The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 29: Halftime

Kosuke Takuya miscalculated. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

He thought that it would be an easy game, that Hakodate Nishi’s achievement last winter was just a coincidence. He was confident that he could get the girl on the other side of the pitch, proving to her that coaching a team was a difficult job, not for a kid wanting to play dollhouse.

However, what did he have here? A masterclass in how to park the bus. Well, not just a bus, in this scenario. More like a fucking tank, considering how tight Hakodate Nishi’s defense was.

Yeah, this was Hakodate Nishi’s trademark style since that girl took over the team two years ago. For that, he had done his research already. However, at that time, Takuya just sneered at the girl in disdain, inwardly thinking, ’As expected, only amateurs like her would go for this strategy. It is awful and not attracting a lot of sponsors outside, the epitome of modern football.’

He, who had learned a lot of things from the training camp held by Barcelona FC during his tenure at Vissel Kobe, had his own arrogance. In his mind, Japan had to emulate the philosophy that Barcelona had, which was a quick passing game that was entertaining for people to watch.

However, the slap came too soon, as Kumiko really caught him off guard right now.

It wasn’t like her method was novel. Hell, it was quite simple, but also suitable for her current team. She had so many disciplined defensive players, and once the opponent got closer, the defensive line would shrink, ready to receive any direct ball to the penalty box.

As for what to do outside of the box, it was simpler. Just use the midfielders to push the attack to the flank. There, his attack would be rendered useless, and his players had to bring the ball back to the center again, just to repeat the progress over and over again.

’Yeah, to lead a team into being this disciplined... She is good.’ He acknowledged the girl begrudgingly. ’However, don’t think that it is enough! You cannot win the game if you didn’t score!’

Of course, Kumiko also knew about that. She also didn’t want to drag the first game of the tournament into a penalty shootout, showing the team’s rivals that they were weakened to this degree after their miracle run last year. That was why, during the intermission, she was busy instructing all the boys on the bench.

"Hiroshi-kun, I will give you freedom to not join the team’s defense other than when they send the ball back to their own area. You are the team’s sharpest weapon. I need you to always be ready to run!"

"Yes, Ma’am!"

Some of the players there could only stare at the boy in envy. However, none of them complained here. It was no secret that, besides the fact that Hiroshi was the team’s golden boy, he also had the ability to back it up. Even though he was just a freshman, it wasn’t exaggerated to say that he was the best player on the team right now.

"Kuroki-kun, I need you to drop a little, acting like a wall to anyone else who needs to escape from the opponent’s pressure. You also have to make sure that you win every aerial duel on the pitch! You have the height advantage, start using it better!"

"Ahaha..." The striker just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Later, in the second half of the game, we will start it with our usual blitzkrieg."

"Blitz... What?" Higo blinked his eyes, confused. This was the first time he heard that word, and honestly, it sounded cool.

"Blitzkrieg, basically a lightning attack," Kumiko explained patiently. "Yuji-kun, we will need your speed. Usami-kun, go forward as well. Takaaki-kun, your task is to deliver that scalpel-precise long ball. Try to find Kuroki-kun. After our cocoon-like defense in the first half, they won’t expect us to go all out so early in the second half, so let’s try to knock them out and score our first goal in this tournament!"

"Yes, Ma’am!"

Higo had his jaw dropped as he listened to the explanation. Well... No, he didn’t listen to that. He was too captivated by the girl in front of him, the one whom he thought he knew the best. His impression of her was always that of a smart, elegant, and gorgeous girl, and yet, here he was, witnessing firsthand how his childhood friend turned into a battlefield commander.

’Yeah, fuck... She is a goddess...’

Little did he know, though, that his funny reaction was recorded by his mother from outside the pitch, as the old woman giggled madly at the scene she captured there.

"Oh, this is going to be gold... Should I play this at their wedding? Yes, this will go into my collection of ’My Son Falls in Love with My Neighbor’s Daughter’ album, and I will definitely show them when the grandchildren finally exist in the future... Hehehe... I cannot wait to see their reaction later...’

Her rapid mumble, coupled with the sinister smile and the dark aura surrounding her, was enough to make the three retired senpai scamper away, escaping from her grasp. "That woman is crazy! No wonder that bastard has a vicious mouth!" Ojiro cursed.

"Well... That was not what you said before knowing that she is Higo-kun’s mother, right? I swear, you are falling in love with her at first sight!" Junya asked teasingly.

"S—Shut up!" The bald boy, the tough cookie, flustered instantly, even stuttered as he got caught offhandedly like this. "A—Anyway, the second half is about to begin. Junya, without you, will we be able to see the blitzkrieg here?" He tried to change the topic immediately.

Junya just laughed at his friend mockingly, finding the poor attempt to be amusing. While he didn’t do that out loud, Miyashi also had a similar reaction, having his shoulder shaking while his face turned away to hide it from his friend.

Ojiro’s face was so red like a boiling lobster. Fortunately, before he snapped, Junya took pity on him and answered the question seriously.

"Don’t worry, even without me, Takaaki, that smartass, knows what to do. He might not stand out a lot, but his quality is top-notch. You will be surprised by him later."