The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 55: Second Half Begins!

"Man... Why is it..." Higo’s words trailed behind as he felt the corner of his lips twitching madly. "That whenever we are about to enter the second half, all the opponent players are staring at me like I am just a little prey here?"

"Dunno, maybe because you look like one." Makino grinned cheekily.

The second half was about to begin, and Higo indeed could feel his skin crawling here, especially when four or five of the opponent players were just staring at him like he was a piece of meat. This wasn’t the first time he felt the way, because during the game against Esashi High, his first-ever time playing, he also received the same treatment.

"Well, you cannot deny that Higo-senpai indeed looks like easy prey here." Jun made a remark that made the others choke. "I mean, look at him, among the smallest here, right? He doesn’t have that imposing aura for a goalkeeper, you know?"

While some laughed, Higo himself felt the corner of his lips twitching again. Even if he looked innocent, Jun sure had a venomous tongue here. It was worse, though, since people didn’t really expect it from the one who always smiled so pure.

"At least, the one who looks like an easy prey is the one who saved your sorry ass so many times, you know?!" The boy retorted, yet with no heat in his tone.

"Okay, okay, I give up!" Jun raised both hands with a resigned face immediately, not wanting to get entangled for too long with Higo, especially when the second half was about to begin. It wouldn’t be productive, not just for them, but also for the team as well.

"Anyway, let’s forget about it and focus on trying to defend our lead. Don’t underestimate our opponent, especially since we all know what they are capable of." Makino tried to remind everyone here.

"Yes, Sir!"

As Higo walked to the goal, he took a deep breath, trying to get into the zone immediately. He strolled around for a moment, kissing both posts for a good luck charm. Honestly, even though he didn’t know whether it worked or not, he read on the Internet that all the best goalkeepers in the world did the same, so there was nothing wrong with following the example.

’People also said that being a goalkeeper involves a lot of superstition, so it is better to bring your own good luck charm here.’ He couldn’t help but mutter.

Then, the boy could hear a low, yet distinguishable voice cheering for him from outside the pitch.

"Ryukkun! Come on! You can do this!"

When Higo turned around, he saw his mother waving cheerfully with a camcorder in her hand. What surprised him the most, though, was the girl next to her, whom he hadn’t seen in such a long time.

’Wait, Oneechan is here too?!’ He blinked, slightly taken aback.

The girl in question just waved lightly while trying her best to hide her embarrassment, seeming to have had enough with her mother’s antics. Yet, she couldn’t hide the smile on her face as she nodded at him in approval.

’Yeah, this sure has Mom written all over the place, huh?’ Higo shook his head in exasperation. ’Still, since they are here, I cannot show an embarrassing performance here!’

His motivation, which at first only involved winning the game, now had an addition, which was to make those two proud of him. Not that it was a difficult job, since they would feel that no matter what happened. Still, it would be nice if he could come out of the game with people staring admiringly at him, which would also bring his family’s status one step higher in this community.

Fweee!

The moment all the players were ready, the referee blew the whistle, starting the second half of the game.

Wanting to return the favor from the first half, Hakodate Nishi launched their usual blitzkrieg operation. Right after kicking the ball back to his teammate, Kuroki moved slightly to the pocket area, followed by Yuji, Hiroshi, and Hori, who were also rushing to get a good position.

Receiving the ball, Takaaki waited for a moment, and before anyone from Ritsumeikan could shut him down, the boy launched the ball immediately. This time, he sent it straight to the outer flank, right at the space where Hori was running.

The right back got that area covered, and since Yuji was also running on that side, albeit a little bit into the penalty box, Ritsumeikan High’s defender on that side was pretty occupied, allowing Hori to pause for a second and glance at the opponent’s territory.

"Shit! That is one hell of a pass!"

"I told you, Takaaki is a beast! His feet can find anyone on the pitch!"

"Damn! Come on, widen the lead!"

The supporters outside leaned forward immediately, ready to cheer for any good moment that could happen on the pitch. Kumiko herself also rose, staring at her players with anticipation.

’If we could get a two-point lead right when the second half has just begun, that would be the most ideal situation here. Come on, Hori-kun, don’t make a mistake!’

Of course, Hori wouldn’t disappoint in this kind of moment. While he was not the best defender, in terms of offensive help, the boy would always ensure that everything went right. After taking a quick glance at the opponent’s penalty box, he sent a low pass with decent speed, cutting through the middle, and went slightly out of the penalty box.

It caught Ritsumeikan defenders off guard, as everyone thought that Hori would dink it to the center, where Kuroki was already there. However, Hori decided to cut it back, sending the ball to Usami, the assassin midfielder, outside of the box.

"Oh! What a pass!"

"Come on, Usami! Kill it!"

All the supporters jumped immediately, their hands were in the air as if the goal was bound to happen. However, as if wanting to deny the fate, a figure suddenly flashed at great speed, and before Usami could swing his feet hard, that person tugged his shoulder gently, enough to make him lose balance.

As a result...

BAM!

The boy fell, and the ball just went through without anyone able to stop it, rolling gently outside of the pitch.