Chapter 435: National Level Defense!
Makino had been waiting for this moment to happen.
He was not, by any means, someone who held a grudge for so long. No, the boy was quite easy-going, easy to forgive someone who annoyed him. Hell, he even treated Higo normally, and the goalkeeper was the one who stole the love of his life.
Still, it was a different story with Kawabe. The boy really rubbed his skin the wrong way.
At first, Makino just thought that it was a pettiness from one captain to another after Hakodate Nishi beat Shohei in the last winter tournament. Hell, he could understand that, since the boy also felt the same way about Rin Mito, Sapporo Otani’s captain, in the past.
Still, only after arriving here and watching how Kawabe communicated so casually with Higo did the boy understand. It wasn’t like Kawabe had some sort of negative feeling about him, but the boy really treated him as if he didn’t exist.
Makino could count that since he was here, they had at least six chances to talk, and yet, Kawabe didn’t even spare a single glance at him. The only saving grace here was the fact that his roommate, Tagawa, told him that this was just Kawabe’s personality. He would only greet those whom he acknowledged, and other than that, the boy would treat everyone like empty air.
Still, that didn’t make things okay. No, if anything, Makino was determined to make the boy pay attention to him.
’The moment I have a chance in this camp, I will give him a tackle.’ He promised himself before everything started.
Who would’ve thought that the chance would come so quickly, falling straight into his lap?
As the through ball escaped through Naoya’s defensive range, Makino could see that Kawabe paused for a second, glancing at the goal to determine the goalkeeper’s position. That split second was enough for him to take action, as with his exceptional speed, the boy closed the gap in a heartbeat before tackling the boy with one foot.
BAM!
"YES!" Makino clenched his fist secretly, feeling satisfied at how he managed to trip Kawabe cleanly without resulting in any foul.
Indeed, even though Kawabe fell on the ground, the process itself was tidy, with Makino not even touching the boy actively. His tackle went straight to the ball, and it was only due to Kawabe’s carelessness that he got stumped by Makino’s body.
Unfortunately, the tackle was a little bit too much since it still rolled out of the sideline, giving the ball back to the B team. However, this action was enough to set up the mood, as the tackle itself was indeed quite exciting.
"Yes, Boy! That’s how you do it!"
"You’re Makino from Hakodate Nishi, right?! As expected, your miracle journey is far from a coincidence!"
"Come on! Kill him again later!"
With the unwavering support from the others, Makino couldn’t help but get his cheeks flushed. After all, this was different than any praises before. This time, everything came from the players who were better than him, and now, this single play was enough to ensure that his name would be remembered by people in the camp.
Higo couldn’t help but nod in approval, somehow feeling relieved that his friend was able to get out of his nervousness quickly. ’Yeah, good for you, Teme! Let’s show them what we Hakodate people are made for!’
Well, everyone was excited, except for Hiroki Ito. The leader just nodded in approval, but once Makino went back to his original position, the bandaged boy couldn’t help but remind him. "It is okay to get excited, but if you want to charge in, make sure you shout first. At least, tell the others your intention so that they can move accordingly."
Makino was stunned for a moment before nodding quietly. "Thank you for the reminder, Senpai."
This short conversation was at least enough to pour the cold water on Makino’s burning recklessness, enough to make his head cool down for a moment and let his brain take over the situation.
The next few minutes, though, somehow became a showcase for the A team for their quality.
All the players on the backline somehow got involved in stopping the wave of offense from the opponent. On the right side, Yukinari Sugawara showed his experience by calmly defusing the violent firecracker like Kawabe, using his superior positioning and coordination with Hiroki Ito to shut down that side.
It was clear from how well they cooperated that those two were teammates for a long time.
On the other side, though, a battle of two teammates happened, with Shimizu Higashi’s captain, Miki Yamane, somehow managing to bully his kouhai, Mamoru, to submission. The younger boy had already tried to preach that side open with two dribbles, and yet, they both only met Miki Yamane’s tough defense.
It also helped that they had Naoya Takahashi in the middle, clearing all the threats to the flank for the others to handle.
Honestly, ten minutes since the game began, while the A team got pushed to their own area, they still managed to defend everything perfectly. No shots had been launched so far, even making Higo on the backline somehow feel a little bit weird.
’Yeah, usually, at this point, my jersey would’ve been full of dirt already.’ He snorted while glancing at the clean shorts that he wore. ’As expected, national-level defense is different.’
However, just like a jinx, the moment he thought about that, his leisure moment suddenly finished. It was Koki Morita, the best player of the winter tournament, who managed to snatch the ball from one of Naoya’s possessions and sent a direct threat to Higo’s goal.
Before any midfielder around could react, the boy acted calmly, sending a chip to the half-space area inside the penalty box straight above Hiroki Ito’s head. It was still far from the goal, even closer to the flank. However, the one who received the ball was Taisei Miyashiro, and the man was like a lion, pouncing on the ball without hesitation.
BAM!
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