The Rise of the Iron Wall!
Chapter 393: Kumiko’s Gamble Move
The next time the ball left the pitch, the referee finally blew the whistle, pointing at the sideline where the assistant referee raised the board to signal for a substitute. It was the 73rd minute of the game, and some changes should be made by both teams at this point. Well, Shimizu Higashi had already made one by putting one more striker next to Park Han-Gyeol, trying to add more numbers on the front line.
This was indeed the best time to put a new player in, hoping that they would bring a positive change or even score a goal for the team. Still, when Hakodate Nishi’s substitution was announced, this made some people raise their eyebrows unconsciously.
"Hakodate Nishi’s number 2 out, getting replaced by Hakodate Nishi’s number 9!"
Yeah, it was a substitution with Hori out, getting replaced by Kuroki. A striker for a right back. This was definitely the weirdest change that Kumiko had ever made, especially since the team didn’t really need a goal right now and should have put more body on the penalty kick.
Poor Hori, he was so shocked to be replaced by Kuroki that the boy froze for a second. It wasn’t until the referee reminded him to get out quickly and not waste too much time that the boy finally moved.
"I am so sorry, Hori-kun. I really want you to be there until the end, but I notice your movement has already slowed down a lot at this point, and you cannot handle Mamoru’s intrusion anymore. I cannot take the risk here." Kumiko apologized while hugging the boy as he walked through the bench.
Hori just nodded silently, but this only left the boy with bigger confusion. ’If that is the reason, why Kuroki-senpai and not Denki?’
Indeed, this was the one he and so many people couldn’t understand immediately. After all, Kuroki’s presence seemed to be unnecessary right now when the team needed to defend more. If anything, this also left a question: with Hori out of the pitch, who would be guarding the right side?
Somehow, right after this, everyone got the answer they asked for, which made some of the people there dumbfounded.
After communicating with some players, instead of staying on the front line like his original position meant him to be, the boy went to his own penalty box, joining Ishinori and Jun as the third central defender. Then, Kazawa shifted to the right side to fill up the hole that Hori left, with Hiroshi and Kenji dropping further to the midfield line.
Right now, they erected the Great Wall of China itself, having 5 defenders and 4 midfielders dropping to the low-block zone to clear all the incoming attack from the opponent.
"Come on, Nori! I am here, so don’t be too restrained with Jun’s movement and leave the middle for us!" Kuroki shouted. "Kazawa, don’t let anyone slip from your guard, okay? The attack will come from your direction, so keep your eyes open for everything!"
"YES, SIR!"
Somehow, his presence on the back managed to pump up the other defenders’ spirits. Their focus was back on their top game, and their eyes clearly told everyone that they would die first before letting any threat slip from their grasp again.
Kumiko, who watched everything from the sideline, couldn’t help but nod in appreciation. "Yes, Kuroki-kun, that is exactly what I am asking you for."
Honestly, before making a substitution, the girl was in a dilemma. She wanted to put another center back to fill the hole that Makino left in the team, but Sano was also the same type as Ishinori and Jun. Those three were followers, always waiting for someone to take control of the command there instead of taking over the whole thing by themselves. Nori and Jun had already proven that they needed a commander, and Sano’s presence there would only make things chaotic between them.
That was when her eyes finally landed on Kuroki, and a thought flashed in her mind.
’I don’t really need a traditional defender right now. As long as he can take control of the back line immediately and can hold his own ground in the aerial battle against Shimizu Higashi’s crossing bombardment, he is good to go. Does that mean Kuroki-kun fills the criteria quite nicely? Not only that, once we enter the penalty shootout, I will have one more shooter on my side!’
This was a pure gamble on her part, putting a striker in the back line in the most dangerous time in the game. However, Kumiko didn’t have any time to hesitate, so she gritted her teeth and made the decision immediately.
Somehow, though, this worked quite nicely as Kuroki managed to tighten the loose threads that were Ishinori and Jun to hold everything stronger than ever.
"Come on, Jun! Speak louder if you need help!"
"Nori, your positioning sucks! Don’t assume I can wipe your ass, okay?!"
BAM!
Another crossing was sent, and this time, Kuroki used his fresh stamina to fight against Park Han-Gyeol. It was a low cross with great speed close to Higo’s direction, and the Korean striker had already extended one foot to push the ball to the back of the net. However, Kuroki also arrived in time, blocking the attempt with his tight.
"FUCK YEAH!" The boy roared with his hand, punching the air in celebration. "Come on, Higo! We are almost there!" He didn’t forget to have a chest-bump with Higo, who was also sighing in relief. It was really a close call, but Kuroki somehow managed to react like a proper defender.
Higo himself also started to feel at ease with Kuroki on his back, somehow feeling like some of the burden on his shoulder got lifted a little bit. The game had already entered the 80th minute, and as long as the team didn’t make any fatal blunders, they would be able to drag Shimizu Higashi into a penalty shootout. That was definitely the best-case scenario for Higo right now.
However, one moment Higo felt at ease, then in the next second, the boy couldn’t help but shudder. It was as if two powerful beasts finally started to show their fangs, not hiding it from anyone else anymore. Unfortunately, though, in this case, Higo was the prey that those two predators had their eyes on.
’I don’t even need to turn around, because they are the only two who could give me this goosebump feeling.’ The boy smiled wryly. ’The next ten minutes will be a very long time for me, huh? Damn!’