Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The air in the stadium seemed to freeze for a moment, before being broken by a few rapid breaths.

Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shoyo walked side by side to Sawamura Daichi. The two of them bowed at a ninety-degree angle like elementary school students who had done something wrong, their movements perfectly synchronized.

"terribly sorry!"

Kageyama's voice was a little tense: "We were being willful, which caused the match to be interrupted."

"Please let us continue the match!" Hinata shouted, nearly hitting his head on the floor. "Please!"

Sawamura Daichi looked at the two troublesome first-years in front of him, and the tense lines of his face slowly relaxed. He sighed and waved his hand: "Alright, now that it's over, then you'd better play well. If you lose, you can forget about eating meat buns in the future."

"Yes!" The two were instantly revived.

Ryunosuke Tanaka clapped his hands loudly, the sound echoing in the empty stadium, sounding particularly invigorating: "Alright! Now that these two freaks have come back to life, let's catch up in one go! Don't let them lose to those old men!"

"oh!!!"

The match resumed.

On a bench by the field, Wu Yangxixin sat with an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, his gaze fixed on the two first-year students who had started running again. The afterimage of that shot from just moments before still lingered in his mind.

That speed, that unreasonable trust.

"Teacher," Wu Yang said without turning around, his gaze still fixed on the field, "those two guys, are they from the same junior high school? Or have they been teaming up since elementary school?"

Takeda Ittetsu was tidying up towels when he heard this. He paused for a moment, then waved his hand with a wry smile: "Hyuga-kun and Kageyama-kun? No, no, no, that's not it at all."

He adjusted his glasses, his tone tinged with a touch of melancholy: "As far as I know, they only met shortly before joining the department. In fact, at the beginning, they had a huge fight because of their incompatible personalities, and almost knocked the dean's wig off..."

"Huh?" A look of astonishment appeared on Ukai Kishin's fierce face. "We've only known each other for a short time? Are you kidding me?"

This level of understanding, was it really just put together on the spot?

On the field, the situation changed once again.

With the return of the unreasonable, bug-level skill "Weird Fast Break," Karasuno's offensive pace was instantly accelerated. Kageyama's passes were so precise they were like surgical procedures, and Hinata was the sharpest scalpel, cutting open one gap after another in the town's defense.

The score went back and forth.

20: 18.

The town team still leads by two points, but this slight advantage is being eroded little by little.

As the rounds changed, the serve returned to the town's team.

Standing behind the service line was Makoto Shimada. This supermarket owner, who usually looked like an ordinary person, was now holding a volleyball, his expression strangely calm.

"These days, whether they're high schoolers or kids, they're really scary." Shimada Makoto gently patted the ball. "But, I'm an old man who's been on the court before. If I'm looked down upon like this, I'll lose face."

He took a deep breath and stepped back a few paces.

Lu Ren stood in the back row, squinting his eyes.

If it's a powerful jump serve, Shimada's physique and muscle type don't support that kind of explosive output. So...

Makoto Shimada made a move.

The pace of his run-up was strange; it wasn't fast, even a bit sluggish. His jump wasn't high either, but his arm swing was very crisp, with a clear "pushing" motion at the moment his palm struck the ball.

"They're here." Lu Ren's heart skipped a beat.

The volleyball flies over the net.

There is no rotation.

The ball seemed to have been muted, drifting aimlessly through the air. It didn't look like it was hit; rather, it was like a balloon blown by the wind, its trajectory completely defying the laws of physics.

"I'll do it!"

Hinata shouted and charged forward with great confidence. His dynamic vision was excellent; the ball didn't seem to be moving fast and was well within his catch range.

He lowered his center of gravity, stretched out his arms, and prepared to make a standard diving catch.

Just as his arm was about to touch the ball, the volleyball, which had been flying steadily, suddenly seemed to be pressed down hard by an invisible hand.

A sudden drop!

"Huh?"

Hinata stared wide-eyed as the volleyball grazed his wrist and slammed onto the floor with a "thud".

The judgment was completely wrong.

Hinata lay sprawled on the ground, still in the position to catch the ball, looking completely bewildered: "Gone...gone?"

"That's a jump float ball."

On the sidelines, Ukai Shishin watched this scene and explained to the bewildered Takeda, "By hitting the center of the ball, you prevent it from spinning. This makes the air resistance the ball experiences during flight extremely unstable. Just like a knuckleball in baseball, it can suddenly turn or plummet."

