The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 86: Targetting Kenji Harada!

When she saw her son standing up again, chatting animatedly with his friends as if the incident earlier was just her vivid dream, Minami could feel her legs buckle instantly. All the tension that kept her on bay a moment ago vanished, and a deep, relieved sigh escaped from her mouth.

"Haha! I told you, Higo-san, your son is tough! If not, my son wouldn’t bother cursing about him over and over again!" The old man who introduced himself as Makino’s father laughed boisterously. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Yes, Minami-san, it is good that everything is okay!" Hiroshi’s mother also came and patted her shoulder gently.

"Still, I have never expected that football is such a dangerous game!" Another woman—Minami had lost track already of who was who—frowned. "Maybe I should talk to my boy about it when we are back."

The other women who didn’t know shit about the sport, as this was the first time coming to the stadium, also nodded in agreement. They only knew the game based on the story their son always told, and yet, watching the brutality of it directly was an eye-opener, enough to make them think, ’My son has never told me anything about this!’

Minami also frowned unconsciously. While this wasn’t her first time watching the game, the last time she was in this position, everything was quite mild. However, this time, it had just been three minutes since she was here, and yet, her son was already getting beaten by his opponent.

Literally.

’I know it is not fair for that blonde boy, because this seems to be an incident. But, still...’ She sighed. ’Should I talk to Kumiko-chan about it later to make sure she instills the safety procedure in my son’s thick brain?’

Well, Higo didn’t really notice that he had become the talk of the stand. Right now, he was still wincing; the pain was still lingering there. Fortunately, it didn’t affect his movement, so he just continued the game perfectly.

The last incident also caused a yellow card for Yuwell Carlson, which the Swedish striker accepted with no complaint.

’Not only did he invade the goalkeeper’s territory, but he raised his foot quite high, aiming straight at the goalkeeper’s body. It is a dangerous move, so we have to warn him about that.’

At least, that was the referee’s explanation when Rin Mito asked for it, and Sappotani’s striker also accepted this willingly.

After this, the tempo of the game slowed down a little bit. The Sappotani players also went back, moving the ball slowly in the center of the pitch. Their aim to steal a goal at the beginning of the second half failed, and now, they are trying to regain their composure again.

Of course, there was no way Hakodate Nishi would let that slide so easily. No, they were also desperate for a goal right now, so sooner or later, they would’ve come out of their shell. This time, instead of a zone defense to prevent any shot from coming, their approach was slightly different, a little bit more targeted.

’Listen carefully. All of the Sappotani players always touch the ball for at least two or three seconds before moving it quickly. Well, all but two players, Kenji Harada and Yuwell Carlson. They seem to be the ones with confidence to hold the ball, so when they receive a pass, I want at least two players trying to overwhelm them physically! Do you guys understand?!’

That was what Kumiko said during the half break, and while it was impossible to overwhelm Yuwell Carlson physically—they had tried earlier, and yet, three players were not enough to stop that monster—Kenji Harada was a different matter.

The playmaker from Tokyo might have the vision and passing accuracy that were above average, but his short posture often became a weakness he couldn’t overcome. That was why he would always go deep to receive the pass, wanting to avoid any confrontation at all costs.

This time, though, the moment the ball was sent to the boy to restart the attack, Yuji pounced like a cheetah, trying to get his claw on the enemy mercilessly.

"Fuck!" Kenji Harada cursed before sending a hasty ball back to Yuma Igari. It was such a close call, and he felt a cold sweat on his back at the sight of Yuji, who took a sharp break, was ready to turn around and come back at him like a mad dog. "Senpai, send it there!" He pointed his finger slightly far, but didn’t believe that this was enough to stump him.

Yuma Igari didn’t think twice. He saw that his kouhai was able to fool Yuji and got a good position, so the boy passed the ball without hesitation. However, this time, it was Hiroshi who rushed, and the prodigy boy from Hakodate Nishi was quick enough to catch Kenji Harada off guard and manage to get the ball.

Brugh!

Fweee!

"Wait, Sensei! I get the ball!" Hiroshi widened his eyes in disbelief when he heard the whistle being blown, even stopping his run to make a complaint. "He just lost his balance out of nowhere, it is not my fault!" He tried to make a case.

Unfortunately, the referee didn’t bulge, shaking his head firmly. "You might get the ball first, but I saw the additional move that your left foot made to trip him. It is enough to give the opponent a foul."

Hiroshi groaned, knowing full well that he got caught offhandedly. ’Tch! I thought I was subtle enough, but the referee was in a good position before.’ He clicked his tongue in annoyance before running back to his own area, being greeted by his teammates for his good effort.

"Nice run, Hiroshi!"

"That’s how you do it! Keep up the pressure, and he will crumble!"

"Come on! Let’s do this again next!"

As for Kenji Harada, the boy got up from the ground immediately, wiping all the dirt on his body while also eyeing his opponent with a different expression.

"You okay, Kenji?" Yuma Igari asked. "That pass was my fault, sorry. I didn’t warn you that he rushed so quickly to get the ball. This will not happen again later." He promised.

"Eh, don’t fret over it, Senpai." The boy just waved the concern nonchalantly. "Still... To get blitzed twice in a row like that... Are they going to start targeting me next? Interesting..."