The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 147: Higo’s Personal Show! (II)

If before, Higo felt like he was witnessing a live re-creation of Ronaldinho’s classic goal, this time, he was about to face a rendition of a modern amazing goal in the World Cup. This time, the boy felt like he was a Swedish goalkeeper, having to face Toni Kroos himself from Germany.

It was quite a new match for the World Cup, what with Higo and Kumiko watching the highlight of the game just a few weeks ago. That match should have been around two weeks ago, before the German team had to be eliminated from the whole tournament this year.

However, Higo still took time to watch them, especially since Kumiko liked to give him homework related to this.

Well, that highlight video got upgraded from an educational material to a real case study here, as he witnessed the same curling shot from a similar angle, close to the edge of the penalty box.

’Fuck! You think you can just repeat the same method over and over again? Dream on!’

Higo waited carefully, and once the ball curled, he made another Superman jump. Fortunately, this time, the ball’s movement wasn’t that big, and it didn’t fly that high in the air, so that the sun’s brightness wouldn’t affect him.

As the ball got closer to the top bins, Higo did exactly the same as he had done earlier, but with a more cautious approach.

BAM!

"Fuck!" The goalie cursed as he fell on the ground. However, seeing the ball still rolling inside the pitch, he didn’t have time to groan right now. "Usami! Clear the ball!"

Usami, who was still entangled with the opponent’s player, didn’t need to be told twice. He showed off his flexibility, escaping through the opponent’s physical crush before using a spin shot to clear the ball away from the goal.

"Hell, yeah!"

"Nice, Usami! That’s how you do it!"

"Be more confident! Don’t worry about anything at the back!"

The other Hakodate players also celebrated like crazy. Of course, the main protagonist was still Higo here, as he had just made two amazing saves consecutively. However, the boy himself rose instantly, not even caring about the commotion around him.

"Fuck it! Keep our eyes open! The attack is not over yet!" He shouted, his voice hoarse.

True enough, while Usami’s clearance was perfect, sending the ball back to Shimizu Higashi’s own half, the next wave of attack was coming again. This time, the midfielder who dropped down to support the defense earlier caught the ball, and instead of slowing down, he sent a pinpoint pass crossing through the flank, landing straight to Mamoru’s chest.

"Fuck! I get him!" Ishinori rushed frantically, trying to put pressure on the genius boy from the opponent’s team before he could get comfortable with the ball.

However, Mamoru was so nonchalant, just letting the ball fall to his right foot before sweeping it left. The sequence of moves only happened for a second, but it was still enough to give him space to launch another cross.

"FUCK!"

BAM!

Another shot was made.

This time, the Korean striker, Park Han-Gyeol, launched a half-volley from a space near the goal area, and once again, Higo came out as a hero, deflecting the powerful ball with the tip of his hand.

"Oh! Damn! That goalkeeper is insane!"

"It should be a sure-goal chance for Shimizu Higashi, right?"

"Now, they are meeting their match!"

Cheers erupted immediately as all eyes stared at the ball outside the pitch. All the Shimizu Higashi players also had their jaws dropped in disbelief, not expecting the wave of offense that usually would end with them scoring a point would be denied by that no-name goalkeeper from Hakodate.

"Don’t worry, Han-Gyeol-a! You will have another chance later!" One of Shimizu Higashi’s attackers tried to cheer up the Korean boy.

Park Han-Gyeol himself still kneeled on the ground, panting heavily while also looking at Higo with an exhilarating smile. Yes, he was smiling. There wasn’t even a single frustration on his face, just an intrigued feeling of meeting a difficult puzzle to crack.

The more he stared at Higo, the more pleased he became.

"Nice pass, Suzuki-ya!" He finally rose from the ground, shouting at Mamoru with his thick Korean accent while also giving a big thumbs-up. "Sorry for wasting it away! Can you give me a little bit close to my body?!" His Japanese wasn’t that good, but he compensated for it with his expressive body language.

Seeing that boy dancing foolishly like that, Mamoru couldn’t help but snort, somehow feeling amused. "Don’t worry, Han-Gyeol-a! You will get a better pass later!" He shouted back before walking to the edge of the pitch for another corner kick.

That conversation was a big sign that those two were made of the same flesh. Rather than just a mere win, they enjoyed the thrill of beating a strong opponent, and so far, three months since they were in their high school era, Higo was the first one that possessed any strength to challenge them.

Now, they felt more motivated than ever, curious about what it would be once they beat Higo and scored the goal.

Of course, the more those two went crazy, the more headaches Higo would suffer. Right now, his face was so somber as he got up from the ground, patting all the dust off his shorts without even glancing around at his teammates.

The other Hakodate Nishi players held their breath unconsciously, not knowing what to say. The last few minutes were indeed a personal show for Higo, letting him pile up one highlight after another for the scout to give a plus point. However, on the other hand, this also showed how useless the team’s defense was, getting breached so easily by the opponent’s players left and right.

"Urgh... Chibi?" Even Makino himself hesitated here. However, before he could say anything, Higo’s sharp gaze turned to him.

"Oi, Teme..." His voice was so low with a hint of danger in his tone. This alone was enough to send a shiver down the captain’s spine. The quieter he became, the more anger built inside him. "I have been working my ass off so far, but you are still here, acting way too casual. Do you really want me to be humiliated that much?"