The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 178: Last Preparation before the Winter Tournament Begins

"Okay, listen, everyone!" Kumiko raised her voice once again, snapping everyone from their messy thought. "I know that you all are excited about taking action, and I know that we have improved a lot throughout the year, but I will still remind you again about a few things here!"

All the Hakodate Nishi player straightened their back immediately, knowing that this was the time to get serious.

"First of all, no looking down on your opponent." The girl said it seriously. "It is not just because we are afraid that they will surprise us or to respect the game more, but all of your bad attitudes will be taken to the note by the referee, and they have an alliance where they talk about teams with a bad attitude like that. We don’t want to make enemies of the ref, okay?"

They all nodded in agreement, knowing that this was crucial information. While the referee’s task was to stay neutral, at the end of the day, he was a normal human being who could get swayed by emotion.

A bad impression of the ref might not change the big decision, but the subtle clash or ambiguous definition could definitely be shifted away from their direction because of that.

"Second, regarding our lineup." She continued.

This time, some of them, especially those freshmen and the players who were competing against them, tensed for a moment. Hori, especially, started to sweat. Since he decided to come back to the team, the boy had been working harder than usual, not wanting to lose against his kouhai. Now, it was time to prove whether all the efforts were worth the time or not.

Or... So that was what he thought.

However, Kumiko didn’t reveal a big list of names here.

"There is no fixed lineup for our team. I will only choose the best eleven depending on the situation, on who is in their best state, and what we need more in that game. We might have to play the twins at the same time if we want to have an attacking game, or we might even play Sano-kun if we control the ball more on the ground. So, get ready for everything, okay?"

Well, it was anticlimactic, and it would be a lie if all of them said that they were disappointed that there was no fix lineup here. However, that meant everyone still had a chance, and this was definitely better for the team, since all the players would be so motivated to stay on top of their level in every game they played.

"Sano-kun, unfortunately for you, I will also ask you to be our backup goalkeeper. Tell me if you are not willing to do that, okay?" Kumiko asked the tough-looking guy on the back.

Sano was taken aback when he was called like this. The boy was more like a do-it boy, though, so he just nodded silently, giving Kumiko a thumbs-up for his agreement.

This was not an impromptu decision, either. The team had already prepared this from the beginning, what with Kumiko training Sano as a backup goalkeeper while also being a defender for the team.

It was not an ideal situation, especially since Sano himself didn’t have the talent to guard the goal. However, this was the solution that she could think of right now, so at least, until they got new members next year, they had to rely on Sano after Higo retired from the team.

’This also reminds me that I have to search for my replacement.’ Kumiko thought inwardly. ’I have to make sure that this ship can still run even after I retire, but I cannot pick any head coach outside, or they would only ruin it if they don’t know what they are doing. I have to be careful about this.’

This was a big issue for a team with a student as the manager, since they had to search for a new one after that particular student retired.It would be okay if the student themselves didn’t do well in their job, but Kumiko did fucking everything to build the team from scratch to the point that they could compete at such a high level like this.

Her presence was irreplaceable, and it would be a big loss for the team next year.

Still, this was a problem for the future. Now, they had a game to prepare, especially since there was only a week since the tournament’s bracket was announced, so the first game had to be played.

"So, you are going to play in the school?" Minami, Higo’s mother, asked.

It was the night after the training was over, and while preparing dinner for his mother, Higo just chatted around casually, giving her an update about what he was doing at school.

"Yup! Yup! We are fortunate not to have to go to Sapporo in the first round." Higo nodded while tasting the dark curry in the pot, nodding slightly when he was satisfied with the result. "Also, you can come to watch as well! It has been a long time since you came, right?" The boy asked.

The mother blinked for a second, then clapped loudly as if she had just realized that. "You are right! I was so busy with the work that I forgot to come and see you!" She exclaimed with a little hint of guilt in her tone.

"Eh, no need to fret over it." Higo shrugged. "I mean, besides the Niigata tournament, we didn’t really do a lot of practice matches, so there is nothing to watch."

Minami nodded slightly, pondering for a moment before asking, "Speaking of Niigata, what about your offer to go to that team? Will you take it?"

Higo stiffened for a moment when he heard that, not expecting his mother to remind him of this again. Well, not like he didn’t expect that, honestly. The others might forget about it, but his mother would never.

It was related to his MVP award from the Niigata tournament. The other result was a tryout opportunity for Albirex Niigata, and it wasn’t just an empty promise. They promised a chance to do that after Higo graduated, so this was indeed the right time to discuss it.

Unfortunately, Higo wasn’t really ready to start this conversation, so after thinking about it, he just let out a deep sigh and smiled weakly at his mother.

"Sorry, Mom, but I still don’t know what to do. Can we think about this more after this winter tournament is over?"