Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The scoreboard flips over, 15:13. Karasuno is temporarily leading by two points.

The air inside the gymnasium was hot and filled with the smell of sweat and painkiller spray. Date Industries, unfazed by the previous toy-like second attack, moved like a finely tuned machine, gears meshing again with a deep, rumbling sound.

"Dongfeng-senpai, great serve!"

Dong Fengxu stood at the baseline, took a deep breath, dribbled the ball, and tossed it up.

This ball wasn't as powerful as the previous one; it was a safe, overhand float serve. Date Industrial's libero, Yusuke Okunami, stepped forward, his movement textbook perfect, and smoothly delivered the ball to setter Kaname Shigeba.

"Quick attack!"

With a low shout, the heavy tank of Date Industries, Blue Root High Extension, had already started moving.

At the net, Lu Ren and Tsukishima Hotaru stood side by side.

"Hey, Glasses Guy." Lu Ren stared at the eyebrowless giant opposite him, a smirk playing on his lips. "If this kind of numerical monster is a boss in a raid, it's usually pointless to fight it head-on."

Tsukishima adjusted his glasses and replied indifferently, "So?"

"Leave him a way out." Lu Ren slid to the left, raising his arm high. "When faced with a broad road and a rugged path, the human body makes the choice before the brain can even process it."

Although Tsukishima looked disgusted, her body betrayed her and cooperated with Rikuren's movements. The two jumped, their four arms forming a sloping wall in the air.

This isn't a complete blockade, but rather a deliberate attempt to obstruct the diagonal shot, leaving the straight shots wide open.

As the green root stretched high in the air, his gaze swept across the net.

The diagonal line is blocked.

A straight line... a vast emptiness.

Without any hesitation, without even needing to think, his arm instinctively swung towards the only gap.

"Bang!"

The volleyball hurtled towards the straight line like a cannonball.

"Thanks, BOSS." Lu Ren landed without turning his head.

At the seemingly empty straight end, Nishitani Yu was like a fixed NPC that had been refreshed there long ago, with her center of gravity extremely low and her hands firmly placed in front of her chest.

"Snapped!"

The heavy blow was largely neutralized by Nishiya, and the volleyball bounced high into the air.

"Well done!"

Kageyama Tobio quickly moved to the landing point.

At the same time, Hyuga Shoyo, who was in the front row, seemed to have been equipped with thrusters and instantly cut in from the middle.

"Another fast break?!" The blockers from Date Industries were on edge.

After landing high, Aogen immediately jumped a second time. This guy's stamina seemed inexhaustible, and his huge palm once again covered Hyuga's head.

Kageyama's finger touched the ball.

Hinata waved her arms.

"Thump!"

The ball was intercepted and returned.

"It's not over yet!" Nishitani Yu's voice boomed from the backcourt. Like a fish flying close to the ground, he scooped up the ball that was about to hit the ground with one hand, his chest scraping against the floor.

"One more time!" Kageyama roared.

Hinata landed, turned, and started running again. His eyes were fervent and focused; his pure desire to spike the ball was like a fire, forcing the Date Industrial blockers to concentrate all their attention on him.

"Keep an eye on that shorty!" shouted Yasushi Kamaki.

Aone and Futakuchi Kenji jumped at the same time, and the three of them blocked the Hyuga's net like a dark cloud covering the sky.

However, Hinata missed.

Kageyama's pass didn't reach Hyuga; instead, it flew over Hyuga's head at an extremely fast speed and towards the back row.

There, a tall figure soared into the sky like a roc spreading its wings.

It is Dong Fengxu.

Because Hyuga, the "strongest bait," had taken away all the anti-aircraft firepower, what was in front of Higashimine Asahi at this moment was a pristine court with no obstructions.

"This is... the road."

Dong Fengxu stared at the passage that his teammates had torn open, his arm muscles tensing as he poured all the pent-up pressure into this palm strike.

"Bang--!!!"

Back row attack.

The volleyball slammed heavily into the three-meter line of Date Industrial High School and bounced into the stands.

The whistle blew.

Dong Fengxu landed, looking at his slightly reddened palms, his chest heaving violently. The view he had just experienced was so vast it made him want to cry.

"nice shot--!!"

The Karasuno group gathered around.

Dong Fengxu raised his head. The usually timid big man had red eyes. He looked at his teammates who had gathered around him, and his voice trembled slightly: "Thank... thank you everyone."

Nishitani Yu slapped Higashimine Asahi on the back and laughed heartily, "Asahi-senpai! Show some manly spirit! This is the time to roar to the sky!"

Lu Ren leaned closer, his face radiating an irresistible urge to punch him. He stared into Dong Fengxu's eyes as if he were examining rare loot: "Hey, really? Ace, you're about to drop a little pearl? Should I provide you with some 'heart-wrenching' background music?"

"Lu Ren!" Dong Fengxu scratched his hair a little embarrassedly. "I just... feel so good to be back."

"Alright, alright, let's skip the emotional part. We haven't cleared the dungeon yet." Lu Ren waved his hand and turned to walk back to his position.

The game continues.

16: 13.

Dong Fengxu served again. Perhaps the previous serve had opened up his meridians, for this serve was extremely powerful, but unfortunately it went slightly out of bounds.

Possession changes. Date Industrial serves.

Karasuno's first pass was accurate. Kageyama attempted to organize another quick attack, but Date Kogyo's adaptability was astonishing. This time, Aone Takanobu wasn't completely fooled by Hyuga; his fingers brushed the ball, resulting in a valid contact.

Date Industries retaliates.

Maoting was about to pass the ball to Qinggen.

At the net, it was Lu Ren and Yue Dao's turn to defend.

