, but a large-scale public execution."

Looking at Tsukishima's smug expression and then at Kageyama, who was bowing his head and remaining silent, Lu Ren felt his head ache even more.

This is no ordinary instance.

This is clearly a hellish raid mission driven by personal grudges.

And the worst part is that he, the guy who used the alias "Baki Hanma" to provoke the other party, not only has to face the terrifying Toru Oikawa, but is also forced to get involved in this sour "former teammate feud".

"I'm tired. Let's destroy it."

Lu Ren slumped in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"I want to go home and play video games. Really."