The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 37: Mother’s Thought

Higo was nervous.

After fighting tooth and nail against Engaru High, he thought he could face anything. Oh, boy, how wrong he was. Here, the boy was, sitting still like a small prey under the predator’s watch, which, coincidentally enough, took form as his mother.

Yeah, his mother.

She just sat calmly on the other side of the table, arms folded in front of her chest. Her gaze was sharp, observing her son from head to toe as if afraid that she would miss something. Higo squirmed, not used to the intensity that his mother showed.

In the end, he couldn’t take it anymore. Nervous, he asked, "Mom... Is there anything you want to ask me about?" He asked, his tone full of uncertainty.

His mother didn’t answer immediately. She was like a Buddha statue, quiet, still, but enough to make the boy fidget in his chair. In the end, the woman just asked slowly, "Since when was my son so good at sports?"

It was not a loud question. But in the house where only two of them lived, the voice resounded through the air, enough to reach Higo’s ears. The boy blinked, confused. "Um... I am sorry?"

"Yes, you should be sorry here!" The mother suddenly slammed the table out of nowhere.

"EEP!"

"I mean, I watched your game, I watched how you screamed, how you jumped, how you fell! I cannot believe that it is you!" She screamed hysterically. Not in a negative way, mind you. She suddenly turned into a fangirl, showing an album full of photos of him earlier in the game. "Here! This is your photo when you commanded your friends! Oh, and there is a photo of you jumping! I am so proud that I caught that moment!"

Higo had a sweat drop on his face, not expecting this development. Also, he couldn’t help but wonder here. ’It has only been two hours after the game was over, how could she have all the photos printed already?!’

His mother started to show off her work, which Higo could only watch silently, while inside, he was dying in embarrassment. For all the love he had for his mother, Higo was a normal teenager, in a phase of always getting embarrassed by whatever his mother was doing to him. His mother also didn’t help here, acting like she was his biggest fangirl or something like that.

Still, a soft, genuine smile curled slightly on the corner of his lips. His eyes drifted from one photo after another, recalling every moment in that game and how he acted.

He would never say it out loud, but this was a memory that he would probably never forget until he was old, the moment when he stepped out of his comfort zone and turned into a hero for the football team.

Then... His eyes caught one particular photo, and before his mind could catch it, his body reacted quickly.

BAM!

He slammed the book without hesitation. His cheek hued, turning into a bright pink. Right now, the only thing he wanted was for the ground to eat him alive, letting the mother earth hide him forever from the living plane.

His mother just smiled knowingly, a hint of mischievousness flashed there. She knew exactly why he reacted this way. "You saw that photo, huh? The one where I caught you staring longingly at Kumiko-chan?"

"Mooom! How could you do that to me?!" Higo whined childishly.

"What?! Am I not allowed to take a picture of my son?" She asked back, trying to defend herself. "Oh, what a great photo that I have taken! I wonder, can we show it at your wedding in the future?"

"Urgh... Too far!" Higo covered his face in embarrassment, smoke escaped from his brain. Then, he snapped his head immediately, suddenly realizing something. "Mom... Have you sent the photo to Oneechan?" He whispered the question, color drained from his face.

His mother’s grin was so wide that he felt his facial muscle hurt when he saw one. However, that grin confirmed his suspicion, and he moaned in resignation. "Not cool, Mom! She is going to use them all to tease me!"

"Oh, don’t be dramatic! It is your sister that we are talking about!" She giggled playfully.

’It is because of her that I know she wouldn’t let me go.’ He grumbled lowly. ’Now, I dread the thought of opening my phone. I am sure that she is already there, laughing at my ass for this.’

His mother just smiled knowingly, somehow enjoying this precious moment. The woman always felt guilty whenever she saw her son back at home right after school was over, thinking that she robbed him of his youth.

She could still remember that when he was young, the boy was cheerful and full of spirit. However, as he grew older, as she spent more time in the office rather than back home, it changed.

He didn’t go out anymore.

He left the club he joined.

He followed his sister’s path, taking care of the home in her absence.

His youth was dulled by responsibility, one that no teenager at his age should bear.

Now, she could see the light glimmering in his eyes again, the one that she herself didn’t know when the last time it appeared in her son’s eyes. It made her hopeful, alleviating her guilt. She didn’t know how Kumiko pulled her son from the dark, but she would forever owe that girl for what she had done here.

Thinking of it again, an idea suddenly popped into her head.

"Ah! I know!" She clapped. Higo looked at her warily, knowing his mother was up to no good. "If you are so embarrassed by the photos here, what if I come to all of your games in the future and add more photos? Maybe you will get past the embarrassing phase and even enjoy the fruit of my labor!"

Higo was dumbfounded. He didn’t know how his mother’s brain worked, reaching that conclusion. His brain short-circuited, and in the end, he could only ask a question here, "Can you really afford it? I mean, will your job allow you to go?"

"Oh, don’t worry! I am sure that my boss will allow me to leave." She laughed, waving off his concern nonchalantly. However, below the table, her palm turned white from clenching it too hard. ’If he didn’t allow me, I could just leave. My son has just come out of his shell, there is no way I would miss it!’