The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 120: Before the Game

Author’s note: Special thanks to Krackalorn, Crazyjr_96, Blackbird71, and all the readers who have given this story your Golden Ticket. From now on, for every five Golden Tickets, there will be double update in the next day. So, please, support this story more! Thank you!

This time, the surprise was more blatant, as all eyes were on Kuroki instantly.

It was definitely not the same case as Hori. For the right back, even though he would be offended by a kouhai replacing his position, it wasn’t the end of the world. He still had one more year to prove his capability.

However, as for the senior members like Kuroki, it was a different matter. This was going to be his last tournament, and unless the newcomer had an overwhelming talent, not a single senpai would usually be sidelined like this.

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you guys trying to make a big deal here? Kenji is far more capable than I, you know?!" The tall striker laughed self-depreciatingly. Don’t worry, this is not going to be the end! I mean, you know that we are going to play three games in eight days, right? We have to rotate wisely, or one of us will collapse in the second or third game later!"

This time, some of them blushed, knowing that they were overthinking. With Kumiko’s nature, how could she be willing to sideline her senior player like that?

"Also, you guys are so skeptical of me!" Seeing that the tension finally ebbed away, Kenji jumped to join the fun. "I mean, I bet I can steal Hiroshi-senpai’s thunder in the first half!" He patted his chest boastfully.

This triggered a wave of burning spirit, though, as Hiroshi eyed the boy intently while the twins were making a rude gesture, as if they were cursing Kenji in a curse language. However, no one could deny that Kenji was capable of doing that.

Still...

"35 minutes, Kenji-kun," Kumiko warned the boy. "You only have that much time, and no matter how good your performance is, you are out. I will be saving you for the next round. You okay with that?"

This time, facing Kumiko’s serious gaze, the boy lost his playfulness for a second before he nodded solemnly. "Don’t worry, before I go out, I will make sure we have at least a three-goal advantage."

"Good!" Kumiko clapped happily. Even though she knew it was just bragging, at least the boy didn’t lose his confidence in his first game in high school, which was crucial to make sure that he could stay composed until the end. "With the starting lineup on the board, let’s go and show them what the second-best team in Hokkaido can do!"

"Yes, Ma’am!"

Right after that, everyone went into the spot they were meant to be. The bench players were directed to the bench side on the pitch immediately, while the main players were just standing in the tunnel, waiting for the referee to lead them all onto the pitch.

Higo took a deep breath, blowing both hands for a moment to hide his nervousness. In total, it had been more than two months since he was playing in a competitive game, and while this tournament itself wasn’t that big, it was still enough to give him a cold sweat on the back.

Once the referee walked and Higo stepped onto the pitch, he narrowed his eyes slightly to protect his vision from the sun, before his gaze fell on the stand. It was definitely not that impressive, as without the other two teams filling two spots there, at least, the number of people who came could be counted with two hands.

’Oh, well... At least, they are willing to come here.’ Higo muttered under his breath.

He himself didn’t know, but the boy stopped treating statistics as a cold number. Behind it lay real people who wanted to have some entertainment, and it was the players’ job to deliver it. At least, this approach was more ’human’ and ’approachable’ than just reading the cold number like how a dude recalls his ex’s phone number.

Then, his gaze turned to the other side, where he could see some of the opponent’s players were still joking and laughing around, not even treating the warmup seriously. It was clear that they just treated it as a normal, friendly match, and somehow, this made Higo doubt the credibility of this tournament.

’Is it real, though, that Albirex Niigata will offer a contract for the best player of the tournament? With this kind of attitude, there is no way, right?’

If so, Higo would be disappointed, knowing that the club had a low standard for recruiting players. Well, then again, Albirex Niigata was not one of the top teams in the league, often battling in the relegation stage against the other bottom-tier teams almost every year.

While his mind wandered, the boy saw some people on the stand waving at him, and he smiled back. After kissing both posts for his pre-game ritual, the boy took a deep breath, shaking his head slightly while also trying to ignore the heat.

He also wore a cap today, not for fashion sense, but due to how low the sun was, which was enough to distract him when facing the opponent’s attack. It would be troublesome later when he was about to face a high ball, so Kumiko forced the boy to wear it from the beginning of the game.

"So, how is it, Chibi? Ready for the game?" Makino suddenly came to his side with a question.

In return, Higo just snorted silently. "Should I be the one who asks that? I mean, you guys are quite relaxed here. If I didn’t know better, I would think that none of you want to win the game." He retorted back.

"Eh, this is what we call preserving our energy, Chibi, getting serious only when we need to be." Makino just shrugged nonchalantly, moving his body lightly to loosen his muscles. "You have to learn it too, Chibi. You cannot be tensed all the time, or you will collapse in the most crucial moment."

Higo just looked at him in disdain, glancing at the front for a moment just to find out that everyone was ready to start the game. "Anyway, just focus on your duty first. I swear, if you make a mistake due to your lax attitude, I will whoop your ass later, you remember that?"