Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The gymnasium doors were pushed open again, and a series of crisp footsteps broke the awkward silence that Nishitani Yu had just created.

Kiyoko Shimizu walked in carrying a clipboard, her expression behind her black-rimmed glasses as aloof as ever. She seemed completely oblivious to the somewhat strange atmosphere in the arena that had become since Nishiya's arrival, and calmly walked toward the manager's bench.

"Senior Jiezi!"

Just moments ago, Nishitani Yuu was confronting Kageyama like a delinquent, but in an instant, he seamlessly switched from a "berserker" to a "sycophant." He sprang up as if he were on a spring, charging towards Shimizu with an aura of "if I don't go to hell, who will?"

"I've come to see you! Senior Jiezi! Did you miss me...?"

"Smack."

A crisp, pleasant slap echoed through the empty stadium.

Nishitani Yuu remained in his lunging stance, a clear, red handprint now etched on his left cheek. Shimizu Kiyoko withdrew her hand, her pace perfectly steady, and calmly walked past him.

"As expected, it's still like a storm as always." Sugawara Koji stood to the side, a wry smile on his face that seemed to indicate he was used to it.

Sawamura Daichi crossed his arms and sighed, "It's really noisy, isn't it? This guy."

Lu Ren, with the candy still in his mouth, looked at the little guy on the ground who, despite being slapped, was happily covering his face and grinning foolishly. He couldn't help but add a sound effect to the scene in his mind: [Player "Nishitani Yu" has been attacked physically, HP -1, mental pleasure +999].

"It is noisy." Dadi's eyes softened a little, "but his playing style on the field is surprisingly quiet."

Xi Gu Xi got up as if nothing had happened. He dusted off his pants, the red marks on his face still lingering, but his expression instantly turned cold. His playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a seriousness that commanded respect.

He walked straight up to Daichi Sawamura and cut to the chase: "Where's Asahi-senpai? Has he returned?"

The air froze instantly.

Sawamura Daichi lowered his gaze slightly, avoiding Nishiya's direct eye contact. Sugawara, standing beside him, awkwardly scratched his head.

"Not...not yet," the earth whispered.

"Tsk."

Nishitani Yu clicked her tongue sharply, her teeth grinding together. The anger that had been suppressed earlier surged up again, even more intensely than before.

"That useless bastard!" Nishiya roared, his voice filled with exasperated anger. "He's a big guy, but he's as cowardly as a mouse!"

"Hey! Aya!" Tanaka Ryunosuke couldn't stand it anymore, frowning as he stepped forward. "Don't talk about Asahi-senpai like that! He has his own difficulties..."

"Shut up, Dragon!" Nishitani retorted without hesitation, his eyes fierce. "Useless is useless! Since that coward isn't coming back, then I'm not coming back either!"

After saying that, he didn't give anyone a chance to explain and turned to leave. The school uniform jacket with "One Against a Thousand" written on it swung in a resolute arc behind him.

"A-Tani!" Tanaka tried to chase after him, but was blocked by Nishiya's uncommunicating back.

"I'll go after them!"

A figure in orange darted out. Hinata Shoyo didn't think much about it; all he could think about was, "The guy who's good at catching the ball is about to run away," and he dashed out of the gymnasium.

Watching this farce unfold, Lu Ren crushed the candy in his mouth with a crisp "crunch".

"So..." Lu Ren turned his head to look at Daichi and Sugawara, whose faces were gloomy, "What kind of drama is this? A family drama? Or a revenge story by an ex?"

The earth gave a bitter laugh and remained silent.

"What exactly happened?" Lu Ren's curiosity was indeed piqued. For that short guy who seemed loud but was actually very loyal to be so angry, that so-called "Senior Xu" must have done something extraordinary.

"To put it simply..." Sugawara sighed, his gaze somewhat unfocused, as if lost in some unpleasant memory, "It was last year's tournament. We encountered Date Industries in the second round."

"Date Kou?" Lu Ren searched his memory for the name but couldn't recall it.

"They are known for their blocking, nicknamed 'Iron Wall'," Sugawara explained. "In that match... our ace spiker, Higashimine Asahi, also known as Asahi-senpai from Nishitani, was completely shut down."

"No matter how many times you spike, it gets blocked. No matter how you attack, you can't break through that wall." Daichi's voice was heavy. "In that match, Nishitani desperately saved the ball. Several times, even when the ball was clearly blocked, Nishitani miraculously managed to save it, creating another opportunity for Asahi to attack."

"But..." Sugawara lowered his eyes, "Asahi finally... gave up on the attack. He felt he had let Nishinoya down, felt he couldn't score, and his mentality collapsed. After that, the two of them had a conflict. That broken mop in the storage room was broken at that time."

The stadium was silent for a few seconds.

Kageyama Tobio stopped spinning the ball, clearly hearing such detailed inside information for the first time.

After hearing this, Lu Ren's expression turned somewhat strange. He scratched his head, and his eyes, which had been sparkling with gossip, instantly dimmed.

"That's it?" Lu Ren asked.

"Huh?" Tanaka was taken aback. "What do you mean by 'that's all'?"

"I thought it was some tragic or bizarre story." Lu Ren shrugged, looking disappointed. "Like getting a terminal illness and having to retire from the sport, or getting his leg broken by a truck while saving a little girl crossing the street... Turns out, it's just because he lost a match and got depressed from being blocked at the net?"

"Hey! You bastard!" Tanaka instantly exploded, rushing forward and grabbing Lu Ren by the collar. "What do you know! Do you know how much pressure an ace player has to endure on offense? Do you know the despair of having every spike blocked? Do you know how painful it is to carry the hopes of the entire team but be unable to score?!"

Daichi's face was also very pale, but he still reached out to stop Tanaka: "Ryu, don't be impulsive."

