The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 165: Interview (I)

Higo’s first reaction was astonishment. After all, this was the first time someone had done such intense research on him, and it would be a lie if he said that he wasn’t freaked out by this shit. If the woman hadn’t introduced herself firsthand, he would’ve called the police by now for her stalking ability.

Then, the next reaction was a deadpan. Yeah, a deadpan for Mamoru to drag him into this mess.

’What the fuck is he talking about in Shizuoka?’ He couldn’t help but curse. Hell, right now, he had half of his mind to just run away from this spot, not wanting to get involved in any of this shenanigan.

However, Higo himself was a former keyboard warrior, and as a person who delved quite deep into the internet world, he knew what it meant to have exposure.Even though the boy himself didn’t know why he needed exposure and how he would do that in the future, for now, he just accepted the interview first.

’Also, Kumiko-chan seems to encourage me, so she definitely thinks that this is a good idea.’ He took a note mentally.

Indeed, while Kumiko hadn’t really spoken anything yet, the girl tapped his knee behind the table so subtly that the woman didn’t even notice. This was a little secret sign they created whenever they were scolded by their parents during their childhood, as Kumiko would tap his knee once under the table for him to agree and twice to deny all the accusation.

So, with that in mind, Higo finally took a deep breath, leaning forward before nodding. "Fine, let’s do this."

"A good answer!" That woman—Tamako—clapped excitedly before setting up a camera and taking out a notebook immediately. "I have to state it beforehand, but do you mind being recorded and uploaded on the Internet? The JFA, that’s our federation’s name, by the way, wants to create a list of the top 100 high school players in Japan, and I want to introduce you to the public."

"Wait, top 100?!" Higo blinked his eyes in disbelief. "You are including me?!" He pointed at himself in disbelief.

Don’t underestimate the top 100 list like this. In Japan, the participants of the national tournament could reach 32 teams every season, and out of those 32 teams, each one had around 20 players on average.

That meant, even in the national tournament where all the best teams gathered, there were around 640 players from all around the country, and they were definitely the best of the best.

So, it was not that strange for Higo to question his hearing here, since his team had never played outside of Hokkaido before their Niigata trip.

"Yup! You!" Tamako nodded in confirmation. "Don’t sell yourself short. After the interview with Suzuki-san from Shimizu Higashi spread, people have started to look at your name, and your reputation will bounce higher than ever soon. Get ready to be the school’s celebrity, okay?" The shit-eating grin on her face was so infuriating that Higo had to hold back from punching her straight in the face.

Once again, though, Kumiko’s presence beside him was enough to calm the boy down. It also helped that she sent another secret signal, basically telling him, ’Don’t worry, I will handle this matter later.’ Which was enough to make him breathe in relief.

’With Kumiko-chan having my back, I am sure everything will be okay.’ His smile was more relaxed now, something that the woman on the other side of the table also took notice of.

’Hmm... Interesting...’ She hummed with a knowing smile. "Anyway, do you mind getting recorded?" The woman asked the question again.

"Sure, be my guest." This time, Higo finally nodded in agreement.

"Nice, then, let me start today’s recording quickly, okay?" After getting a nod from Higo, the woman stared at the camera directly and started to speak, "Hello, everyone, I am Tamako from the J-League TV, and today, we are here with the two biggest sensations in the Hokkaido football community: Ryusuke Higo and Kumiko Shishida from Hakodate Nishi High!"

Higo blinked for a moment before realizing something. ’Holy hell... You are including Kumiko-chan as well?!’

He initially thought that he would be the only one being interviewed, but after thinking about it, the boy realized that his best friend was also worth joining the fun. She was a student becoming the team’s head coach, a girl nonetheless, and the team was going in the right direction. That alone was enough to get her a big interview on a famous football website on the Internet.

"First of all, Higo-kun, rumor said that you only started playing football this year after getting dragged by Shishida-san. Can you confirm it?" She asked.

’Well, that was an easy question.’ He thought. "Sure, yeah. The event is just quite ordinary, nothing special. Just me deflecting the ball from coming to her side, she saw my quick reaction, and suddenly asked me to join. Nothing more and nothing less." He shrugged nonchalantly.

There were so many things that he downplayed here, and the woman couldn’t help but click her tongue in annoyance for that. Fortunately, she was good at generating more topics as she turned around to Kumiko and asked, "So, he was your knight on the horse?" The smile on her face was twitching playfully.

Kumiko’s smile, though, was blooming brighter than ever. "Yup! He might not act like it, but he is always a knight without any shining armor. Just a nonchalant look to make himself look awkwardly cool."

This time, Higo choked, not expecting to get praised and attacked by his childhood friend in one sentence. However, a foolish grin also formed as he realized that the girl of his life had just called him her knight.

"So, what prompted you to invite him to join the team?" Tamako turned her attention to the girl, her eyes shining in curiosity. "For all I know, before that, he doesn’t have any record in sports, right? What made you believe that he is a piece that you need for the team?"