Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

"Beep—"

The whistle blew, and the substitution sign was raised.

With a "finally off work" expression, Tsukishima Hotaru strolled leisurely to the sidelines. Taking his place was Tanaka Ryunosuke, whose knuckles were already cracking from gripping the ball so tightly.

"Alright! Finally, it's my turn!" Tanaka said, doing chest-expanding exercises while scanning the other side of the net with a fierce look that could scare a child. "Hey, you with the mohawk, wash your neck and get ready!"

Lu Ren stood to the side, feeling his eardrums buzzing. He glanced at the equally spirited members of the Onmyoji team opposite him and couldn't help but complain, "This scene is too beautiful. I feel like they're going to charge at us shouting lines like 'friendship' and 'bonds' at us any second now."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Wu Yangxin roared from the sidelines, waving his rolled-up tactical board with a whooshing sound. "The tactics are simple! Don't use your brains! Use strength! Use speed! Smash that damn defensive wall!"

"Oh, oh, oh! Did you hear that, Lu Ren? The coach said we should smash them!" Tanaka patted Lu Ren on the back with such force that it felt like he was hitting a watermelon.

Lu Ren was so shocked by the slap that he almost choked. He rolled his eyes and said, "I heard that. This tactic called 'reckless' is really easy to understand."

On the sidelines, Takeda Ittetsu pushed up his glasses with some concern: "Ukai-kun, I understand why Tanaka replaced Tsukishima to strengthen the attack, but keeping Riku in the front row... his blocking height is not as good as Tsukishima's after all."

"Teacher, this is the key." Wu Yangxi plopped down in a chair, crossed his legs, and said, "I've finally found the right instruction manual for Lu Ren."

"manual?"

"That's right. His stats are indeed mediocre; he lacks Hyuga's jumping ability and Kageyama's technique. But," Ukai narrowed his eyes, looking at number 13 rubbing his shoulder on the court, "when he partners with Tsukishima, he's the 'patchwork' responsible for filling in the gaps, specifically dealing with those soft balls after a block. But when he partners with an offensive maniac like Tanaka…"

Wu Yang paused, then grinned: "His half-baked passing skills and that quick wit are the most troublesome 'chaos-creating machine'."

The game continues on the field.

The score is 18-21. Otoko Yamamoto serves.

"Euro!"

This shot, clearly driven by anger, went straight for the back corner.

"I'll take it!" Nishitani Yu appeared at the landing point like lightning, her arms steadily sending the ball up. The pass was perfect, a flawless arc.

Kageyama Tobio stood in front of the net, his peripheral vision sweeping across the entire court.

Tanaka was in the front row, Higashi Mine was in the back row, and even Lu Ren, who always surprised everyone, was there too.

to whom?

There's absolutely no need to think about it.

The moment Kageyama's fingers touched the ball, it was launched at high speed. Target—Ryunosuke Tanaka on the left wing!

"Well done!"

Tanaka roared, his running footsteps heavy like the beating of drums. He leaped high in front of the net, his body arching back into a taut bow in mid-air.

On the other side of the net, Kuroo Tetsuro and Inuoka Kakeru quickly closed in to block the net. Their two arms formed a wall, blocking most of the angles.

"Don't even think about going there!" Kuroo shouted.

Tanaka looked at the two faces so close to each other, and a sinister smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

hide?

What a joke.

I've been sitting on this bench for so long, I'm about to burst!

"Break!"

The arm swung, and the palm struck the volleyball heavily. There was no aiming for the fingertips, no looking for an opening; it was pure, brute force.

"Bang!"

The volleyball, like a cannonball, smashed through the gap in the two players' blocks, spinning as it flew towards the backcourt. Although the backcourt defenders reacted in time, the ball was too fast and bounced directly into the stands.

19:21.

"Yay!!!" Tanaka roared to the sky after landing, not forgetting to take off his shirt and wave it around (although he was immediately warned by the referee and put it back on), "See that! This is my power! This is Karasuno's offense!"

Hinata, in the back row, shouted, "Tanaka-senpai was so cool! That 'boom' followed by that 'smack'!"

Lu Ren covered his face, feeling like he was sandwiched between two hot-blooded idiots, his sanity plummeting. Is this what they call a "shonen manga" protagonist group? So noisy, so incredibly noisy.

Rotation. Karasawamura Daichi serves.

The serve was very steady; they found Hisense.

Hisense received the pass steadily, and the first pass was accurate. The player then used a single claw to tip the ball while running.

"Little Black".

The sound was very soft, but Kuroo Tetsuro had already moved. He cut in from the left, preparing to make a wide diagonal shot.

At the net, Lu Ren and Tanaka moved quickly.

"Lu Ren! Where should we seal off?" Tanaka asked.

"Stop the diagonal lines!" Lu Ren said. "Give the straight lines to the back row!"

The two jumped at the same time. Lu Ren deliberately pressed his palm inward a little, completely blocking Heiwei's most comfortable smash route, while leaving a seemingly wide "way out" on the side near the marker pole.

This is an open conspiracy.

It's also a trap.

Blacktail's eyes flashed in the air. Human instinct is to avoid obstacles; since the diagonal route is blocked, it'll take a straight line!

With a flick of his wrist, Kuroo sent the volleyball flying past the marker pole.

"I've been tricked," Lu Ren thought to himself.

Just as the volleyball flew over the block, an orange-black figure fell to the ground.

"Snapped!"

Yu Nishitani placed the back of her hand under the ball, and the ball bounced high into the air.

"Well done!"

The ball flew towards the net, but it was slightly off-center and a bit far from Kageyama's position.

