The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 166: Interview (II)

The interview spiraled uncontrollably, with the questions being fired away, starting to get quicker, not giving Higo any time to think of them properly. Fortunately, Kumiko was here, making sure that he didn’t fall into any trap that could be a PR nightmare in the future. Tamako was also kind enough to ask more trivial things, which didn’t make things difficult for the two teenagers.

’Man, I am so lucky right now. Imagine the interview is wilder than this... I will be horrified and run straight away from this place...’ Higo murmured inwardly.

He also shuddered after remembering all the horribly ended interviews on the internet, especially those celebrities who were always targeted by the media. The boy didn’t even know how they handled this circus stage easily.

One thing that he missed, though, was that he was just a high-school student, and this was an interview to establish his name. There was no way the interview would include some of the trickiest questions outside. Also, since the headmaster accepted this, that meant the woman was clear about the image the headmaster wanted to show outside, so nothing wrong would happen.

Moreover, to gossip about a 17-year-old boy... Bah! He was definitely not worth the time and money for Tamako to create controversy around him!

They chatted more about everything, from Higo’s daily life as a player, the training session, to the point of how Kumiko helped him get better in the game. Most of the questions were quite difficult and even stumped the boy for a few seconds, but fortunately, with Kumiko’s help, he was able to give an answer that he himself was satisfied with.

After a while, the interview was finally over, and the moment Tamako clicked the power button on her camera, Higo sagged into the chair immediately, releasing all the tension that he didn’t even know he held earlier.

"Thank you for your hard work, Higo-kun

..." The older woman smiled politely.

"Ah, it is nothing... Just a light work for me..." Higo laughed awkwardly before wincing a little as he felt a pinch on his thigh. "What the..." He blinked for a moment, turning around to Kumiko just to find her whistling innocently as if nothing had happened here.

"Anyway, before I leave, is there anything you want to ask?" Tamako asked while also smiling knowingly at Kumiko, noticing what she had just done a few seconds ago.

"Ah, yes! I want to ask!" Higo raised his hand as if he were in the middle of a class. "Just wondering, you said that this is for the top 100 list of high school players in the country, right? Does that mean the list is out already, and I am officially included in that?" He asked curiously.

This time, Kumiko also paid more attention, as she herself also didn’t know anything about this. She just knew that the woman came from the JFA, but other than that, the girl knew nothing at all.

After pondering for a second, Tamako finally answered carefully. "I cannot say too much, but what I can confirm is that the top 50 players have already been established. The last 50 ones, we are trying to get creative, finding more hidden gems from all around the country. That’s why I am interviewing you right now, to nominate you for the list."

"So, I am still just a nomination?" Higo asked for confirmation. Getting a nod as an answer, he added another question, "How about Mamoru from Shimizu Higashi? Also, Yuwell Carlson from Sapporo Otani should be quite high, right?"

Even though Higo had never said it out loud, he still remembered the two players who managed to score against him, so the boy would always be concerned about their situation.

"No, no, this list is just for the top Japanese players, so Yuwell will not be included in the list. We will have another section with the top 20 foreign players you should know. Their pool is not that vast, so we have to separate them." Tamako answered. "As for Suzuki-kun..." She trailed her words behind for a moment, seeming to be hesitant to answer.

"What is it?" Higo asked impatiently, not even caring how Kumiko nudged his clothes secretly to warn him to stay polite.

"Well, his ranking is quite high, so don’t be too surprised to know the big difference between you two, okay?" Seeing Higo nod eagerly, the woman took another deep breath and finally said, "He is the number... 5 of the best high school players on the list."

Kumiko gasped immediately when she heard that. Higo himself was surprised, but a big frown formed on his face immediately. "You mean to tell me that there are four high school players better than him?"

In Higo’s mind, Mamoru’s talent was there. That Shizuoka boy treated football so easily, able to do anything on the pitch as much as he wanted without having any problem. Coupled with his title as a genius, Higo thought that the boy would be the best player of the generation. Who would’ve thought that the boy would fall to fifth place?

Well, at least that was what he thought. Kumiko just facepalmed when she heard that, wanting to cover her face out of embarrassment.

"Ryukkun, you dolt! Did you forget that he is just a freshman?" She hissed quietly. "No matter how good he was in middle school, people will still be hesitant about whether he could do the same in the new stage. They will still prefer veterans with more experience. The fact that he can still breach into the top 5 list without any high school achievement shows how much people trust his talent, so his rank is definitely way too good to be true!"

Higo just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. The boy didn’t really think about it clearly, but after pondering for a second, he knew that Kumiko was right in this regard.

’Does that mean Mamoru is stronger than I thought, though?’ Higo couldn’t help but frown.

"Shishida-san is right." Tamako nodded in approval, not even noticing Higo’s change of expression. "The fact that Suzuki-kun is able to get into the top 5 right now is unprecedented, and once the list is out, it will create an earthquake in the football community in this country. As for the other four players... No matter how genius Suzuki-kun is, he wouldn’t be able to pass their rank so easily without any achievement. Those four deserve to be on top of the list, whether it is because of their skill or achievement."

Once again, Higo just nodded silently, pondering for a moment before asking another crucial question.

"So... Who are those top four players?"