The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 429: The First Day at Camp

"Come on, come on! Let me introduce you to everyone here!"

"Those guys are Ito-san and Sugawara-san. They are just freshmen in university, and yet, they have entered the main rotation for Nagoya Grampus! Amazing, right?"

"That’s Nakamura-san! He comes from Gamba Osaka! Just like me, he is a versatile player who can be on the left or right, depending on what the team needs!"

"Then, there are—"

Somehow, Higo just smiled stiffly as he nodded to whoever he met here. The boy didn’t know what happened, but Kawabe suddenly dragged him into the canteen without even asking him first.

Kumiko and Makino also followed from behind, with the former just watching the interaction amusedly. The latter, though, had his face so dark that irritation accumulated inside his head, ready to explode at any time.

’Fuck this guy...’ He growled secretly, looking at the oblivious Kawabe with eyes full of hostility. ’He has been ignoring me since our first time meeting each other. How much arrogance does he have in his stuck-up ass?!’

Indeed, since their arrival here, Kawabe had only spared him a little glance, not even a polite nod at all. He might still be a little bit polite to Kumiko as she was a girl, but the boy really treated Makino as an air here, as if he wasn’t even here.

This had been going on since their last encounter in the national tournament, and Makino didn’t even know what was going on here.

’It is as if he is singling me out.’ Makino muttered darkly as if he had just realized something.

Fortunately, Higo also noticed his friend’s discomfort, so before Kawabe could go further, he asked, "Can you at least tell us where our room is? I mean, we still have our luggage here, you know?" He showed the luggage that he had been dragging alongside him.

Kawabe paused for a second before slapping his forehead. "How stupid of me! Come on, let me get you to the one who is responsible for this!"

He dragged the helpless Higo once again, ignoring the amused snorts from the other players there. Soon enough, the boy finally left as they were going to their assigned room.

It was clear that Kumiko would be in the same room as Shizuka Aizawa. As for Higo himself, the boy didn’t know who he would be assigned with, especially since his room was still empty. It seemed he was the first one to arrive here.

Being slightly worried about his friend, he also didn’t forget to visit Makino’s room. To his surprise and relief, though, he could hear the excited chatters even from outside the room.

"Oh, Chibi! You are here! Come in!" Makino said as he saw Higo waiting outside. "Let me introduce you to my roommate. His name is Kyosuke Tagawa, and he is the striker from Tokyo F.C."

"So, you are the one who managed to gain Kawabe’s respect, huh?" The boy named Tagawa greeted him quickly. "Damn, you must be that good, huh? I can count even in this team people that he would greet enthusiastically like that, and I am not even one of them!" He laughed sardonically.

Higo didn’t answer immediately, observing the boy first carefully. He had this delinquent appearance like Sano from Hakodate Nishi, having blonde hair and a trace of piercing in his ears.

Still, unlike Sano, who always had this tough air around, Tagawa seemed to be goofy and quite cheerful, chatting about everything to a person whom he had just met as if they were long acquaintances. Hell, just from his enthusiasm, it looked like he was here to make friends, not going to the national team.

’Well, it is good. At least, Teme will not have to face Kawabe alone.’ Higo let out a relieved sigh. ’Wait, why would I worry about him like I am his fucking mother?’ He shook his head quickly.

"Anyway, since this is your first time being in this camp, let me tell you some things to do and some things you must not do." Tagawa suddenly turned serious out of nowhere, startling the other two. "First, you cannot go to Field C when the number of people is odd. It has to be even. Then, at the gym, you cannot wear any black shoes. No, it has to be colorful. And—"

As the man continued, Higo had a sweat drop on his face. ’Yeah, everything he warns is something superstitious, and his mischievous smile reminds me a lot of Kenji. I will never be able to treat him seriously.’

Still, Tagawa was kind enough to introduce everyone else, and unlike Kawabe, he was a bit more detailed in his explanation. From him, Higo realized that most of the people here were quite close to each other, what with them being rivals for so many years. This only made him feel a little bit worried.

"Would we be singled out later?" He couldn’t help but blurt out that question.

Tagawa was stunned by that question for a moment before he let out a bark of laughter. "Singling players out? This is the national team, what are you talking about?! Sensei will kill us on the spot if he hears something like that happens!" He said as a matter of fact.

Higo felt his face flush for a moment, realizing that it was indeed a stupid question. Still, inwardly, he was glad that there would be no pettiness in this team. He was here to play football, after all, not dealing with any other bullshit matter outside of the pitch.

Gruuu~

Suddenly, the sound of stomach grumbling loudly stopped the conversation. All the eyes turned at Makino, and the boy just looked so abashed at how his body reacted, his face flushing red. Fortunately, Tagawa didn’t really mind it. Instead, he just barked out another laugh, finding this to be quite funny.

"Yeah, I forgot you guys must be hungry from your trip. Come on, let me accompany you to the canteen!"