He paused, then added, "For beginners whose catching skills are not yet mature, this is the most disgusting magic ball."

Standing beside the scoreboard, Tadashi Yamaguchi's hand, which was flipping the ball, froze. He stared intently at Makoto Shimada on the service line, his usually timid eyes now gleaming with a light that seemed to be filled with longing.

That kind of serve that doesn't require height or strength, but only skill to score...

The game continues.

Shimada Makoto is clearly an extremely fair person. Since he gave a gift to Hinata, he naturally wants to share the favor with everyone.

Next ball, target Ryunosuke Tanaka.

"Watch this!" Tanaka roared, striking an iron-clad stance.

The ball floated over.

The ball wobbled.

"Holy crap!" Tanaka yelled as the ball hit the outside of his forearm and flew straight into the stands.

Next ball, target Tsukishima Hotaru.

Tsukishima frowned, took a half-step back, and tried to avoid the change in trajectory by catching the ball with his overhand. But when the ball came in front of him, it strangely shifted half a body length to the left.

Tsukishima's fingers barely grazed the ball.

Score.

The score is now 23-18.

"The game's balance is terrible!" Lu Ren mentally ranted. "This unpredictable projectile trajectory is practically an RNG (random number generation) mechanism! It tests not only skill but also luck?"

Makoto Shimada serves again.

This time, the elusive ball headed straight for Lu Ren.

"They actually dare to challenge a pro player?"

Lu Ren adjusted his glasses, his mind racing. Based on the previous trajectories, this ball would most likely change direction three meters after crossing the net. If only he could anticipate it…

He shifted his feet slightly, sliding to the right in advance.

The ball is here.

Lu Ren confidently extended his hand.

Then, as if mocking his calculations, the ball suddenly floated up in front of him, passed over his arm, and landed on his heel.

"..."

Lu Ren remained in the position of receiving the ball, feeling that his gaming career had been insulted.

"The physics engine is bugged, isn't it? It's definitely bugged!"

24: 18.

The town team has secured the match point.

"Last ball!" Shimada Makoto wiped his sweat and served again.

This time, Sawamura Daichi, standing in the very center of the back row, was shaken. As Karasuno's most solid defensive cornerstone, he didn't panic like the others, but instead stared intently at the ball's trajectory.

"This ball isn't going past!"

The earth's legs are firmly planted, and the chest is used to receive the ball.

"Bang!"

Although the ball was still darting around, the ground used its extremely solid fundamentals to forcefully deflect the force and lift it high into the air.

"Good catch!" Kageyama shouted, quickly running to the landing spot.

In the front row, Hinata Shoyo sprang into action like a rabbit on a spring.

"The bait has been deployed!"

Shimada Makoto and Takigami were instinctively drawn to Hyuga's movement and jumped to block.

However, Kageyama pressed his wrist back.

The volleyball traced a back pass arc and flew to the other side.

There, Ryunosuke Tanaka had been holding back his anger for a long time.

"Damn volleyball, explode!!!"

Tanaka leaped high and smashed the ball with all his might. This shot carried all his resentment towards his previous receiving error, and it was powerful and heavy.

"nice shot!"

Just when the Karasuno team thought they were about to score, a figure flew out.

Xiguxi.

"It's not over yet!"

The guardian deity used an extremely exaggerated leap to catch the ball with the back of his hand just before it hit the ground.

"Asahi-senpai!" Nishitani shouted.

Sugawara Koji quickly filled in at setter, his eyes resolute: "Asahi!"

Dong Fengxu took a running start and jumped. His massive body stretched out in the air, like a battle axe about to unleash a thunderbolt.

At the net, Hinata and Daichi jumped with all their might to block.

"Stop him!"

"Bang!"

A loud bang.

The volleyball slammed heavily into the arms of both players, the immense force breaking through their blocking form. Although the ball was grazed, it still flew with strong spin towards Karasuno's backcourt.

That's a blind spot.

"It's over..." Shimada Seiji wanted to breathe a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the landing spot that should have been empty.

Lu Ren.

He didn't make any spectacular saves; he simply stood there, as if he already knew the ball would fly this way. He even had the leisure to adjust his stance, then bring his hands together and lift them upwards following the force of the ball.

"Although I can't compete in terms of strength, I'm a professional in ballistics calculation."

