The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 59: A Penalty?!

The moment the referee blew the whistle, the tension that seemed to ebb away was back immediately, with all the Hakodate Nishi players rushing to the referee like a damn whole train, complaining over this decision.

"Sensei, he is just diving!"

"Yes! Can you see that he likes to fall like this! It is so goofy that no one is fooled here!"

"Don’t let him insult your intelligence, Sensei! Ishinori-kun didn’t even put his hand on him!"

Unfortunately, this time, the referee didn’t take sides on them. He saw it clearly. Even though Ishinori put both hands up, the boy still pushed Iwai slightly with his body, enough to make Ritsumeikan’s number 14 lose balance instantly. This was the technique that a lot of defenders used to hide their aggression, yet unfortunately, Ishinori got caught in the act here.

"Don’t think I didn’t see, because that slight push is definitely a foul, no matter where he committed it, let alone in a penalty box. He is lucky that he is not the last man standing, or I will have to send him off the pitch instantly." The referee warned, which was enough to shut the hell out of all the Hakodate Nishi players here.

Iwai himself just grinned while his teammates helped him get up from the ground. He didn’t linger there and act for too long, knowing that he had already achieved his purpose. While it was a pity that Ishinori was not booked, that penalty itself was the main purpose here.

"Don’t worry, Nori-kun," Makino patted the boy’s left back when he saw the boy’s hidden guilt. "This is just one slip. You have done a fucking great job containing him in the second half, don’t let this bother you too much."

"Yeah, if anything, it should be me who apologized," Jun said guiltily. ’The first mistake is from my part, right? If only I had passed it a little bit harder, they wouldn’t cut it off so easily..."

The mood was so down at the moment, with each one of them blaming themselves here. Even Makino couldn’t raise the morale, especially since he himself knew that they were to blame for this mistake.

In the end, Makino just approached Higo, whispering, "Hey, Chibi, I know it is impossible to save the ball, but try your best, okay? The team’s morale will be at rock bottom once we concede a goal right now."

Higo just rolled his eyes in exasperation, knowing full well that that bastard Makino was just making a scene here. ’If he thought saving a penalty was impossible, why would he ask me to do that, anyway?’ He couldn’t help but mutter, kissing the goal post as a part of his good luck ritual first.

While everyone was so dejected, Kumiko just stood calmly on the sideline, not even showing any reaction. She also called Fujinaga, and when the boy came, she whispered, "Get ready to clear away the second ball. Don’t let them get it first."

Fujinaga was stunned here. "You mean..."

"Don’t say it to anyone else, but trust Ryukkun. He knows how to handle this situation." Kumiko smiled mysteriously.

Yeah, the others might be worried here, but Kumiko was never one to doubt her friend. If it were any other thing related to the game, she would be anxious, but goalkeeping was her best friend’s strongest point, one that made her recruit him in the first place. Even though there was a huge chance that they would concede a goal, Kumiko still believed that Higo would be able to pull a miracle here.

’Come on, Ryukkun... I know you can do this...’

Meanwhile, back to the goal, Higo was standing behind the line, listening to the instructions from the referee.

"Before the ball touches anything, either the goal post, your body, or the net, don’t move forward. Even though you manage to save it, as long as I see you cross the line, the penalty will be retaken, you understand?" The man warned Higo sternly.

"Yes, Sensei." The boy just grinned nonchalantly, as if he wasn’t about to face a penalty here.

However, the moment Iwai stepped into the penalty box, the moment the boy put the ball on the spot, Higo took a deep breath, and the aura surrounding him changed. Even Iwai himself could feel the pressure trying to suffocate him, and he could see the goalkeeper looking at him sharply, as if he were a prisoner who was about to be convicted.

’Interesting...’ Iwai grinned, taking a deep breath while taking three steps back to prepare himself for the shot. ’So, you think that this is enough to intimidate me?’

Of course, Higo would never think that. No, inside his mind, the boy was just praying to whatever deity above that gave him his supernatural ability. "Kami-sama... Please, allow me to peek at the future longer than the usual...’

He poured all of his focus on the ball, trying to get his mind to see the future as well. Right now, all the noises outside seemed to disappear in his ears, as he kept his eyes on Iwai all the time. This was his first time facing a penalty kick, even if he included the training session, and with how crucial the time was, it would be a lie if he said that he wasn’t nervous about it.

However, as the referee blew the whistle, his mind went blank.

Not from disarray, of course, but it was because everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Higo could see Iwai starting to run; every single gesture that his opponent made couldn’t escape from his eyes. From how Iwai took a glance at the top right, even just for a millisecond, to how he shifted his center of gravity, to how the boy recoiled his right foot as if he was about to launch a cannon...

Everything was caught under his eyes.

Then, right before the ball was shot, his clairvoyance ability flared, and with his reflexes, Higo moved first before the shot was even taken.

’Left... Low... Here!’

BAM!

He dove to that side first, and even with the speed at which the ball was shot, his hand was still quick enough to reach it. In the end, the boy managed to block the penalty kick, and yet, before he could even react, the shout from his teammate snapped him out of his crazy state here.

"GET THE REBOUND BALL!"