"Come on! Come on! Don’t hold the ball for too long!"

"Marukawa, stop fooling around like that! Don’t you know what occasion today is?!"

Brugh!

"YES! Nice clash, Ao! Keep pestering him like that!"

Five minutes had passed since the game started, and yet, somehow, everything was still quite chaotic on the pitch. Sapporo Otani wanted to slow down the tempo and organize the game better, but Ritsumeikan players would never allow it.The group of dudes with yellow jerseys swarming all over the pitch, always surrounding whoever had the ball relentlessly.

On the other hand, though, Sapporo Otani’s defense was still more solid than ever. Facing such a rampage from Ritsumeikan, Rin Mito and Yuma Igari managed to hold their own ground since the beginning, not even showing any weakness on their side. Hell, there was even an occasion where one Ritsumeikan player was about to get a shot, just to get slammed with a hard tackle straight to the ball.

Even if things got crazy, neither goalkeeper had made a save, which showed that the battle of the midfield was still quite fierce, with both teams trying to get an upper hand in the control of the game.

Hell, the two most dangerous players on the pitch, Yuwell Carlson and Takuro Iwai, hadn’t even gotten any chance to touch the ball other than the kickoff. They were truly getting isolated from their team, what with the rough treatment they got under the opponent’s watchful eyes.

"It is quite underwhelming, right?" Kumiko suddenly spoke softly, snapping Higo from his own thought.

"Yeah, I cannot lie, this is not what I expected." After pausing for a few seconds, the boy answered truthfully. "Sapporo Otani is the best team on the island, and Ritsumaikan is one of the best offensive teams here. I expect a beautiful display between those two, and yet, here I found a disarranged game like they are just a bunch of amateurs."

Yeah, even though Higo didn’t know what to expect, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed here. Instead of a high-level game, this chaos only made the whole thing look like a joke.

"Well, I can guess why you are saying that." Kumiko smiled knowingly. "However, have you ever thought that this is how a real high-level game would always start?"

"Um?!" This time, Higo turned his head so quickly, looking at his best friend in disbelief. "No way! You are not serious, right?" He blurted out without thinking.

Well, this reaction was understandable. After all, Higo himself didn’t watch a lot of top games in his life, but this was definitely not what he expected if someone invited him to do so. However, the girl was dead serious here as she watched the game intently. This only made the boy curious, as he was waiting for an explanation here.

"At the end of the day, football is a game of rhythm." She finally spoke again, starting her explanation. "It is a game where whoever gets into their rhythm first will have control of the game, and right now, what you witnessed here is how two top teams are fighting for that."

Even though Higo was still confused, he felt like something clicked inside his brain. Kumiko herself noticed this, and she couldn’t help but smile, somehow feeling satisfied.

"Ritsumeikan knew that once Sapporo Otani got into their normal rhythm, it would be hard for them to fight back." She continued her explanation. "That’s why, right now, they are trying their best to put pressure on the home team. Meanwhile, Sapporo Otani knows that Ritsumeikan is thriving in this chaotic moment, so they are desperately in need to bring order to that battlefield. Both teams think differently, but they know one universal truth here. They cannot allow their opponent to get into the rhythm."

The last sentence was uttered in a strong manner that, even though Higo still didn’t understand, the boy couldn’t help but be convinced by that.

"So, what is going to happen next? Who is going to break this deadlock, and how would they do that?" He asked a barrage of questions, forgetting that they were in the middle of the game right now.

"Whoa, slow down, Ryukkun! I cannot even remember all your questions!" Kumiko raised both hands helplessly.

Inwardly, though, the girl was pleased with this development. After all, she had always wanted to pique Higo’s interest in this sport. Now, the boy started to turn from a layman who only knew how to watch the game to a student who was willing to ask more technical problems, how could she not be happy?

"Anyway, if you want to ask me what would happen next, of course, I don’t know. Unlike someone, I cannot see the future, you know?" She smiled teasingly.

Higo himself had the corner of his lips twitching, too speechless at the girl’s joke.

"However, if you ask me what I thought would be, I think it is easy," Kumiko answered his question. "Watch carefully, Ryukkun, because this will also be related to you."

"Um? Me?" Higo pointed at himself in confusion. "How so?"

However, Kumiko just smiled mysteriously, not giving any concrete answer. Realizing that he wouldn’t get anything from the girl, Higo sighed before leaning forward a little, trying to observe the game more. If Kumiko said that this was related to him, that meant the next thing that happened would be beneficial for him, and the boy didn’t want to miss it because of his carelessness.

True enough, soon, the game developed into a scene that made Higo’s jaw drop.

Ritsumeikan High’s players were still chasing the ball like a pack of wolves, not giving any Sapporo Otani players room to create something. Hell, there were even some occasions where the pressure was strong enough for them to steal the ball, and it was only pure luck that the home team didn’t make a mistake.

However, instead of panic, they managed to gain composure quickly.

At some points, they even deliberately gathered all the Ritsumeikan players on the left flank, letting themselves get overwhelmed just for a moment. Then, in the most crucial situation, the ball was suddenly sent back to the goalkeeper, and that boy with the jersey number 1 didn’t even hesitate, sending a long ball to the opposite flank on the other half of the pitch.

BAM!

Higo widened his eyes when he saw where the ball landed, as the kick that he initially thought was a clearance suddenly fell straight on the space in front of Yuwell Carlson, and with the less-heavy defensive line there, the Swedish striker started to speed up, leaving everyone in his dust.

"OH! YUWELL! COME ON!"