The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 161: Before Going Home

"Okay, everyone! Have you checked your room?! Make sure that nothing is left behind, no snacks, let alone trash!" Makino shouted as she dragged a massive plastic bag full of waste.

"Yes, Ma’am!" All the Hakodate Nishi players shouted simultaneously.

It was the morning of the next day, and gone was all the gloominess from the defeat the day before. Well... Not completely, per se, since some of them were still quite depressed. However, at least a hint of vitality could be seen again in their face, showing that they recovered enough from their tough loss.

Right now, they were still in the middle of fixing things up, tidying the hotel room they used to stay for a full week. Not that they had to, of course, since the hotel crew would still do that for them, but out of politeness, they still helped the cleaning process anyway.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Kumiko if she didn’t slip any special meaning into the team’s activity. Yeah, they weren’t just cleaning their room here. The girl had prepared an educational activity for after they were done with today, so she spread all the players into several groups.

The first one was filled with four dudes: Higo, Makino, Jun, and Sano. They were the pillars of the team’s defensive line, so with more communication, their coordination would be better in the future, repelling all the threats away from the team.

Then, the second one contained four people as well: Kazawa, Fujinaga, Takaaki, and Usami. Those were the heart of the team, the control tower that oversaw everything on the pitch.

Midfield was probably the harshest place on the pitch, and more often than not, they wouldn’t be able to communicate properly before more pressure came from the opponent’s side. That was why Kumiko gave them a challenge here, which was to forbid any verbal communication, wanting to build a stronger connection among those four.

It was an ambitious project, but if they managed to do that, the team’s possession flow would receive a major upgrade, and hell, they might even be able to leave their conservative defensive style in the future!

Of course, it was still just a foolish dream. The team still had a long way to go, so Kumiko didn’t dare to think too far ahead, opting to watch each improvement little by little.

The next group was the team’s sharpest blade on the edge, the team’s supporting cast from the flank. Those were Ishinori, Hori, and the twins Denji and Denki. People might think they didn’t communicate often on the pitch since they were separated far away by the middle area. However, the wingback position was always like a pendulum, with both flanks connected to each other.

If one person was overlapping, the others had to stay back and help the central defender handle the possibility of counterattack, and vice versa. That was why communication was also still an important thing for them.

It also helped that they both had what the other lacked. The twins were so experienced in big games and had a better mentality on the pitch, so Ishinori and Hori could learn a lot from their kouhai. In return, neither Denji nor Denki really understood the team’s culture, and the two veteran members could imprint them all toward their kouhai.

This was also a bridge to let the twins connect to the rest of the team. After all, everyone noticed that besides Hiroshi, they were a bit detached from everything, not even caring about their head coach before. This was just a small problem, but it could create a massive rift in the future. That was why the girl decided to solve the situation in one go.

As for the last group, this was the heavy-hitters of the team, those who could smell blood even from far away. Those were the attacking group, those who ensured that the team didn’t just defend their territory for nothing. The group was filled with Hiroshi, Yuji, Kuroki, and Kenji, and their task was to keep their kouhai in check, making sure he didn’t bring trouble to the team.

...Impossible task, yeah. Out of everyone in the team, Kenji was definitely a different beast, from how he attracted girls’ attention to how he walked, which looked like everyone owed his family money. However, at least, this was their chance to bond together, and who knew, maybe the result would surprise everyone else.

Kumiko designed the group activity so meticulously, using their last day in Niigata to bond the team closer. In the end, straight at noon, when the sun was at its peak, they arrived back at the hotel, where the bus that would bring them home was already parked.

"So, have you done strolling around? Does anyone still need to buy souvenirs?" Kumiko asked.

"No..." They answered simultaneously, yet the sound was weaker than expected. Well, it was the peak of summer, and for a bunch of cavemen who spent most of their lives in a snowy area, this was definitely hell.

"Well, good." Kumiko nodded, not even caring about her players’ state right now. Her tone suddenly became somber, enough to turn all heads on her. "Before we go back home, I just want to say something here."

All the boys had their backs straightened immediately, as if they were a troop of soldiers waiting for their commander to give the last speech before they went to war.

"I know that some of you are still gutted with our result here. Fujinaga-kun for being replaced in the first half... Jun-kun for making the last mistake... Even Makino-kun for losing the game..."

All the boys mentioned clenched their fists unconsciously.

"This is something that we cannot accept at all... This is the debt that we have to repay in the future... So, keep that feeling burning inside you for now, because in the next winter... We are coming for them."

The last sentence from Kumiko was met by gasps from the others.

"You mean..." Makino blinked in disbelief.

"Yeah." The head coach nodded solemnly. "This winter tournament, I will declare it loudly. Our target is to dethrone Sapporo Otani from the top spot of the Hokkaido team and take our revenge against Shimizu Higashi in the National Tournament!"