Exposed Smurf, Failed Stealth Mission, and the Grind Hell Called "Basics"

On Monday afternoon, the Karasuno gym was filled with the sharp squeal of soles against the floor. The air was a mix of antiperspirant and the unique scent of teenage sweat—a smell that would make any anime fan's heart race, but made Lu Ren's stomach churn.

During a break before training began, Sawamura Daichi was staring intently at a notebook in his hands.

"What is this..."

Sawamura flipped a page, his brow furrowed. The paper was densely packed with data, from the setter's tossing habits to the wing spiker's approach routes, even noting the opponent's eye-line feints during their serves. The handwriting was neat, accompanied by simple tactical diagrams, making it as professional as an official strategy guide for an RPG.

"A data analysis of Aoba Johsai's main setter, Oikawa Tōru, and estimated stats for some of their starting players."

Kiyosawa Mashiba stood nearby, twirling a ballpoint pen in her hand, her tone as casual as if she were discussing dinner plans. "Even though I only watched half a game, so the sample size isn't huge, the core mechanics should all be here."

Sugawara Kōshi leaned over for a peek and gasped. "This is incredibly detailed... This level of intel is usually only obtainable by going to a game, recording it, and analyzing it repeatedly. Mashiba, where did you get it?"

"Yesterday afternoon, Lu Ren and I went to the community gym," Mashiba said, pointing to Lu Ren, who was stretching his legs nearby. "We originally went to grind some Experience Points, but we happened to run into a pickup game there. Lu Ren joined in for a match."

"Huh?!"

Everyone's attention instantly shifted to Lu Ren.

Lu Ren, who had been burying his face in his knees pretending to be dead, felt the intense gazes and could only awkwardly lift his head. "Uh... it was purely an accident. The system matched us randomly."

"Amazing, Lu Ren!" Tanaka Ryūnosuke suddenly slapped Lu Ren on the back with such force that he almost injured him internally. "You dared to go challenge Aoba Johsai all by yourself! Is this the courage of a man!"

"No, actually..." Lu Ren tried to explain that he had no idea who they were at the time.

"And to avoid revealing his identity, this guy even used a fake name," Mashiba added from the side, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "He claimed to be a first-year student from Shiratorizawa named 'Baki Hanma'."

"Pfft—" Sugawara couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Tanaka laughed so hard he was pounding the floor. "Baki Hanma? Hahaha! The protagonist of that fighting manga? Lu Ren, you're too talented! By using a fake name, even if you beat them, they wouldn't know who to look for! That's what they call 'leaving the scene after accomplishing your mission, hiding your fame and achievements,' right!"

Looking at Tanaka's thumbs-up, Lu Ren twitched the corner of his mouth. It sounded cool, but he felt something was off.

That logic of "as long as I change my disguise, you won't recognize me" did work in games. After all, once you changed your ID and tweaked your appearance, who would know you were the red-named player everyone was hunting yesterday?

However, the real world didn't have a "character creation system."

"Um..."

A calm, almost disappointing voice came from the side. Tsukishima Kei pushed up his glasses, his gaze shifting from the notebook to Lu Ren's face, his eyes holding a mix of mockery and pity.

"I don't want to interrupt your self-congratulation, but I seem to recall we have a practice match against Aoba Johsai this Saturday, don't we?"

The air suddenly grew quiet.

Tanaka's boisterous laughter ceased abruptly. Sawamura and Sugawara froze.

Lu Ren's expression froze mid-air, like a game screen suddenly stuttering, dropping frames to zero.

Tsukishima's lips curved into a wicked arc as he continued, "When the two teams line up to shake hands, and Oikawa Tōru sees 'Baki Hanma' standing opposite him in a Karasuno uniform... that scene will surely be spectacular."

"..."

Lu Ren's brain overloaded in an instant.

It was over.

He had forgotten about this fatal bug.

This wasn't a problem that could be solved by switching servers; this was a direct "meet-up" scheduled in a few days. He imagined Oikawa Tōru's expression when he saw him...

He'd probably be stunned at first, then laugh uncontrollably, and finally point at him and say, "Oh my, isn't this the martial artist from Shiratorizawa? Why did you transfer to Karasuno to play volleyball?"

Social Death.

An absolute, unavoidable social demise.

Lu Ren clutched his head in agony, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground right then, or simply reload the game.

"Alright, alright." Although Sawamura Daichi found it amusing, as captain, he dutifully brought the conversation back. "Regardless, this information is incredibly valuable. Since we already have the strategy guide, we can't waste it. Lu Ren."

"Yes..." Lu Ren replied listlessly.

"After training, you'll explain in detail the feel of the game back then and Oikawa Tōru's setting characteristics." Sawamura shook the notebook in his hand, his eyes sharpening. "Since you experienced it firsthand, it's the best primary intelligence."

"Yes." Lu Ren sighed, resigned.

Since social death was inevitable, he could only do his best to strip the opponent bare before then and strive to win back his honor in the match.