"OH! THERE THEY ARE!"

"Hey, I can see Makino-kun! Kyah! He waves at me!"

"Kenji-kun! Please, look at this!"

It was the morning after the craziness was over, and the moment they went back to Hakodate and entered the school again, they were greeted by the cheers exploding throughout the whole building.

Most of the players were dumbfounded here. After all, they had been students in this school for so long, and yet, this was the first time they witnessed such a festive atmosphere around. Hell, even the teachers could be seen waving from inside the building, giving them smiles of approval. Those were also the same teachers who would always frown at them whenever their grades were abysmal, so this change of heart was quite strange here.

"Fucking hell... Is this what hero treatment looks like?" Higo muttered in awe. For someone who spent most of his life living like an NPC, this kind of treatment was definitely an eye-opener. "This is just from us winning the prefectural tournament, so what would happen if we wreak havoc in the national one?" He couldn’t help but ask.

"Bah! Don’t daydream too far," Makino replied sarcastically while still putting the biggest smile on his face as he waved at the people outside the bus. "You think national is that easy? Did you hear what Kumiko-chan said yesterday? This is our first time going there, so don’t think that everyone will be merciful toward us."

Higo could feel the corner of his lips twitching when he heard that, somehow not realizing that he had just talked out loud. The most infuriating part, though, was the way Makino looked at him, as if he were just some sort of country bumpkin who had never seen the world before. Well, he was kinda like that, but that didn’t mean the boy would want to be pointed out, right?

"Anyway, get ready." Makino patted his shoulder before getting up from his spot. "The bus is about to stop, and we have to get out sooner or later. Don’t be too nervous and just hold the trophies high proudly, okay?"

True enough, after moving so slowly, the bus finally stopped straight in front of the building. There, the headmaster had already waited with several important people, and so many cameras snapped at them simultaneously. Honestly, the scene was so surreal, as if they were in a Hollywood movie, not a mere school in Hakodate.

The first one to come out of the bus was Makino here. The captain just walked calmly as if the commotion around him didn’t bother him. However, when everyone saw the big trophy that the team won on the boy’s hand, cheers exploded immediately, enough to probably reach the furthest part of the city in one go.

"OH! Look how majestic the trophy is!"

"I heard some parts are made from pure gold!"

"Really?! Is Hokkaido really that rich?!"

"HAKODATE NISHI! HAKODATE NISHI! HAKODATE NISHI!"

The students started to chant again, especially when Makino raised it higher so that people could see it better. He truly knew how to act here, lifting the mood straight to the rooftop just with one move.

Then, the next one to step in was Kumiko, as the girl was the leader of the team. She also didn’t come with an empty hand, as a small, exquisite trophy made of glass was shown there. This was the one she won as the best coach of the tournament, and the moment people saw this, even though they were less enthusiastic, they still genuinely cheered for the girl.

"Come on, Shishida-san! I love you!"

"Hey, mind her boyfriend! Don’t try acting like a simp!"

"Bah! Everything can still happen in the future! Shishida-senpai, please remember me when you break up later!"

The boys howled crazily, trying to hit on her. Even Higo himself couldn’t help but frown, thinking that this was a bit too much. In the end, he decided to step up next, carrying two trophies in his hand while also stepping next to Kumiko, showing off his protectiveness over the girl.

His gaze wandered around as if telling everyone, ’Back off! This is my girl!’ Enough to make them all get the message here.

"Tch! What a possessive boyfriend!"

"I mean, I cannot see why she falls for him! He is short and so ordinary, right?!"

"Bah! That’s only because you didn’t see him on the pitch! He is a completely different animal there!"

Fortunately, his performance in the final earned the boy some supporters, willing to speak up for him. However, Higo couldn’t think about it too much now, not when the headmaster himself approached him with that big, creepy smile on the man’s face.

"Oh, so that’s the trophy for the best player, huh? I have only heard of it from my friend, and I still cannot believe that there is a day when this trophy will fall onto our school’s land... God’s gracious..." He sighed in a melancholic tone, scratching every corner and edge of the trophy longingly.

It seemed the headmaster was also a man of a story here, what with how he reacted when the man saw the MVP trophy. Higo just stood quietly here, waiting for the man to snap out of his own thoughts.

"Ah! So, you are Ryusuke Higo, right?" The headmaster finally took notice of him again. "Good, God! Who would’ve thought that our school could produce such a talent like you?! It seems our luck is not that bad! Keep it up, young man! I will see your performance on the national stage a month later!"

"Don’t worry, Sensei. I will not disappoint you." Higo nodded silently before walking straight to the spot next to Kumiko.

Right after that, all the players started to come out one by one. Some were trying to be cool and majestic like Kenji and Ishinori, some were nonchalant like Hiroshi and the twins, and some even approached the headmaster with a crazy dance that elicited laughter from the entire school.

After everyone was done greeting the headmaster, the school’s leader finally took the mic, taking a deep breath before raising his voice loudly. "Ladies and gentlemen! Let’s welcome our new hero to the town, Hakodate Nishi’s Football Team!"