’This little fucker...’ Makino cursed as he rushed back frantically. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING, JUN?! GET YOUR ASS UP AND MOVE!" He roared, speeding up further to close down the distance.

Jun himself still wanted to complain, as he felt like he was being pushed from behind. However, this was definitely a huge mistake. It didn’t matter if the incident was a foul or not, but as long as the referee hadn’t blown the whistle yet, he had to keep running. This was the most basic recovery training that they had done when someone made a mistake.

Fortunately, Ayase was not good at controlling the ball with his feet, so he failed to capitalize on it quickly. Instead, the boy stopped, glancing at his back and passing it to Kenji Harada behind him. Even though this move gave Hakodate Nishi a chance to recover, at least, now the ball was in the best handler, so the threat would be intensified more for the team.

Then, Kenji Harada started to take action.

He touched the ball slightly, scanning his surroundings for a moment. It wasn’t just to search for his teammates, but also to locate all of the opponent’s players around him. Seeing that no one was close enough to stop him, the attacking midfielder recoiled his right foot before slamming the ball with his instep.

BAM!

’FUCK!’ Higo cursed. He saw the ball curling in his vision, but the landing point was still difficult. Even though he had already moved a second earlier, the boy was not that confident he could reach the ball. ’Screw it! I need to jump now or nothing!’

Everyone held their breath unconsciously as they witnessed Higo flying again. This time, though, for a moment, the ball seemed to escape from his grasp. However, in the last second, the boy managed to extend his hand further, and with the tip of his finger, he deflected the ball away from the goal slightly, making it hit the post before bouncing back to the penalty box.

Clank!

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Clearance!"

Denji, who was the closest one to the ball, ran in panic to get it first. When he saw that Yuwell was also there, and another opponent was breathing down his neck, the boy gritted his teeth, using all the boost he could muster inside before making a clearance slide to get rid of the ball from their territory.

BAM!

"AARGH!"

FWEEEE!

This time, the referee finally blew the whistle, seeing a foul had happened there. However, everything seemed to be a bit blurry here, especially with the piercing scream coming from Denji. No one could figure out what was going on there, trying to get a better look at the pitch.

"Hey, watch it! Watch it! That’s our player you are trying to kill!"

"Don’t push around like that! Let’s see first if they are okay or not!"

"Damn, you crazy bastards! Today is like this, and last summer was also the same! Can you stop playing so dirty like that?! Where is your dignity as a top team?!"

The situation got heated suddenly, with everyone so concerned with their own teammate. After the dust had settled, they could see that Denji was still crumpling his stomach in pain, while Yuwell Carlson was checking and seeming to apologize to the boy.

It seemed that the moment Denji slid to clear the ball, the Swedish striker also did the same. However, the ball was cleared away first, and both players couldn’t stop their momentum after that. In the end, Yuwell had his foot straight to Denji’s ribs, and while the former tried his best to slow down, the impact still hurt the boy a lot.

"Fuck, you okay?" Higo asked as he was already getting up from the ground. "Do you need a checkup from the medical team?" He asked concernedly.

The other Hakodate Nishi players also gathered around, but they were still busy fighting against the ref’s decision. They not only complained about Yuwell’s reckless action, but also the push that Jun suffered earlier. This was like a double-foul, and if they didn’t get any compensation, this would set a bad precedent for the rest of the game, just like when they were fighting against Esashi High a few days ago.

"...No, no, no." Denji shook his head quickly, accepting the hand Higo offered to help him back with his feet. However, his face was so pale as if blood had drained straight away. "I am just shocked here. The impact itself is quite light, but my heart feels like it’s jumping right now. I need a moment to calm down."

Higo nodded silently, turning to Denki, who was still worried about his brother, before giving a nod. Without waiting for a second order, Denki came to his brother’s side immediately, while Higo came to his teammates’ side, who were worried sick about this.

"So, is he okay?" Makino couldn’t help but ask. The captain had just had a heated debate with the referee and Rin Mito, so his face was still flushed in excitement.

"Yeah, it is fortunate that Yuwell knows how to hold back," Higo reported. "What is the result, by the way? It is a free kick for us, right?" He asked concernedly. It wouldn’t be funny if the incident were deemed as Denji’s foul.

"Don’t worry, he receives a yellow card, and the referee also gives them a warning," Makino explained, making all the Hakodate Nishi players sigh in relief. "Speaking of which... Jun, you bastard..." He suddenly growled at his kouhai.

Once all the attention fell on the tall defender, the boy shrank immediately, wanting nothing but the ground to eat him alive. Everyone just stood still, though, waiting silently for an explanation.

"Urgh... Is this about me losing the ball? You know that it was a foul, right?" The boy explained weakly.

"No, Jun, I don’t care about the ball lost here," Makino whispered solemnly.

"Um? Really?"

"Yeah. Maybe, slightly annoyed. Still..." The captain took a deep breath, and everyone closed their ears immediately, knowing that an explosion was coming. True enough... "I am so fuming that instead of getting up and rectifying your mistake, you still have time to whine and complain. WHAT THE FUCK IS INSIDE YOUR THICK SKULL, IDIOT?!"