The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 82: A Depressing Half Break

Silence fell as all the Hakodate Nishi players walked into the locker room dejectedly. Hell, no one even made a noise about them having this kind of luxury when usually, they would only take a rest on a small bench on the pitch. No, right now, the glamour of playing in Sapporo Dome couldn’t be felt anymore by the players, as everyone was still too depressed with the result.

Kumiko just stood next to the door silently, watching her players’ expressions one by one.

She saw Makino covering his face with a towel, Jun taking a big chunk of water to relieve his thirst, and even Fujinaga, who just stared down at his own shoes as if those were weapons that had just been used to kill his parents.

The reaction varied, but there was one common theme here. Depression.

Shaking her head, Kumiko finally coughed, attracting everyone’s attention.

"Truth to be told..." She spoke slowly. "I am really proud of you guys today." The girl continued, and her words were like thunder falling straight to everyone’s heart. Eyes turned at her immediately, wondering whether the girl really knew the situation or not.

Kumiko herself wasn’t offended, just offering a small smile before continuing, "You guys don’t believe me? You are just being too harsh to yourself! I mean, look at you right now, and compare it to the team last winter! At this point, last year, we were already behind by five goals, you know?"

This...

Makino was the one who showed the biggest reaction. The captain widened his eyes in realization, as if he had just remembered something important.

Indeed, this was really the case.

Memories flashed into his brain about that painful day, when they were so humiliated that every single one of them was willing to give up during the half break. He could still remember Miyashi crying on the spot, Ojiro punching the locker in frustration, or even Junya, who stared at the ceiling with hollow eyes.

Compared to that day, when they couldn’t even get closer to Sappotani’s goalkeeper, today’s situation was... Way better?

"You get it, right?" The girl smiled at Makino’s expression. "Our situation is still far from the worst. We still have a chance. Difficult, of course, because we are not an attacking-minded group. However, one goal deficit is still way better, and that is because of our solid defensive performance led by Ryukkun."

Some of them nodded, and even Makino had to admit that the goalkeeper was the best player on their team in the first half. ’Speaking of the goalkeeper, though... Where is he?’

Makino’s eyes wandered before he found Higo sitting alone on the corner of the locker room; his eyes were still quite empty. Hell, even Kumiko’s praise failed to reach his ears, which told everyone here how bad the situation was.

Kumiko also sighed when she saw this. Honestly, compared to any other players, Higo was the one she was worried about the most. Not just because he was her best friend, but this was also the first time the boy conceded a goal in an official game.

Yeah, even before, with his amazing performance, Higo always managed to keep a clean sheet no matter who the opponent was. This time, though, someone finally managed to break through his wall, and while he was prepared for it—Kumiko always said that sooner or later, he would concede a goal—once that happened, he really couldn’t get over it quickly.

It was a strange feeling, a combination of guilt, self-blame, and doubt mixed into one. Higo still blamed himself for that goal, and he was still in the mindset that his job was to protect his territory at all costs, so once one slipped through, he felt like he was the biggest failure in the world.

’Don’t worry, I will talk to him later.’ Kumiko mouthed to the others silently, knowing that this delicate matter needed to be treated cautiously.

All the other players just nodded, and even Makino didn’t throw a fit, knowing full well that the most important thing in this break was to wake Higo up from his dazed state.

Of course, he could use a crude method like yelling and spouting some nonsense to inject the chicken blood, but the captain doubted that his words could reach Higo’s head right now. Hell, if he was not careful, he could make things worse, hurting the boy’s feelings and making the goalkeeper uncooperative for the rest of the game.

No, the team definitely didn’t need that kind of drama right now. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Anyway, we will not have any adjustment in our defense. Your performance in the first half is enough, and it is only because of our bad luck that we are conceding a goal." Kumiko spoke again.

"Yeah, luck..." Fujinaga laughed in self-mockery.

Kumiko ignored that and continued, "Our problem right now, though, is how to score a goal. So, the attacker groups, get ready and listen to me."

At least five players—Hiroshi, Yuji, Kuroki, Usami, and Hori, even though the last one was just a full back—perked up instantly, waiting for the incoming instruction.

"Now, listen to what I have observed in the first half and my arrangement for later carefully, because I will not repeat myself..."

-0-

Fifteen minutes passed quickly, and soon enough, everyone was walking out of the locker room with a new spirit. Even though no one dared to say that they would tie the game, at least, the arrangement from Kumiko was enough to give a glimmer of hope for them to keep fighting.

Higo himself was the exception here. He just stared blankly while walking like a pre-programmed robot, not even knowing what the others were talking about. Right now, his mind was filled with the goal he conceded earlier, as the scene kept haunting his head over and over again.

’If only I didn’t do that... Would I be able to save the shot? No, it is not guaranteed, but the result would still be better than what happened at that time... Man, I definitely am definitely the worst...’

As he was in his self-deprecating mode, the boy finally stepped outside the tunnel, and to his surprise, he could hear a familiar voice ringing inside his head.

"RYUKKUN! HERE!"