Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

A rooftop BBQ restaurant with panoramic views in Minato Ward, Tokyo.

This place usually requires reservations three months in advance, but tonight they put up a sign saying "private screening".

Pushing open the heavy double wooden doors, the aroma of grilled meat mingled with the cacophony of voices wafted out. Two extra-long tables, pushed together, were filled with professional players who had just been battling it out on the court.

"Meat! Meat! Meat!" Kotaro Mokuto held up the tongs, his eyes fixed on the Wagyu beef on the grill, his mouth practically watering.

Kyoji Akaashi arrived at some point and sat down next to Bokuto. He skillfully placed the grilled meat onto Bokuto's plate and handed him a tissue, saying, "Bokuto-senpai, eat slowly, no one will take it from you."

At the next table, Gong You and Xinghai Guang were fighting over the last piece of beef tongue. Their chopsticks were clashing in mid-air, sparks flying everywhere.

"I saw this first! You little dwarf, don't you know how to respect the elderly and care for the young!" Gong You glared.

"Huh? You're only a tiny bit older than me! I might lose on the court, but I won't lose at barbecue!" Hoshino Mitsuki said without backing down.

"Smack."

Lu Ren slammed a stack of black cards on the table, interrupting the group's childish argument.

"Order whatever you like, there's plenty." He pulled out the chair at the head of the table and sat down, casually pushing the menu to the middle. "I'm paying today, don't act like a famine refugee here."

The crowd cheered.

Hinata Shoyo, his mouth full of fried noodles, mumbled, "Riku Ren is the best! Thumbs up, boss!"

Kageyama Tobio sat opposite Hinata and handed her a glass of water with a look of disdain: "Swallow it before you speak, you idiot."

"Who are you calling an idiot! I won today!" Hinata gulped down his water, slammed his hand on the table, and stood up.

Kageyama sneered, "Just lucky. Next game, I'll block you so badly you won't even be able to touch the net."

The two started their usual head-butting again.

Qingze Yazhi sat next to Lu Ren, picked up a piece of watermelon with a skewer, and watched the show while eating: "These two can't be more than three years old combined."

"You overestimated them." Lu Ren leaned back in his chair, looking at the noisy group of kids. "They're at most two and a half years old."

Kozume Kenma sat in the corner, a half-eaten salad in front of him, his hands flying across the game console buttons. Kuroo Tetsurou leaned over and forced a piece of grilled meat into his mouth: "Don't just play, eat something. Look at Hinata, those muscles he's built, and look at you, you look like a bean sprout."

Grinding through the meat with difficulty, he mumbled a complaint: "Little Black, you're so annoying..."

The restaurant door was pushed open again.

Oikawa Tetsu, wearing a trench coat and pulling a suitcase, strode in. He took off his sunglasses, looked around, and his gaze settled on Ushijima Wakatoshi and Kageyama Tobio.

"Oh, everyone's here." Oikawa Tetsu drawled as he walked to the table. "I heard someone lost today, Tobio."

Kageyama looked up, expressionless: "Oikawa-senpai. Weren't you in Argentina?"

"I rushed over as soon as I got off the plane. It's a real shame I missed watching you lose the game." Oikawa Tetsu pulled out a chair and sat down, then picked up some tongs and put the meat that Ushijima had just grilled into his own plate.

Looking at the empty plate, Ushijima Wakatoshi said seriously, "Oikawa, if you want to come as AD, it's still possible now. We need a good setter."

Oikawa Tetsu nearly choked on his meat. He gulped down a mouthful of barley tea and pointed at Ushijima: "Who wants to go to your place! I'll beat you all to a pulp at the World Championship sooner or later!"

"Okay." Ushijima nodded. "I'll wait for you."

This feeling of punching cotton was driving Oikawa Tetsuya crazy. He turned to Lu Ren and said, "You're having a pretty good time as the big boss, huh? You called us over just to watch these idiots fight over the meat?"

