The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 168: Back to School Again!

Well, Higo had to save this excitement far on the back of his head, together with the knowledge of those four best players in the country. After all, no matter how gassed he was about that, the boy still had to face reality, and that was the beginning of the second term at school.

While the outside was still quite sunny, the temperature started to drop a little, a sign that autumn was about to come. Some people even started to wear a scarf, too frightened by the cold wind from the sea. However, at school, the summer atmosphere was still there, with most students having a new tan on their bodies.

"Damn! You look good, Brother! Which beach did you go to?"

"Me? Not far, just Iwate."

"Damn! That famous paradise?! I am so jealous!"

"What about you, Dude?"

"Oh, my team and I have a good trip to Okinawa, you know? Okinawa!"

"OOOOH!"

Just like any first day of school, all the students were still showing off the results of their holiday trip. Higo himself just yawned, not really feeling it. His body was still sore after the practice yesterday, and right now, all he wanted to do was get a good sleep at the beginning of the term.

’After this, it should be a history class, right? Man, I hope Sensei would never notice me...’ He yawned, his sleepy eyes were still closed tightly.

However, before he could even visit the dreamland for a second, Makino suddenly came with a piece of a book in his hand, and Higo groaned immediately, knowing that his peaceful morning was about to end.

"What again, Teme?!" He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"What again?!" Makino’s voice rose a few octaves, enough to attract gossip from the other students.

However, it seemed that the boy didn’t care about that right now, slamming that particular book on Higo’s desk.

"I should be the one asking the question, right? I mean, what the hell is this, Chibi?! How could I never know that you are our town’s new celebrity?!" His tone was full of sarcasm when he said that, showing that the team’s captain was really angry about this.

Higo, who didn’t really know a single thing about it, frowned immediately, taking the book while also narrowing his eyes to read it better. It was a football magazine with the Japanese Legend, Keisuke Honda, as the cover. However, Makino seemed to show the last page there, so Higo went straight to the point without even a single question.

There, he found the crux of the problem.

Top 100 Teenagers in the Country.

1...

2...

3...

...

....

...

97. Ryusuke Higo

A rookie-veteran goalkeeper who just learned the game last March. His rise in the north is like a meteor, ready to destroy everyone on his way. Watch the full interview in the link below.

It was just a short section, only three sentences that guided the reader to a YouTube link. While Higo hadn’t watched the video yet, he could guess that it was the one that he and Kumiko filmed with Tamako a few days ago.

"So, they are already there, huh? Damn, they are fast..." He whistled lowly.

"So, you know this all along?!" Makino glared, ignoring some people who just wanted to have fun and see what was going on.

"I mean... Yeah? What’s the problem?" Higo couldn’t help but ask, feeling confused right now. "It is the headmaster who asked me to do this interview, so it is not like I can just refuse it or ask to wait for you, right? I mean, have you seen the video yet? Kumiko-chan is also there, you know?"

The others seemed to be so surprised when they saw Higo’s name on the list that they couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment.

"Holy hell... Higo-san, this is really you?!"

"Wait! I swear to God that you have only been on the team for a few months, right? How could you be the top 100 players in the country?!"

"Is it really that impressive? I mean, there are 96 players better than him, right?"

"You girls will never understand it! You don’t know how many good players are outside there!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

Of course, Kumiko, who was also mentioned by Higo, also became the person the others swarmed instantly, all asking questions about Higo. However, the woman’s gentle aura was enough to soothe the excitement, at least enough to make them feel awkward and guilty for asking her so many excessive questions.

Meanwhile, Makino felt the corner of his mouth twitching. He was so speechless right now, knowing that he was being unreasonable here. After all, Higo didn’t really have the obligation to say anything to him first before doing this, and if the boy was right that this was the headmaster’s arrangement, Makino didn’t have anything to complain about.

Still, jealousy was an ugly thing, and the team’s captain realized it firsthand now.

He was so uncomfortable to see that not only did Higo become a really prominent player who was acknowledged nationwide, but also due to the fact that the boy was able to get Kumiko to accompany him wherever he wanted. This was definitely an unfair advantage for the girl’s childhood friend, something that he always cursed every day.

Fortunately, he was still stable enough to swallow all the complaints back to himself, not wanting to escalate the conflict between them. However, the boy’s last words on the bus during their time to go back from Niigata also flashed inside his head.

’Don’t stay stagnant, Teme, or I will leave you to dust.’

’Is this what you mean by that, Chibi?’ Higo stared at his friend with a complicated gaze. He still remembered the first time Higo came to train with the team, and only a few months had passed from that, so how could the boy be this good so fast?

In the end, this conflict died quietly since Makino didn’t really want to be the biggest asshole in the room. However, it seemed the football team couldn’t really catch a break here, as later, after the school was over, a player suddenly came to Kumiko and delivered a bomb there.

"I am so sorry, Shishida-senpai, but I don’t think I have what it takes to be on the team. Allow me to resign now before my position gets overtaken by my kouhai..."