The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 36: The End of the Game

In contrast to the atmosphere of the home team’s side, the away team was dead silent, as if someone just died there. Everyone looked grim, with some of them holding back their cry.

That number 10 boy, the one who created a ruckus in the last 10 minutes of the game, stood still, staring at the sky with a complicated gaze. He also wanted to cry, yet the boy couldn’t say to himself that he had tried his best to deserve tears after losing this game.

He saw his teammates. One by one, they had their butts on the ground. Some hung their heads, some covering it in shame. However, one thing was common here.

Reluctance.

Yeah, none of them could believe that this was over. Their journey ended up prematurely, before they could even make a step into the tournament. Everything was so short that it was like they were in the middle of a fever dream.

Shaking his head, the boy tried to ignore the heaviness he felt, walking around and patting his teammates one by one gently. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Hey, it’s okay. It is not like we deserve the win, right?"

"Come on, Toga. Don’t cry like this. You embarrass yourself."

"Wipe your tears away, Haruichi. This is just another beginning for us. We still have the winter tournament later, right?"

"Come on! Let’s fight for the other days."

The boy tried his best to cheer up his teammates, but he got the opposite effect of what he wanted. Instead of holding their head high, some even fell deeper into depression, while others didn’t hesitate to apologize to the captain.

"We are so sorry, Captain!" One of the boys bowed, tears falling from the corner of his eyes. "We thought... We thought that we could bring you further..." He sobbed, his voice choking.

The boy didn’t say anything, and in the end, he just let out a deep, tired sigh. It was ironic, to be honest. The founder and the captain of the team, being sidelined by the coach he himself brought. He had never brought it up, not wanting to affect his teammates or God forbid, make them run away from this young team. However, everyone knew that he was the most frustrated one, especially due to the lack of trust that the coach gave him.

None of them dared to complain, since the captain himself just shrugged it off as nothing. They chose to work harder, wanting to respect their captain’s decision as well as trying to carry out his dream further. Who would’ve thought, though, that they couldn’t survive long enough here?

The coach, Kosuke Takuya, just stared at his students from afar with a complicated gaze, especially at the captain who was at the center of attention.

’He is not good enough. He likes to stick with the ball too much, is not good at running without the ball, is lazy at defense, and will be a burden against a top team. He will never survive in modern football. My decision to put him on the bench is correct, and it is also for the sake of the team. So... Why... Am I feeling guilty here?’

As all the Engaru players were supporting each other, their opponent also approached them slowly. Being led by Makino, the team’s captain, they extended hands, offering a handshake for the good game they played today.

"Man, you really give us a headache in the last ten minutes." Makino smiled genuinely. "I don’t know why you are on the bench, but we are so lucky for that."

This only made all the Engaru players look at each other bitterly.

"Yeah, the last free kick really killed me." Higo shook his head, rubbing his sore shoulder that had been slammed to the ground just for that one save. "Honestly, this is the first time I’ve seen someone curl the ball so sharply like that. I was just lucky I could touch the ball."

Not that it meant anything, considering Higo had only been in football for three weeks. Still, at least, the boy felt good, as the praise and the thought that he was able to impact the game was a consolation prize here.

"You also did amazing," The boy praised Higo back, accepting the handshake with a shaky yet genuine smile. "I was so sure that the ball would go in, yet you were still able to react in time to deflect it. You will go far in the future."

For that, Higo grinned widely, replying, "That is indeed my intention."

-0-

While the players were shaking hands, the coach also did the same. However, Kosuke Tatsuya was so sour, still salty for losing this game against a little girl whom he looked down on before the game began.

"Congratulations." He smiled sarcastically; his dilemma with his student, the one with the number 10, couldn’t be seen on his face. "Who would’ve thought your negative football would be able to win something? Still, it is a shame, really, that one of Hokkaido’s strongest teams is like this, and being led by a little girl who knows nothing, nevertheless! People will laugh if they know about it, you know?"

"Why, thank you!" Kumiko chirped cheerfully. Even though she looked harmless, in terms of wits, no one could underestimate her. "People can laugh at me all they want, as long as we win just like today, I think everything will go well. I mean, you cannot laugh anymore, right?" She didn’t forget to emphasize the word ’Today’.

A thick vein popped on Kosuke Takuya’s vein, not expecting that the girl would have no respect for her senior like this.

"Well, then, good luck with the rest of your tournament. I am sure Sappotani will be ecstatic to beat your team to plump again later."

"Oh, I am so sure about it. Still better than losing in the first round and having no chance to meet the best team in the prefecture, though."

"Why, you?!"

Honestly, if not for the fourth referee supervising their conversation, the man wouldn’t be able to hold back and start assaulting the girl, consequence be damned. Fortunately, a single, cold glance from the ref was enough to shut him up, as he just clicked his tongue in annoyance and stormed off immediately.

Kumiko just shook her head in exasperation, not for the first time being underestimated by the older coach here. Still, it was always gratifying to slap them straight on the face, showing that she was more than capable of holding the position for herself.

After greeting the rest of the referees, the girl turned around and shouted at her players, "Okay, everyone! Go back and clean things up first! Let’s have a yakiniku party tonight!"

"Oh, yeah!"

All the home team players cheered loudly, which was also a sign that the game was finally over.

Hakodate Nishi High won, advancing through the second round of the tournament.