Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The commotion under the shade of the tree continued. Sugawara Koji was practically hanging on Kageyama, his hands tightly gripping the arms of the irritable genius, his expression more distorted than when he was about to face his final exams.

"Let me go! Sugawara-senpai! If you just put a little more pressure on that guy's CPU, he can reboot successfully!" Kageyama was still trying to rush towards the toilet, his eyes fierce as if he was going to solo a dungeon boss.

"That's murder! Absolutely murder!" Sugawara shouted back at me. "Rikuren! Stop watching! Go bring Hinata back! If you don't come back soon, Kageyama is really going to go berserk!"

Lu Ren sighed and took his hand out of his pocket. The main storyline of this game was always accompanied by all sorts of troublesome errand-running tasks.

"Got it, I'll go check on the guy whose computer crashed because his graphics card overheated."

Waving his hand, Lu Ren turned and walked towards the public restroom not far away. Behind him came Tanaka Ryunosuke's booming voice: "Kageyama! Calm down! Violence will get you banned!"

Stepping into the restroom, a cool breeze hit me. In front of the sink, an orange head was buried under the faucet, water gushing down. Hinata Shoyo was bracing himself against the sink wall, his posture resembling that of a middle-aged man who had just had a hangover.

He suddenly raised his head, water droplets dripping from his chin. Although his face was still pale, the sense of despair that seemed like he was about to die had subsided somewhat.

"Oh, still alive?" Lu Ren leaned against the doorframe, looking him up and down. "Do you need me to call an ambulance? Or maybe I can contact the crematorium to reserve a furnace?"

Hinata stiffened, mechanically turning her head and forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Lu...Lu Ren. Is...is that really necessary? I was just a little nervous. An ambulance and all that is such an overreaction..."

"Is that an exaggeration? I saw you practically throw up your soul in the car just now." Lu Ren pointed outside. "Let's go. Even though you're only half your usual self right now, if we don't go back soon, Kageyama will probably come in and push you down the toilet to wake you up."

Upon hearing the name "Kageyama," Hinata shuddered, and that "survival instinct" buff instantly filled his entire body.

"I...I'll go right now!" He wiped his face haphazardly and stumbled out.

"Don't worry about the details." Lu Ren patted his stiff shoulder. "Anyway, Tanaka-senpai's pants have already been sacrificed. The worst has already happened. Whatever happens next will be a rebound from rock bottom."

When they returned to the bus with Hinata, the atmosphere there became somewhat eerie.

Tanaka Ryunosuke had changed into a pair of slightly loose spare sweatpants, his hands in his pockets, chin held high, his already somewhat fierce face now screaming "I'm a yakuza." Kageyama Tobio stood beside him, his face dark, radiating a low, unapproachable aura.

Opposite them stood two boys in white tracksuits. One had hair styled like leeks, while the other was a handsome young man with a side-parted hairstyle. They were wearing the uniforms of Aoba City West and were being forced to retreat step by step by the "evil forces" from Karasuno.

This scene looks exactly like a school bully extorting a good student.

"So this is the student from that elite university?" Tanaka tilted his head, a provocative smile spreading across his face. "He doesn't look that great."

The boy with the spiky hair swallowed hard. His legs were trembling, but he still forced a smile and retorted, "Don't...don't be so arrogant! And tone that expression off!"

"Huh? What did you say?" Tanaka took a step forward, bringing his face even closer, and you could even see the veins bulging on his forehead.

"puff."

A soft laugh broke the tense atmosphere. Tsukishima Hotaru stood to the side with her arms crossed, a glint of light flashing on her glasses. Her tone was full of sarcasm: "Tanaka-senpai, let's just forget about it. Look how scared you've made that elite. If he's already crying before the match even starts, it won't sound good. After all, we're just a 'fallen tycoon' from the countryside; we can't afford to offend a prestigious family."

This kid's mouth is still so sharp; his sarcastic remarks are practically at max level.

Lu Ren glanced at the scraggly-haired guy, and the guy's information popped into his mind—Kindaichi Yutaro, Kageyama's teammate in junior high school, and the one who refused to dunk on Kageyama's pass.

This triggers the "meeting with your ex" side quest.

Lu Ren stepped forward, standing between Tanaka and Tsukishima, a fake smile on his face—the kind that comes with the entrance of a villainous boss in a game—and said in a low voice, "Hey, hey, hey, stop bullying them. After all, we're not some kind of demons, we're just here for a friendly match... although we do look a little antisocial."

Upon hearing Lu Ren's voice, Kindaichi, the guy with the leek-like haircut, suddenly turned his head.

When his gaze fell on my face, his previously tense expression froze instantly, and then his pupils dilated as if he had seen something incredible.

"You…" Kindaichi pointed at me, his finger trembling, "You are… that 'Baki Hanma'?!"

The man with the side-parted hair next to him was also stunned: "Baki Hanma? The protagonist of that fighting manga?"

"No!" Kindaichi excitedly grabbed his companion's arm. "It was that day! At the City Gymnasium! That guy who called himself Shiratorizawa's first-year backup! The one who coordinated so well with Oikawa-senpai!"

Oh no, my identity has been exposed.

