The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 279: New Year Break

"Ah... This is how life should be..." Higo sighed in content as he enjoyed a cup of green tea in front of him.

It was New Year’s Eve, and right now, he was alone with his mother under the kotatsu, enjoying a bucket full of fried chicken and a cup of warm green tea while also watching the special program for the new year on TV. Outside, the snow was raging crazily, preventing people from celebrating the new year outside.

Well, honestly, Higo preferred this way. Even though that meant there would be no fireworks in the sky, he really didn’t mind it. New Year’s Eve was probably the only holiday his mother could get at the beginning of the year, so he would rather spend his time together with his mother like this rather than having to go out in the middle of the crowd just to watch fireworks.

Seeing her son acting like this, Minami couldn’t help but smirk. "You know, you really act like an old man right now. Is training really that hard?"

"You don’t know half of it, Mom..." Higo grunted grumpily. "You see here? Here? What about there? Those are the bruises I got from the boxing training! And that still doesn’t mention the cracking in my bones whenever I sleep! The feeling is so horrible"! He groaned, pointing out the bruises on the conspicuous spot in his body.

In return, though, Minami just giggled harder, finding her son whining like this to be quite funny. "Well, I have already talked with Miyashi-kun, and I think he is a man who understands his limit. Kumiko-chan also assured me that nothing will go wrong, so I am sure you will be okay!" She said teasingly.

Higo grunted even harder this time before he snapped his head quickly, realizing something here. "Wait a second, when did you meet Miyashi-senpai?" He narrowed his eyes at his mother.

"Oh, it was at the first game that I went to. Your three seniors were quite helpful at that time, you know?" Minami brushed off the glare nonchalantly.

They just spent the entire night chatting so casually, and while some banters were thrown, the atmosphere was still quite cozy. Hell, they even forgot the television, what with it only showing a comedy program that they were not interested in.

"So, you are going to Yokohama the day after tomorrow?" Minami asked with her body slouching on the table, peeling off the orange in front of her.

"Yup! Speaking of Yokohama, does the parents’ association have a plan to go there?" Higo couldn’t help but ask.

"Unfortunately, no." Minami sighed regretfully. "Everyone has a busy schedule at the beginning of the year, and we also don’t know how long you will be there. No one can take a week off like that so easily, you know?"

Higo also sighed in regret. Even though he knew this would be the conclusion, the boy still had some slight hope that the team would have people to support them in that foreign land.

"Eh, don’t be too nervous! Remember, you have already faced Sapporo Otani’s crowd, I am sure you will be okay!" Minami said when she noticed her son becoming so gloomy. "Don’t get affected too easily by the crowd, okay? You will play on a bigger stage in the future, so you have to get used to the feeling of getting surrounded by enemies like this!"

Higo clenched his fist unconsciously, imagining himself to be used by this. Yeah, since his mother threw the idea of him entering the professional career, the boy had been picturing himself as one, even starting to do research on what the life of a pro player would look like. It would be a lie if he said that he wasn’t hooked, but the boy also recognized how difficult it would be to be one.

’At least, I still have Albirex Niigata’s invitation as a backup. However, I want to see how far I can push in the national stage and try to attract more attention there. Hopefully, better teams will take notice as well...;

They chatted not that long before Higo himself fell asleep. The arduous training he had done in the last couple of days finally took a toll on him, and the next thing the boy knew, he woke up under the warm kotatsu, groaning lightly while checking the clock on his phone.

’05:56... Still this early...’ He narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to get used to the sudden brightness flashing in front of his face. ’Um? Kumiko sends a chat?’ The boy blinked, opening the message quickly before having his eyes widen in surprise, waking him up completely.

’Ouch! Mom is also sleeping here?’ He winced unconsciously, noticing that his mother was also on the other side of the kotatsu. ’Oh, well, I need to be quiet here.’

He rose quickly, getting rid of the blanket around him before walking in tiptoe, not wanting to wake his mother up. Soon, the boy went back to his room, washing his face and brushing his teeth first before changing into warm clothes and going straight outside the building.

The first thing that came to his mind was... ’Damn! I am crazy for going out this early! This is fucking freezing!’

The second thing was... ’Damn, the snow is so thick! Cleaning this mess will be a hassle!’

And the third thing was... ’Wait, Kumiko-chan is already there?!’

Indeed, the moment Higo opened the door, he saw Kumiko standing in front of his house, her face covered by a thick scarf, only showing her eyes. The way she dressed was like a wrapped Burrito, not giving any chance for the cold air to get onto her skin.

Not that Higo had a room to complain, of course, since he himself was the same. Even though the snow had already stopped falling this morning, the air was still freezing cold, so it would be stupid to leave themselves vulnerable outside.

The moment their eyes met, time seemed to freeze for a second, before, in the end, Kumiko finally bowed politely. "Ryukkun... Happy New Year... Please, take care of me again in the future..."