No one expected Hakodate Nishi to launch a quick counterattack like this. After all, the first ten minutes after a player was sent off, their captain, even, should be a period where they tried to stabilize the game, slowing down the tempo so that they could handle the raging opponent. Still, this situation was anything but normal.

Hakodate Nishi was never an offensive team in the first place. Offense was never their strongest forte, so when they had a chance, no matter what happened on the pitch, they would still go for a kill. It also applied in this situation, as when Higo got the ball, some of the players there could see an opportunity to strike back.

"SENPAI! FRONT!" Hiroshi shouted while running, pointing forward at the space in front of him.

Well, Higo didn’t hesitate here. After snatching the ball in the air, he took two quick steps before gathering all of his strength on his shoulder and launching the ball far to the right side with a one-handed throw. The strength he displayed was enough to put the others in awe, as the ball itself managed to cross the half-court line.

Thud!

"Fuck, you are so awesome, Senpai!" Hiroshi grinned as he managed to control the ball with one leg stretched far forward.

"FUCK IT! COME BACK!"

"COUNTER! KEEP AN EYE ON HIM! SLOW HIM DOWN!"

Soon enough, all the Shimizu Higashi players who were on the front line to receive the corner kick tried their best to run back, restoring the defensive shape as quickly as possible. Not an easy task, since Hiroshi himself had already started hitting his accelerator. Honestly, the situation resembled what happened earlier, where Makino had to commit a professional foul and suffered a red card for stopping Mamoru’s attack.

The only different thing here, though, was that Hiroshi was all alone, not having the kind of Park Han-Gyeol helping next to him. Kenji was still far behind after having to help the team’s defense in the last corner kick, and while Usami was closer than ever, the quiet boy was still behind, making it difficult for Hiroshi to initiate the exact same attack.

’Oh, well, who said that it has to be similar?’ An idea suddenly popped after he glanced back at Usami. "Sorry, Usami-kun, but I will borrow your trademark dribble!"

Thud!

With one push, the ball sprang out of his foot far, indicating that he was going to increase his speed. One of the Shimizu Higashi defenders there reacted immediately, chasing the wild ball in front of him.

"SHIT! DON’T THINK YOU CAN GET THROUGH ME!"

However, he was too hasty, rushing forward to clear the ball. As a result, Hiroshi managed to push the ball away from the boy at the last second, avoiding a collision while he was also getting closer to the opponent’s penalty box.

"YES! Come on, Hiroshi! This is your chance!"

Even back in Hakodate, Kana could be seen having her fingers entangled with each other, her eyes shut tight while her mouth kept muttering non-stop. "Please, Kami-sama... Don’t let him mess this up, don’t let him mess this up, please..."

Hiroshi himself didn’t know that he was causing so much distress to his mother back home. Right now, he gritted his teeth tightly while chasing the ball, somehow cursing himself inside his head.

’Fucking hell... That last touch is fucking terrible! Can I still get it?!’

Yeah, he was too enthusiastic, pushing the ball too far on the flank. Unfortunately, Miki Yamane was closer there, as the opponent’s captain had already gotten in touch with the ball. Gritting his teeth, Hiroshi just pushed harder, wanting to get something on this occasion. As a result...

BAM!

When Miki Yamane tried to clear the ball away, Hiroshi managed to put one foot in between, letting the ball spring back to the middle area outside of the box.

"Damn! Ishimaru!" Miki Yamane shouted at the center back there.

"Don’t worry, Senpai! I get it!" The one called Ishimaru had already reacted beforehand, keeping an eye on the ball in the sky. However, the moment he jumped, another person also leaped for the ball, colliding with him in the air.

BAM!

"YES, KENJI!"

Yeah, the person who had just come was Kenji, as he had been following everything from behind. The moment the boy saw the ball spring into the air, he took action immediately, challenging it to keep everything in Shimizu Higashi’s territory.

For a moment, a tug-of-war battle happened on the pitch, with all players from both teams fighting to regain control of the possession.

One of Shimizu Higashi’s midfielders tried to get the ball, but Usami came to disturb the rhythm immediately.

The possession changed to Denji, but before the left wing-back could do anything else, he was pushed back with more pressure.

Things went quite chaotic for a moment, but it was the Hakodate Nishi players who got anxious. After all, the more things got dragged like this, the more the opponent had time to recover their defensive shape. In fact, when they glanced around, they would be able to see so many players with white jerseys surrounding the penalty box already, guarding everything from any threat that Hakodate Nishi could throw at them.

"Shit! Is this the end of our attack?!" Hiroshi scowled, trying to protect the ball from the opponent who haunted him on his back.

With only his back facing the goal, there was no way he could continue the attack. In desperation, the boy even had the thought to pass it back, delaying the attack. This was a necessary sacrifice that he had to make if he still wanted the team to maintain possession.

However, in that moment, a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared on his face. The boy saw Takaaki coming from the middle, his face looking so exhausted. However, the fire was still there, as if asking him for the ball.

Without even thinking, Hiroshi pushed the ball to Takaaki, and even at a long distance, 40 meters away from the goal, the glasses boy raised his foot without hesitation, and then...

BANG!

A rocket was launched, going straight to Kang Do-Jin’s goal.