"Fucking hell... What is going on?!"

"A miss heading? Is that possible?"

"Well, it is for a rookie striker, but this is Park Han-Gyeol whom we are talking about! There is no way he fires a header from two meters away straight to the goalkeeper’s hand!"

"Then, can you explain how this happened?!"

Whispers started to echo as people stared with confusion at Higo, clutching the ball tightly. Hell, the goalkeeper even had the audacity to let himself fall to the ground dramatically, as if wanting to protect it longer. This was an act of delaying time, one that would irritate the opponent more.

Still, everyone was too puzzled by what was going on to think about it. Honestly, this was the first time they witnessed so close how Higo took advantage of his clairvoyant ability. Usually, it would come from a subtle movement to help his positioning, but this time, from the outsider’s perspective, everything looked like Higo had already guessed where the header would go before it happened.

Still, no one was outrageous enough to come to the conclusion that Higo could see the future. After all, it was too fictional, right?

In the end, Park Han-Gyeol could only scowl, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "Sorry, Mamoru, that’s my fault!" He apologized to his teammate before running back immediately.

Higo himself was sweating bullets right now. Even though he had his clairvoyant ability, the boy still could get caught off guard on some occasions, and the last attack was also one of them. He didn’t expect that the cross would slip from Jun’s reach and arrive straight at Park Han-Gyeol’s head like that, giving the Korean striker all the time in the world to aim.

’Fortunately, I foresaw where he would aim beforehand, or this will end up as a disaster.’ The boy smiled wryly. Of course, he didn’t forget to call out his defenders here. "Jun, Nori, you both are careless! How could he receive the ball in such a good spot? You are lucky I am here to save your asses!" The boy scolded them in one breath.

Those two just gritted their teeth before finally nodding in silence. No matter how much they hated it, both Jun and Ishinori knew that the last play was on them, and this couldn’t happen again.

After delaying for a while, Higo finally noticed that the referee had already given him a stern glare as a warning, so, not wanting to invite the man’s anger, the boy threw the ball in the air before punting it far into the sky.

Thud!

"Come on! I get this!"

Unlike before, though, when a huge fight happened in the middle of the pitch for a possession, this time, Hakodate Nishi didn’t hesitate to give up the ball. After all, their priority this time should be to maintain the draw, and only if they were absolutely sure about their chance would they try to strike back.

Still, of course, being bombarded by the opponent was never a good thing for everyone’s heart. In the next few minutes, Higo had to fight tooth and nail just to deny everything that came his way.

Another cross came, but he was fortunate enough to pick it up in the air.

A shot low to the goal post, and because he didn’t dare to take a risk, the boy tipped it off with his hand.

Then, a strong header from the corner kick, facing so many distractions, and yet, somehow, Higo managed to get his hand in touch with the ball, denying Shimizu Higashi High the second goal.

In just ten minutes, the boy had already made three world-class saves to protect his team. Of course, for the audience, this personal show was a spectacle to be seen. At this point, people could only shake their heads in awe, couldn’t really understand how Higo managed to maintain his insane performance so far.

"Damn, no wonder he is hailed as one of the best goalkeepers in the tournament..."

"How many saves has he made so far? At least 10, right?"

"You are being too conservative. It is 13 already, and if not for the team’s defense dragging him down, he would still maintain his clean sheet so far."

Well, it was quite a harsh criticism of the team’s defensive line, especially since they had to fight without their captain here. However, there was indeed a problem on the back, one so glaring that the opponent kept exploiting everything openly.

It wasn’t their numerical disadvantage, because two center-backs were still enough to ensure the floodgate was shut tight. However, the loss of Makino on the back really hurt them all, as both Nori and Jun always listened to the captain’s command. Now that no one took over, the situation started becoming more chaotic, with those two always being late in supporting each other.

Honestly, this should be Higo’s responsibility. After all, he was tasked with the commander’s role by Kumiko since the game against Esashi High in the past. However, since the team didn’t have any preparation for that, the role often slipped back to Makino, and no one really corrected the mistake. As a result, the team finally paid the price with the captain being off the pitch.

Kumiko herself was aware of this problem. Her brows furrowed deep as she kept observing the whole pitch, her brain spinning fast to simulate everything inside her head. In the end, her gaze fell onto one person on the bench, and with her gritting her teeth, the girl finally made a decision.

"Kuroki-kun, are you up to a new challenge?"

For a moment, silence followed as the bench players failed to register her words in their brains. In the end, the boy himself perked up, finally pointing at himself in surprise. "You talk about me?!" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, you, Kuroki-kun." Kumiko nodded in confirmation, and a hint of impatience also flashed there. "Come on, don’t waste too much time! Take off your jacket and get ready to play!"

After everything finally sank in, the boy finally rose from the bench, and the jacket slipped off his body so swiftly. "I don’t know why you picked me and what kind of role I could play in this situation, but since you need me to come, sure! I am in!"