The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 126: The End of the First Half

Author’s note: Hey, everyone! Thank you for your support! Damn, I have never expected to get bombarded with 20 Golden Tickets in one go! Thanks a lot for KosherBeef52 and Crazyjr_96 for the support! The next week, I will spread the double update in Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. I will also try to sneak in more Chapters, so please, keep supporting this story! Thanks a lot for everyone else who keep reading the story. I will wait for your support, hehe :)

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After the goal, Echigo Academy also increased the intensity of their attack further. However, Hakodate Nishi was not a paper tiger.

After everything was settled, Kumiko made a change immediately. She did what she promised beforehand, subbing off Kenji and putting a new player on the team. However, the one the girl trusted to handle the situation was unexpected, though, as instead of Kuroki, who was the logical choice here, she asked Kazawa to handle this situation.

"Listen, Kazawa-kun," She spoke on the sideline before the boy could go to the pitch. "You see that Fujinaga-kun cannot handle the pressure on the center alone, so form a double pivot with him, stabilize the midfield, and drop back when it is necessary. You don’t need to handle the organizing task; just remember one thing. Support the team’s defense!"

The task was simple here, but Kazawa still nodded solemnly, knowing full well the gravity of the order. He himself also saw everything from the bench, of how Echigo’s captain always came to Fujinaga and overwhelmed the defensive midfielder either with his dribble or the number of people.

It would be his task to stop that situation from getting worse. That was why the substitution here was smart. Not only did Kumiko put the defensive liability back on the bench, but she also introduced a strong and stable core in the midfield area.

Of course, Kenji’s departure also left a lot of heartbreak from the stand.

"Oh, no! Please, don’t go away!"

"Kyaah! Don’t smile like that, or you will melt my heart straight away!"

"Please, have a baby with me!"

Kenji, much to everyone’s credit, didn’t even flinch when he heard those outrageous comments. The boy just put up his best smile, clapping in every direction as a way for him to tell them that he saw them, and he appreciated their support today.

"Damn, that boy sure is a troublemaker, huh? He would break so many hearts in his three years of high school." Makino shook his head in exasperation.

"Eh, that’s how girls always act around you, right?" In return, Higo just retorted nonchalantly.

"What is it, Chibi? Is that envy that I heard?"

"Bah! Shut up!" Higo’s face darkened when he noticed the teasing tone in his captain’s words. "Anyway, get back to the serious matter, remind everyone to prevent another one-on-one duel with that captain from happening again, okay?"

Makino was startled right now, not even knowing the proper answer to that question. It was just a moment ago that the goalie asked something outrageous, like giving the opponent a chance to face him head-to-head, and now, the same boy threw away the idea instantly, not even taking a second glance at it.

However, out of instinct, the boy still asked, "Is there anything wrong with him? I mean, you have stopped his attack three times in a row, right?"

"It is just..." Higo hesitated for a second, trying to ponder his words carefully. "I just found that his attack is getting more unpredictable, so it will be hard to contain him longer. I think that facing another one-on-one game against him anymore will lead to us conceding a goal."

The captain was still confused, but since the goalkeeper said it himself, the boy still took it seriously. It didn’t matter what the others saw earlier, but if the one who was in action himself said that he couldn’t handle a similar situation again, there was no need to overthink it.

Then, the game continued, just like what Higo wanted, the team worked in unity to prevent Riku from sneaking into their own territory again. He might still be able to dribble past one, two, or even three players, but the moment he was close to the penalty box, someone would challenge him immediately, forcing him to fall.

In their mind, since Higo had already said to prevent a one-on-one situation, they would do exactly like that, even if they had to give a foul at close distance. As long as it was not a penalty, everything would be okay.

Shockingly enough, after those one-on-one situations before, Higo didn’t experience the butterfly effect again, what with everything going straight forward as his clairvoyance told him a few seconds beforehand.

A tricky free kick? He was still able to fly early, as if this was within his prediction.

A sharp cross to the near post with the opponent’s player ready to take it? Higo cut it off by moving one step ahead in time.

Hell, even if the culprit was Riku, probably Higo’s biggest fear in this game, the boy’s action was still within prediction, from the long-range shot to the through pass that split the area between Makino and Jun like a precise scalpel; everything was running perfectly in Higo’s head before the action was taken.

However, this didn’t really reassure the boy. No, if anything, it only gave him anxiety, adding more thought to his tiny brain.

’So, it is not exactly because of Riku, huh?’ He pondered with a frown while also relieving his thirst from the bottle of water next to the goal post.

’So, what triggers that butterfly effect? A one-on-one duel? But I have done the exact same thing with the American-style penalty with Senpai, and it didn’t have the same effect. No, it is only triggered by Riku. Is there something special in him? Does that mean he has some sort of supernatural ability just like me?’

This bugged his mind for the rest of the first half, and due to his paranoia, even with a clairvoyance ability, Higo’s reaction was somewhat slower than usual. He always double-checked for everything right now, wondering whether the next attack would trigger another butterfly effect or not.

Even though he hadn’t conceded a single goal yet, those close to him were still able to see his dazed state, and they couldn’t help but feel concerned.

"Oi, Chibi, you okay?" Makino asked.

"Uh... Ah! No, don’t worry," Higo smiled weakly. "Maybe, it is just the heat..."

Makino frowned skeptically, but in the end just gave a slow nod. "Sure... Let’s just go with that lame excuse of yours. Do whatever you want, but don’t let your stupidity take over for too long, okay? We still need your presence on the back."

Higo stiffened for a moment before also nodding slowly. He still did everything perfectly, and yet his mind was too distracted right now, not being able to concentrate fully on the pitch.

Fortunately, it was already the end of the first half, and the moment the referee blew the whistle, the boy couldn’t help but let out a relieved smile.

’Man, I need to get a grip on myself quickly, or Kumiko-chan will start worrying over me later.’