Author’s note: Thanks to Chato12 and DanghisKhan who sent this story more Golden Tickets, and a big special thank for Crazyjr_96 who always sent one every day! Yeah, crazy indeed. I really appreciate all the support here! Hope you enjoy this story until the end! Thanks!

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"Oh! What a goal!"

"That follow-up after sending that pass to the wing is unbelievable! As expected from Park Han-Gyeol!"

"Come on, Shimizu Higashi! Come on!"

The crowd around also cheered as they saw Shimizu Higashi players celebrating crazily in front of them. The atmosphere was so festive, filled with chatter and laughter. The tension that kept appearing on everyone’s face dissipated for a moment, being replaced with a huge sense of relief and excitement.

Even though no one said anything about it, everyone had the same thing inside their mind right now. They all recalled what their coach said in the assessment meeting a few days ago.

"Lastly, I don’t know if this is a weakness or not, because no one is able to force them into this particular situation so far..." The man spoke solemnly after explaining their opponent’s weakness. "However, they have never been down by a goal in this tournament. Hell, the last time they were down by a goal was in Niigata against us, and at that time, they only had 3 minutes to respond. This time, are you not curious how they would react once you score and take the lead in the first half?"

Somehow, the coach’s words happened again today, and now, the players couldn’t help but feel excited. Even though the coach had already emphasized that he didn’t know if it was a weakness or not, the players had already filled everything inside their mind right now with the answer full of imagination.

’This means, after this, they would at least panic a little, right?’ One of them thought inwardly.

’With them being down one goal, they would need to open up their defense more, and that is the chance for me to strike back.’ Mamoru also hummed cheerfully.

’I have already scored one goal and paid back the penalty I missed the last time. Now, I need one more to ensure that I paid everything back with the interest as well.’ Park Han-Gyeol also joined the fun.

While all the Shimizu Higashi players were celebrating, the same couldn’t be said for the Hakodate Nishi’s side. Their players were in a downcast mood right now, some still panting heavily after having to chase the ball all around the place earlier. The one who regretted it, though, was, of course, Higo.

"Fucking hell..." He cursed, covering half of his face with his cap. "If only it didn’t deflect to that side..." His tone was weak and full of regret. As the one who could foresee the future, the failure to prevent this kind of ball would sting a lot for the boy.

Makino also overheard that. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something. However, all the words got stuck in his throat, unable to escape. After all, Higo had already done his best, but somehow, it was he and Jun who got beaten by Park Han-Gyeol here. No amount of apology would be enough to repay this mistake.

In the end, it was Ishinori who apologized. "Sorry, Senpai. That’s our mistake." The boy admitted freely. "That rebound ball... We have suffered so many times in the past, and yet, none of us learned how to be quick enough to clear everything in front of the goal. Now, you paid the cost for us again. We are so sorry."

Hori, Jun, Denji, and everyone who was involved in the mess earlier also bowed their heads, somehow feeling guilty toward Higo.

"It isn’t just the rebound ball." Hiroshi suddenly chimed in. When everyone turned around, they saw the boy was staring at the opponent’s side, particularly their number 10. "That last attack... That is the exact switch attack that we did earlier when I replicated Mamoru Suzuki’s shot. It is his answer to the challenge I threw, with him doing exactly the same tactic to tear us apart. Damn..." He hissed, his fist getting clenched so hard it turned white.

Indeed, the switch attack from Mamoru to Park Han-Gyeol to Wataru Takagi, then back to the middle again, was something that they tried to use earlier. However, the final result differed, as Hiroshi took a shot by himself from the edge of the penalty box just to be saved by Kang Do-Jin.

Everyone remembered that clearly, and once they felt that the explanation was logical and plausible, they couldn’t help but shudder.

"Damn, they really got us this time, huh?" Kenji couldn’t help but mutter under his breath.

Mamoru Suzuki himself didn’t know that he was being talked about behind his back, but if the boy could hear Hiroshi’s words, he would’ve laughed instantly. After all, at that point, he didn’t think about taking revenge or some personal vendetta shit like that. No, in his mind, he just wanted to execute the tactical plan that the coach had made beforehand, and right now, the boy was so happy that it finally paid off.

As for the challenge itself... Well, Makino would probably remember it again once they were back in the game, but for now, he was still in the middle of the celebration with his teammates, not caring a single shit about Hakodate Nishi players.

"Well, it is no use to lament in this shitty hole too long." Takaaki suddenly stepped up, offering Higo a hand to help the goalkeeper get up from the ground. "You okay, Senpai? You haven’t said anything else here." He asked while also giving the cap that he had picked from the ground earlier.

Everyone turned around here, just to find themselves shivering instantly at Higo’s icy gaze. It wasn’t often to see the boy having this big of a reaction. Hell, this was probably the first time they witnessed Higo with so much anger inside him, and honestly, this scared the shit out of them all.

"Oh, I am okay." The boy said calmly. Too calm to everyone’s liking. "Rather than thinking about anything useless like that, what about thinking about something more important?" He asked casually.

"More... Important?" Jun asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, for example..." He took a deep breath and said, "How do you think we should tie the score right now?"