Sawamura Daichi's gaze was like that of a security guard scanning for contraband. It lingered on Lu Ren for a full three seconds.
The pressure slowly eased, finally turning into a helpless sigh.
"Since you're here to join the club, start by introducing yourself." Sawamura Daichi pointed to the two people beside him. "I'm the captain, Sawamura Daichi, third year. I'm a wing spiker, though most of the time I focus on defense and setting up attacks."
Lu Ren quickly updated the files in his mind.
[Sawamura Daichi: Lv.???, Class: Paladin/Tank. Traits: High defense and HP, comes with a 'Leader's Aura' buff that boosts the whole team's morale. Hidden attribute: Attack doubles when enraged. Strategy tip: Stroke him the right way; don't ask for trouble.]
"I'm the vice-captain, Sugawara Kōshi. I'm also a third year, and I play setter."
The silver-haired boy who'd broken up the fight earlier came over, smiling warmly like a spring breeze. He even thoughtfully patted Lu Ren on the shoulder. "Don't let Daichi's appearance just now scare you. He's usually pretty easygoing."
Lu Ren stared at Sugawara's narrowed eyes.
He seemed like a typical "Novice Village Guide," but Lu Ren's instincts told him that the squinty-eyed types in games were usually anything but simple.
[Sugawara Kōshi: Lv.???, Class: Support/Strategist. Traits: Gentle but devious, strong at controlling the field. Seems harmless, but might have dirt on the whole team. Danger level: A.]
"You're Lu Ren, right?" Sugawara asked with a smile. "Have you played volleyball before?"
"No. I'm a complete newbie." Lu Ren answered briskly. "The kind who hasn't even finished the Newbie Tutorial."
"Huh? A newbie?"
The bald guy—Tanaka Ryūnosuke—leaned in until his nostrils were almost in Lu Ren's face. "Hey, kid, volleyball isn't some easy game. If you're just here to mess around, you're gonna have a real rough time!"
As he spoke, Tanaka deliberately showed off his biceps, wearing the challenging expression typical of a delinquent.
Lu Ren stepped back half a pace, dodging the other guy's flying spit with a look of disgust.
[Tanaka Ryūnosuke: Lv.???, Class: Berserker. Traits: High attack, low defense, comes with a taunt skill, tiny mana bar, easily gets heated. This hot-blooded idiot type of NPC usually serves as comic relief in the story and is also the easiest cannon fodder to use as a pawn.]
"I'll try not to die," Lu Ren said perfunctorily. "Revival Coins are pretty expensive, after all."
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" A vein twitched at Tanaka's temple.
"Enough, Tanaka. Don't scare the new kid." Sawamura Daichi cut off Tanaka's Casting pre-shake, then turned and took a form from a nearby rack. "Since you've decided to join, fill out an application first. We may be short-handed right now, but that doesn't mean we'll take just anyone. If you can't stick with it, I'll personally show you the door."
"Understood."
Lu Ren took the form and pen, then sat down on a bench at the edge of the court.
Kiyosawa Mashiba immediately came over and watched him write like a fussing mom.
"Make your handwriting neat! Don't make it look like chicken scratch!"
"Got it," Lu Ren replied lazily.
Name: Lu Ren.
Class: Year 1, Group 4.
Height: 181 cm.
Weight: 70 kg.
Position applied for: ...
The tip of his pen stopped at the "Position applied for" field.
"Why'd you stop writing?" Kiyosawa Mashiba asked.
"I'm thinking." Lu Ren spun his pen. "Which position gives me the best bang for my buck?"
"Bang for your buck?"
"You know, a position where I can stand still without anyone yelling at me, occasionally do something and get MVP, and preferably slack off on the court in plain sight." Lu Ren analyzed seriously. "Wing spiker's too tiring—you have to keep jumping. Setter takes too much brainpower—you have to memorize plays. Libero's too miserable—you're there to get hit. Is there a position for a 'mascot'?"
"You might as well write 'water boy'!" Kiyosawa Mashiba rolled her eyes.
"Good idea." Lu Ren was just about to put pen to paper.
Creak—
The gym doors opened for the third time.
The air, which had been filled with the smell of sweat and floor wax, suddenly seemed to welcome a fresh, minty breeze.
Lu Ren instinctively looked up.
He wasn't the only one. Tanaka Ryūnosuke and Sugawara Kōshi also stopped what they were doing.
A girl stood in the doorway.
Her smooth, shoulder-length black hair fell neatly around her face. She wore black-framed glasses, and a beauty mark sat at the corner of her eye. Dressed in the school uniform, she held a stack of freshly washed numbered pinnies.
There were no exaggerated special effects, and no background music played.
But standing there, she looked like a high-resolution SSR character portrait that had wandered into a pixel game full of low-poly NPCs.
She didn't even belong in the same art style.
"Kiyoko Senpai!"
Tanaka Ryūnosuke, who'd looked ready to eat someone just a moment ago, underwent an instant evolutionary regression.
He clasped his hands in front of his chest. A strange blush spread across his face, and his whole body twisted into a pretzel. Pink flowers seemed to drift through the background.
"You've worked so hard! Let me take those pinnies! Let these filthy hands of mine touch those sacred garments!"
Lu Ren gaped.
Could a graphics card even render a change of face this fast?
The girl they called Kiyoko—Shimizu Kiyoko—completely ignored Tanaka's meltdown. Without changing her expression, she walked around him and headed over to Sawamura Daichi.
"The pinnies are clean." Her voice was cool, like a handful of crushed ice.
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