The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 158: The End of The Game! Another Tough Defeat?!

Fweee! Fweee! Fweee!

The referee finally blew the whistle three times continuously, signalling the end of the game. Right after the last whistle disappeared from the air, all the Shimizu Higashi players jumped immediately, all swarming to the pitch and hugging Mamoru like he was the second Messiah on Earth.

"Yes, Mamoru! Good job!"

"Hahaha! We win the tournament! We win the tournament!"

"Come on!"

Since they were not adults, no alcohol or champagne was popped here. Instead, so many bottles of cola were poured for their best player as the Shizuoka’s representation celebrated heartily.

It was so strange for them, a powerhouse school that even had the experience to win the national tournament, to be this crazy after winning a mere game. However, no one really questioned them.

Everyone could see how difficult today’s game was, and if not for pure luck, they would’ve had to face a penalty shootout, and with Higo’s absurd performance, even Shimizu Higashi players wouldn’t really know whether they could win the game or not.

Meanwhile, on Hakodate Nishi’s side, they all just sat on the ground, their gazes were quite hollow as they watched the opponent celebrating the win. Kenji, the new player who was subbed on after the team conceded a goal, could only sigh, trying to cheer up his teammates.

He himself was also helpless. His presence on the pitch was just a glimmer of hope that they could tie the game quickly. Unfortunately, with only three minutes left on the pitch, the boy couldn’t really do anything, just watching his teammates’ spirits crumble slowly until they disappeared completely from the earth.

"Come on, Ji-kun, let’s get our senpai first." The boy patted Denji’s back gently.

Denji just nodded slightly, coming to his twin and doing the exact same. Those two boys didn’t show any excessive emotion, just disappointment for the loss of the game. Well, even with their extensive experience in middle school, they were just freshmen here and didn’t really have any strong attachment to the team. Kenji and Sano were definitely on the same boat here.

However, it was different for the senior members.

Other than regret, the strongest feeling right now was frustration. This was the second time they lost in the final match of the tournament, with them also getting defeated a few months ago in the final of the prefecture stage by Sapporo Otani High.

Two finals, two losses.

This was definitely enough to make them fall into self-doubt, making them start thinking, ’Am I good enough?’

Higo himself couldn’t care less about that right now. The moment the referee blew the whistle, he just walked staggeringly toward the medical team, wanting to check his hand. It seemed that the adrenaline that acted as an anesthetic had finally worn out, and the pain came back again, greater than ever.

"A subluxation on your gliding joint, a minor one, fortunately. It will take two to three weeks until you recover at your fullest." The person from the medical team who checked his state spoke while also taping a bandage to Higo’s hand so that it wouldn’t move too much and worsen the injury. "You are lucky that it doesn’t affect your shoulder, or the recovery will be longer."

"Um? Can it spread to my shoulder?" Higo blinked, rubbing his shoulder unconsciously.

"Not spreading, but the way you get the injury, it has a big chance to mess up your shoulder as well. If so, you will have to stay still for the full two or three months to recover." The doctor corrected.

Higo shuddered unconsciously when he heard that. The thought of three weeks of not being able to move his hand was enough to make him flinch, let alone three months. Also, he really didn’t know how to explain this matter to his mom, so he would have to rely on Kumiko to do this dirty job.

"So, how is it?" The moment Higo left the medical team, Kumiko was there, asking the question concernedly.

"Not bad. Just resting for three more weeks, and I am as good as new." Higo answered weakly. "Anyway, how are the others?" He glanced at his teammates, who somehow looked like a bunch of zombies, eyes so hollow, faces so pale, and a depressing atmosphere around them.

"As you can see, they have become unresponsive toward everything right now." Kumiko sighed helplessly. "It seems the loss today is a big blow to their spirit. Now, they cannot help but think whether they are good enough or not, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them come to me in the future and ask for resignation."

Fortunately, she said the last part with voice barely whisper, or those who could overhear her would do the exact thing that the girl predicted straight away. Hell, even without observing one by one, Kumiko could see that one of them was on the verge of collapse right now, and within a few days, he would want to ask for leave.

Not that she would say it out loud, of course, still hoping that the boy would change his mind later.

Kumiko herself was also disappointed by the defeat. However, she didn’t really mind it, since the girl knew exactly that this tournament was just a preparation for the team to go to the Winter Tournament a month later.

Also, being able to force Shimizu Higashi to this point was definitely a big thing for the team, enough to boost their confidence once they were getting over the disappointment today. At least, when they were facing Sapporo Otani next winter, they wouldn’t be that nervous again, having already experienced a stronger team and almost survived the ordeal.

However, while the result of this tournament wasn’t a big deal for her, it was definitely huge for the players. They were so devastated by the fact that they had never expected to win the tournament at all.

Strange, right? However, that was the reality. From coming as a no-name team with the purpose of gaining more playing time to having a glimmer of hope to win it all after the two consecutive victories, just to get crushed once again today, the roller coaster of emotion was too much, not something a group of normal teenagers could handle at all.

"Okay, everyone! The game is over! I know you are devastated, but we still have to follow the closing ceremony! Come on, let’s do it as quickly as possible and have a sukiyaki party later!"