Debuff Triggered by Loading Through a Map and the Rainbow in His Crotch

Time, in games, could usually be dealt with by clicking "Skip" or watching a black-screen cutscene. But in this real-life Online with no fast-forward button, Lu Ren had no choice but to grit his teeth and grind through those repetitive daily quests.

His memories of Tuesday through Friday felt like they had been compressed into low-resolution texture maps.

Mornings were an AFK segment called "attending class." Lu Ren sat in the back row, his gaze fixed on an empty point somewhere between the blackboard and the teacher, his brain automatically filtering out the complicated Japanese grammar and math formulas while retaining only the frequency of the dismissal bell. Afternoons, meanwhile, were a mandatory stamina-draining dungeon—Volleyball Club practice. Under Kiyosawa Mashiba's eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through any attempt to slack off, Lu Ren was forced to roll around on the hardwood floor and receive balls, turning what had once been "Meditation Time" for restoring his mana bar into a hellish scroll of sweat and suffering.

Evenings were his only comfort. Mashiba might have had a sharp tongue, but her massage skills truly rivaled those of a max-level healer. As his aching muscles eased, Lu Ren could always hear the notification chime of his HP refilling in the haze between waking and sleep.

And so, the prologue to the Boss Battle known as "Saturday" finally finished loading.

The early morning air carried a slight chill. A somewhat old minibus was parked at the gates of Karasuno High School. Teacher Takeda stood beside the door with a roll call sheet in hand, ushering everyone aboard like a responsible NPC guide.

Yawning, with physiological tears clinging to the corners of his eyes, Lu Ren slowly dragged himself onto the bus. He had barely found a window seat when he saw an orange head in the front row trembling at an unnatural frequency.

Hinata Shoyo's face was deathly pale. This was no ordinary discomfort—it looked more like screen artifacting caused by Graphics Card Overheating, his entire body giving off the ashen air of a system about to crash.

"Hey, Shorty." Lu Ren leaned over and waved a hand in front of his face. "With that complexion, anyone who didn't know better would think you were headed for the execution grounds. Carsick?"

Hinata suddenly shrank back, then stiffly turned his head. His lips pulled into a smile uglier than crying. "N-No! I'm fine! I'm very... fine!"

His voice trembled, and even his teeth were chattering.

Beside him, Tanaka Ryūnosuke tossed his luggage onto the rack and swaggered over. "Oh? Hinata, don't tell me you're nervous? Don't worry, don't worry. Your upperclassmen are here!"

"I-I'm not nervous!" Hinata practically shouted, but the volume only made it sound like he was trying to cover up his guilt.

Lu Ren shook his head and retreated into his seat. This was nowhere near merely being nervous. His stress meter was clearly maxed out—a sign that his Sanity Points were about to hit zero.

The bus started up, and the engine's roar sent faint vibrations through the cabin. The scenery outside began to slide backward, familiar streets giving way to endless fields and distant mountains. Sunlight streamed through the windows, warming the bus until it felt pleasantly cozy.

For Lu Ren, there was only one option in a scene like this: catch up on sleep.

He adjusted the seatback, trying to find a comfortable angle to slump into. Beside him, Kiyosawa Mashiba was flipping through a notebook densely packed with data on Aoba Johsai.

"This kind of weather is perfect for sleeping," Lu Ren remarked lazily.

Mashiba did not even raise her head. Her pen scratched across the paper. "Is there ever a day that isn't suitable for sleeping, in your opinion?"

"Of course there are distinctions." Lu Ren spouted nonsense with a straight face. "Spring makes you sleepy, autumn makes you tired, summer makes you doze off, and winter is for hibernation. So, out of all four seasons, the only time unsuitable for sleeping is when you're playing games at night."

Mashiba stopped writing and turned to look at him, her expression like she was staring at a hopeless piece of trash. She sighed, then looked back out the window. "Save that twisted logic for Oikawa Tōru. See if he'll mess up a serve because his stomach hurts from laughing."

The mention of Oikawa Tōru instantly dispelled half of Lu Ren's drowsiness. That name was now like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, ready to drop at any moment and subject him to Social Death.

"Don't mention that name. Bad luck," Lu Ren muttered, pulling his jacket over his head in an attempt to escape reality.

But the commotion in the front row made sleep impossible.

Hinata Shoyo's muttering was like an inescapable demonic chant, constantly echoing through the bus. One moment it was "I'm not nervous," then "I need to use the bathroom too," and then, "What if I mess up my serve?"

As the bus entered the urban area of Miyagi Prefecture, the roads became more complicated, with traffic lights and braking growing more frequent. Every jolt of inertia from the brakes made Hinata's face turn a shade greener.

At last, the minibus slowly pulled into the gates of Aoba Johsai High School.

"We're here, we're here!" Tanaka jumped to his feet excitedly, preparing to grab his luggage. "Hinata, stop spacing out and get off the bus—whoaahhh!!"

A scream tore through the calm inside the bus.

Lu Ren yanked the jacket off his head, just in time to witness that utterly tragic scene.

The driver hit the brakes, bringing the bus to a steady stop. But Hinata Shoyo's stomach clearly had no such braking system. The nerves and carsickness that had built up all the way there broke past their threshold in that instant.