Chapter 458: The End of the Game
FWEEE! FWEEE! FWEEE!
The moment the referee blew the whistle, all the tension remaining on the Young Samurai players finally evaporated in the air, getting replaced by a sense of relief that came from deep inside their hearts.
"Finally..."
"I thought the game would never end!"
"Honestly, this is longer than what I thought would be, but we finally get our first-ever win!"
"Heck, yeah! Come on!"
The players on the pitch hug each other, for the first time showing any real positive emotion since the last game against JEF. Oh, they might show something during a goal or a good play, but that was definitely just a flash in the pan. This time, though, came truly from the bottom of their heart.
Ito, who just played the best and also the weirdest half of his life, also started to get convinced of Higo’s ability. He turned around to find the boy, and at the sight of the goalkeeper who didn’t even sweat that much, the captain couldn’t help but let out a bark of laughter that was so not himself.
"What?!" Higo frowned, slightly offended.
"No, nothing." Ito shook his head quickly, still having his shoulder shaking. "I just couldn’t expect that you, a goofy person who likes to joke around with your friend, would be this amazing when taking a command. I didn’t notice it in our first collaboration, but now, I see everything clearly. You are a formidable teammate to have, Higo-kun. No wonder your friend is ready to die for your command."
Higo felt the corner of his lips twitching a little. "This again? If he is so ready to jump to my command, I would be happy to get rid of him completely!" He retorted, albeit rudely. Still, there was no heat in his tone, and Ito just smiled knowingly as he realized that it was just another part of Higo’s playful banter with Makino.
Of course, in the middle of this happiness, there would always be people who fell into anxiety. This time, though, it was the original main players who had to watch the backup team, which didn’t even get a chance in the last game, now thriving against a stronger team.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Higo raised one of his eyebrows slightly while taking a sip from his bottle of water when he noticed Zion’s gaze at him. "Worried that I will steal your precious spot in the main team? Don’t worry, it will become reality, just get ready to accept it." He added teasingly.
"Hmph! Don’t get so cocky like that! One win, and you think the whole world belongs to you?! Don’t forget that your win is also because your defense played well today, not just you!" Zion snorted, yet his face was sweating in panic. He himself knew that the argument was too weak to survive this chat. True enough, Higo didn’t show any mercy.
"Yeah, one win, but dare I say that is a better result than one loss, huh?" The boy smirked infuriatingly. "Also, I made 4 saves today, at least better than a certain someone who couldn’t even save one, conceding 2 goals out of 2 shots-on-target, right?"
Whoever heard the conversation there choked instantly, turning their face away while trying their best to hold back their laughter. Inwardly, though, they admired Higo for saying what they wanted to those original main players who tried to dismiss their achievement today.
It wasn’t just Zion who was so sour right now. Even some, like Kawabe, Sugawara, and Miyashiro, were so worried to death about this game. After all, they all saw how their supposed backup played, and those guys did better than them in the last game.
They also couldn’t say that today was easier, because ranking-wise, Jubilo Iwata was a better team than JEF. Not only that, today, the opponent’s threat level was higher than JEF, who only managed to record 2 shots on target, which, unfortunately for Zion and the rest of the defensive line, all became goals for the opponent team.
In the end, they just had to accept today’s game with an open mind, getting ready to be replaced by Kageyama-sensei from the main team at any time.
Seeing the solemn reaction from the bench, Kageyama-sensei couldn’t help but smirk in satisfaction. This was exactly what he hoped for when the man put a backup squad to face this game, and fortunately, the team did far better than anyone expected, including him.
He wanted to remind the main team that, while yes, they were talented and experienced, this was not their team anymore. Someone as talented and who probably worked harder would always watch their back quietly, so just one slip was enough to put them in a dangerous position.
Now, the competition was on again, and he was sure that the team’s atmosphere would only get better in the future.
"..." Kageyama-sensei paused for a moment at that train of thought before letting out a deep sigh. "If only I had a little bit more time..."
"What’s going on, Sensei?" Akiba-sensei couldn’t help but ask.
"No, nothing." The man shook his head quickly. Then, his glance fell on the two girls who followed behind, and he couldn’t help but ask, "Have you done with the homework that I gave you on the first day, Aizawa-san? Shishida-san?"
Those two were taken aback by the sudden question, but they nodded simultaneously.
"Yes, Sensei. We finished our work last night." Kumiko answered.
"Some might not be as perfect as we would like, but the result is complete." Sakura Aizawa added.
"Good. Send it to me after the match is over." Kageyama-sensei nodded. Then, his gaze turned to the players in front of him, and he finally raised his voice. "Okay, have you guys had enough?!"
This was enough to silence the whole crowd in a heartbeat, as all the attention was back on the man once again.
"It is still 15:27, so we have a lot of time before dinner. Go back to your dormitory first to clean yourself and take a rest. We will do our post-match meeting after dinner, okay?!"
"YES, SIR!"
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