The spring sunlight was a little harsh, streaming through the glass window and crashing onto the desk.
Lu Ren pressed his face against the cool desktop, trying to cool his overheated brain. That "Valkyrie" had put him through the wringer last night. He'd died over a hundred times in six whole hours. The tension had wound him up to the breaking point before releasing all at once, leaving him in a surreal state of exhilaration and exhaustion that still hadn't worn off.
"Stop playing dead."
A hand jabbed mercilessly into his back.
Lu Ren didn't move.
"Auntie specifically told me before she left," Kiyosawa Mashiba said from above him, "that you absolutely, definitely, without fail had to join a club at your new school. Even if it's the Home Club, you have to at least show your face."
Lu Ren rolled over, leaned back against his chair, and stretched his long legs straight out, blocking the aisle.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Boring." Lu Ren yawned. "Clubs in real life have a terrible return on investment. No Experience Points, no Equipment Drops, and they drain a ton of stamina. It's a losing proposition."
Kiyosawa Mashiba folded her arms. She knew this guy too well.
Being nice wasn't going to work. Time to get tough.
"Auntie said that if you don't have any club activity records this term, your computer's graphics card might mysteriously disappear."
Lu Ren sat bolt upright.
The chair legs screeched across the floor.
"That's tyranny."
"That's motherly love."
Kiyosawa Mashiba grabbed him by the sleeve of his uniform and dragged him out of the classroom.
"Come on, Your Highness. Karasuno High School may not be very big, but it still has plenty of clubs. There has to be one that interests you, at least a little."
Lu Ren was dragged along like a boneless mop.
The hallway was bustling. The new students wore hopeful expressions, while Lu Ren looked like he wanted nothing more than to go home and play games.
"How about the Literature Club?" Kiyosawa Mashiba pointed to a poster. "You can just sit there and read. No moving around."
"Reading makes me fall asleep." Lu Ren glanced over. "And the president looks like a secretly controlling type. I don't like NPCs I can't keep in check."
"Then how about the Basketball Club?"
"Too much running. I'll get all sweaty and sticky. No."
"The Soccer Club?"
"Too many people. Too much social pressure."
By the time they reached the end of the hall, Lu Ren had rejected almost every club with one ridiculous excuse after another.
Kiyosawa Mashiba stopped. She could feel her patience bar running out.
"Lu Ren."
"Yeah?"
"Are you trying to make me tell Auntie about your 'last one, I swear' from last night?"
Lu Ren fell silent.
They crossed the teaching building and arrived at the Second Gymnasium behind it.
It was much quieter than the main campus, and the air smelled of old floor wax.
"This is the last one." Kiyosawa Mashiba pointed to the slightly weathered door ahead. "The Volleyball Club."
Lu Ren looked up at the sign.
Some of the lettering had peeled away.
"Volleyball?" Lu Ren tilted his head. "Sounds like a sport that leaves your arms bruised."
"Karasuno's Volleyball Club used to be a powerhouse." Kiyosawa Mashiba recited the information she'd prepared in advance. "It's fallen on hard times in recent years. People call it the 'Fallen Powerhouse, Crows Who Cannot Fly,' but it still has a strong foundation."
"Fallen Powerhouse?"
Lu Ren rolled the words around in his mind.
That setup sounded kind of interesting. Like one of those abandoned dungeons that had once been glorious, but now held nothing but junk waiting for players to dig up an artifact.
"Let's go take a look." Kiyosawa Mashiba gave him a shove. "If this one doesn't work out either, I'll have to suggest the 'Breathing Club.'"
Lu Ren trudged forward unwillingly.
Before they even reached the door, the sharp squeal of shoe soles scraping across the floor came from inside.
Eee—
It was the wail of rubber soles skidding to a stop on a wooden floor.
A moment later came the dull thud of a ball hitting the ground.
Bam!
The sound was heavy. It was clear there was a lot of force behind it.
Lu Ren raised an eyebrow. That kind of impact didn't sound like something an ordinary casual player could pull off.
Kiyosawa Mashiba pushed open the door.
The view opened up before them.
A high ceiling, bright lights, and that distinctive air thick with sweat and the scent of Salonpas.
Lu Ren stood in the doorway, scanning the court.
At its center, a black-haired boy in a black tracksuit tossed a volleyball high into the air.
His form was textbook.
It was even beautiful in its textbook precision.
The black-haired boy took his approach and jumped.
His body stretched out in midair like a taut bow.
BAM!
His palm struck the volleyball.
The ball shot toward the opposite court like a cannonball, accompanied by a terrifying whoosh.
"Oh?" Lu Ren's half-lidded eyes opened a little wider.
That power was a little like a Charged Attack from an Elite Monster in a game.
Just then, an orange blur darted into view.
A short kid.
His speed was absurd.
It was almost like he'd used the Teleportation Skill.
The orange-haired boy appeared beneath the ball's landing point in an instant, planted his feet, and joined his arms together.
But that move...
Lu Ren was an outsider, but even he could tell the motion was so stiff it looked like a freshly made beginner model, completely lacking the polish of a Physics Engine.
"Got it!" the orange-haired boy shouted.
He really had caught it.
Before you continue