Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The third game began in an eerie atmosphere.

Compared to the intense offense and defense on the court, the figure on the sidelines was more eye-catching. Oikawa Tetsu didn't immediately go on the court; instead, like a young master on a picnic, he casually draped his jacket over a bench and began stretching on the sidelines.

Leg presses, waist twists, wrist rotations. Every movement was textbook perfect, yet so uninspiringly sloppy it was infuriating.

The girls on the second-floor stands clearly didn't think so.

"Why isn't Oikawa-senpai on stage yet?"

"Idiot, that's to protect your body. If you don't warm up properly, that level of serve can strain your muscles."

"Yeah, even Oikawa-senpai looks so cool warming up!"

The scream pierced Tanaka Ryunosuke's ears like needles.

The veins on Tanaka's forehead throbbed, and his already fierce face was now twisted into a demon from some ukiyo-e painting. He stared intently at the "pretty boy" stretching his legs on the sidelines, the volleyball in his hand squeezing so hard it made a cracking sound.

"Damn it...damn it!" Tanaka gritted his teeth. "Why did that awful guy get treated like that? It's not fair! Is the God of Volleyball blind?"

Lu Ren stood to the side, hands on his hips, looking at his bald senior with an almost pitying gaze.

"Tanaka-senpai, this is what they call the difference in 'initial settings'," Lu Ren added slyly. "It's cruel, but I have to admit, the other person put all their skill points into 'charisma' and 'ball skills.' And you, senpai..."

Lu Ren looked Tanaka up and down, then sighed: "You probably focused all your points on 'facial expressions' and 'taunts.' That kind of villainous look usually doesn't survive past the first chapter in an otome game."

"Huh? Who are you calling the villain?!"

Tanaka's anger was instantly amplified, and he burst into flames.

"Damn it! I'll show those shallow guys what real manly style is! It's power! It's scoring!"

The whistle blew.

Enraged, Ryunosuke Tanaka transformed into a tireless spiking machine. Tobio Kageyama seemed to sense Tanaka's "I'll go even if there are thousands of people against me" spirit and frequently passed the ball to him.

"Take this—!!"

Tanaka roared and leaped into the air, his arm flashing out in a blur. The volleyball slammed into the floor of Aoba Castle West like a cannonball, making a dull thud.

Score!

"Yay!!" Tanaka shouted at the top of his lungs after landing, and didn't forget to take off his shirt and wave it around twice (although he was warned by the referee), and then made a face at the second-floor stands that he thought was cool but was actually more ferocious.

Lu Ren silently covered his face in the back row.

Although it was embarrassing, the effect was outstanding. Relying on Tanaka's inexplicable rage, Karasuno managed to keep the score close in the third game and even subtly suppressed Aoki, who lacked a core commander.

The score went back and forth, and the situation was tense.

21: 24.

"Just one point away!" Daichi Sawamura clenched his fist, his voice trembling with excitement. "If we get this point, we'll win!"

The atmosphere on Karasuno instantly soared. Even Hinata, who had been so tense that his stomach ached, grinned foolishly, feeling that victory was just around the corner.

Only Lu Ren couldn't laugh.

He stared at the scoreboard, then glanced at the opposite rest area.

A premonition of a "plot-driven death" sent chills down his spine. It was like playing an RPG game where you thought you had defeated the final boss, only to have the boss suddenly transform after its health bar emptied, and the background music changed to an even more rousing symphony.

really.

Aoba City West requests a replacement.

The chestnut-haired man who had been slowly warming up on the sidelines finally stood up. He took off his sports vest, revealing his team jersey underneath, bearing the number 1, a number symbolizing the absolute core player.

The referee blew the whistle and twirled his hands in front of his chest to signal a substitution.

Yajin Shu walked off the stage with a relieved look on his face and gave Oikawa Toru a high five.

"Thank you for your hard work," Oikawa Tetsu said with a smile, his tone as relaxed as if he were just going to a convenience store. "Leave the rest to me."

The moment he stepped onto the court, Lu Ren felt as if the surrounding light had dimmed, and all the spotlights were shining on this man.

The Aoki team members, who had been somewhat flustered, completely lost their anxiety the moment they saw their captain enter the field. Kindaichi straightened his back, Kunimi Hideki no longer looked like he hadn't woken up yet, and even Iwaizumi Hajime's expression became more focused.

Is this what is called the "leadership halo"?

Lu Ren's lips twitched. This buff was way too obvious! Was this the difference between paying and free players?

"Hey, Kageyama," Lu Ren took two steps to the side and asked in a low voice, "I have a bad feeling. Is this game going to be a loss?"

Kageyama Tobio stared intently at Oikawa Toru across from him, his face even more grim than before: "If only I could receive his serve... if only I could receive it..."

That statement lacked any real conviction.

Hinata Shoyo watched Oikawa Tetsu walk to the serve position and for some reason, a chill ran down his spine. He instinctively shrank behind Tanaka: "That king... he looks so scary."

"Tch, what's there to be afraid of!" Tanaka, though still defiant, had noticeably toned down his arrogance. "It's just a serve, right? Just return it!"

Oikawa Toru stood behind the baseline.

He didn't rush to serve, but instead took the volleyball and stepped back a few paces. One step, two steps, three steps... until he was quite far from the baseline.

