The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 173: The Conversation with the Team

"Ojiisan, one booth for twenty people, please!" Kumiko called.

"Oh, straight away, Ojou-sama! A booth for the Hakodate Nishi football team! Just go to your usual spot, it is empty now!" An old man suddenly peeked out of the kitchen, smiling brightly when he saw Kumiko greet him.

It was evening after the big fight inside the team, and before they could talk further to discuss the future, Kumiko dragged them all out to the old Yakiniku Kintaro restaurant near the school, one where the team always celebrated something.

Higo himself also remembered his last time being here. It should be after the game against Ritsumeikan High, and at that time, he was still quite new, coming like a country bumpkin staring around while the others just sat there and ordered their food calmly.

Unfortunately, unlike in the past, this time was not a happy occasion. The atmosphere was still quite solemn, and with Hori squirming in between him and Makino as a criminal being apprehended by the police, coupled with the other boys glaring at him so fiercely, the tension here was so palpable and was ready to pop at any time of the day.

"Urgh... So, Kumiko-chan, how are we going to do this?" Makino couldn’t help but ask, trying to get rid of the awkwardness around the team.

"No, not yet." The girl shook her head calmly. "Fill your stomach first. Any decent conversation starts with a warm and full stomach. Without it, someone might start another commotion, and it would be hard to clean the mess in such a public place."

Kazawa shrank instantly when he noticed the girl was glancing at him. Even though she hadn’t said anything yet, the boy knew that he was going to be the main topic due to his reckless action before, and honestly, he was far from enjoying this moment.

In fact, it wasn’t just him. Even Hori and Fujinaga were on the same boat. They didn’t dare to raise their heads, not wanting to receive the girl’s fury. After all, she was always calm, kind, and composed, and this was the first time everyone saw her snap. She might not shout or scream, but her silent gaze was enough to freeze hell instantly.

’Yup, yup, yup! That’s my girl you are admiring at!’ Higo somehow couldn’t help but feel smug, so proud of the girl for taking control of the situation so easily.

Soon enough, the food that they were waiting for finally arrived, complete with a set of yakiniku grills placed in the middle of the table. The marbling of the meat there was so mouth-watering, and coupled with the smoky smell of the beef, it was enough to make their stomach grumble in rebellion.

"Here it is! A set of Yakiniku special for Ojou-sama and Hakodate Nishi football team! Enjoy the food, everyone!" The old owner of the restaurant grinned widely as he brought four trays at the same time, placing them all on the table.

"Thank you so much, Ojii-san! Sorry for bothering you!" Kumiko returned the smile genuinely before turning to her players and saying, "Well, what are you waiting for? Just eat!"

Not a single one of them needed to be told about it. Just right in the next second, the sizzling sound of the meat meeting the hot yakiniku grill met the loud chewing noises of the boys gobbling down the meat here.

The tense atmosphere also started to melt away, with everyone starting to chat around relaxedly. It seemed that the old quote was right once again: Food was the best way to unite a group so quickly.

Seeing this, though, Kumiko knew that this was the best moment to strike up a conversation, so she just said, "Regarding Hori-kun’s resignation..." And yet, somehow, the eased atmosphere around suddenly froze once again like hell, with some even choking on their food out of shock here.

’Kumiko-chan, you sure have the worst timing here...’ Higo couldn’t help but murmur.

Kumiko also heard that, but the girl completely ignored it as she continued, "You might not want to hear it, but I have half of my mind accepting his request right now."

Try enough, the sentence met so many dissatisfactions from the others.

"No way, Shishida-senpai! We still need him on the team!"

"Hell, yeah! I will drag his sorry ass if he dares not to come to tomorrow’s training!"

"Come on, Shishida-senpai, you are not joking, right?!"

Even Hori was surprised, feeling a bit hurt when Kumiko said that she would let him go that easily. The boy might not say it, but he enjoyed the feeling of someone chasing him and saying that they needed him. Unfortunately, it seemed that the girl didn’t really fall into that category.

"Okay, hear me out first." Kumiko got her hands up in the air immediately. "Of course, I would love to see him on the team. I mean, I don’t know where he gets that idea that we don’t need him anymore, by the way. No one says that about him, right?"

The boy mentioned just had his face flushed red in embarrassment, especially since the others shook their head immediately.

"See? No one really thought about it, Hori-kun." Kumiko smiled helplessly at him. "You might have to be benched at some of the games or even most of them in the future, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need you. I mean, you see Kazawa-kun always coming from the bench, and yet he also becomes one of our most important players. Do you see the point I am trying to convey here?"

This time, Kazawa smiled smugly at the high praise from the girl.

"My point is, we still need you on the team, but at the end of the day, you are also almost an adult who should’ve known what choice you have to pick. At the end of the day, you are the one who decides, and if you want to leave, no matter how much we need you, I will still let you go. Everyone has their own life, and I will not try to force someone to stay in a place they don’t enjoy anymore."

Hori’s expression turned solemn once again as he listened carefully to what the girl said.

"One thing for sure, though," Kumiko added one last time. "Before you decide, just try to remember the feeling of playing together with Higo-kun and Kenji-kun earlier at the rooftop, and ask yourself again, is your love for football really that low to the point you are willing to give it up now?"