The air was so tense as everyone was waiting for the referee’s whistle. Mamoru Suzuki stood just two steps away from the ball, taking a deep breath while also creating an image inside his head of how he should take the shot.

’A powerful one will not work at this distance. It is either going to hit the wall or get blocked by Higo-san easily. The only way to do this is by using accuracy, placing it right above the wall to the top bins. Two goals lead with us being up by one player... The game is in our bag!’

FWEEE!

Thud!

As the whistle was blown, he finally took those two steps, hitting it lightly with the inside foot. The power was not that much, but the spin was so intense, creating a nasty curl that bent the ball right after it flew above the wall. Even three tall players from Hakodate Nishi who tried to jump failed to reach the ball, letting it fly like a bullet.

Everything was according to what Mamoru imagined the shot to be, and somehow, he had raised both hands already, celebrating the incoming goal. Unfortunately, he forgot that opening the champagne before the win was determined was a taboo, and while this scenario was not that serious, the same could apply here.

Before it slammed through the net, a hand suddenly appeared. This was the same hand that kept denying them and any other teams the goal, protecting Hakodate Nishi from suffering more in this tournament. This was their deity guardian, the infamous Iron Wall from Hakodate, Ryusuke Higo himself.

The boy moved even before the shot was taken, shifting toward the far post immediately at the image of Mamoru aiming there. It was fortunate that the ball’s power and speed were not that great, so he managed to arrive on time to block it. As a result...

Thud!

BRUGH!

With the power of his fingers, Higo managed to stop the ball from getting into the net for the second time in a row before he himself fell straight to the ground from that incredible dive.

"FUCK! WHAT A SAVE, SENPAI!"

"CLEARANCE! FUCKING CLEAR THE BALL!"

Higo gritted his teeth, trying to get up as quickly as possible before any shot was taken. Fortunately, Ishinori managed to appear on time as well, beating the opponent’s center back in getting the rebound ball as the boy booted the ball as far away as possible.

BAM!

The ball flew so far back to Shimizu Higashi’s territory. However, that was people’s least concern, as they still stared at Hakodate Nishi’s territory in awe. That save would definitely be the best one in the tournament, as Higo basically stopped the absolute disaster from coming to his team’s side with his spider sense.

"Fuck! It has to be Higo again!"

"What kind of ridiculous game reading ability is that?! I swear, he moved before the shot was taken!"

"Damn, no wonder people said he is the best goalkeeper in this tournament! How come I have never heard of him before?!"

The commotion grew bigger as more people talked about Higo. Makino himself, who watched the free kick unfold from the tunnel, clenched his fist instantly, celebrating secretly at the save. ’Yes, Chibi! At least, you will not make my sacrifice look stupid! I know I can always rely on you!’

Mamoru himself just stared back at the ball far on the team’s own territory in disbelief. Then, his gaze turned back to Higo, who was being helped by his other teammates, and the boy couldn’t help but click his tongue in annoyance and admiration.

"Damn, it has to be you, Higo-san! You sure know how to make things interesting!" Somehow, if anything, this only made his spirit pumped up, getting determined to get one goal on his own.

Higo himself couldn’t care less about the challenging gaze from Mamoru. No, the boy was the least he cared about, because his penalty box was swarmed instantly by the opponent’s players. Down by one player with the captain having to go out first, it was clear that they would be entrapped like wounded prey by their opponent. This was the best chance for Shimizu Higashi to score the second goal and seal the whole game for himself.

’Oh, well... Unfortunately, there is no way I would let you do that easily!’ He gritted his teeth, shifting his body several times to adjust himself to where the ball would go. "Jun, don’t be too passive! Makino is not here anymore; you have to take the initiative to cover the empty space he left!" The boy shouted at his kouhai.

"Yes, Senpai!"

Then, a few minutes later, another chance fell for Shimizu Higashi High. The duet of Jun and Ishinori was really full of holes, as their lack of communication left an open space between them. As a result, Park Han-Gyeol managed to sneak there, having a slight room to launch another rocket.

BAM!

"FUCK!" Higo let himself fall onto the left side, both hands extending to block the shot. He was lucky this time, since the direction was quite weak. Still, the shot packed some power, and the boy couldn’t help but wave his hands a little to hide his pain. "Damn, Nori! Keep an eye on Jun’s movement! Don’t let them get into his blind spot again! Jun, you also move back a little! Don’t let anyone steal from your spot again!" His scream came once again, with a thick vein popping on his forehead.

The lack of a third center back really exposed Hakodate Nishi’s problem. Usually, two players would be assigned to guard the whole area while the third one had to clean up all the mess left by the first two. However, now, they lacked one more player on the back, and everything became more chaotic.

Still, even amidst this chaotic scene, they were far from giving up this game. No, after this, a corner kick was made by Mamoru, and Higo pounced at the ball quickly, claiming everything while it was still in the air. Then, from his peripheral vision, the boy could see two players rushing forward on the same side of the flank, and the goalkeeper knew exactly what was going on here.

"Well, since you are eager to fight back, I’ll leave the rest to you. Come on, Hiroshi! Don’t disappoint me!"

Thud!