The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 171: A Mini-Game at the Rooftop

"Come on, Hori! You go first, I will watch your back!" Higo shouted from behind.

Hori just sighed once again before stepping forward, taking a stance to guard the boy in front of him. He still didn’t know how he got roped into it, but at the request that the two boys made, his body somehow moved unconsciously, not even bothering about what he thought right now.

Or... Maybe it was just like the old quote said: Mind could be deceiving, but his body knew best what he wanted.

Kenji himself was just grinning, strolling lazily with the ball glued to his feet. It showed how good his control over the ball was, especially since the boy himself was so nonchalant and didn’t even look like he put much effort into it.

"Come on, Senpai! Why are you just standing still? Come get the ball!" Kenji challenged him.

In return, Hori just snorted, stepping back a little before retorting, "Don’t think that you can fool me with this cheap trick. Come on, if you dare! The ground is quite hard, so don’t cry if you fall!"

Kenji paused for a second, then a huge grin formed that was enough to send a shiver down Hori’s spine.

"Well, if you say so, get ready!"

Right after that, every single cell in Hori’s body screamed danger, and before he could figure out how to react, Kenji had already made a move. He just pushed the ball quite roughly, and even if this fact hadn’t recovered in his brain yet, his consciousness took over, letting him extend his leg to reach the ball without even thinking about it.

Thud!

As a result, Kenji’s right foot moved so quickly like a hungry snake, completing an exquisite Elastico move to nutmeg him and get through his defense in one go.

"SHIT!" The boy cursed, feeling helpless as he watched Kenji pass through his defense so easily. Or... So that was what he thought, before a figure suddenly flashed to support him.

BAM!

"Oh! You sure pack quite a punch, Higo-senpai!" Kenji grinned as he was shaken off a little at the body charge from Higo.

’Ha! Don’t think you can get through me so easily!" Higo scoffed, kept clashing shoulder-to-shoulder so that his kouhai couldn’t run so comfortably. "Oi, Hori! Don’t just daydream like that! Help!" He didn’t forget to shout.

This alone was enough to snap Hori out of his thoughts. He gritted his teeth, rushing back to sandwich Kenji from both directions and snatching the ball out of his possession quickly.

However, this time, Kenji really showed why he was a master of showing off.

Being sandwiched, the boy didn’t panic, but only got more excited than ever. He counted the timing carefully, and once the boy felt like the momentum of his two markers was at its weakest, he suddenly hit the brake, pulling another fancy move to pass through them with Zidane’s roulette before hitting the ball immediately to the small goal in front of him.

BAM!

"Hell, yeah!" Kenji punched the air with a huge smile as he saw the ball hit the target perfectly. Then, in a provocative smile, he wiggled his eyebrows slightly. "So, how is it? Can you match me?"

A thick vein popped in Higo’s head as he heard that. "Fucking hell, Kenji! You really know how to push the wrong button! Fine, you ask for this, right?! Get ready, because we will whoop your ass!"

Well, that was a bold declaration, one that Hori himself was not sure about. Just from this one attack, he was so discouraged already, he couldn’t help but mutter, ’As expected, with this kind of genius as my kouhai, I have no place in the team. It is difficult, but the decision is the right one.’

Higo himself also noticed his gloomy state. However, instead of stopping, the oldest boy here just slapped his kouhai’s back quite hard, not letting him overthink this matter too much.

"Come on, Hori! We haven’t even lost the game yet! Get ready to play!"

Then, their little game continued, and just like what Hori predicted, Kenji completely destroyed them in offense. Even though there were two people here, Higo couldn’t really be said to be a help except for being a pest. The older boy was a goalkeeper, and he had no experience playing as an outfield defender like this.

"Come on, Senpai! You look like a lost puppy right now!" Kenji laughed teasingly while also playing the ball with his head. "This is so embarrassing! How could you let your kouhai cook you like this?!"

"Oh... Oh, shut up, will you?!" Higo groaned in frustration. "Come on! One more time!"

"Ha! That’s the spirit!"

Hori himself didn’t really try that much for a while. However, he saw that Higo still fought so desperately, even though he was not completely Kenji’s match, even if this was just a fun occasion, and honestly, this was enough to bring shame upon himself.

’Why are you trying so hard, Senpai?’ He couldn’t help but wonder. ’We are just here to waste time, right? Why do you let yourself get humiliated by your kouhai? This is not even your specialty, for God’s sake! Just stop it!’

Somehow, even though it was a slow process, the boy started to put more effort, running more and putting a tighter defense when he was supporting Higo. Not only that, but his concentration was also at the peak, and his gaze was back to the beast he once was, not just the one that looked so gloomy and empty like before.

Both Kenji and Higo also noticed this part, and they both couldn’t help but give each other an approval nod.

’Yeah, he gets hooked. Nice job, Brat.’ Higo muttered.

Of course, even with him being serious, he was still not a match for Kenji. After all, he himself was the weakest defender on the team, and Kenji was one that the team recognized as an offensive genius. They were from a completely different world, and no matter how hard he tried to climb, Kenji would always be in a higher position than him.

However, as the game ran on, that kind of useless thought also started to disappear. It was as if he got drowned in this sport once again, starting to realize how stupid he was before. As he ran to chase the ball, the sensation of the wind breezing in the air hit his face, and with everything added up together, the boy couldn’t help but smile.

’Yeah, fuck it. This is fun...’