The knowledge of their next opponent was like a double-edged sword. On one hand, it helped them prepare better, making sure that they didn’t get blindsided by anything, but on the other hand, it also dampened the mood here, making them overthink everything.

The one who was affected the most, though, was Sano. Well, it was understandable, since this was going to be his debut as the main player, and yet he somehow had to face any defender’s nightmare. The boy didn’t really do well even in the simulation practice, always making some unnecessary mistakes that led to a dangerous attack.

Even Kumiko herself couldn’t help but feel worried here. "Should I just put Hori-kun, pushing Denki-kun forward, while also letting Makino-kun and Ishinori-kun handle the backline?" The girl muttered to herself. After pondering for a moment, though, she shook her head decisively. "No, that would be a big gamble, and we cannot afford to experiment with something new at this stage. It is better to go for the usual scheme, just fill in the blank position with anyone who is ready to go."

At this time, the girl truly resented Kazawa and Fujinaga, who were stupid enough to get a red card in the last game. "I mean, damn! How could the two I cannot use here be my team’s anchors?! This is too much to be called a coincidence, right?" She cursed inwardly.

Both Kazawa and Fujinaga could only rub the back of their heads awkwardly, walking away quietly when they received the stinging glare from Kumiko. Unfortunately, no matter how much they regretted their action in the last game, they couldn’t turn back time, so those two just hoped that the rest of the team could hold on until the end.

Time passed by quickly, and somehow, they were finally at the game day. This time, they were going to play on a small pitch still in Nissan Stadium’s complex, but unlike in the last game, it was still slightly bigger and could contain around 3000 people in total.

With them in the top 16, the atmosphere around them also started to get tense. At this point, almost all of the small fries were eliminated already, leaving all the powerhouse teams who had been rivals for so many years. Honestly, as a first-timer, Hakodate Nishi seemed to be out of place, as if they had just walked into the wrong room here.

However, no one cared enough about that. At this point, any team had already abandoned the idea of Hakodate Nishi being an inexperienced team. After all, whoever managed to get into the third round had already proven that they could survive in this shit, so they should have a quality that made the other teams wary.

That was why, even before the game began, one section of the stand was already full of people, all the players from the other teams that were still in this tournament.

"Damn, are they scouting for their next opponent?" Higo couldn’t help but murmur as he was doing his warm-up.

"Yeah, and if we managed to survive this game, we would also do the same," Makino answered casually, stretching his knee a little. Then, he smiled mischievously at Higo and added, "Say goodbye to your free time, Chibi, because after this, Kumiko-chan will force us all to go for more analysis."

Higo couldn’t help but groan when he heard that. Out of any task in the club, analysis one was definitely the hardest for him. One, he found it to be boring, and two, the boy felt like it was aimed more toward the outfield players, never at him. The only useful knowledge he got from Kumiko’s analysis was during the last penalty shootout, and for the rest, he just knew one thing to do: stop anyone from scoring into his goal, no matter who they were.

"Eh, don’t be too depressed like that! Come on, be a little bit livelier!" Kuroki laughed when he saw Higo’s ashen face. "Anyway, our opponent has finally arrived, so be a little bit more serious here!"

True enough, soon, a group of people with black-and-blue striped jerseys came out of the tunnel, starting their warm-up session immediately. In this game, they would act as the home team, making Hakodate Nishi go with their away golden-orange jersey. It was clear by their appearance that Hannan University High was a tough team, what with most of them having quite muscular bodies.

"Fucking hell... What do they eat in Osaka to have such a body?" Makino murmured in envy.

"What, jealous?" Higo couldn’t help but sneer. "Still not satisfied with your popularity? Who are you going to impress with your muscular body, by the way, the other boys?"

Makino tensed immediately at the image of him attracting boys’ attention. "Damn, Chibi, you really give me a nightmarish image here!"

"Well, you only have yourself to blame!"

"Okay, enough!" Just like usual, Kuroki had to become the adult in the room here, separating them from their childish bickering. "Come on, Kumiko-chan has already called. We’d better go back to the locker room quickly, or you both will have to bear the consequences."

Those two shivered immediately when they heard that, following Kuroki without having to be told twice. In the locker room, everyone had already gathered, changing into their jersey to get ready for the game. Kumiko herself still scrolled through the phone, biting her lips anxiously.

"What’s wrong, Kumiko-chan?" Higo asked, peeking over the phone.

"Just checking the weather forecast today." The girl took a deep breath. "It says that we will have a snowy match, so be careful with your steps, okay? The pitch will be more slippery, and any clashes could lead to an unnecessary injury, so protect yourself better!" She instructed the players.

"Don’t worry, Kumiko-chan." Makino snorted as he pulled on his boots. "We are from Hakodate. For us, this little snow is just a walk in the park, right?" He asked his teammates.

"Hell, yeah!"

"You get it right, Captain!"

Seeing that the players were confident, Kumiko just nodded silently. However, this wasn’t enough to get rid of her anxious feeling as she inwardly prayed, "Let’s hope nothing will go wrong today..."