Author’s note: Thanks to Robin_Kristiansen_7344 and Hattorin for the 5 Golden Tickets! I really appreciate the support, especially in the beginning of the month!

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"So, what did you get?" Higo asked as he saw Makino running back into the team.

It was before the game began, and Makino just had the most uncomfortable coin toss in his life. His opponent was as eccentric as ever, talking in a rhythm and rap-style while also using the weirdest English-Japanese accent that Makino could think of. It was as if everything was just a play for Kawabe, nothing serious at all.

Fortunately, it only lasted for a while. Right after the coin dropped on the referee’s hand, he flew away immediately, not wanting to get closer to Kawabe again for the rest of his life. Even remembering that terrible line the boy rapped, Makino couldn’t help but shudder here.

"Sorry, we lost the coin toss." He shook his head strongly, wanting to get rid of that horrible image inside his head. "We are going to have the kick-off in the second half."

While it was a pity that they couldn’t launch the blitzkrieg attack as soon as the game began, no one really thought about that right now. No, if anything, they were so curious about what rubbed their captain’s skin the wrong way.

"Did he just insult your mother or what?" Higo asked bluntly here, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" Makino snapped his head at his friend, glaring at the boy fiercely. "No, everything is fine! Just... Don’t worry about it. You better not know shit about that encounter." The way he looked so haunted only made the rest of the team curious. Hiroshi and the twins just nodded silently, looking at their captain sympathetically.

"Anyway, move on!" The captain shook his head once again. "We are going to defend first, so don’t forget to always communicate with each other and look at your surroundings! Don’t let any leak appear in our defense!" He stared at Jun, especially a little bit longer, knowing that the clumsy boy was prone to make a blunder.

"Don’t worry, who do you think I am?!" The boy patted his chest reassuringly.

"It is because I know who you are that I am worried here..." Makino grumbled grumpily. Still, he didn’t bring it up again, continuing, "Lastly, for the chain of command, I don’t care if you are in the middle of chasing the opponent or trying to block a shot, but Chibi has the highest one here! When he says you jump, then you jump! No question asked! Can you do that?!"

"Yes, Sir!"

This time, everyone answered in a militaristic way. Even though the order seemed to be quite extreme, at this point, no one doubted Higo’s ability under the goal. So, the best way they could repay the favor was to make things easier for him in the game later.

"Okay, let’s go!"

Right after that, all the Hakodate Nishi players spread all across the pitch, going straight to their assigned positions. Higo also did so, taking a deep breath before going straight to the goal. Just like usual, the boy kissed the two posts first, taking another breath before starting to slap his face quite hard. This was his method to stay focused, the more crucial he was in.

"Come on! I can do this!" Higo shook his head strongly, starting to jump around to fight against the cold.

It didn’t take long, and before everyone knew it, two players from Shohei High had already stood in front of the ball. They were still waiting for the referee to blow the whistle, in doing so, secretly moving their body to keep themselves warm.

Then, the next second...

FWEEE!

"COME ON!"

The moment the referee blew the whistle, Shohei High’s two forwards started the kick-off already. Then, just as everyone expected, Hakodate Nishi’s defense shifted onto the right side immediately, trying to add more people to that flank to suppress Kawabe’s explosiveness.

"So, ye are going to be my opponent today, Den-Two?" Kawabe grinned mischievously.

In return, Denki growled angrily, sneering at his former senpai in disdain. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that horrible nickname, Senpai? Also, the number two? You called Denji the same, right?"

"Yes, because in my mind, ye both are always the number two, haha!" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The man’s laugh was so sarcastic that Kazawa, who was nearby, had the urge to knock some sense into his head. However, before he could do that, his danger sense flared up, and in the next second, Kazawa could see the ball landing in Kawabe’s left foot.

’Shit! Here he comes!’ The boy couldn’t help but mumble, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. He also took a step back, protecting the area for Kawabe to cut in while also getting ready to chase if the opponent made a run.

Denki was on the same frequency here. The boy dropped his stance a little bit lower, wanting to get ready for any surprise attack. Seeing this, Kawabe couldn’t help but sneer.

"Heh, it seems ye still can learn something in the wasteland, huh?" He said sarcastically, starting to stroll gently with the ball.

"Shut up and make your move quickly!" Denki growled; his movement was stiff.

Kawabe snorted, even stopping a little here. It was a blatant provocation, an invitation for Hakodate Nishi players to come at him. Once he finally made a move, though, even though both Denki and Kazawa had already forced the boy to only go through the sideline, they still got caught off guard by the speed here.

"SHI—!" Kazawa was taken aback when he saw Kawabe flashing in front of his eyes. "DEFENDERS, GET READY!" He screamed while running back frantically, trying to warn his teammates.

Well, the others didn’t need to be told of that. No, they could see it with their own eyes, and some players started to shift to that side.

Denki, whose speed was better than Kazawa’s, still tried to chase his former senpai. However, with a delicate touch, Kawabe made a subtle change of direction, humiliating the boy with a nutmeg before he moved inside, getting ready to enter the penalty box.

However, before he could accelerate further, Kawabe suddenly felt someone shoulder-check him, and before he could react, a foot appeared out of nowhere, poking the ball away from his possession.

BRUGH!