Looking at the expressionless face opposite him, Lu Ren's bad habit of repeatedly flirting with danger resurfaced. He turned his head and whispered to Tsukishima beside him:

"Hey, don't get your arm broken, you squishy mage."

Hotaru Tsukishima frowned slightly, instinctively retorting, "You're the one who should be relegated to the stands, not even getting a chance to play..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tsukishima's pupils suddenly contracted.

"The audience seats".

The word was like a needle, piercing a hidden corner of his heart without warning. The image of his older brother, who always smiled and said "I'm the ace" but could only wave the flag in the stands, flashed through his mind.

In that brief moment of distraction, his blocking action showed a slight, almost imperceptible, hesitation.

The fence, which should have been perfectly sealed, now has a crack.

For an attacker of Qinggen Gaoshen's caliber, this tiny crack is a fatal flaw.

"Bang!"

The immense impact slammed into Tsukishima's arm, sending the volleyball flying through the gap and crashing heavily to the floor.

Score.

When Tsukishima landed, his face was somewhat pale. He looked at his palm; his fingertips were still slightly numb.

Was it because of my own pointless pride just now?

"Don't mind!" Daichi Sawamura shouted, clapping his hands. "Take the next ball back!"

The game is fast-paced and doesn't allow anyone to dwell on mistakes.

Date Kogyo serves again.

The ball was steadily received by the ground.

"Kageyama!"

However, the ball went slightly into the net when he received it. Kageyama jumped up and tried to adjust it with one hand, but his position was too awkward.

"Lu Ren!" Kageyama called out.

Lu Ren reluctantly stepped in as a troubleshooter once again. He ran to the landing spot, his back to the net.

"Give me the ace!"

Lu Ren used both hands to push the ball towards the left wing.

This time, the intention was all too obvious.

The three-man block from Date Industrial was already waiting. Higashimine Asahi jumped to spike the ball, but in front of him was an impenetrable "iron wall".

"Snapped!"

The ball was blocked solidly and landed in Karasuno's territory.

Points were lost continuously.

The atmosphere in Karasuno was slightly heavy.

Hotaru Tsukishima lowered his head and silently walked to the net to prepare for the next round of defense. His expression was colder and harder than usual, and his lips were pressed into a straight line.

Just then, a figure blocked his way.

Tsukishima stopped and looked up, seeing Lu Ren standing there.

"Are they going to mock me again?" Tsukishima sneered inwardly. "After all, it was my mistake."

He was prepared to be mocked by this sarcastic man, and had even conceived his own words of retaliation.

However, the next second, the entire venue fell silent.

Lu Ren placed his hands on his thighs, straightened his back, and then—with utmost precision and seriousness—

He bowed at a ninety-degree angle.

"sorry."

Lu Ren's voice wasn't loud, and it lacked his usual nonchalant teasing; instead, it exuded a chilling calmness and sincerity.

"I shouldn't have talked to you when I was blocking just now. That was my misjudgment, which distracted you and created a defensive gap. That's my responsibility."

Tsukishima was stunned.

His eyes, which always carried a hint of mockery, were wide open at this moment, as if he had seen some incredible monster.

"ha?"

Not only Tsukishima, but also Hinata, Kageyama, and even Aone and Futakuchi on the other side of the net, all stared at this scene with blank expressions.

Lu Ren, who never utters a kind word and loves to manipulate emotions, is... bowing? (Although it's just a bow, in everyone's eyes it's almost the same thing.)

Lu Ren straightened up, his dead fish eyes staring directly at Tsukishima, his tone as calm as if he were stating a line of code: "If my trash talk caused you any emotional fluctuations, then I violated the rules. If I touched on something you don't want to talk about, I sincerely apologize."

"If I did anything wrong, please point it out immediately. I'm very sorry about what happened earlier."

Tsukishima opened his mouth, feeling as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his throat.

This is way too...serious.

It's so serious it's disgusting.

"...It's nothing." Tsukishima turned his head away, his ears turning slightly red. The shame of being seen through and the other person's sudden honesty intertwined, making him feel uncomfortable all over. "It's my own problem, you don't need to apologize."

"Now that the bug is fixed, let's continue." Lu Ren instantly switched back to his lazy demeanor, patted his knee, and said, "If you let the ball slip by again, I'll have to ask the coach to ban you."

Tsukishima watched Lu Ren's retreating figure, her fingers tightening slightly as she pushed up her glasses: "...So long-winded."

On the sidelines, at the coaching bench.

Wu Yang almost dropped the cigarette from his mouth: "That kid...did he take the wrong medicine? Isn't he usually so talkative? Why is he suddenly doing this?"

Qingze Yazhi sat on the folding chair next to her, holding a notebook in her hand, looking at the familiar figure in the room, a helpless smile on her lips.

"So this is Lu Ren."

She spoke softly, her eyes revealing a knowing look that only childhood sweethearts could understand.

"Although he can be sharp-tongued and treats everything like a game, enjoying seeing others break down, he's actually a very pure 'player'."

"For him, trash talk is a tactic, and mind games are a game of strategy. But if his jokes actually hurt his teammates, or if this kind of 'off-field factor' leads to a loss in the game..."

Ya-Chih closed the notebook. "He cares more than anyone else. To him, that's not just bad, it's terrible, and it's the bottom line he absolutely cannot tolerate."

"As soon as he realizes he's crossed the line, he apologizes immediately, without hesitation. This guy... in some ways, is a stubborn person who takes things more seriously than anyone else."

On the field, the whistle blew again.

Lu Ren stood in his seat, his eyes sharpening once more.

"Alright, save file loaded." He thought to himself, "Next, time for the second phase."