A Face with Zero Cooldown, a Misfire, and the Art of Being a Support Player

Chapter 10: A Face with Zero Cooldown, a Misfire, and the Art of Being a Support Player

In the corner of the gym, the air had frozen solid.

Lu Ren sat cross-legged at the edge of the floor, facing the wall with his back to everyone packing up the equipment. He looked just like an arhat doing penance, if you ignored his slightly trembling shoulders.

[System Status: Social Death (Duration: Permanent). Recommended Action: Delete Character and Start Over.]

"Here."

A chilled bottle of Coke was pressed against his cheek.

The cold made Lu Ren jolt. He turned and saw Kiyosawa Mashiba crouching beside him, holding another bottle of oolong tea. Her ponytail swayed gently with the movement, and her eyes held thirty percent amusement and seventy percent... all right, one hundred percent amusement.

"What's wrong? Embarrassed?" Mashiba unscrewed the cap, and the fizz hissed. "That scream just now scared all the crows out of the trees outside."

"I'm not embarrassed." Lu Ren took the Coke, stubbornly refusing to admit it. "This is tactical cooling. That Ultimate Skill Overload just now overheated my CPU. Facing the wall helps my face cool down faster."

"Sure, sure. Cooling down." Mashiba couldn't help laughing. "How are you feeling now? Does your leg still hurt?"

"Physical pain is temporary. Psychological trauma is eternal." Lu Ren took a swig of Coke. The fizzy burn eased his embarrassment a little. "I feel like everyone's looking at me differently now. Especially that four-eyes guy."

Just then, a tall figure happened to pass by.

Tsukishima Kei, holding a mop, pushed up his glasses. Light glinted off the lenses. "If you're not in pain anymore, could the 'God of Volleyball' move aside? I need to mop the floor. Us mere mortals have cleaning to do."

Lu Ren: "..."

He frantically searched for the "Mute" button in his mind.

"Don't mind him." Mashiba patted Lu Ren on the shoulder and lowered her voice. "Everyone will only laugh about this for a few days. Once you've really mastered that serve and become amazing, no one will remember what happened today."

"Really?" Lu Ren's eyes lit up.

"Of course."

"No." Tsukishima stopped, the corner of his mouth curling into a malicious smile. "If you really become good someday, looking back at today's 'Seal Roll' will only make it funnier. That's what you call a high-definition remaster of your embarrassing past."

Critical hit.

True damage.

Lu Ren felt an arrow pierce his chest.

"Waaah—I don't want to live anymore!" Lu Ren wailed and buried his head in Mashiba's shoulder, his body shaking violently. "This game is terrible! I want to quit! I'm reporting this NPC for cheating and insulting a player!"

Mashiba's body stiffened.

The boy's hair brushed against the hollow of her neck. It tickled a little.

Everyone's eyes immediately turned toward them. Tanaka Ryūnosuke whistled, Sugawara Kōshi wore a knowing smile, and even Sawamura Daichi coughed awkwardly.

"Lu Ren..." A vein popped on Mashiba's forehead.

"Waaah..."

"That's enough." Mashiba's shoulder jerked, her voice switching from gentle to icy. "I've already comforted you. If you keep acting, I'll have to charge you an appearance fee."

The next second,

Lu Ren snapped his head up. There wasn't a tear on his face. His expression was as serene as a monk who had just finished his morning prayers.

"Okay." Lu Ren straightened his collar. "Now that the comforting routine is over, I should log off."

He stood and tentatively tested his right leg.

It still ached, but the stiffness from his muscles locking up had eased considerably.

"Huh?" Lu Ren took a few steps and found that as long as he kept moving, the pain actually lessened. "Looks like this Debuff is dynamically calculated. As long as I don't stop, the pain can't catch up with me."

Mashiba shook her head helplessly and got up to walk toward the other side. "I'm going to help Kiyomi-senpai put away the ball net. Wait for me by the entrance."

"Understood, ma'am."

Ten minutes later, the setting sun dyed half the sky red.

Most of the clubs at Karasuno High School had finished their activities. Only the occasional crack of a baseball bat and the distant sound of the Wind Ensemble Club practicing could be heard.

Lu Ren walked down the slope beside Mashiba, his schoolbag on his back and the half-finished bottle of Coke clutched in his hand.

As they passed the side entrance of the Second Gymnasium, a flurry of hits and shouts caught their attention.

"Too slow, Hinata! I told you to move faster!"

"Sorry!"

Lu Ren stopped and looked inside through the chain-link fence.

Only two figures stood on the empty court.

Kageyama Tobio stood at the net, holding a volleyball, his face twisted with frustration. Across from him, Hinata Shoyo braced his hands on his knees, panting hard, sweat pouring down his face.

"Again!" Kageyama yelled.

Hinata immediately got into position, his eyes determined. "Yeah!"

The ball was tossed into the air.

Kageyama jumped. The instant his fingers touched the ball, his wrist flicked with incredible dexterity. The volleyball shot toward the other side of the net like a precision-guided missile.

Hinata Shoyo sprinted, jumped, and swung his arm.

"Whoosh—"

His palm cut through empty air.

Before he could swing, the ball had already passed just above his fingertips and slammed down inside the line.

"Still too slow!" Kageyama landed, his brows knitted. "You have to spike the instant the ball reaches its highest point! Don't waste my sets!"