The Rise of the Iron Wall!
Chapter 409: After the Game (III)
After the game between Hakodate Nishi and Shimizu Higashi was over, there would still be another game to be played in this stadium, where Teikyo High from Tokyo would fight against Hamamatsu Kaisekan High from Shizuoka.
Unlike the first game, where, on paper, Hakodate Nishi should not be here, this game was different. Those two teams were the powerhouses of the tournament, being the first and fourth seeded at the beginning of the drawing. Some people who had been watching the game since the beginning didn’t even move from their spot, knowing that this was another spectacle to be seen.
Still, this had nothing to do with Hakodate Nishi’s side. Once they left the locker room, Kumiko guided them to go back to the hotel, knowing that they needed to take a rest as quickly as possible. Of course, she only did that after giving them the warmest and most luxurious meal the team could afford.
’Eh, the headmaster will cover all of the cost here, so why would I want to hold back?’ She shrugged inwardly, not even feeling guilty for spending almost 50000 yen in one go.
"Okay, guys, I know you are exhausted, but I want to make sure that you take a shower first before going to bed. Is that okay?" Kumiko asked. "Make sure you use the warm shower! I don’t want to hear any of you getting sick because of it tomorrow, is that understandable?!"
"Yes, Ma’am..."
The moment they arrived at the hotel, the players went back to their own room immediately. Soon, the lobby was empty again, and after being around a crowded place like the stadium for the last four hours, the quietness there was enough to make Kumiko uncomfortable. Still, she shook her head, going straight to her own room for her next job.
Yeah, unlike the players who could’ve just taken a rest right after they were back, Kumiko still had something to do here. She wasn’t just the team’s head coach, but also the manager and the logistics team as well. The moment the team was eliminated, the girl had to take care of a lot of things, from reporting to the headmaster to even booking the tickets for them to get back home.
It took a while, and having to talk and think about today’s defeat over and over again sure was pretty draining. Still, the girl gritted her teeth, doing her best to finish everything as quickly as possible.
Time passed by, and without noticing, all of the post-match jobs were finally over. Kumiko groaned, stretching her stiff body a little before checking the clock.
’16:27, huh? Some of the boys should’ve woken up already at this point. Is Ryukkun one of them?’ She muttered, wandering around. ’Oh, well, I have to take a shower first. Let’s think about it later.’
Having made up her mind, the girl took her time slowly, enjoying the warm feeling of the shower washing over her body. Then, coincidentally enough, the moment Kumiko left the shower, her phone buzzed instantly.
Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!
Ryukkun: Kumiko-chan, are you awake?
Kumiko could feel one of her eyebrows arch lightly at the message before her fingers danced around the screen.
You: Sure, what’s up?
Soon enough, the reply came again.
Ryukkun: You hungry? Want to grab something at the usual Shokudo?
Unlike before, Kumiko pondered for a moment before answering the question. She knew that this wasn’t the normal time for Higo to be hungry, especially not after the big lunch they had with the team earlier. That only meant Higo wanted to have someone to talk to here.
You: Sure. Wait for me in the lobby, okay?
After that, the girl started picking up fresh clothes from her luggage. In a heartbeat, she found herself being wrapped by a thick winter coat like a burrito, only leaving her head popped on the top. Well, this was a necessary precaution, since the temperature would drop to around 2 degrees Celcius once the sun was out.
Once she walked to the lobby, Kumiko found Higo had been waiting for her there. Just like her, he had a similar style of attire; none of the sportiness on the pitch earlier could be seen again. If no one knew better, they would’ve never thought that he was one of the best goalkeepers in the country right now.
"You’ve been waiting for a long time?" She asked.
Higo put his phone back in his pocket before getting up from the couch. "No, not really. Wanna go now?"
"Sure."
After fifteen minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the small, traditional house that they were quite familiar with. They had been going to this place quite often during their stay in Yokohama, finding the food here to be comforting. Soon enough, the only sound that could be heard was the slurp of the warm and savory ramen they currently enjoyed.
Even though no one had spoken yet, the quiet atmosphere here was peaceful. After such a tense day, this slow and relaxing activity was the best way to unwind. It took a while, but in the end, it was Kumiko who opened the conversation.
"So, how are you feeling?" She asked.
"...I feel like crap, honestly," Higo answered truthfully. "I know you will say it is not my fault, and I have contributed enough for the team to be blamed for this shit. Still, you cannot deny that it is because my penalty went far from the goal and I couldn’t stop Kang Do-Jin’s penalty that we lost the game, right?"
Kumiko didn’t answer immediately. While slurping her ramen once again, she was pondering how to answer this rant.
"Do you know what makes it worse?" Higo continued. "It is the fact that they all said, our opponent, I mean, that I didn’t lose! They have the guts to say that my team lost while I am not, forgetting completely that I was the last one to fail the penalty! Don’t you know how much I want to punch their face at that time?!"
The boy panted heavily; the memory of him being consoled by his opponents was enough to make his blood pressure rise. Still, he took a deep breath, taking another big sip of the ramen broth in front of him before saying, "Anyway, enough about me! What about you? How are you feeling, Kumiko-chan?"