The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 137: A Solid Win!

Silence.

In the next few seconds, the pitch fell into a dead silence, as everyone had their jaws dropped. All the eyes bounced back and forth from the ball that was still rolling inside Akita Chuo’s goal to Kuroki, who was just standing calmly as if he didn’t do anything special, and not a single word was said during the process.

Then, in the next second, they all saw Kuroki, in the most dramatic way, turn his body to the stand and spread his arms wide, as if asking, ’Where are the cheers?’, and then, that was when hell broke loose.

"OH! WHAT A GOAL!"

"Damn! That first-time volley is crazy!"

"Who the hell is he, by the way?! He didn’t play in the first game, right?"

"Who the fuck does he think he is, the fucking Ibrahimovic?!"

Of course, the wildest cheers happened on the pitch, where all the Hakodate players were gathering around Kuroki. They all were jumping and laughing, still couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed there.

"Holy hell, Kuroki! What the fuck did you smoke in the break earlier?" Makino asked, still shaking his head in disbelief.

"Haha, it is nothing... Just keep it low, okay?" Kuroki said with a huge grin on his face, clearly feeling the adrenaline rushing through his brain.

"Tch! You really steal the show, Senpai." Kenji clicked his tongue in annoyance. Well, it was directed to himself, since the boy regretted why he couldn’t have this kind of moment in the game. "If only I could do that..."

"Still, I have never thought that you have it in you for that volley, Senpai!" Denji also added, looking at his senpai in admiration.

"Hah! You underestimate him too much, Brat!" Fujinaga laughed proudly as if it were his own achievement. "He is the only striker who still lasts from the senior year students! There is no way he is ordinary!"

"Yes, he is just too low-key! But his finishing ability is amazing!"

"Oh, come on, Guys! No need to praise me like that..." Kuroki blushed a little, not being used to facing this kind of praise. "I mean, it is just my luck that the ball coincidentally fell in front of me. Everything happened so fast that I didn’t even know what was going on earlier. It was just luck, just luck..."

As everyone was going back to their own territory to restart the game, Kumiko also smiled a little; her tensed shoulder finally slumped a few inches down in relief. After the first goal finally came, she could finally take a long breath, knowing that the pressure had shifted to the opponent’s side right now.

This time, it was Akita Chuo who would need a goal, so they would have to go out of their comfort zone. That was the chance she had been waiting for, as the girl knew that more chances would come for the team later.

"Jun-kun, Kazawa-kun,

get ready." She suddenly called the two players on the bench. "Solidify the midfield first, and repel all the attack from getting close to our own territory. Control the ball more and wait until they lose their patience."

"Yes, Ma’am!"

Those two took off their vest immediately, walking to the sideline as quickly as possible to get ready for the game. The other bench players who hadn’t had a chance yet could only watch them with their faces green with envy.

"Don’t worry, you guys will have a chance as well. Just wait, because we need to stabilize the situation first." Kumiko said, noticing the drop in the mood there.

After a while, the game continued once again, with Jun and Kazawa replacing Kenji and Sano. With the two fresh bloods on the pitch and a one-goal lead in their hand, all the Hakodate players went along with their confidence rising to a peak.

They held the ball more comfortably, and some even dared to dribble forward, even if they didn’t know a single shit about how to do it properly. Everyone was just having fun, trying to rile up the opponent into playing more recklessly.

As time went by, Kumiko also put the other three bench players on the pitch. It was not really a formal tournament, so they were allowed to make five substitutions in the game. This time, Yuji, Denki, and Ishinori were in, adding more difficulty for Akita Chuo High.

Ten minutes before the game was over, Hakodate Nishi even added one more goal to the scoreboard. This time, Yuji showed up as a super-sub, sneaking in between two of the opponent’s defenders before receiving a scalpel-like pass from Hiroshi, where he didn’t even have to adjust his body stance and just beat the ball into the goal easily.

The goalkeeper didn’t even stand a chance, finding the ball landing straight to the far post without him being able to touch it. This was also the killer of the game, because after the goal, gone was all the resistance on the Akita Chuo’s side.

Of course, the happiest one here was definitely Hiroshi. Not only did he have a great assist, adding another important statistic to his bag, but the build-up play earlier also showed off almost everything he could offer for the team’s offense.

Before passing the ball, he held it for quite a long time, surviving under the opponent’s two defenders while also dragging the third one to come. That was when the boy saw his friend in an open situation, and he didn’t hesitate to launch a through ball, piercing the opponent’s defensive line.

"Good job, Hiroshi!" Makino rubbed the boy’s hair fondly. "I am sure the scouts will take note of your skill and give you a plus point." He gave his kouhai a thumbs-up, which was only replied to by a sheepish chuckle.

The game continued once again, and this time, the tension was already gone from the pitch. Everyone just moved quite lazily, passing the ball back and forth while also trying to waste more time.

The moment the referee blew the final whistle, though, all the Hakodate players cheered simultaneously; everyone was on the same page here.

"One more game, and we can win this damn tournament! Come on!"