"Let me correct you." Lu Ren tapped the table. "I didn't call you here. You just followed the scent and came over."

"That's what happens when you're rich." Gong Zhi walked over with a plate of rice balls and placed it on the table. "Try it, it's a new item from my shop. Consider it a friendly donation today."

Gong You immediately reached out to take one: "Leave one for me!"

"You got nothing, you pig." Gong Zhi slapped his older brother's hand away.

The two brothers immediately started fighting.

Lu Ren rubbed his temples as he looked at the chaotic scene. These guys were like gods on the court, but off the court they were just a bunch of immature high school students.

Hotaru Tsukishima pushed up her glasses and observed coldly, "It's so noisy."

Tadashi Yamaguchi smiled apologetically from the side: "Well, Tsuki, it's rare for everyone to get together like this."

"Hey, Glasses Guy," Wood Rabbit suddenly chimed in, "Your blocking is really good now! Let's have a match sometime!"

Tsukishima stepped back slightly: "Please allow me to refuse. I'm too tired."

"Don't be so cold!"

The atmosphere in the restaurant was incredibly lively. The sounds of beer bottles clinking, grilling meat sizzling, and unrestrained laughter and banter mingled together.

On the other side of the private room, three senior members of Karasuno, namely Daichi Sawamura, Koji Sugawara, and Asahi Higashimine, sat together, looking at the group of lively juniors with a face full of satisfaction.

"Honestly, they've all grown up so much." Sugawara took a sip of beer, his eyes a little red. "Seeing them like that on the field makes it feel like our time at Karasuno was just yesterday."

Daichi patted Sugawara on the shoulder: "Alright, stop being so sentimental. They're professional players now. On the other hand, Asahi, how's your costume design coming along?"

Dong Fengxu scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed: "It's alright, I've recently taken on a few collaborative design projects with sports brands. Actually... I was involved in designing BJ's spare jersey for next season."

"Oh? That's amazing, Asahi-senpai!" Nishitani Yu suddenly appeared out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around Higashimine Asahi's neck. "Did you design a super cool libero uniform for me?"

"You're catching marlin in Italy right now, what are you wearing in a Liberty team uniform for?" Ryunosuke Tanaka walked over with a wine glass, mocking Nishiya. "How about we ask Asahi-senpai to design a fisherman's outfit for you?"

"Tanaka, are you asking for a beating?!"

The group in Karasuno immediately erupted into chaos.

Lu Ren walked over and filled Da Di's glass with beer: "Seniors, don't just look, eat more. You can't usually get this kind of meat at this restaurant."

Dadi looked at Lu Ren and smiled: "Lu Ren, you're a big boss now. These past few years, it's all thanks to your support behind the scenes."

"It's just a win-win situation." Lu Ren pulled out a chair and sat down. "I provide the money, they provide the labor, and they give me emotional value. It's a very fair deal."

Sugawara leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Honestly, your proposal really startled us all. How's it going? When are you planning the wedding?"

Upon hearing this, Yazhi, who was sitting not far away, twitched her ears and turned her head.

Lu Ren remained expressionless: "Soon. Once these guys have some free time in their schedules. We can't have all the groomsmen competing abroad when we get married, can we?"

"Best man? Me?!" Hinata's ears perked up immediately. "I want to be the best man!"

"With your height, wearing a suit makes you look like you stole an adult's clothes," Kageyama mocked mercilessly.

"Kageyama Tobio! Do you want to fight?!"

Come on!

Seeing that the two were about to start fighting again, Sawamura Daichi's face darkened, and a familiar sense of oppression emanated from his body: "You two, know when to stop."

Hinata and Kageyama froze instantly, obediently returning to their seats. Even after so many years since graduation, the captain's authority was still etched into their DNA.

Lu Ren chuckled softly. These guys really haven't changed at all.

Oikawa Tetsu strolled over to Ushijima Wakatoshi with a plate in his hand.

