The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 133: Preparation for the Next Game

"Okay, everyone! You had fun yesterday! How is it?!" Kumiko asked with a huge smile as she gathered all of her players the next morning.

Surprisingly—or not, if the girl had to be honest—everyone groaned simultaneously, all sang so many things but with the same complaining tone.

"No! That’s not enough!"

"Yes! One day is too short! We need to do more!"

"Man, I haven’t even had any chance of buying a popsicle in the hot summer!"

"Hell, I didn’t even get any sunburn yesterday!"

"Wait, isn’t that a good thing?"

Kumiko just smiled amusedly, inwardly also feeling relieved that everyone had a great time today. Honestly, she was afraid that they were going to be disappointed, what with them having too many expectations.

After all, for most of them, this was their first experience ever, and their image of the beach in the summer was something they only saw in the Anime, which was definitely far more exaggerated than reality.

Fortunately, they were lucky to go to the beach that was relatively empty. Not a lot of crowds gathered, so they could just enjoy their leisure time without any burden. Hell, they screamed and laughed so hard, yet no one really bothered them, making it a very fun experience for everyone.

"Unfortunately, we are not here just to have fun, so we have to go back to the business, okay?" Kumiko smiled, ignoring the groans and complaints from the others. Some of the serious players like Hiroshi and Makino also perked up, waiting for the girl to speak again. "Well, after you guys had your fun yesterday, we are going to start our preparation for tomorrow’s game. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Ma’am!"

Although some of them were still in their holiday mode, once Kumiko raised her voice, no one dared to slack off. They all leaned their body forward, and all the goofy smiles were replaced with serious gazes instantly.

"Tomorrow, we are going to face Akita Chuo High, one of the powerhouse teams in the prefecture of Akita. They have been a regular participant in the National Tournament for the last couple of years, and while they failed to reach the national this year, that doesn’t mean they are in decline. Or... Well, that is what I thought."

"Um?" Makino blinked, not understanding the last part. He wasn’t the only one, as the other boys also exchanged confused glances for a moment. "Care to explain that, Kumiko-chan?"

"Well, you guys have seen the result of their first day, right? A complete slaughter from Shimizu Higashi?" Instead of answering, the girl threw another question. At the nods from the others, she continued, "The result of 5 – 1 is quite bad, but I thought it would just be a one-time occasion, since Shimizu Higashi itself is a strong team. However, it seems Akita Chuo is indeed in a bad trend right now."

"Ah! I remember it! I read the news a few months ago!" One of the twins, Denki, clapped with eyes widened in realization. "They have just lost the head coach who was guiding them for eight years, and now, the transition era doesn’t run quite smoothly! They also offered a scholarship to us, right?" He asked his twin immediately.

"Oh, that crooked bald man?" Denji hummed as if he remembered something. "Well, he basically begged us to come, but their offer was too low, and their school is not even the best one in Akita, so Dad rejected them without hesitation."

Hearing the casual conversation between the twins as if they were just chatting about the weather outside, some of the people here twitched the corner of their lips unconsciously. This also reminded them that those two were really good prospects, who somehow, in their retard mind, decided to chase after their unreliable senpai in the barren line of Hakodate.

"Well, Denki is right, they have just lost a head coach, and their performance afterwards has never shown any sign of a strong team." Kumiko continued. "In total, with the new head coach, they have been playing for at least 6 games, and in total, together with the game yesterday, they are conceding 26 goals, at least four in every match."

"... Holy hell..." Makino gasped incredulously. The others also had a similar reaction, as this was indeed too outrageous.

For a defensive-minded team like them, not conceding a goal was their aim in every game, so even conceding one goal seemed like they were committing a great sin. Now, to hear a team conceding four on average? Damn, that was definitely their biggest nightmare!

"Anyway, they even failed to go to the semifinal of their prefecture tournament this summer, and on paper, we, who are on the rise, should be able to handle tomorrow’s game easily. However, even the wounded lion is still dangerous, so I don’t want any of you to underestimate the game tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes, Ma’am!"

"Good!" Kumiko nodded satisfactorily. "Tomorrow, we are going to have a lot of possessions, so we need people with good control over the ball and who are creative enough to break through the opponent’s defense. That’s why, Kuroki-kun

, you are in! Yuji-kun, you will start the game from the bench and replace Kenji-kun in the second half!"

"Roger!" Kuroki nodded like an obedient soldier.

Meanwhile, Yuji’s face fell for a moment before nodding reluctantly, while Kenji was ready to make a fuss. However, one glance from Kumiko with her ’sweet’ smile promising pain was enough to shut him up immediately.

"The opponent’s offense tomorrow is also not going to be that fierce, so Ishinori-kun, you will start from the bench, okay? I want to see how Denki-kun will fare in a real game. Also, Sano-kun, you are in as well. You will replace Jun-kun on the backline."

Those names that were called by the girl nodded simultaneously, probably having already expected this. Well... All of them, except Sano. Poor boy, he choked instantly when his name was mentioned, definitely not expecting this at all.

"W—What?! Me?! Kumiko-senpai, are you sure about this?! I mean, I am just... Me!" He stuttered in panic. His image right now was so in contrast to his usual tough appearance, eliciting chuckles from the others.

"Yes, don’t worry, I am sure of it." Kumiko smiled warmly. "At the end of the day, the best way to improve yourself is to play a real game. Tomorrow’s opponent is not going to be that difficult, and the pressure is not that much. This is a perfect game for you to start. So, how is it?"

Sano’s first thought was to reject it, thinking that the girl was being too outrageous here. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to, but the boy knew exactly his worth.

Out of everyone else, he was the only one who didn’t know bat shit about football and had to be taught from the very basic rules, so asking him to play, even though he had already done so from the bench in the last game, was still ridiculous.

However, all of his refusal stuck in his throat, as he saw the girl looking at him with a hopeful gaze. Honestly, this was the first time he received one, and the boy could feel his chest was warmed instantly.

In the end, he could only let out a deep sigh, nodding in resignation. "Fine, I’ll play tomorrow. But don’t blame me for dragging the team down, okay?"