The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 170: The Rooftop Conversation

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the school, the boy whom everyone was trying to find was just sighing along, resting his head on the not-so-tall railing while also staring at the entire school from the bird’s perspective. The scene might look peaceful, but only the boy knew that his mind was in turmoil.

’I wonder if they have started their training already or not...’ His eyes wandered at the pitch longingly. He then shook his head quickly, wanting to banish that thought as far away as possible. ’No, that won’t do. I have already made a decision, and I cannot regret it now. Just move on and forget about them. My football era is over...’

Well, that was what he thought. However, even the boy himself knew that it was a lie. He was still eager to play football with the others, but he also knew that the team didn’t need him anymore.

’God, if only I could be more talented...’ He murmured unconsciously.

Thud!

Suddenly, a familiar voice registered through his brain, startling him for a second. Before Hori could turn around, he saw the familiar thing rolling on the ground, enough to make him cry. It was the football that the team usually used to practice, and yet, somehow, while it was familiar, the boy also felt like this was the strangest thing on earth right now.

When he turned around, though, he didn’t expect who was throwing the ball at him.

"Kenji-kun

? What are you doing here?" He blinked confusedly.

Indeed, the boy who had just arrived there was Kenji, his new kouhai and probably the biggest playboy on earth. Still, Hori was confused, though, since he himself wasn’t really that close to the boy.

"Eh, nothing wrong here, just wanting you to know that the others are looking for you." The boy just shrugged. "You can hide here a little bit longer, but soon enough, someone will also check this place, you know?"

Hori was confused for a second before letting out a big snort in the end. "So, Fuji has already told you, huh? But you are wrong if you said that I am hiding here. I just don’t want to meet them, and nothing you can say will be enough to convince me to go back to the team."

Kenji didn’t really answer the rant immediately, just staring at his senpai with an intense gaze. There was a moment of awkward silence between them, and honestly, Hori himself also felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

After a while, though, Kenji finally asked, "Wanna play a little game together, Senpai?"

"Um?" Hori blinked his eyes in confusion. "Say what?"

"I said, do you want to have a little game with me?" Kenji repeated the question again. "Come on! You are the right back, right? You should show me one or two tricks that a defender has when facing a player like me. Give me the ball and let me go for an offense." The boy said as if the main topic of the conversation didn’t really matter.

Hori himself was still confused. He was so stunned for a moment before finally asking back, "Are you not going to try to convince me to go back to the team?"

This time, it was Kenji who was surprised. "I thought you wanted to leave?"

"Well, yeah!"

"Then, why do you want me to convince you to stay?" He asked, genuinely curious. Hori’s face was so flushed red when he heard that, somehow feeling like he was just plain stupid here. "Anyway, you are the one who almost reaches adulthood. You don’t need anyone to persuade you; if you want to leave, you will just leave. I just want to have a little game with you."

Honestly, every single cell inside his body warned Hori not to accept it, that this was a trap laid carefully by the boy in front of him. However, the genuine tone that was far from Kenji’s usual haughty personality moved him, and it would be a lie if Hori said that he didn’t miss football even though he hadn’t left the sports for a full day yet.

"Care to count me in?" Suddenly, another voice came, and when Hori turned around again, he was surprised for the second time in a row by the new presence on the rooftop here.

"Higo-senpai? You are here as well?" The boy smiled wryly. "To what do I owe your presence here? Wanting to impress Shishida-senpai?" A hint of sarcasm laced his tone unconsciously, even if he didn’t mean to.

"Nah, I am just like the others, looking for you here. But since I see you are doing well, I don’t need to call the others here." Higo just shrugged, not minding his tone. "Anyway, I have been trying to find a reason to challenge you, you Bastard! How dare you try to seduce Kumiko-chan so openly like that!" His gaze turned into a glare at Kenji, who just smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, are we going to fight for her?! Come on, I am in for it!" Kenji laughed boisterously.

Honestly, Hori didn’t know how everything turned into this point. One moment, he was so depressed about his decision to leave the club, and in the next moment, he found himself in the middle of two boys fighting for a girl. Somehow, he got roped into this, having to fight alongside Higo against Kenji.

"Come on! The place is so tight here, so there should be no goalie, okay?" Kenji laughed. "You can have two against me alone, but with Higo-senpai being an ass as an outfield player, I don’t think we can count him as a full one person!" The boy grinned mockingly while also juggling the ball with both his feet.

"You Bastard! Come on, Hori! We need to give this brat a lesson here!"

That was the beginning of their pickup game on the rooftop, with them all creating a small goal with just two bricks as the post for each goal. The rooftop was not that big, and coupled with the railing that wasn’t really that tall, no powerful shot could be taken, or they had to go down to pick up the ball.

However, this was still enough for the three of them, three people who weren’t really that close before, to have fun together. As Kenji got the first ball, he just grinned widely at Hori, staring at him challengingly.

"Come on, Hori-senpai! At least, even if you have to leave, show some pride and teach me a lesson!"