At the referee's whistle, both starting lineups stepped onto the court.
Aoba Johsai's lineup was led by Iwaizumi Hajime, with familiar faces like Kindaichi Yutaro and Kunimi Akira behind him, along with the intimidating upperclassmen Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Issei.
By contrast, Karasuno's lineup had a rather bizarre vibe.
As captain, Sawamura Daichi wore the steady expression of someone silently asking everyone to excuse his misbehaving kids. Kageyama Tobio's face was dark, as though the whole world owed him five million. Tsukishima Kei looked utterly indifferent, as if he wanted to go home. Tanaka Ryūnosuke was punching the air, trying to intimidate the other side to death.
As for Hinata Shoyo...
Lu Ren glanced at the short kid beside him. He wasn't just trembling; he was shaking so hard he left afterimages. If you didn't look closely, you'd think the game model was clipping through itself.
"Hey, is that Shorty a middle blocker?"
A voice full of disbelief came from across the net. Kindaichi Yutaro pointed at Hinata, wearing an expression like he'd spotted some ridiculous bug. "Is Karasuno short on players? Is there something wrong with putting someone that small in the middle?"
"Don't let your guard down," Kunimi Akira lazily reminded him, though he clearly didn't take the orange-haired kid shaking like a leaf seriously either.
"Hinata, calm down." Sawamura Daichi patted Hinata on the back. The muscles beneath his palm were stiff as a rock. "Take a deep breath."
"Y-yes...! I'm c-calm!" Hinata shouted, his voice cracking so badly he sounded like a panicked squeaky toy.
Kageyama Tobio walked over with a frown and lowered his voice. "Hey, idiot. Just play like you did in that three-on-three. As long as you jump, the ball will come to you."
"G-got it!" Hinata nodded vigorously, his head wobbling like a bobblehead.
Kageyama eyed him suspiciously. "Did you actually understand?"
"Of... of course!"
Standing in the back row, Lu Ren silently sighed. In his years of gaming, he'd learned that when a flag like this was raised, it usually meant an epic disaster was just around the corner.
The match began.
Aoba Johsai served. Matsukawa Issei stood behind the end line, tossed the ball, and swung his arm.
It was a very ordinary overhand serve, with no strong spin or tricky placement—just a probing opening shot. The ball traced a gentle arc straight toward Karasuno's back row.
Its landing point was clear, and it wasn't moving fast.
Sawamura Daichi was already in position to receive it. As the team's defensive anchor, a ball like this was as easy for him as the Newbie Tutorial.
"I've got it!"
Just as Daichi called out, an orange blur suddenly cut in from the side.
"I-I-I-I've got it—!!!"
Hinata Shoyo charged in like a wild boar out of control, completely ignoring the defensive formation—and even the laws of physics—as he forced his way into Daichi's area.
"Idiot! That's not your ball!" Kageyama shouted from near the net.
But it was too late.
Overcome by nerves, Hinata's feet tangled beneath him, and he pitched forward as if he'd been tripped. The volleyball smacked against the bones of his wrist with a sharp crack, then ricocheted at a bizarre angle out of bounds—straight toward where Lu Ren was standing.
"..."
Lu Ren watched the ball hurtle straight at his face. He couldn't even be bothered to complain.
This wasn't a volleyball match. It was a live broadcast of Human: Fall Flat.
His body moved faster than his brain. Lu Ren sidestepped, and from an angle that should have made the ball impossible to save, managed to return it with an awkward lunge.
"Tanaka-senpai!" Lu Ren called.
The ball soared toward the left wing.
"Nice save, Lu Ren!" Tanaka Ryūnosuke roared as he ran up and jumped. His momentum was fierce, his gaze ferocious, as if he meant to smash the ball—and the floor on the other side—with one hit.
But Aoba Johsai reacted faster.
The moment Tanaka jumped, the three opposing blockers—Iwaizumi, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa—rose together like an insurmountable wall.
"Thud!"
A dull impact rang out.
Tanaka's spike was blocked cleanly, and the volleyball slammed hard onto Karasuno's court.
0:1.
"Sorry! That was on me!" Tanaka said, slapping his thigh in frustration as he landed.
"No, I set it too quickly." Lu Ren waved a hand, but his gaze drifted to Hinata Shoyo, who was sprawled on the floor with a look of terror.
Kageyama Tobio stood at the net, his fists clenched so tightly they crackled. If looks could kill, Hinata would already have been turned into a QR code.
For the next few minutes, everyone on Karasuno endured a public execution called "A Thousand Ways for Hinata Shoyo to Die."
On the second ball, Hinata tried to run up for an attack, but while backpedaling, he slammed his rear into Tanaka, who was preparing to receive. The two tumbled together, and the ball hit the floor for a point.
On the third ball, Hinata rotated to the front row to block. His timing was completely off, and when he landed, his left foot tangled with his right. He tripped himself and sprawled face-first onto the floor.
On the fourth ball, Lu Ren finally read the path of the opposing team's drop shot and prepared to dive for it. Then an orange wall suddenly appeared in front of him—Hinata had panicked and stumbled right into his path.
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