Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The moment Lu Ren pushed open the door, he felt like he had just finished a three-hour raid. His health bar was almost empty, his mana bar was zero, and even the durability of his equipment was in the red.

The entryway light was on, but its warm yellow glow did nothing to restore his stamina. He kicked off his shoes, too weak to even straighten them, threw his backpack on the floor, and dragged himself into the living room with leaden steps, collapsing onto the sofa in a starfish shape.

"Oh dear, why do you come back looking like this?"

Lu Jianguo was sitting on a single sofa reading the newspaper when he saw his son's half-dead state. He put down his teacup, leaned over, and asked a question.

"Don't even mention it." Lu Ren buried his face in the cushion, his voice muffled. "We played a practice match against Aoba Josai today, a full three sets. I feel like every muscle in my body is sending a strike request to my brain, especially my thighs, they're so sore, it's like I was slammed into the ball a hundred times by that ace Iwaizumi Hajime."

"Did you win or lose?"

"We won." Lu Ren rolled over, staring at the ceiling. "A narrow victory. But the rewards were pretty good, and the team's synergy has improved a lot."

"It's good that you won, it's good that you won." Lu Jianguo chuckled and picked up the newspaper again. "Young people should move around more, so they don't sit in front of that game console all day and become dull."

Lu Ren didn't reply, but his stomach did make a loud rumbling sound.

He only managed to snag one energy bar at the Sakata store, and that little bit of energy was completely used up on the way home. He's so hungry now he could devour a whole cow, or at least three large meat buns.

"Mom—" Lu Ren shouted at the top of his lungs toward the kitchen, "Is there anything else to eat? I want to eat steamed buns, preferably with braised pork."

The sound of chopping vegetables came from the kitchen, the rhythm so fast it sounded like someone chopping ribs, even though it wasn't mealtime yet.

After a while, the kitchen door remained closed, and Lu Xin's voice pierced through the door, as cold as a Siberian blast: "Still want some steamed buns? Forget it."

The air in the living room froze instantly.

Lu Ren paused for a moment, stiffly turned his neck, and looked at his father.

Lu Jianguo's newspaper trembled slightly, and he quickly covered his face, pretending to be engrossed in studying the Japanese economic section, but his eyes, peeking out from the edge of the newspaper, betrayed him.

"Dad," Lu Ren said in a low voice, "What did you say? What have I done to offend the Empress Dowager?"

Lu Jianguo moved the newspaper down an inch, revealing an extremely innocent face: "What else can I say? Your mother is right, why eat steamed buns so late at night? It's easy to get indigestion."

"Don't give me that." Lu Ren sat up from the sofa, pointed to the kitchen, and said, "This tone is off. You're even using dialect like 'eat the hammer,' which means your anger level is at least 80%. Tell me honestly, did they find out you were hiding money?"

"Nonsense!" Lu Jianguo's eyes widened. "I've been behaving very well lately, leaving get off work on time every day, handing over my entire salary, and even smoking two fewer cigarettes. How could it be me?"

Lu Ren frowned: "What about me? I've been busy with club activities lately, I'm always on the go, I just collapse into bed as soon as I get home, I simply don't have the time to commit a crime."

"Then it's even less likely to be me." Lu Jianguo shrugged. "There are only three people in our family. By process of elimination, the remaining one is the truth."

"Truth my foot." Lu Ren rubbed his temples, his head aching. "So what do we do now? If this anger doesn't subside, tonight's dinner might turn into a trap. It might even trigger a 'family cold war' side quest."

Just then, the kitchen door was suddenly pulled open with a "whoosh".

Lu Xin stood in the doorway, an apron tied around her waist and a spatula in her hand. She didn't look at Lu Jianguo; her gaze was fixed on Lu Ren, who was still sitting on the sofa.

"What are you still lying there for?" Lu Xin said sternly. "Bring the food. Do I have to pay you?"

Lu Ren jolted awake, instantly reviving from near-death and sprang to his feet with agility: "Coming! Coming right now!"

He gave his dad a wink, and the two of them slunk into the kitchen.

The air pressure in the kitchen was so low it was suffocating. The rice cooker was steaming, and the chopped vegetables on the cutting board were neatly arranged, but the calm before the storm just wouldn't go away.

Lu Ren picked up two plates of stir-fried dishes, and while Lu Xin turned around to ladle soup, he leaned close to Lu Jianguo's ear: "Dad, something's not right. The Empress Dowager's face is even more terrifying than that serving monster I encountered today. We have to think of something."

Lu Jianguo held chopsticks in his hand, looking worried: "I want to too. But you know your mother's temper. If we don't know where the illness is, giving her random medication will only make her die a worse death."