Lu Ren's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected the world to be so small; he could trigger hidden dialogue just by encountering a random NPC. And wasn't this kid's memory a little too good? He had specifically worn a hat and let his bangs down today.

However, as a seasoned player, when faced with this kind of bug, as long as I'm not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed.

Lu Ren calmly straightened Karasuno's black coat, looking at him with a deep expression: "Young man, you've mistaken me for someone else. That Baki guy is probably my twin brother."

"Stop lying!" Kindaichi roared. "That face is exactly the same! And you clearly said you were from Shiratorizawa! Why are you wearing Karasuno's school uniform?!"

The air around them fell silent for a second. Tanaka and Tsukishima both turned to look at Lu Ren, their eyes saying, "You've been exposed."

Lu Ren sighed, looked up at the sky, and adopted a world-weary air: "This is fate... just like transferring servers in a game. The server in Shiratorizawa was too crowded, so I transferred to the new server, Karasuno, to start exploring. What, any objections?"

"Huh? Server transfer? New content?" Kindaichi was stunned by this series of game terms, his mouth agape for a long time without being able to say a word.

Just then, a deep and authoritative voice came from behind.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Sawamura Daichi walked over with a dark expression. He didn't yell or shout, but the imposing aura emanating from the captain made everyone present instinctively shrink back.

"D... Daichi-senpai!" Tanaka instantly dropped his roguish demeanor and stood at attention.

Sawamura glanced at Tanaka, then at the terrified Aoki students, before finally fixing his gaze on Riku and Kageyama. He sighed helplessly, stepped forward, grabbed Tanaka's head, and forced him to bow, bowing himself as well.

"I'm so sorry!" Sawamura said loudly, "These guys got a little too excited and caused you trouble!"

Although unwilling, Tanaka could only obediently lower his head under the captain's iron fist: "I...I'm sorry!"

After apologizing, Sawamura straightened up, his sharp gaze sweeping over us: "Alright, stop embarrassing yourselves here. Grab your luggage and let's go into the gymnasium!"

"yes!"

Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly turned around to get their bags.

Just as he was about to leave, Kindaichi suddenly called out to Kageyama's retreating figure, "Long time no see, king of the court!"

Kageyama paused for a moment.

Kindaichi gritted his teeth, his tone tinged with a mixture of pleasure and sarcasm: "I wonder what kind of dictatorship you've established over there? Will those guys be able to tolerate your tyranny? I'm really looking forward to the match later."

This is blatant provocation. He's reopening old wounds at Ying Shan, trying to provoke his former teammate.

The air around them seemed to freeze instantly. Hinata looked at Kageyama with concern, while Tanaka clenched his fists as if he wanted to turn around and yell back.

Kageyama slowly turned around. He wasn't furious, nor did he display his usual ferocious expression. He simply looked at Kindaichi calmly, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Ah," Kageyama responded, his voice steady, "It has indeed been a long time."

After saying that, he turned and left, decisively and without any sign of being provoked.

Kindaichi stood there stunned, feeling as if he had punched a cotton ball with all his might. The frustration made his face turn red.

Lu Ren stopped and looked back at the pitiful NPC who was still struggling with the past.

"You two might not know this," Lu Ren said seriously, adjusting his non-existent glasses. "We at Karasuno now practice democratic centralism. As for the 'King,' this feudal remnant, we have already stripped him of his right to become king through ostracism. Kageyama-kun is just an ordinary setter undergoing labor reform right now."

Kindaichi and the guy with the side-parted hair looked completely bewildered: "Ceramic shards... what?"

Before Lu Ren could continue explaining the political system of ancient Greece, a hand suddenly reached out and precisely grabbed Lu Ren's ear.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Let go! My ear's going to fall off!"

Qingze Yazhi stood expressionless beside me, and with a little force, pulled Lu Ren's head to the side.

"I'm very sorry." She nodded slightly to the two Qingcheng students, her tone polite but distant. "This guy has some mental issues; he likes to spout off nonsense. Please don't mind his ramblings."

After saying that, she didn't give Lu Ren a chance to refute, and grabbed Lu Ren's ear and dragged him towards the stadium.

"Hey! Yazhi! This is domestic violence! It's so embarrassing to do this at the entrance of the dungeon!" Lu Ren shouted as he struggled.

"Shut up." Yazhi glanced at me coldly. "If you say another word, I'll burn your Kamen Rider Kuuga Black Eye Ultimate Form Bone Carving right in front of you."

This move is too cruel.

Lu Ren immediately shut his mouth and obediently let her drag him away.

As Lu Ren walked into the stadium corridor, he glanced back. Kindaichi was still standing there, watching his back, his expression as complex as an unsolvable geometry problem.

"When exes meet, their eyes are always blazing with hatred." Lu Ren muttered under his breath, rubbing his reddened ears. "Looks like today's dungeon difficulty, besides that big demon king Oikawa Tetsu, will also include these resentful little monsters."

Ya-zhi let go and slapped the notebook on Lu Ren's chest: "Stop joking. Are you ready to face your 'online friend'? Baki Hanma."

Lu Ren took the notebook, looked at the stadium gate getting closer and closer, and took a deep breath.

"It's alright." Lu Ren smiled, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "As long as the health bar isn't empty, the game can continue. Let's go meet that legendary Great Demon King."