Lu Ren let Tanaka grab his collar, his expression calm, even somewhat indifferent.

"I've never played in an official match, but I've played games." Lu Ren looked into Tanaka's eyes, his tone as calm as if he were discussing what to have for dinner. "In a dungeon, the main attacker is the DPS (damage dealer). The whole team's resources are focused on you, the tank (defender) absorbs damage for you, and the support (setter) buffs you. Why? So that you can deal damage."

Lu Ren pushed Tanaka's hand away and straightened his collar, which had been crumpled by his grip.

"As you said yourself, he's the ace. Since he enjoys the resources and glory that come with the title of 'ace,' he should be prepared to bear the corresponding pressure. It's an equal exchange."

Lu Ren glanced around at everyone, his gaze finally settling on the empty doorway.

"Setbacks are common. There are bosses stronger than you everywhere, and wiping in dungeons is a regular occurrence. If you delete your account and quit the game just because you failed a strategy once, or because the enemy's defense was too high to break through, or even drag your teammates down with you..."

Lu Ren paused, his voice becoming less teasing and more serious.

"The important thing is not whether you can withstand the pressure, but whether you have the belief to fight to the end. Even if the other side is an impenetrable wall, even if you are blocked a hundred times, as long as your teammates save the ball, even if you have to head it, you have to spike it over for the hundred and first time."

"Is this what they call an ace up?"

The stadium was deathly silent.

Tanaka opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to refute, but couldn't find the right words. Kageyama looked at Riku, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

After Lu Ren finished speaking, he ignored everyone's reactions and walked straight to the ball basket next to him, picking up a volleyball.

"Alright, stop being so sentimental. Didn't that free agent say he'd come back as long as the ace returns? Since the problem lies with that fragile ace, why not just find a way to fix him?"

Lu Ren tossed the ball into the air and assumed a catching stance.

"Until then, let's level up first. Otherwise, even if the ace returns, we'll still be noobs."

……

Meanwhile, by the flowerbeds outside the teaching building.

Nishitani Yu walked quickly, clearly still angry. Hinata Shoyo followed behind, panting, like a tireless little tail.

"Nishiya-senpai!" Hinata shouted.

Nishitani stopped in his tracks, whirled around, and yelled fiercely, "What? I already said I'm not going back! Don't try to persuade me!"

Hinata braked, braced himself on his knees and took a couple of breaths, then looked up at Nishiya with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Um... Nishiya-senpai is a libero who specializes in defense, right?"

Nishitani paused, then frowned even more deeply: "Why do you think I'm a libero? Is it because I'm short? Do you think short people can only play libero?"

He'd heard that kind of talk far too many times. His height disadvantage prevented him from competing at the net, forcing him to play in the back row. Although he was proud of his position, being defined by such reasons still bothered him somewhat.

"No!" Hinata shook his head vehemently, his eyes so sincere that no one could doubt him. "Because you're really good at catching the ball!"

Nishitani was stunned.

"That ball was so fast, and it even curved, but senpai caught it with a 'snap'! And he caught it so smoothly!" Hinata exclaimed, gesturing wildly. "The libero is a position that only the best receiver can play, right? So senpai must be the libero! And a really good one at that!"

Nishiya's expression stiffened for a moment, and the defensive spikes that had been raised seemed to soften a little.

"Hmph... I say, you're quite knowledgeable, aren't you?" Nishitani turned his head away, a slight smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips.

Seeing this, Hyuga immediately pressed his advantage: "And! Captain Daichi just said that!"

"The earth? What did he say?"

Hinata took a deep breath and said loudly in a tone full of admiration and awe, "He said—Nishiya-senpai is Karasuno's 'Guardian Deity'!"

boom--!

It felt as if an atomic bomb had exploded in Nishitani Yu's mind.

His face turned red at a visible speed, from the base of his neck all the way to the tips of his ears.

"Protect...protect...protect me..." Nishitani scratched his head nervously, trying to hide his overflowing smugness. "Even if he flatters me like this...I won't be happy! Really! Um...did he really say that?"

Hinata nodded vigorously: "I said it! I said you're the team's most reliable shield!"

"That damn Daichi-senpai!" Nishitani covered his face, twisting his body into an odd shape. "Giving me such a cool title... that's too much! Since he's already said that, I can't just give in so easily!"

This guy is completely overwhelmed.

The trio of Tanaka, Sugawara, and Daichi, who had been spying from a corner not far away, all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Um..." Hinata looked at Nishinoya's hesitant expression and cautiously made her request, "My receiving skills are still terrible... That ball just hit me right in the face. Receiving the ball is such a crucial skill in volleyball... so!"

Hinata bowed deeply and shouted, "Please teach me, Nishinoya-senpai!"

That one word, "senior," was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely shattering Nishitani Yu's psychological defenses.

Nishiya was practically floating on air. He puffed out his chest, patted Hinata's shoulder forcefully, and said with an air of magnanimity, "Alright! Since you've so sincerely asked for my guidance, how can I, as your senior, refuse! I'll treat you to Gari Gari-kun popsicles after training!"

"Really?! That's amazing!" Hinata cheered excitedly.

"But!" Nishiya held up a finger, emphasizing, "I'm only teaching you how to catch the ball, not promising to return to the team! As long as Asahi doesn't come back, I absolutely won't go back!"

"Yes! Thank you very much, senpai!" Hinata didn't care about the last sentence at all; all she could think about was learning to catch the ball and eating popsicles.

Seeing that the two single-celled organisms, one large and one small, had reached a consensus, the three third-year students in the corner exchanged a smile.

"It seems things have taken a turn for the better," Sugawara said softly.

Daichi looked at Nishiya's awkward yet energetic back and clenched his fist: "Yeah. Now, let's see how we can bring that 'fragile heart' back."