"What should we do then? Just tough it out?"

"A head-on confrontation won't work; it'll easily lead to a total wipeout." Lu Jianguo's eyes darted around, and he lowered his voice. "Go to the Western Paradise and invite the Buddha."

Lu Ren nearly threw the plate he was holding: "Who?"

"Yazhi's mom." Lu Jianguo slapped him on the back with a look of exasperation. "She's the only one around here who can keep your mom in check. They're best friends, so if there's anything your mom can't tell us, she'll definitely tell her. Once we find out the reason, this level will be much easier to clear."

Lu Ren suddenly realized.

They need to bring in outside help.

"Got it." Lu Ren gave an OK sign. "I'll go get reinforcements."

After placing the dishes on the table, Lu Ren turned and slipped towards the door: "Hey Mom, I just remembered I left a notebook with Ya Zhi. I'll go get it and be right back!"

"It's almost time to eat, why are you running around like that!" Lu Xin shouted from behind.

"Five minutes! Just five minutes!"

Lu Ren rushed out the door without looking back.

The evening breeze on his face eased the tense atmosphere in the house a little. Yazhi's house was just next door, and Lu Ren ran over familiarly and rang the doorbell.

The person who opened the door was Ya-zhi's mother, a gentle woman. She was somewhat surprised to see Lu Ren, who was panting. "It's Lu Ren. Is something urgent that's happening so late? Ya-zhi is taking a shower upstairs."

"Auntie, I'm not looking for Yazhi." Lu Ren clasped his hands together, looking sincere. "I'm here to see you. Something terrible has happened. My backyard is on fire, and I've come specifically to ask you for help."

Ya-zhi's mother was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "What's wrong? Is your mother angry again?"

"This time it's different, it's an area-of-effect (AOE) damage that came out of nowhere," Lu Ren explained quickly. "My dad and I are completely stunned, we have no idea what mechanism was triggered. You're an expert in this area, please take a look, otherwise my dad and I will have to sleep on the floor tonight."

Ya-zhi's mother was amused and took off her apron: "Okay, I'll go take a look. I also made some kimchi, I'll take it with me."

Lu Ren breathed a sigh of relief and led the reinforcements back.

Back home, Lu Xin was sitting on the sofa, lost in thought. The TV was on, but her eyes were clearly not focused on the screen. When she saw Ya Zhi's mother come in, the frost on her face melted a little, but it still looked forced.

"Oh, what brings you here at this hour?" Lu Xin stood up.

"Lu Ren said you made something delicious and insisted on dragging me over for a free meal." Ya Zhi's mother smiled as she placed the jar of kimchi on the tea table and naturally took Lu Xin's hand. "I'll let you try some of the kimchi I just made. You said you wanted the spicy and sour kind last time."

Lu Xin paused for a moment, glanced at the father and son who were pretending to be stupid beside her, and did not expose them.

"If you're coming, then come. Why bring anything?" Lu Xin sighed and pulled Ya Zhi's mother to sit down. "Perfect, I'm too lazy to talk to those two heartless people."

Lu Ren and Lu Jianguo exchanged a glance and retreated to a corner of the restaurant in perfect unison, like two NPCs waiting for the system to settle accounts, not daring to breathe loudly.

In the living room, the two women spoke in hushed tones.

At first, it was Ya-zhi's mother who was talking, and Lu Xin would occasionally respond. Gradually, Lu Xin became more talkative, and her voice even took on a slightly nasal quality.

Lu Ren pricked up his ears, trying to catch the key information.

"...Nothing much, just went to the supermarket today..."

"...Seeing that chili sauce, suddenly..."

"...It's been so long since I've been back..."

Lu Jianguo listened from the side, his expression gradually becoming serious. He sighed softly, his back slightly hunched.

Suddenly, a low sob was heard coming from the living room.

Lu Ren's heart skipped a beat.

Turning around, I saw that the usually decisive and efficient Empress Dowager, who could lift a bag of rice with one hand and scold people without using a single swear word, was now lying in Ya-zhi's mother's arms, her shoulders shaking.

Ya-zhi's mother gently patted her back, saying comforting words and gesturing with her eyes for the two wooden stakes to stay away.

Lu Ren was at a loss. In his memory, his mother was the kind of boss-level character with super armor, and the probability of her shedding tears was even lower than the probability of him getting a gold card in a gacha pull.

"Dad..." Lu Ren called out softly, "This..."

Lu Jianguo waved his hand, signaling him to be quiet.

After about ten minutes, the crying gradually subsided. Lu Xin took the tissues handed to her by Ya Zhi's mother, wiped her face somewhat embarrassedly, and resumed her tough demeanor, though her eyes were still a little red.

