The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 6: Kumiko’s Request

"Say, what?! Kumiko-chan is asking you to join the football team?!" Minami choked slightly, then burst out laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it all, will you?" Higo grumbled while picking the food on his plate with a chopstick, enjoying the dinner grumpily. "You don’t know how persistent she is! Once she has the idea, she will never give up until she gets it! Hell, she doesn’t even know how to take ’No’ as an answer!" He ranted.

The corner of Minami’s mouth was twitching as she imagined her son’s interaction with his crush. Yeah, of course, she knew about Kumiko. After all, they were neighbor, and the girl had been a constant presence in this house for a long time. Minami also knew that her son had the biggest crush on the girl, yet was a coward who was too frightened at the idea of confessing to her.

"So, what is your answer? Did you say yes so that you can spend more time with her?" Minami asked teasingly.

"Please, I’m not that bad, you know?" Higo replied speechlessly. "Even though I am tempted to do that, you have to remember that this is not my forte! I mean, can you honestly see me in a football pitch, sweating and shouting like a lunatic?"

Well... That was a good point. Minami knew her son the best, and if there was one thing that frightened him the most, it would be going for an outdoor activity that forced him to sweat or get exhausted. Still... Thinking about it, was that an unhealthy habit? Should a boy around his age play more outside?

"Don’t!" Higo suddenly raised his voice, not too harsh, but enough to snap Minami from her own thought. "I know that smile. You are plotting for my demise, right? Please, for my sake, for your sake, for anyone’s sake, even for God’s sake, don’t force me to accept that. I will die."

It was a plain and simple plea, showing that Higo really didn’t think that he could survive in that environment. After hearing that pitiful request, Minami could only pout, knowing that she couldn’t push further. However, she didn’t really need to. After all, just like what her son said, Kumiko was a stubborn person, and she would never let the target she locked with her eyes slip away so easily.

’I just need to create an opportunity for her to drag him out of his comfort zone. Hmm... How should I do this... Maybe, Kumiko-chan can give me an idea...’

-0-

Higo didn’t know what was going on. His clairvoyance ability only allowed him to foresee the future for about three to five seconds, not too far to the point that he could use it to see what his mother was planning. However, the boy knew exactly that his mother was up to no good, especially after he heard her calling Kumiko for about an hour, chatting about him.

’Yeah, they are conspiring against me, right?’ He thought grimly. ’Mom would never overstep the boundary by herself, especially since I have already pleaded that I didn’t want to join the football club. However, she could make a chance for Kumiko-chan to drag me into the mess, and I’m sure that it will happen soon. Now, what kind of scheme would I have to face...’

In the next couple of days, Higo was completely on guard for almost everything. Kumiko also started bugging him persistently, inviting him to join the club. Not just her, but the other football club members also extended their offer to him. However, the boy just rejected them all cold-bloodedly, not even bothering to give a second thought.

"No, I’m not suitable for a sports game. Just ask any other tall students to do the job. That is your requirement, right?" That was his reason whenever someone brought it up to him.

Kumiko just pouted indignantly, yet she didn’t really use any emotional blackmail to rope him into the club. For that, Higo was grateful, because that was definitely his weakness.

Unfortunately, it was too soon for him to be grateful. After a few days of peace, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon when he should be enjoying his rare holiday, Higo suddenly got a call from Kumiko. Honestly, even before picking it up, he had a bad feeling about the call. However, rejecting the call was never an option, so he could only swallow his feelings and accept it.

"Yes, Kumiko-chan? Is there anything wrong?" The boy asked casually.

"Um... It is like this..." Kumiko’s tone was full of hesitation, which only made his heart skip a beat, knowing that she was about to ask something he hated. Unfortunately, the girl didn’t really know his feelings, as she continued the explanation. "We are having a sparring game against Esashi High right now, but we are still missing a goalkeeper. Can you come here and help us fill the gap, pleaseeee...?"

’Fuck it, as expected!’ Higo cursed inwardly. "How could you say that you are going for a national ticket when your team always lacks a goalkeeper, Kumiko-chan? Are you sure that our team is really a strong one?" He couldn’t help but complain.

"Of course, we are a strong team! Didn’t I tell you that our school was the runner-up of the prefecture tournament behind Sappotani last year?" The girl defended the team immediately. Then, her tone was weaker as she added, "It is just... Goalkeeper has always been our Achilles’ heel... If only we had a reliable one in front of our goal..." Her voice was full of regret.

Higo could feel the corner of his lips twitching madly when he heard that. "You know that a cheap emotional manipulation doesn’t work against me, right?"

"... Ehehe... At least, I tried..." Her tone was sheepish as she got caught offhandedly, which only made Higo speechless more. "Anyway, can you just come and help me one more time, pretty please?"

Her vulnerable tone was enough to make his knee weak, and honestly, Higo’s determination was shaken at this point. Even though he knew that this was the girl’s trick to rope him into the team, he couldn’t help but fall for it. In the end, he could only let out a deep, exhausted sigh, as a question he would regret later finally escaped his mouth.

"Just this once, okay?"

"YES! JUST THIS ONE! I AM SURE ABOUT IT!"

Higo winced unconsciously, not expecting the girl to squeal like this. ’It seems the team really needs a goalie for today, huh?’ He muttered under his breath. After convincing himself one last time, Higo finally swallowed all the negative feelings lingering inside his head before finally nodding.

"Fine, you get yourself a deal. I will be your goalkeeper for today!"