Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The setting sun streamed in through the high windows of the gymnasium, casting a golden glow on the dust motes in the air. The smell of burnt rubber mingled with the scent of sweat from the floor—a unique aroma characteristic of sports clubs.

Lu Ren sat on a bench by the field, a water bottle in his hand, his eyes fixed on the center of the field. He was trying to decipher a tutorial on a highly difficult skill—if you disregard the garbled language of the "NPC" who was gesticulating wildly.

"Listen carefully! That's the feeling!"

Nishitani Yu squatted down, lowering her center of gravity, and spread her hands outwards, like a wild beast poised to pounce.

"When the ball comes, 'whoosh' it!" Nishiya suddenly stepped to the left, his movement so fast it created a gust of wind.

"Then your arm has to 'whoosh'!" He brought his arms together, making a perfect passing motion.

"Finally, at the very moment of contact with the ball, 'thump!' the ball was sent flying!"

Nishitani Yuu stood up straight, hands on her hips, a confident expression on her face that said, "Now you guys should understand, right?" She looked intently at Hinata Shoyo in front of her: "How about that? Simple, right? It's just swish, whoosh, bang! Got it?"

Hinata Shoyo's mouth dropped open, and three huge question marks seemed to materialize on his orange head. He blinked, then blinked again, and finally shook his head honestly.

Lu Ren clutched his forehead in pain.

really.

He knew that trying to learn any theoretical knowledge from this creature that lived on instinct was like finding a needle in a haystack. This wasn't teaching; it was making an encrypted call.

"I can't understand a word!" Lu Ren couldn't help but complain. "What kind of teaching is this? Is it a lecture on onomatopoeia? Can't the skill manual be written in a way that sounds even a little more like human language?"

He had originally hoped to learn a couple of advanced passing techniques from this "guardian," at least enough to upgrade his defense from "paper-thin" to "wooden." Now it seemed more reliable to go find Daichi Sawamura. Although the captain's instruction was a bit dry, at least it used logic that humans could understand.

"No way, Aya." Ryunosuke Tanaka walked by carrying a mop, his face full of knowing wisdom. "Most people simply can't understand what someone like you, who plays ball based on spinal reflexes, is saying. Is there a converter missing between your brain circuits and your language center?"

"Huh?" Nishiya raised an eyebrow in displeasure. "I've made myself perfectly clear! It's the rhythm!"

"is that so?"

A cold voice broke in. Kageyama Tobio, holding a volleyball, nodded thoughtfully. "I think I understand now. Indeed, it's smoother to shift your weight in a 'whoosh' motion."

Tanaka almost dropped the mop in his hand.

"Huh? You understood?" Tanaka looked at Kageyama as if he were a monster.

"Because they're the same kind." Lu Ren unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip of water, expressionless. "The brainwaves of single-celled organisms are interconnected. Think about how Kageyama usually teaches Hinata? He runs over in a flash and jumps up with a whoosh. These two are basically on the same operating system."

After saying that, Lu Ren put down the water bottle, walked over to Hyuga who was still in a daze, and poked the back of his head.

"Hey, Hinata."

"What?" Hinata covered his head and turned around.

"Logically, this shouldn't be the case." Lu Ren looked the small, orange-clad guy up and down. "You're also the kind of wild animal who plays by instinct and intuition, so theoretically you should be able to receive Nishiya-senpai's signals. Am I mistaken? Are you actually a hidden theorist? Are those random runs you make actually the result of precise function calculations?"

"What are you talking about, Lu Ren!" Hinata jumped up and down in exasperation. "How could I be a theorist! I want to understand too! But what's the difference between 'whoosh' and 'whoosh'?!"

"It's probably just a difference in wind speed," Lu Ren casually made up.

The group playfully tidied up the volleyballs scattered on the ground. Hinata picked up a ball, then suddenly paused. He glanced at Nishiya Yu, who was arguing with Tanaka over who got to use the mop, a hint of hesitation flickering in his eyes.

"Um... Nishiya-senpai."

"Hmm?" Nishiya stopped what he was doing, tucking the mop under his arm. "What's wrong?"

Hinata swallowed hard, as if gathering her courage: "Just now... who exactly is this 'Asahi-senpai' that you mentioned earlier?"

The air in the stadium seemed to freeze for a second.

Sugawara Koji, who was wiping his sweat, froze, and Sawamura Daichi stopped tidying up the net. Lu Ren raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that this kid really knew how to hit a nerve, always stepping on a landmine.

Tanaka was about to rush forward and cover Hinata's mouth: "Hey! Idiot! Don't just say that name..."

"I suppose so."

Nishitani's voice interrupted Tanaka. The playful smile on his face faded slightly, and his gaze fell on the closed door of the gymnasium, his tone carrying a complex emotion.

