The Rise of the Iron Wall!
Chapter 412: The Team’s Next Captain
Honestly, it was such a strange scene to see Makino bowing his head like this. The boy was always a proud person with dignity to maintain, and showing a weakness had never been something that crossed his mind.
Still, that was why when the gesture was shown, the atmosphere turned quite solemn. The players just stared at each other in bafflement, not knowing how to respond to that. It also didn’t help that Kuroki and Higo followed the action—albeit the latter one was slightly behind—making four of the senior members here lower their heads in front of them.
Fortunately, this awkward occasion only lasted for a while before they retracted their head, returning to their original posture.
"Well, I have to say that I am not good with an emotional speech like this, so let’s keep it short." Makino cleared his throat once again. "With us retiring from the team, the vacancy for the first, second, and third captain will be open, and here, we will nominate our candidate."
"Please remember that this is just our nomination, and everything can still change depending on the head coach’s decision next year or even your group’s discussion. Don’t treat it as some sort of an old man’s last will before he died, okay?" Kuroki said with a smile, trying to crack a joke here.
Unfortunately, this was not enough to melt the tense atmosphere. The players still had their spines straightened as if they were in the middle of the class, and the only sound that could be heard was the chatter from people passing by the room outside.
Honestly, it shouldn’t be this tense. They were just going to nominate the team’s captain for the next year, and the decision was not final. Still, the senior members’ opinion was held high in the team, as that was why Makino was chosen last year compared to Kuroki.
Moreover, unlike Makino, who led a mediocre team, whoever got selected as the new captain would inherit a team capable of entering the national tournament. This was an honor that couldn’t be brushed off, so even the most indifferent person here would still care about this.
"Well, then, let me do it first." Higo suddenly stepped forward, announcing his presence. "In my capacity as the team... Goalkeeper?" He said the last word hesitantly, unsure whether it was enough for him to have the same right as Makino and Kuroki here. At those two nods, though, he continued, "As the team’s goalkeeper, I will nominate Takaaki-kun here."
"Me?!" The glasses boy pointed at himself in surprise. Well, it was clear that he was the only one who felt that way, as the rest of the team just nodded in agreement.
"Yes, you, Takaaki-kun." Higo nodded once again in confirmation. "You are always calm and rational on the pitch, the quality that a captain needs to have. Moreover, everyone also respects you and is willing to listen to you. I know that you don’t see yourself continuing football after you graduate, but right now, I cannot think of any better player to receive this honor other than you."
Takaaki just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, inwardly feeling flattered at the praise. It wasn’t the first time he received one, but when all the people around also gave their approval, the feeling was quite different.
"Then, for me, it is Hiroshi-kun." Kuroki suddenly chimed in. "The reason is simple. He is the best player on the team, and he earns respect from the referee and opponent. He will be a great captain for the team in the future."
Kenji clicked secretly behind, feeling his competitiveness sparked when Kuroki said that Hiroshi was the best player on the team. Still, his failure at executing the most crucial penalty in the earlier game made him feel a little bit ashamed, so the boy didn’t dare to make any remark about it.
As for the others, they just nodded quietly in agreement. The sophomore students, especially, accepted this so quickly. After all, Hiroshi had been the undisputed leader in their generation, so it was clear why the reaction was pretty tame this time. This was just basically confirming his presence with a more official title.
"Then, the last one is from me, right?" Makino joined the fun. "Well, since we have already had two excellent candidates, the third one should be as strong as they are, which is why I chose..." He trailed his words behind, glancing around at the players playfully. Out of those three, the captain sure was the best at creating momentum like this.
"Come on, Captain! You are teasing us too much right now!" Hori scowled impatiently.
Seeing that the others were also so close to snapping, Makino just rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You guys sure are no fun, huh? Fine, my nomination, Nori-kun!"
This time, the name caught everyone off guard.
"Wait, me?!" Ishinori pointed at himself in shock. "I don’t even want to be one, Captain! Don’t joke around like that!" He said in panic.
His current state was understandable, especially when they all remembered that Nori was nowhere near close to the team’s leadership before. It was always Hiroshi, and his name had never been considered for something like this.
"Well, I know that you are not the traditional type of leader, but you have your own quality, Nori-kun." Makino’s gaze turned serious. "You are the most disciplined player on the team, and your dedication cannot be doubted by anyone else here. No matter what happens outside, you will still come to the training session the earliest. That is the dedication the team needs. You will lead the team by example, and I know that you will be great."
Silence followed as Ishinori himself was too stunned by this evaluation. He didn’t know that his captain always thought highly of him.
Well, it didn’t last that long, because Kumiko didn’t want to let him think too much about it. With a clap, she shifted all the attention back to him.
"So, we have Takaaki-kun, Hiroshi-kun, and Ishinori-kun as our nominees." She concluded. "Those three are not necessarily your next one to third captain for the next year, because it still depends on the next head coach, but before that, they will be the ones leading you for everything, so please, help them with the best you can do, okay?"
"Yes, Ma’am!"