For a moment, time seemed to freeze on the spot. No one could understand what that whistle meant, still trying to process everything that was happening there. However, once they saw the referee running toward the penalty box while also pointing at the small white spot in the middle, all the chaos erupted immediately.

"FUCK, NO!" Ishinori roared the loudest, rushing toward the referee fiercely. "SENSEI, CAN YOU SEE IT ON YOUR OWN?! IT HITS MY SHOULDER! IT HITS MY FUCKING SHOULDER! I AM ALSO OUTSIDE OF THE BOX! HOW COULD IT LEAD TO A FUCKING PENALTY?!"

Soon enough, Denki, Takaaki, Kenji, and so many Hakodate Nishi players also joined the crowd, shouting at each other so loudly.

"Fuck it, Sensei! This is the second penalty you gave them today, and all of them are shady! How much did they fucking pay you?!"

"Are you sure you don’t need my glasses?! You are fucking blind as hell!"

"This is a disgrace! A fucking disgrace to football! You don’t deserve to be a fucking ref!"

"Guys, guys, guys! Let me do this! Let me fucking do this!" Makino roared, trying to separate his teammates from the referee.

Meanwhile, all the Sapporo Otani stepped aside wisely, knowing full well that this wasn’t their problem. After all, they were the ones who were being given an advantage, so it was better to stay quiet until the storm subsided and take that advantage later.

The player with the number 16, especially, decided to disappear from the world. The boy also saw that Ishinori was outside of the line, but he didn’t dare to speak anything here. People always demanded players to be truthful to admit, even though it would put the team at a disadvantage, to show some sportsmanship, but at the end of the day, the most important thing here was still winning.

He could act like a hero and point at the referee that the handball was shady and didn’t happen inside the penalty box, but he would also be the team’s sinner, denying their chance to tie the score. No, the boy couldn’t afford that, so he held the ’silence is golden’ principle close to his heart.

It took a while, and the supporters also started to get restless. No big clashes happened, but the shouts and insults thrown from the stands got nastier every second that passed. In the end, after being ragdolled by Hakodate Nishi’s players, the referee finally made his stance clear.

Three yellow cards were thrown, all for Kenji, Takaaki, and Denki for their excessive complaining.

One red card also flew, and this time, it was for Ishinori for pushing the referee and using physical contact to put pressure on the referee.

No matter how much Makino tried to appeal, the decision stood, and the penalty was still given to Sapporo Otani.

"Sorry, Kumiko-senpai..." The boy’s eyes were so red while biting the corner of his jersey, tears starting to fall down from his face. "It seems I am destined to be the team’s sinner." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He wasn’t just talking about this game, but also their last encounter in the Inter-High before, where he cramped right in front of the opponent’s goal, wasting away a golden opportunity to tie the score. Now that he was the culprit again, the boy couldn’t help but cry, not knowing how to speak to his teammates later.

Kumiko herself didn’t react. Her face was still flat as ever. Her expression was stone cold as she patted the boy’s back firmly. "Don’t worry, you won’t get trouble for this. So many cameras recorded that moment, so we will compile them all to get rid of that referee. I don’t believe he could still be a referee after this game is over."

Even though she didn’t show any expression, the girl was so furious inside. Even the fourth referee didn’t dare to turn to her, not wanting to get caught in crossfire. Inwardly, the girl sneered.

’So, you think you can bully my team because I, the head coach, am just a student, and we are just a small team, huh? Well, let’s see what would happen later...’

Ishinori felt his heart warm for a moment, knowing that even the team had his back here. However, that feeling died immediately, being replaced by the immense bitterness reflected in his face.

"I don’t care about that bastard anymore, Senpai... I am just so... Sorry... Because of me, our dream will have to be stopped here..." The boy bit his trembling lips as if he were about to cry right now.

In return, though, Kumiko just shook her head firmly. "It seems, even after knowing him for so long, you still don’t trust him enough, huh? You think Ryukkun is there, standing under the goal with that fierceness in his eyes, and he will let the team concede a goal again? Have you already forgotten that he saved the first penalty?"

True enough, in front of the goal, Higo had already stood tall, watching every single movement that Yuwell made with the eyes of a tiger. Ishinori was so stunned when he saw this, never seeing his senpai to be this... Feral is facing his opponent. Serious, maybe. Angry? Passionate? It could be. But something like this... It should be the first time here.

"So, don’t go back to the locker room and just watch silently from afar. God knows, you will have to celebrate after this." Kumiko murmured softly.

Meanwhile, in the penalty box, Higo took a deep breath, his consciousness trying to force his little brain to work overtime right now. The boy could feel his body aching, his movement sluggish, and his sight even started to get blurry. It seemed the game really took a toll on him today.

Nevertheless, his brain was somehow at its sharpest right now. Even when Yuwell was still standing and waiting for the referee’s blow, Higo could see in the next few seconds what would happen, from where he would run, where he would glance, and how he would take the shot.

’At the end of the day, it has to come with our battle again, huh?’ The boy couldn’t help but smirk, feeling a little bit melancholic. ’Oh, well, it doesn’t matter. I have already stopped you once, why do you think I cannot do it again?’

FWEEEE!

Right after that, the referee finally blew the whistle, and with a slow run-up, Yuwell finally took the fateful shot, and...

BAM!