The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 146: Higo’s Personal Show! (I)

Author’s note: Big thanks to another big spender who is willing to support this story with a wave of Golden Tickets! Thanks to Robin_Kristiansen_7344, Crazyjr_96, DaoistIJG89F, Hattorin, and Masatoshi_K for the 12 Golden Tickets!

Also, sorry that today, I can only upload three Chapters. I will replace the double-update day tomorrow, and with 12 more Golden Tickets, I will also add Wednesday and Friday to my schedule. If you want to have more double-update day, please, shower me with more Golden Tickets!

Thanks a lot!

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Unlike Kumiko, Higo was never an avid football fan. Growing up, he didn’t watch a lot of football games. Other than those matches that Kumiko forced him to sit with her together, the boy didn’t really care about anything related to the sport before.

However, if there was one thing that he knew so well like the back of his head, it was definitely the World Cup 2002. That was the only time any Asian country was chosen as a host, and coincidentally enough, Japan became one of them in this case, working together with South Korea.

It sent a wave of patriotism for all people, from young to old, from poor to rich. That was also the same case for the people in Hakodate, and while Higo and Kumiko weren’t born yet during that time, their childhood was still filled with the nostalgic memory of that glorious day, listening to their elders’ stories about how the country became the center of attention in the whole world.

Of course, at that time, neither kid really understood what it meant. However, at that time, the World Cup atmosphere was still so strong, with so many television programs running back all the highlights of the games played in Japan.

"Look, Ryukkun! That is Miroslav Klose! He scored a hat-trick in Sapporo Dome, our own home! Don’t you know that he is not a pure German, but was born in Poland?"

"Hey, that’s Nakata! The second Japanese to play in Italy after King Kazu! He was so handsome at that time!"

"Ne, ne, Ryukkun! Don’t you know that Ronaldo had that funny hairstyle because he wanted to distract the media from his injury? He might look innocent, but he is so smart!"

Those were all the common conversations between Higo and Kumiko in the past, with the girl always spouting every single trivia she found whenever they watched a highlight together. Hell, even at this time, Higo would always smile unconsciously when he remembered that sweet memory, finding the girl to always be so cute no matter how old she was.

One of the most memorable ones that Higo still remembers up to this point, though, was Ronaldinho’s insane free kick that slammed into David Seaman’s far post in a game between Brazil and England. That free kick flew so high, but the curl itself fooled everyone, including the goalkeeper at that time.

Even though Higo didn’t really know a lot about football, the boy could still recognize a spectacular goal when he saw one. However, the boy had never thought that he would witness such a similar scene, and with him being the David Seaman of the story, nonetheless!

’Fuck! There is no way I will let myself become your backdrop!’

As he gritted his teeth, Higo kept having his eyes in the air, tracking the ball and waiting for the right timing to get it. Even with his clairvoyance ability, that was still a difficult thing to do, as Mamoru really took advantage of the sun’s position to aim for the goal.

’Even in my clairvoyance ability, all I can see is the bright sun before the ball finally falls. Tch! How annoying!’

He also took a note on the back of his head about this, saving it as another weakness of his supernatural ability. However, that was not the right time to think about. No, the moment he felt the ball was closer enough to his reach, the boy flew with one hand extended far in a Superman pose, punching the ball above the goal immediately.

Thud!

"Urgh!" Higo winced unconsciously as he fell with his shoulder on the ground first. However, adrenaline kicked in, and as he turned around and saw the ball just rolling gently on top of the net, the boy couldn’t help but clench his fist, roaring wildly, "HELL, YEAH!"

It took a few seconds, but after that, all the Hakodate Nishi players also followed the celebration like crazy.

"Goddamni, Chibi! Once again, you really know how to save our ass!" Makino laughed heartily, slapping Higo’s back with a relieved sigh, following along.

"Fuck it, that Superman jump is awesome! That hat also adds your charisma, Senpai!" Hori sent a thumbs-up.

"Hahaha! No need to exaggerate!" Higo chuckled, trying to be humble. However, it would be a lie if he said he wasn’t pleased with the result, as it was all the teenagers’ dream to be admired by their peers like this. "Come on, the attack is not over, though! We still have a fucking corner kick after this!" He clapped loudly, snapping everyone out of their daydreaming.

Meanwhile, on the opponent’s team, they were all surprised to see this scene. No one really knew that Mamoru would be bold enough to attempt that kind of shot, and no one could imagine that Higo would deflect that kind of a ball. Everything happened so fast that it looked like they were still in a daze here.

"Is this the genius realm?" The captain couldn’t help but sigh in melancholy.

"What do you mean by that, Senpai?" Mamoru blinked confusedly. "Anyway, get ready on the box again, and try to get closer to the near post! This time, I will send a low pass; get ready to send it back to me! Wait for the right timing, don’t you dare get trapped in a cheap offside scenario, okay?!" He reminded the older boy quickly before going for the corner kick again.

The captain himself, the good-looking boy, just clicked his tongue in annoyance. Unfortunately, Mamoru was right, and that boy also had a good relationship with the coach. So, he just let it slide for a moment, intending to scold the boy later.

The boy himself was an honest person. He couldn’t hide his emotion so well, so when Mamoru saw his rocket shot was stopped by Higo, his excitement rose to the peak.

’Well, you might claim that can stop one, but how about...’ A short corner kick was formed, and the ball was back to Mamoru’s feet immediately as the boy looked at the far post for a second. "How about this, Bastard!"

BAM!

After that, another curl straight to the top bins was launched, and this time, everyone held their breath unconsciously, waiting to see whether the ball would fall or not.