Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

On the last day of the Golden Week holiday, the lingering smell of Salonpas finally disappeared from the air, replaced by the restlessness before the final battle.

When Kiyoko Shimizu walked into the stadium carrying a neatly folded stack of black team uniforms, the previously noisy venue instantly fell silent. For these simple-minded individuals, the allure of new equipment was no less than that of a legendary loot drop in a game.

"Distribute according to grade and position." Shimizu's voice was still clear and cold, but it sounded like heavenly music to everyone.

Lu Ren took his turn. He unfolded it, and a large "13" was printed on the back.

"Wow, number 13." Lu Ren raised an eyebrow, tracing the number with his finger. "In Western religions, it's an ominous sign. In Tarot, it represents 'death,' which is both an end and a rebirth. For a 'bug' who walks the line of the rules, this number is practically tailor-made."

"Couldn't you think of something auspicious?" Sugawara Koji complained helplessly as he put on his number 2 jersey, "like the Thirteen Trials or something."

"You don't understand, Sugawara-senpai." Lu Ren quickly changed into his team uniform, tugged at his collar, and said, "Villains usually like these numbers that have a curse-like quality, they come with their own intimidating aura."

After changing into their uniforms, everyone assembled. The black stand-up collar uniforms, with the four bright words "Kanasano High School" on the back, certainly gave this team, which originally looked like a ragtag group, a bit of the menacing aura of a regular army.

Except for Dongfeng Xu.

This ace, with his small mustache and topknot, exuded an even more menacing aura after donning the black team uniform. Just standing there adjusting his knee pads created a vacuum within a two-meter radius around him.

"Let's go." With a command from Daichi Sawamura, the entire Karasuno group headed towards the school gate.

As soon as I stepped out of the stadium, I ran into a group of people wearing red tracksuits.

Yinju High School, seemingly lazy like a cat, yet harbors a deadly intent.

The atmosphere instantly became tense as the two armies faced off.

Lu Ren's eyes darted around, and he quickly slipped from the back of the line to Dong Fengxu's side, straightening his back and raising his chin slightly, striking a servile pose.

"Boss," Lu Ren said in a low voice, just loud enough for the other end to hear, "just give the order, and the brothers will take care of these guys in red right now. No need to get your hands dirty."

Dong Fengxu was about to greet him politely when he heard this. His already stiff face contorted with tension, becoming even more ferocious and terrifying. He frantically reached out to stop Lu Ren, stammering, "Wait, wait a minute..."

But in the eyes of the others, the bearded man with a face full of scars was raising his hand with a fierce expression, as if he were giving some kind of violent command.

"That big guy... he's a repeat student, right? He's definitely a repeat student!" In the Nekoma group, a guy with a mohawk—Yamamoto Taketora—was on high alert, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. "This guy isn't a high school student, he's clearly a loan shark!"

But he quickly regained his composure and roared to bolster his courage: "Hey! What are you looking at! Do you think we're afraid of you?!"

Dong Fengxu was on the verge of tears, waving his arms frantically in front of his chest, trying to explain: "No, no, no, everyone calm down, Lu Ren, don't talk nonsense..."

"Did you hear that?" Lu Ren didn't give Dong Feng a chance to explain. He pointed at Yamamoto Tiger with an arrogant look on his face. "Our boss said to keep your distance and not scare your little kitten."

"Huh?!" Yamamoto, the Tiger, had veins bulging on his forehead like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "What did you say? Just wait until I smash you crows at the net later!"

"oh?"

A strange cry rang out from Karasuno's side.

Tanaka Ryunosuke tilted his head, his already intimidating face now filled with even more provocation. He strode to the front, blocking Higashi Mine and Lu Ren.

"What nonsense are you spouting, mohawk guy?" Tanaka cracked his knuckles. "Watch out, I might just crush you all with one hand!"

The two "villainous faces" drew closer and closer, and it seemed as if electric sparks were crackling in the air.

Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control and escalate into a street brawl, two hands reached out at the same time.

One hand pressed down on Yamamoto Takeshi's head, the other hand—

Sawamura Daichi slapped Lu Ren's shoulder hard.

"Lu Ren." Daichi's voice sounded extremely kind, with a standard, cheerful smile on his face, but Lu Ren felt like his collarbone was about to be crushed. "Looks like the team uniforms were given out too early. You should have been wearing a straitjacket, right?"

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Captain! My bones are going to break!" Lu Ren immediately cowered, shrinking back and saying, "This was just a tactical deterrent! A tactic!"

On the other side, Nekoma's captain, Tetsuro Kuroo, also pulled Yamamoto Takeo back with a smile: "Alright, don't embarrass yourself on the road. Sorry, our cat is a bit shy."

"No, no." Da Di increased the pressure on his hand, making Lu Ren wince in pain. "It's just that our family's jinx is too sharp."

Although the two captains were apologizing to each other, their eyes clearly conveyed the message: the real test will be on the field later.

After this "friendly exchange," both sides finally entered the stadium.

Just as everyone was getting ready to warm up, Hinata Shoyo suddenly jumped up like a spring and waved at an inconspicuous "pudding head" in the Nekoma team.

"Grind it—!"

Kozume Kenma was huddled in a corner trying to be invisible when he heard the shout. He visibly stiffened and whispered, "...Shoyo."