"Alright, it's nothing, why did you have to make a special trip?" Lu Xin sniffed and gave Ya Zhi's mother a push. "Go back now, Ya Zhi must be hungry being home alone."

Ya-zhi's mother stood up, walked over to the dining area, and said to Lu Jianguo in a low voice, "It's okay, you just need to vent."

"It's because..." Lu Jianguo hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

"I miss home," Ya-zhi's mother sighed. "Today she saw those Sichuan-made broad bean pastes at the supermarket, in the old-fashioned packaging, and it suddenly brought back so many memories. You've been away from home for almost ten years now, haven't you? She's always taking care of things by herself at home, with no one to talk to, and she feels so stifled."

Lu Ren felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this.

He's busy with school, playing ball, and video games every day, while his dad is busy with work and social engagements. In this foreign land, only his mom has the smallest social circle, facing only the mundane details of daily life and an empty house.

The so-called "eat hammer" is nothing more than a venting of emotions on the verge of collapse.

"I understand." Lu Jianguo nodded, his face full of guilt. "Thank you, Auntie."

"No need to thank me, we're just neighbors." Ya-zhi's mother waved her hand. "Alright, you guys eat. Don't provoke her, just be nice to her."

After seeing Ya-Chih's mother off, the father and son exchanged a glance and simultaneously gave each other an OK sign.

Lu Jianguo took a deep breath, composed himself, and strode into the living room.

Lu Xin was sitting on the sofa in a daze, clutching the wad of tissues in her hand.

Lu Jianguo walked over, didn't say anything, and sat down next to her, reaching out his arm to pull her into his embrace.

Lu Xin struggled for a moment: "What? You smell like cooking oil."

"The smell of cooking oil makes it feel like home." Lu Jianguo didn't let go, but instead hugged her even tighter. "Wife, you've worked so hard."

Lu Xin stiffened for a moment and then stopped moving.

"I know you're upset," Lu Jianguo said softly. "You came here with me to a place where you don't know anyone, and we can't even find enough people to play mahjong. I'm busy too, and Lu Ren is such a troublemaker. I'm sorry you had to suffer."

Lu Ren, listening nearby, really wanted to retort, "Am I not troublesome enough?" But after thinking about it, he held back. Interrupting at this moment would be tantamount to courting death.

"I've made up my mind," Lu Jianguo continued, his tone becoming firm. "I just checked the calendar; the Lunar New Year is early this year. Once Lu Ren's winter break starts, we'll buy tickets and go home."

Lu Xin suddenly looked up, her eyes lighting up: "Really?"

"Really." Lu Jianguo smiled and playfully flicked her nose. "I've already picked out the tickets. They're a bit expensive, but we've got a lot of bonuses this year. Let's go back and see Mom and Dad, have a proper hot pot dinner, and eat all the things you've been craving, like rabbit heads and pig brains."

Lu Xin's eyes instantly lit up, the lifeless despair vanishing. She leaned against Lu Jianguo, a slight smile finally appearing on her lips: "You said it yourself. If you dare to go back on your word, I'll really make you regret it."

"I will never go back on my word," Lu Jianguo swore, raising his hand.

Lu Ren leaned against the restaurant door frame, watching this scene, and the huge weight in his heart finally lifted.

Although there were no thrilling smashes or exquisite tactical plays, the bond of "home" seemed to fill the void in my heart more than any victory in a match.

"Ahem." Lu Ren coughed twice on purpose, breaking the overly warm atmosphere. "Well, gentlemen, shouldn't we start eating? The food is getting cold, and my health bar is almost empty."

Lu Xin sat up from Lu Jianguo's lap, glared at him, but the murderous intent in her eyes had vanished: "All you ever think about is eating. Go, get some rice!"

"Alright!"

Lu Ren scurried into the kitchen and filled three large bowls with rice.

At the dinner table, the atmosphere finally returned to normal. Lu Xin picked up a piece of twice-cooked pork for Lu Jianguo and another for Lu Ren, still nagging, "Eat more. You're so skinny, how can you have the strength to play ball?"

Lu Ren shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth and mumbled, "Mom, this meat is absolutely amazing, a million times better than anything you get at restaurants."

"Nonsense." Lu Xin rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but smile. "Don't you even know who did it?"

Outside the window, the night was deep. Inside, the lights were warm and bright.

For Lu Ren, today's dungeon was full of twists and turns, but in the end, he still achieved a perfect ending.

As for the debuff called "nostalgia," it will eventually be completely purified in the face of "going home," the ultimate teleportation point.