Honestly, the shot really came unexpectedly. It was weak and clumsy, and the one who did it was Shimizu Higashi’s unsung hero of the game, Kang Do-Jin himself. The goalkeeper suddenly came to the most unexpected spot, stealing the limelight by winning the aerial duel against Kazawa, and...

Thud!

He felt the ball bruising his head.

’Fuck! I get that?!’ The goalkeeper was so dumbfounded. After all, he just thought that his presence here was only to become another cannon fodder, adding more numbers to distract the opponent’s defense. Who would’ve thought that he would have a chance to get the ball?

Funnily enough, though, everyone also didn’t expect his presence there. The one who suffered the most here was Higo, as the ball went straight to his face without the boy having enough time to react properly. The scene was comedic, with the ball going from one goalkeeper to another. Then, those two were so dumbfounded, turning around quickly to search for the ball that was still in the air.

"SHIT! WHERE IS IT?!"

"THE BALL?! WHERE THE FUCK IS THE BALL?!"

Honestly, if the atmosphere was not that tense, everyone would’ve laughed their asses off here. Those two were so clueless about where the ball was, not knowing that it bounced back from Higo’s face to the air again. Fortunately, there, Sano was close enough to gain it, winning the positional duel against Park Han-Gyeol to clear the ball away.

BAM!

"YES, SANO! CLEAR IT AWAY!"

Right after that, before the second round of the attack came, the sound that everyone had been dreading finally came, echoing throughout the whole stadium.

FWEEE! FWEEE! FWEEE!

Yeah, the referee finally blew the whistle three times continuously, ending the eventful second half straight away. Shimizu Higashi’s last effort to get the second goal failed, and the game finally entered the penalty shootout that Hakodate Nishi had been waiting for.

"YES!" The first one to roar there was Higo. The goalkeeper still had a trace of dirt on his face from getting hit by that last attack, but right now, he couldn’t care less about that. No, the boy turned at Sano quickly, punching the boy on his chest lightly while roaring, "COME ON, SANO! YOU ARE SUCH A BEAST!"

The others also rushed toward them, hugging the freshman defender enthusiastically. Sano, who was not used to so much love like this, couldn’t help but get flustered. Still, a small grin formed on his face, one that could scare away all the children on the stand in a blink.

Meanwhile, all the Shimizu Higashi players just froze on the pitch; their souls seemed to leave their bodies in that exact second. Although they hadn’t lost the game yet, the situation felt like one, what with them failing to maintain their lead even after the opponent was down by one player. It was like a punch straight in the gut, telling them that they were not as good as they thought they were.

"Come on, everyone, we have to go back first." Miki Yamane finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Sensei has already asked to gather. We need to have something fresh first and discuss the penalty arrangement."

While the rest of the Shimizu Higashi players didn’t have the spirit to do that, they still walked to the bench like a bunch of lifeless zombies. Meanwhile, the same could be said for all the Hakodate Nishi players, as they all gathered around their bench immediately. Soon enough, a unique scene could be seen where the bench players who didn’t have any time to play helped the exhausted main players to relax their tensed bodies a little bit.

"No, no, no! Denki, you bastard! Don’t push it that way!"

"Come on! My right foot is cramped right now! Help me get this fixed!"

"Hey, don’t just lie on the ground like that! It is so cold already, wear your jacket!"

"Don’t let your body cool down too much! You still have a penalty shootout to take, keep your body warm!"

Right now, all the Hakodate Nishi players were still on their short break, trying to ease the tension before they went to the biggest event of their lives. Hell, even Makino, who suffered from a red card earlier, also came, managing to sneak into the bench as he chatted with some players who would most likely take the shot later.

Still, there was no nervousness on Hakodate Nishi’s side. Hell, if anything, they felt a little bit of excitement here, finding themselves to have a slight advantage. A penalty shootout was definitely more favorable than having to defend their own area for a full 45 minutes without their captain on the board.

It also helped that this was not their first rodeo. The experience they had against Shohei High a week ago managed to help them gain composure right now, allowing them to face the shootout with full confidence.

Of course, the main reason why they could be like this was due to one person, Ryusuke Higo himself. The goalkeeper had been creating so many miracles in this tournament that one more time didn’t seem to be that impossible.

The boy himself was far from the relaxed state that he yearned for right now. No, he got dragged by Kumiko into the sideline for a moment to rely on the intelligence she gathered beforehand.

"After analyzing this game, coupled with the information I have about them, this is the prediction that I make about who would take the shootout from their side, what kind of shot they would send, and their characteristic as well. Try to remember as much as you can before the shootout, okay? We will rely on you one more time, Ryukkun."

Higo just nodded silently, starting to read the note while also taking a huge bite of the banana that he got from the others. This was the second time he faced a penalty shootout, and just like against Shohei High, somehow, Kumiko got everything handled so that the only thing he needed to do was to perform according to her instructions.

Reading this, the boy could only shake his head in awe. "You sure are a miracle maker, Kumiko-chan. With this shit in my hand, losing is definitely not an option, right?"