"Little Niu Ruo, I heard you recently became the spokesperson for a sports drink?" Oikawa Tetsu poked at the meat on his plate with his fork. "That guy's performance in the film was really stiff; his expression looked like he was reading an obituary."

Ushima swallowed the food in his mouth and answered seriously, "The electrolyte ratio in that drink is very scientific, and it helps with restoring energy. Your expression doesn't matter, as long as the product is good."

Oikawa Toru rolled his eyes: "You really have no sense of romance at all. No wonder you're still single."

"Aren't you single too?" Ushijima hit the nail on the head.

Oikawa Toru was speechless, and retorted angrily, "I was focused on playing tennis in Argentina! The girls who wanted to date me could stretch from Buenos Aires to Tokyo!"

Iwaizumi added coldly from the side, "Really? I heard that someone got rejected after trying to pick up a girl on the street the other day?"

"Koiwa! Whose side are you on?!" Oikawa Tetsu protested loudly.

Lu Ren picked up his wine glass and stood up.

The noise gradually subsided, and everyone's eyes were focused on him.

"Alright, everyone stop for a moment." Lu Ren held up his wine glass and looked around at the group of familiar faces.

Hinata, Kageyama, Ushijima, Oikawa, Bokuto, Miyayu... every name is a shining beacon in the world of volleyball.

"A few years ago, in that small gymnasium in Miyagi Prefecture, I never imagined that I would come this far with you monsters." Lu Ren's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Back then, I just thought volleyball was a troublesome dungeon, and you guys were a bunch of NPCs who didn't play by the rules."

Hinata scratched his head: "What's an NPC?"

Without even looking up, he explained, "It's just a background character in the game who only repeats two lines."

Hinata's eyes widened: "Lu Ren, how could you think of us like that!"

"That was before," Lu Ren smiled. "Later I discovered that there's no such thing as 'clearing' this game. As long as the ball hasn't hit the ground, the game just keeps going."

He raised his glass.

"I've retired. Now I'm a businessman reeking of money." Lu Ren looked at them, "But you're still on the field. You're eating sand on the beaches of Brazil, learning Spanish in Argentina, and battling each other in the V-League."

"That's good."

"I invested in Hinata, sponsored the competition, and booked this restaurant. It's not because I have too much money to burn."

Lu Ren paused.

"It's because watching you guys play is really fun."

This blunt truth silenced the entire room for two seconds.

Then, Oikawa Tetsu laughed first, raising his glass: "How arrogant, Boss Lu."

Wooden Rabbit stood up and shouted, "For an even more exciting race!"

Hinata and Kageyama raised their glasses simultaneously, glared at each other, and said in unison, "To defeat you!"

Ushijima, Miyayu, Hoshino, Tsukishima… everyone raised their glasses. Even Mojin, who had been playing video games, put down his handheld and picked up his juice.

"Cheers!"

The glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.

The golden liquid and the clear beverage swayed under the light.

The dinner party lasted until late at night.

The table was a mess of cups and plates. Bokuto was already passed out, and Akaashi was helplessly trying to carry him up. Miyayu and Miyaji were still arguing over who should have the last rice ball. Oikawa Tetsu pulled Iwaizumi Hajime along, insisting on showing him the new serve he learned in Argentina, only to be kicked away by Iwaizumi.

Hinata and Kageyama stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the Tokyo night view.

"Next time, I'll catch your jump serve." Hinata looked out the window, her tone resolute.

"Dream on." Kageyama coldly retorted, "I'll score directly."

They exchanged a glance, then looked away. No further words were needed; this was their way of communicating.

Lu Ren paid the bill and walked to the door.

Ya-zhi took his hand and yawned, "It's finally over. These people have so much energy."

"Let's go home." Lu Ren pushed open the door.

A night breeze blew by, bringing a cool breeze.

Behind me, the restaurant was still filled with noise.

This is their youth. There is no end, only continuous evolution and reunion.

Lu Ren glanced back and put his hands in his pockets.

"Let's go."