"Let's just say it's Karasuno's ace."

"trump card?!"

These two words were like a high-voltage current, instantly piercing through Hinata Shoyo's central nervous system. His eyes widened instantly, as if two flames were burning in his pupils.

He had always thought that Karasuno didn't have an ace, or rather, that position was vacant. He never expected that there would actually be someone called an "ace."

"What are you spacing out about?" Nishiya asked, waving his hand in front of Hinata's eyes as he looked distracted.

Hinata snapped back to reality, gripping the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, her voice trembling slightly with excitement: "I...I want to become an ace!"

Lu Ren sighed softly beside him. Just as expected. Even after reality had crushed this kid's dream a hundred times, it remained as stubborn as a rock.

Nishitani Yu was stunned. He stared in astonishment at the first-year student who was even a little taller than him, as if he had heard some unbelievable joke.

"An ace? You think you can be an ace?" Nishitani gestured to show the height difference between them. "Just because of that height?"

Hinata shrugged, and the light in his eyes dimmed slightly.

"However..." Nishiya suddenly grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and patted Hinata's back forcefully, "You're not bad, kid! You have ambition!"

"Huh?" Hinata looked up.

"You want to be the 'Ace' because the title is cool, right?" Nishinoya gave him a knowing look. "Great! Go ahead and be it! So what if you're short? As long as you score points, you're the ace!"

He crossed his arms and snorted, "Compared to that cowardly ace who only knows how to run away, someone with drive like you is definitely more reliable!"

Hinata's previously dejected spirit was instantly ignited. He hadn't expected that this seemingly fierce senior wouldn't mock him, but instead would affirm him.

"Yeah! I think Ace is super cool too!" Hinata excitedly pumped his fist. "That 'boom' feeling of spiking the ball and scoring is just amazing!"

"Yes, he really is very handsome."

Nishitani nodded in agreement. But the next second, his tone suddenly changed.

"But, Shoyo."

Nishitani didn't call him by his surname, but by his first name. He turned around, his back to the setting sun, his orange team uniform standing out vividly in the backlight.

"During the match, when the opponent smashes the ball, the entire audience holds their breath."

Nishitani stretched out a finger and pointed to the ground.

"Those powerful smashes or tricky attacks certainly look spectacular. But what truly ignites the crowd isn't the type of smash."

Hinata stared at him blankly.

Lu Ren also stopped what he was doing, leaned against the hoop, and listened quietly.

"It was a catch." Nishiya's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable firmness. "It was when everyone thought 'it's over,' 'we're going to lose points,' that someone saved that seemingly hopeless ball."

Nishitani Yuu turned her head and looked at Hinata. Her eyes no longer held the usual noise and ostentation, but only a pure and extreme pride.

"In volleyball, being tall definitely has an advantage. However, the libero position is one of the few positions where shorter players can also compete in this world of giants."

He paused, a haughty smile curving his lips.

"However, I did not choose to be a free agent because of my height."

"Even if I were two meters tall, I would still be a free man."

At that moment, the boy, who was only about 1.6 meters tall, seemed to become incredibly tall in Hinata's eyes.

"So what if we can't spike or block?" Nishiya clenched his fist. "On the court, as long as the ball doesn't touch the ground, we won't lose. As long as we can receive the ball, the attack can continue."

"And those who are best able to do this are free people."

The stadium was completely silent.

Looking at Xi Gu Xi, Lu Ren couldn't help but feel a little moved. This must be what they call "professional faith." In the game, everyone rushes to play damage dealers, thinking that's the only way to have fun and carry. Very few people are willing to play tanks or supports, to do those dirty and tiring jobs.

But as Nishiya said, if no one holds the line, even the highest output is just a castle in the air. This guy, although he's usually noisy, has an absolute sense of pride in his position.

"So handsome..."

A heartfelt exclamation broke the silence.

Hinata Shoyo cupped his face in his hands, his eyes sparkling more than stars; they were practically bursting with excitement. He stared intently at Nishiya, his face flushed, and shouted, "Nishiya-senpai! What you just said! It was so cool!!"

west Gu Xi, who had been looking cool and arrogant, suddenly lost her composure.

"Varied……"

The blush spread visibly up his neck, instantly turning his entire face bright red.

"Don't...don't be so blunt! You jerk!" Nishiya frantically turned around, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I was just...saying it casually! You! Don't look at me like that!"

"But it's so cool!" Hinata persisted. "'Even if I'm two meters tall, I'll still be a free man!' I want to say lines like that too!"

"Stop making so much noise! ​​Hurry up and practice! Or I won't buy you an ice cream!"

Looking at Nishitani Yu, who had completely turned into a steam engine, Riku Ren couldn't help but laugh out loud.