Of course, Kumiko also saw the dire situation on the pitch. She recognized the players who were dying to stop all the attacks from the opponent’s side right now, and the girl had been racking her brain in thinking of a solution here.

’I need someone to make a difference on the pitch, but who?’ She glanced at the bench anxiously. ’Fujinaga-kun? His defensive range is wider, and his stamina is still at best; maybe he can cover more than Kazawa-kun. No, that still doesn’t solve anything. He cannot resolve the pressure on our side. Yuji-kun? No, that won’t do that much. Kenji-kun...’

When she saw the last boy on the bench, a flash of inspiration suddenly popped into her brain, as if lightning struck her head. The girl also bit her lips unconsciously, trying to justify the idea coming into her mind right now.

’This is crazy...’ The girl shook her head quickly, battling with the idea inside her head. ’The risk is too great to handle. One wrong move, and everything we fight for will crumble like wet paper. I cannot do this...’

However, no matter how much her logic denied the crazy idea inside her head, her guts told her that this was the best solution. Now, she was in an intersection of choice, whether going for a conservative way and not changing anything while waiting for the team to die like this, or going all in for the most insane tactical change she had ever made in her life.

In the end, though, her hot-blooded teenage side won the fierce battle inside her head, as she turned her head at the last boy intently. "Kenji-kun, a question, please."

Her voice was soft, barely a murmur. However, even amidst the crazy crowd behind them, all the bench players could hear this clearly, and they couldn’t help but feel their jaws drop. After all, no one expected the coach would put Kenji, a defensive liability, in such a situation as this.

Kenji himself straightened his back immediately, knowing that this was the moment he had waited for. "Yes, Senpai?" He asked, no hint of a joke in his tone.

"If I..." Kumiko paused, her fingers fidgeting with her own sleeves. "If I put you on the pitch, on the most crowded place in the pitch, can you handle the pressure? I mean, can you ensure that you would never get snatched out of possession?"

Kenji was stunned, not knowing what was going on here. Still, the boy answered the question truthfully. "I don’t know about anything else, but if it is my ball-holding ability, I can assure you that the only way they could get the ball from me is by fouling me."

This was not him bragging, but the boy was truly confident that he could do so. Kumiko also recognized his ball-holding ability, so after giving a slow nod, she took a deep breath before finally making a big decision here. "Okay, you are in. You will be replacing Kazawa-kun as our new DM."

Silence followed, as everyone was so dumbfounded by the announcement. Kenji himself even rubbed his ears slightly, wondering whether he had heard the wrong thing or not. "Um... Senpai, you are not joking, right?" He asked awkwardly.

"Do you think I am joking here?" Kumiko’s gaze was as clear as water, showing how serious she was. "I know that this is not your normal operation, but I need someone who can carry the ball from behind to the front safely, someone who doesn’t just chuck the ball blindly. I need someone who can put fear in their bones, someone who can make them drop back in wary when he gets the ball. Can you do that?"

Kenji couldn’t help but gulp, knowing that the task was inhuman. Kumiko basically asked him to drop into the chaotic zone in front of the defenders to receive the first ball, acting as a deterrent to push back the opponent’s pressure with his dribble. Usami tried to do so earlier, but the boy always wilted under the pressure from the second defender, failing to find the same magic that brought him to the goal in the first half.

This was a hell of a task, since he would be swarmed by at least two or three people the moment the ball was on his feet. Not only that, but one mistake, and the team would face a fierce attack immediately.

The risk was too great to be taken here.

After pondering for a second, the boy finally took a deep breath, took off his vest to change to his jersey, and asked, "How about my defense? You cannot expect me to do anything crazy in that regard, right?"

Kumiko grinned, knowing that the boy agreed to her crazy idea. "Don’t worry, just ask Makino-kun and Nori-kun to run harder for the rest of 20 minutes, I will apologize to them later. Just remember, you are our new Pirlo on the team. Your task, besides holding the ball and acting as a deterrent, is to see any loopholes in their defense. If you saw something, strike immediately! We will start searching for the goal after this!"

In return, Kenji also had the same grin right now. "Our team’s Andrea Pirlo, huh? I like it..."

The other people on the bench just shook their heads in bewilderment, not expecting the team to carry this crazy idea in such an important game like this final.

"Insane, those two are..." Fujinaga muttered under his breath. However, he couldn’t hide the jealousy in his eyes, as the boy also wanted to get a chance in this final. Yuji also nodded in agreement, somehow feeling so sour right now. They could only stare at each other bitterly, cursing the lack of talent that they possessed.

Of course, those complaints only came in whispers. Kumiko and Kenji couldn’t even hear it, as the girl kept spouting so many instructions while the boy just nodded along quietly. No one knew whether the boy could remember them all or not.

In the end, Kumiko just patted his back firmly, pushing him with one last encouragement. "Come on, Young Man! This is your chance to show off, so don’t hold back anymore!"