The ball was steadily returned to the town's team's field.

Because the ball had a strong spin, it bounced out of bounds after landing.

24: 19.

Karasuno's life was successfully extended.

"Good shot, Lu Ren!" Tanaka excitedly rushed over to pat Lu Ren on the back, but Lu Ren nimbly dodged.

"Stop filming, your HP is going to drop." Lu Ren gasped for breath.

On the sidelines, Ukai Shishin frowned and turned to Takeda, asking, "That...is his name Riku Ren, right? How long has he been playing volleyball?"

"Uh..." Coach Takeda thought for a moment, "About... two weeks? He only started playing volleyball after joining the club."

"Two weeks?" Karasuno almost bit his tongue. "Are you kidding me? That positioning just now was completely anticipating the ball's trajectory after the block was broken through. You're saying he's a two-week rookie with that kind of awareness? What's wrong with Karasuno this year?"

Rotation.

Lu Ren walked towards the service line.

Holding the volleyball in his hand, Lu Ren felt the gaze of the entire arena.

"Good serve!" Daichi Sawamura shouted.

"Go Lu Ren!" Hinata jumped up and down in front of him.

Lu Ren took a deep breath.

The moment Shimada Makoto served replayed in his mind like a videotape.

Approach rhythm, hitting point, hand power generation...

"Since it's all about skill, as long as the action commands are correct, the skill can be successfully released, right?" Lu Ren's lips curled into a chuunibyou smile. "Skill copying, loading complete."

He took a few steps back.

The race begins.

At that moment, everyone held their breath.

Lu Ren's movements were exactly the same as Shimada Makoto's just now!

"No way?" Shimada Makoto's eyes widened. "This kid's going to learn it all on the spot?"

Lu Ren jumped and swung his arm.

The palm strikes the center of the volleyball.

"Go! Ultimate Kill - Shadowless Magic Ball!" he shouted in his mind.

The volleyball slipped from my hand.

No rotation!

There really was no rotation!

The volleyball wobbled through the air, flying off with a chillingly unpredictable trajectory, heading straight for the net.

The members of the town's guild were stunned. What if he had really fooled them...?

then.

"Smack."

The volleyball struck the middle of the net precisely, got caught in the mesh, and then slid down limply.

A deathly silence.

Lu Ren maintained the cool pose he had just finished swinging his arm, his right hand still hovering in the air, like an awkward sculpture.

The referee whistle blows.

competition is over.

The town team won.

"..."

Three seconds later, Tanaka burst into maniacal laughter: "Hahahaha! What are you doing! You tried to look so cool, and then you posted it online!"

Lu Ren calmly withdrew his hand, thinking, "As long as I'm not embarrassed, it's others who will be." He continued, "This was a tactical mistake. I was just testing the skill's judgment range."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Tanaka pointed at the volleyball rolling away. "You were definitely trying to imitate Mr. Shimada's jump float shot, weren't you?! You thought you could learn it after just one glance? Do you think you have the Sharingan?!"

Hotaru Tsukishima walked over, looking down at Rikuren with a faint hint of sarcasm on her lips: "Quite courageous, isn't she?"

This statement was far more damaging than Tanaka's mockery.

Lu Ren felt like he'd been shot in the knee, but he stubbornly retorted, "Can't I practice secretly? How do you know I didn't?"

"Oh?" Tsukishima raised an eyebrow. "That hit rate is truly appalling."

Kageyama Tobio walked over with a dark expression, holding a volleyball in his hand, radiating a menacing aura: "Hey, if this were a formal match, that kind of reckless serve would have killed you."

Lu Ren looked at Kageyama's terrifying face, shrank back, but still stubbornly persisted: "It's precisely because it's a practice match that we need to be brave enough to try! How can we update the version if we don't test new skills? Do you think I'm a newbie who can't grasp the big picture?"

Kageyama stared at him for a while, then snorted coldly, "Next time you serve that half-baked ball, I'll use the back of your head as a serving target."

"……receive."

Despite losing the game, the atmosphere in the stadium was not heavy.

On everyone's face was sweat and a glow of hope.

Lu Ren looked at Nishiya, who was embracing Higashimine Asahi, and at Hyuga and Kageyama, who were being lectured by Coach Ukai, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Although we failed the dungeon," he muttered to himself, "it seems like we finally have a complete team."