Soon enough, all the players were back in the locker room. The atmosphere was quite heavy on Hakodate Nishi’s side, with some of them sweating profusely right now. It was a strange occasion when the temperature itself was so low, but this was what they could get in a high-tension like this.

The worst one here was, of course, Takaaki. Since the last game against Hannan University High, his workload seemed to be doubled out of nowhere. Not that he was unhappy with his role getting more important, but the jump really caught him off guard. Right now, he was panting heavily, trying to keep his buckled knees steady.

"Takaaki-kun, you are still good to play?" Kumiko couldn’t help but ask, her tone full of worry.

"Don’t... Don’t worry, Senpai." Takaaki sent a thumbs-up while smiling weakly; his glasses were so blurry from the condensed sweat accumulated throughout the first half. "This is nothing for me! Let alone the second half, I can still play two or three more games!"

Kumiko looked at the boy thoroughly, wanting to see his expression better. Still, if there was one thing she knew about Takaaki, it would be that the more he boasted, the more he was on the edge. So, the girl could conclude his situation straight away here.

’He cannot last longer...’ Her expression turned solemn.

This was definitely the worst-case scenario. In her team, there were several players who were irreplaceable, not because they were the best, but because their role was something that the others couldn’t do. The first was Usami with his ability to link up everything on the pitch, then Higo who was the only goalkeeper on the team, and Takaaki who was the commander of the midfielder. Losing one of them would definitely hurt the team the most.

Still, the girl didn’t have the intention to replace him. At least, not right since the beginning of the second half. "If you still have that much energy to spend..." She said, deciding to play along. "Can you still use them all for the next 45 minutes?"

Takaaki was startled for a second. He was so sure that he would be replaced, and yet, here Kumiko was, asking him to run more. However, this only made the grin on his face widen more, as he nodded solemnly at the coach.

"Don’t worry, Senpai. Even if I die, I will hold the midfield line!"

Hearing this bold declaration from the usually calm Takaaki, Kumiko couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh. At least, this showed that the boy was in a good spirit currently. Then, she finally turned to the other players, addressing the elephant in the room.

"Another goal conceded from a rebound situation... This doesn’t look good in our defense, guys." There was no heat in her tone, neither mockery nor anger. However, with how soft she spoke, this felt like a harder slap on the face for all the defenders here, knowing that this was definitely their fault.

"I am not expecting you to be flawless, you know, but don’t you notice that in our last several games, we always conceded a goal from the exact same scenario? From Denki-kun’s own goal to the penalty kick scenario... Our opponent always stole something from us, as if they paid more attention to this. I cannot help but wonder, will they do it again later?"

Honestly, this was the first time the pep-talk during the break filled with scolding. It wasn’t even a scolding, just Kumiko questioning some of the most essential things that the team missed. Still, their faces were so ugly, knowing that she had a point here.

"I will not say too much, because you guys know how bad we are in this regard. Still, if I have to point out why... I think we rely too much on Ryukkun between the posts."

This confession startled everyone, even Higo himself. After all, the boy didn’t really know what the problem was. However, Kumiko continued immediately, "I am not saying that relying on him is bad, because his strength allows you guys to relax a little bit. However, once you let the opponent fire a shot, you guys will stop running immediately, thinking that Ryukkun will handle the mess you left behind. You know it is true, right? Nori-kun? Jun-kun? Makino-kun?"

If before, Kumiko didn’t say a single name at all, this time she pointed at three immediately, not giving any mercy. Not that they wanted to, as their face flushed in embarrassment. The guys recalled the last goal, and indeed, once the ball entered the penalty box, somehow, they slowed down a little bit, waiting a little bit further while thinking that Higo would handle the rest of it.

Higo also heard that, and a little frown formed on his face. ’Does that mean a part of this shit is my fault? So, being excellent all the time is not good either for the team, huh?’ Of course, that was just a thought, and he would never dare to say it straight away.

"So, now that the problem is identified, you know what to do, right?" Kumiko stared at the defenders expectantly.

Well, it would be stupid if those three couldn’t catch the hint here. Makino, being the team’s captain, nodded immediately. "We have to get rid of our laziness, always thinking that Chibi cannot solve everything alone. No matter whether the shot is fired or not, we cannot stop running until the ball gets out of the danger zone."

"Atta boy!" Kumiko clapped appreciatively.

Higo himself just sat with the corner of his mouth twitching a little, too speechless to respond. While he knew this was going to be a big help for him, the boy still felt insulted, feeling like he was being looked down.

"What about our offense, Senpai?" Kenji suddenly raised his hand before asking like a good student. "Our defense cannot be worse than before, but our offense... We still need to score a goal, right?" He asked.

Kumiko nodded slightly, acknowledging his point. However, before she could say anything else, Higo suddenly raised his hand, saying, "Regarding our offense... Can I have a word here?"