Lu Ren turned around immediately after landing, and the ball landed right above his head.

"Lu Ren!" Tanaka had already started his run-up, his eyes burning with fervor. "Give it to me!"

The person opposite him, Mo Ran, stared intently at Lu Ren's movements.

The stance is an overhead pass. The body is facing Tanaka. The eyes are also looking at Tanaka.

Should we pass it on to that bald guy? He's in top form right now, so he's definitely the best choice.

The center of gravity of the grinding shifted slightly to the Tanaka side by an inch.

At the very instant that slight shift occurred.

Lu Ren's fingers touched the volleyball. Instead of pushing it out, he gently hooked it.

The left wrist moved.

The volleyball didn't fly towards Tanaka; instead, it flew straight over the net and landed in the gap three meters in front of Otokoma.

Second attack.

The ball landed.

20:21.

The entire room fell silent for a second.

Tanaka, halfway through his run-up, nearly lost control and crashed into the net post: "Huh? Where's the ball?"

Lu Ren lowered his hand, looking innocent: "Um... my hand slipped."

On the other side of the net, Mo Jinmian stared at Lu Ren expressionlessly. Although his face was calm, his eyes clearly said, "Dirty, really dirty."

"Don't believe his nonsense." Kuro patted Mamoru on the shoulder. "That kid is very cunning."

Just one point short.

Daichi Sawamura serves again.

This time, Otoko clearly felt the pressure. Fukunaga Shohei received the first pass and sent the ball to the net.

This time, the grinding machine didn't try anything fancy and steadily passed the ball to ace Yamamoto Taketaka.

"Come on!" Yamamoto roared, taking a running start and jumping.

At the net, it was Lu Ren and Tanaka again.

The strategy remains the same: block the diagonal lines and leave the straight lines empty.

"This trick again?" Yamamoto Kogoro gritted his teeth in mid-air. This feeling of being led by the nose was too frustrating, like being forced to move by the opponent in a game.

Since you want me to shoot straight, then I'll show you!

Yamamoto Takeo swung his arm fiercely and slammed the ball down the straight line.

"Bang!"

The player in the back row was prepared, and although the ball was heavy, he still managed to head it up steadily.

"An opportunity ball!"

Kageyama arrived quickly.

This time, the entire Karasuno team is mobilized.

Hinata launched a fast break from the middle, with Higashimine calling for the ball on the left wing and Lu Ren also running up on the right.

Multiple attacks!

The net of Nekoma was instantly pulled apart. Inugami jumped up after Hinata, while Kuroo stared at Toumine.

With a flick of his wrist, Kageyama sent the ball flying to the right.

Pass it on to Lu Ren!

"What?" Yinju's block was a beat too slow.

Lu Ren jumped. There was a wide-open space in front of him. But he didn't slam the ball down, because he saw Ye Jiuwei, who was guarding the back row like a ghost.

If you hit it again, it will definitely be caught.

Lu Ren pressed down with his wrist in mid-air, executing an extremely tricky diagonal shot that went straight for the bottom corner.

"Don't even think about it!"

With a diving leap, Yoruichiro's body was almost parallel to the ground, and he scooped up the ball with one hand just before it hit the ground.

"It's saved!"

The ball flew back to the Echo Horse's half.

The grinder quickly adjusted and passed the ball directly to the following black tail.

Quick attack!

"Don't even think about succeeding!"

Lu Ren landed and before he could even catch his breath, he moved laterally and, just as Kuro took off, formed a double-team with Tanaka who had rushed over.

"Bang!"

The ball hit Lu Ren's palm and bounced back.

"Fill in the gap!"

Blacktail shouted.

Hisense reacted extremely quickly, kneeling down on one knee to save the ball.

The ball isn't dead yet!

How many times has this ball gone back and forth?

Lu Ren felt as if his lungs were on fire, and his thigh muscles began to ache.

"Why is this ball so long..." he lamented inwardly. "Can't this just end already? I want a Coke."

The ball flew towards Yamamoto Tiger again.

"Tiger! It's yours now!"

The meticulously crafted pass remains precise.

Yamamoto Taketaka stared at the two haunting faces before him—Tanaka with a fierce look, and Lu Ren with a look that said, "I'm so tired, I want to go home."

Is it another case of blocking diagonal lines and releasing straight lines?

Are you kidding me!

I'm the ace of the Sound Horse! How can I let you guys keep manipulating me!

Yamamoto roared in the air, ignoring the deliberately left straight passage, and forcefully twisted his body, slamming down on the most tightly blocked diagonal area between Lu Ren and Tanaka.

Since there's no road, we'll just have to force our way through!

"Get down here!!!"

Lu Ren felt a tremendous force coming from his palm, and his fingers were almost knocked off.

"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!" Tanaka roared angrily from the side, his arm bracing against the wall.

The two forces collided in mid-air.

In the end, the unreasonable defense won.

The volleyball struck the two men's palms, bounced straight back onto Nekoma's court, and landed at Yamamoto Takeo's feet.

"Beep—"

The whistle blew.

21:21.

They've tied it.

Lu Ren landed and plopped down on the floor, panting heavily, "Tired... so tired..."

Tanaka rushed over excitedly and grabbed Lu Ren by the neck: "See that, Lu Ren! We stopped him! We stopped that mohawk guy! Hahahaha!"

"Let go... I'm about to die..." Lu Ren rolled his eyes and patted Tanaka's arm.

On the opposite side of the court, Coach Cat stood up with a smile and made a gesture.

"Otokoma High School, requesting a pause."