He stopped, holding the ball in one hand, his arm outstretched, pointing directly at Karasuno's side of the field.

That index finger, like a loaded gun, casually scanned the formation of Wuye, searching for the most vulnerable prey.

"Tobihiro, and that 'Baki Hanma' classmate."

Oikawa Toru's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly penetrated the entire stadium.

"No matter how dazzling your attacks are, no matter how well-coordinated your teamwork is..."

He paused, then revealed that signature smile that was both comforting and chilling.

"If the ball doesn't reach the setter, then it's pointless."

Lu Ren felt as if he was hallucinating.

It was the deep sound of a cello, mixed with the stirring beat of drums.

"Damn it." Lu Ren rubbed the goosebumps on his arms. "Why am I hearing the BOSS battle's theme music? This isn't scientifically possible; this is a sports anime, not a fantasy anime!"

Before he could finish complaining, Oikawa Tetsuya moved.

Throw the ball.

The volleyball was tossed high into the air, far exceeding the serving and tossing point of an average high school student.

Lu Ren looked up at the ball, and only one thought remained in his mind: This is not right.

If Karasuno's art style is that of a passionate shonen manga, with bold lines and full of energy, then Oikawa Toru's current art style is that of a meticulously crafted theatrical film, with every frame burning with lavish spending.

approach.

Oikawa Toru's figure resembled a cheetah pouncing on its prey, taking several large strides to cover the long running distance. The floor groaned under his feet, unable to bear the weight.

Take off.

The body stretched out in the air like a taut bow, the right arm pulled back, the power fully charged.

"boom--!"

The sound of a hand striking a volleyball is no longer a crisp "smack," but a dull, explosive sound.

The volleyball vanished from everyone's sight in an instant, transforming into a white streak of light that whistled through the air as it hurtled straight towards Karasuno's backcourt.

Lu Ren's dynamic vision came into play at this moment.

He saw the ball's trajectory clearly.

But he discovered in despair that even when his mind came to a head, his body felt like it was filled with lead and couldn't keep up at all.

This is numerical superiority.

The ball wasn't aimed at him, nor at the libero Daichi Sawamura.

Its target is—Hotaru Tsukishima.

"Catch it!!" Daichi Sawamura's roar hadn't even landed yet.

Hotaru Tsukishima only had time to turn to the side, and before his arms could even fully come together, the volleyball, which looked like a cannonball, had already hit his forearm.

"Bang!"

The immense impact jolted Tsukishima's body violently. The volleyball didn't bounce as expected; instead, it flew sideways like an out-of-control bullet, slamming into the second-floor railing before rebounding and rolling to the ground.

The entire room fell silent.

A few seconds later, the referee blew his whistle.

Aoba Johsai scores. 22:24.

"This is... the King's serve?" Hinata Shoyo's mouth dropped open, his face pale.

Ryunosuke Tanaka swallowed hard, his previous "I'm the best in the world" attitude instantly deflated by half.

Hotaru Tsukishima stared at his reddened forearm, his brow furrowed and his face ashen. He felt as if his bones were about to be broken.

After landing, Oikawa Tetsu clapped his hands lightly, seemingly unsurprised by the result.

He turned around, took the second ball from the caddie, and still had that infuriating smile on his face.

"Although I only started observing halfway through."

As Oikawa Tetsu twirled the ball in his hand, he spoke slowly, his gaze sweeping across Karasuno's team like a searchlight before finally settling precisely on Tsukishima Hotaru and Hinata Shoyo.

"Number 6, and number 5."

The two people whose names were called froze.

"You guys are first-year students, right?" Oikawa Tetsu said with a smile, delivering the cruelest assessment. "Your catching skills are still a bit immature."

Lu Ren sighed inwardly.

It’s over.

They saw right through me.

This is the despicable act of a max-level player swarming newbies in the starting village. He doesn't need to compete with Kageyama in passing or with Hyuga in jumping; he only needs to use the simplest and most brutal method—serving the ball—to tear Karasuno's fragile defense to shreds.

"As long as we focus on the weak points in your defense, you won't even be able to organize a decent attack," Lu Ren muttered to himself. "This is what they call a 'open strategy'."

Oikawa Tetsu returned to the service line.

The same step back, the same ball toss, the same run-up.

That suffocating sense of oppression once again enveloped the entire venue.

"One more ball."

Oikawa Tetsu waved his arm in the air.

This time, the ball's trajectory was still terrifyingly accurate, as if it had a guidance system installed, and it once again hurtled towards Tsukishima Hotaru.

Never underestimate someone!

Hotaru Tsukishima gritted her teeth, quickly adjusted her footwork, and tried to receive the ball with a more stable posture.

But Oikawa Tetsu's serve is not only fast and heavy, but also has strong, irregular spin.

The volleyball slid outwards inexplicably the instant it made contact with Tsukishima's arm.

"laugh--"

The ball grazed Tsukishima's arm and flew out, heading straight for the rest area outside the court, knocking over a bunch of water bottles on the chairs.

Another serve scores a point.

23: 24.

Karasuno's match point is hanging by a thread.

"Tsk." Lu Ren scratched his head, looking at the man opposite him who was being cheered by his teammates, and felt a sense of powerlessness.

This game has a terrible experience.

Can I report the other team for cheating?