The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 271: Formality

What followed next was so many formal events, from shaking hands with some important people of the school, like the committee’s representation, someone from the House of Representatives, and even the mayor himself.

Before, they would be ecstatic at the chance of meeting the mayor. However, after the dinner last night, they checked something here, and when the players witnessed how polite the mayor was toward Usami, they felt a little bit complicated here.

’Is this the power of capital? This is so scary...’ They all sighed simultaneously.

After that, the headmaster also announced the big thing here, which was the bonus money that the school would give for each player.

"There is no precedent for this because it is the first time our school won a prefectural tournament, but after discussing with the committee..." The headmaster spoke solemnly. "We will give a grand total of 600,000 yen for the football club!"

Right after the number was spoken, commotion started to erupt everywhere.

"What the fuck?! 600,000?! That’s a lot!"

"I know, right?! That’s three times my father’s monthly wage!"

"Damn! Is winning a tournament really that profitable?!"

The players themselves weren’t that surprised. This was something that the team had discussed with the headmaster beforehand, so they just accepted the money calmly. Also, while it looked like the money was a lot, this would be distributed among 17 members of the team, so each one of them would receive 30,000 yen. Still a lot, but the number wasn’t really as fantastic as people imagined.

Still, for most of them, this was going to be the first time they earned money from football, so they couldn’t help but feel ecstatic about it. Higo especially started to count the amount of money he earned from everything he achieved in the last few days.

’From the school is 30,000 yen, from the Golden Glove award is 50,000 yen, and from the MVP award is 70,000 yen... So, I get at least 150,000 yen, huh? Well, at least, this will be enough to help mom a little bit back home...’ He clenched his fist unconsciously.

This was just a short episode that happened today, as after the announcement, they were invited to a luxurious banquet in a hotel close to the school. Not only that, but they also had to accept several interviews with the local media, and they also had to meet more important people in the process.

Honestly, the aftermath of winning the tournament seemed to be far more exhausting than when they were in the game themselves.

Fortunately, this was also the day after the game, and they hadn’t even gone back to their home since the bus arrived in this city. Their anxiety could be seen clearly, so the headmaster finally took pity on them.

"Let them go back first. Don’t you think that their parents are waiting for their good news? They will still be here tomorrow, so let them go."

That order alone was enough for the team to finally leave, carrying the immense fatigue that had accumulated throughout the whole day. They were only able to leave the hotel once it was quite late, when the sky was half-dark already. Higo was even worried that he had to walk back home now, feeling like he had no energy left to carry himself.

Fortunately, right when he and Kumiko left the school, they were met by a small silver Nissan Note car outside, with the car’s front door glass in an open position. There, those two teenagers could see a familiar face, with Kumiko’s eyes beaming brightly at that person.

"Mom! You are here!" She squealed happily, not even carrying the aura of a top coach anymore.

"Of course, I would be here!" The woman accepted the hug through the glass before finally stepping out of the car. Then, her sight shifted to Higo, who was still dumbfounded as she opened her arms in an invitation. "Come here, Ryukkun! It has been a long time since I saw you, right? Or, do you think you are too old to hug your poor aunt?" She smiled teasingly.

Well, Higo didn’t need a second invitation. In fact, he moved instinctively as if this was the most natural thing to do. The next thing the boy knew, he was already in the woman’s hug, feeling warmth surrounding him.

The woman was Yumiko Shishida, Kumiko’s mother. Honestly, Higo had a complicated feeling toward her. In his early life, he was quite close to her since they were basically neighbor. However, after Yumiko started working as a reporter, her schedule started to be quite chaotic.

She often didn’t have any holidays, and even if she had one, she had to be ready to be called whenever big news was waiting. More than that, her clock-in time was also irregular. Sometimes it was normal, but at any other time, she had to start working at night right after Kumiko arrived from school.

The most infuriating part was that as she climbed higher in her career, the woman also had to travel more around Japan, so her time together with Kumiko could only be less as they grew up.

While Higo could still respect the woman for her dedication to work, there was a point in his life when he loathed her, what with how many times she left Kumiko alone in the home. While yes, his mother would often invite Kumiko to join them for lunch or dinner, it wasn’t the same as the feeling of having them with her own mother. Even Higo himself could see the sadness and emptiness on the girl’s face whenever she heard that her mother had to go to work.

Yumiko herself didn’t notice the glance from Higo. Instead, she just invited them inside, getting ready to bring the two teenagers back home.

"Anyway, it is rare for you to pick me up, right?" Kumiko asked while she put the seatbelt on. "Is there something wrong, Mom? Or is it because of this trophy?" She grinned proudly, flaunting the trophy she earned in front of her mother.

"Well, yeah, that’s one of the reasons." Yumiko smiled fondly as she watched her girl’s silly happiness. "As for the others..." The woman took a deep breath before the atmosphere turned somber. "Kumiko-chan... Do you still want to go to the Sport Science program?"