What should have been a heartwarming scene of two online friends meeting in person was disrupted by Yamamoto Takeo, who was clearly still reeling from their earlier confrontation. Upon seeing his shy and socially awkward setter being approached, he immediately charged at him like a rabid dog guarding its food.

"Hehehe!" Yamamoto Tiger brought his face close to Hyuga's, his expression twisted. "What brings you to our team's setter? Trying to spy on us? Huh?"

Startled by the sudden appearance of the large face, Hinata shrank back, stammering, "I'm sorry!"

"Hello!"

Ryunosuke Tanaka reappeared. He appeared behind Hyuga as if teleported, his face dark as he glared down at Yamamoto: "You guys are the ones who want to harass our first-year team members. What do you want? Want to fight?"

Yamamoto, not to be outdone, retorted: "You have a problem with that, bald guy!"

"Want to have a fight, City boy!" Tanaka roared out that classic line.

The two men pressed their foreheads together, spittle flying everywhere, as if a raging fire were burning in the background.

Lu Ren stood not far away, holding a water bottle in his hand, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Tanaka and Yamamoto Takeo, his expression becoming somewhat subtle.

"Did the art team slack off on this game?" Lu Ren nudged Tsukishima Kei next to him with his elbow. "Apart from the hairstyle, these two characters' models are basically Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, right? Even their personality settings and dialogue styles are the same. Is this some kind of 'other me in the world'?"

Hotaru Tsukishima pushed up her glasses and sneered, "The structures of single-celled organisms are always strikingly similar."

Just as Tanaka and Yamamoto were about to escalate their verbal argument into a physical fight, two figures silently appeared behind them.

The libero for Otokoma is Yoru Eisuke, and the setter for Karasuno is Sugawara Koji.

The two moved in unison, each grabbing their own idiot by the back of his collar and dragging him backward.

"Don't run wild on other people's turf!" Yoru kicked Yamamoto in the butt.

"I'm sorry, our idiot has caused you trouble." Sugawara bowed apologetically, pressing Tanaka's head down.

"No, it's just that our fools are being ignorant." Yaku also bowed to Yamamoto.

The two exchanged a glance and sighed simultaneously, displaying a mutual sympathy reminiscent of single mothers raising rebellious sons.

Lu Ren watched with great interest and couldn't help but exclaim, "See? This is the power of 'mother'. No matter how fierce a stray dog ​​is, it will obey when its mother grabs its ear."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than four sharp eyes flew over at once.

Sugawara, Tanaka, Yaku, Yamamoto.

"Shut up!" the four of them said in unison.

Lu Ren raised his hands in surrender: "Alright, successful aggro luring, maximum aggro."

Just then, Yamamoto Taketora, who had been in a rage, suddenly froze. His gaze swept past the Karasuno crowd and landed squarely on the sidelines.

There, Kiyoko Shimizu was tidying up water bottles, while Aya Kiyosawa was talking to her in a notebook. Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the two of them in its glow; the scene was so beautiful it looked like it had been filtered.

Yamamoto Taketora's pupils dilated in shock, his mouth gaped open wide enough to fit a volleyball, and he staggered backward as if struck by lightning.

"Female...Manager..."

He pointed in that direction with trembling hands, his voice filled with despair and disbelief.

"There are...two of them?!"

Moreover, one is the aloof and mature type, and the other is the girl-next-door type.

"Damn it! Karasuno!" Yamamoto Taketora knelt on the ground, pounding his fists on the floor, tears of jealousy streaming down his face. "Not only do you have that beautiful manager, but there's another one! Is this your strength? Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!"

Behind him, Inokoma's Inugami Kakeru and another person gave each other a high five.

"Great, I won the bet!"

"I knew it would happen, the fried noodle bread is in my hands."

Looking at the mohawk-haired man across from him, who was crying his eyes out, Lu Ren shook his head: "It seems that no matter which server you're on, the mental damage caused by the 'single dog' debuff is a true critical hit."

On the other side, Tobio Kageyama was staring intently at the pudding-headed guy named Maru.

"How do you know the other player?" Kageyama asked Hinata, his tone carrying a hint of tension that was barely perceptible.

"Ah, he's the one I met when I got lost while running." Hinata scratched his head. "He said he was a setter."

"Setter..."

The flame in Kageyama's eyes ignited instantly. To him, any opponent in the same position was a high wall that had to be overcome. What's more, that seemingly unmotivated guy actually managed to get Hinata to take the initiative to talk to him.

In the center of the stadium.

Sawamura Daichi and Kuroo Tetsuro clasped hands together.

Please give me your guidance.

Please give me your guidance.

Both men wore fake, polite smiles like adults, but their handshake lasted unnaturally long, with the veins on the backs of their hands bulging.

"Looks like this is going to be a tough battle." Lu Ren glanced at the coaching bench.

There, the young Ukai Shishin and the wrinkled cat coach were also sizing each other up.

"Long time no see, Little Uo-yang." The cat coach smiled like a wise old cat. "You look just like your grandfather. I wonder how much of your skills you've learned?"

Ukai thought to himself, "We will win."

The whistle blew.

"gather!"

Lu Ren took a deep breath and carried the ominous number 13 on his back.

The instance is now open.