Higo himself didn’t really know that he had just caused a big commotion on the stand. However, the moment the boy stepped onto the pitch, walking toward the goal he had to protect for the rest of the game, he could feel all of the hair on his back rise, shuddering at something unpleasant.

"What’s wrong, Chibi?" Makino asked, noticing the boy had stopped in front of the penalty spot. "Cat catches your tongue?"

In return, the boy just stared at him blankly, not knowing what the expression meant. However, in the next second, he shook his head strongly, saying, "Nah, I just suddenly feel... Uncomfortable. I don’t know, as if everyone is watching me out of the blue."

The playful expression was gone from the captain’s face, getting replaced with a solemn one. He turned his head around, scanning the whole surroundings before patting his friend’s shoulder firmly. "Well, don’t turn around, but I can confirm that your feeling is right. All the other teams are watching you right now, some even starting to record every single movement you make."

Higo was so dumbfounded when he heard that. "Wait, seriously?!"

"Yeah, I mean, what’s so strange about it? Didn’t you forget how crazy your performance was in the first half?" Makino shrugged casually as if he were just talking about the weather outside. "Get ready, though, because all of the reports about you will be out soon. Just get ready to say goodbye to your peaceful life..." He smiled mischievously at the last part, leaving Higo in confusion.

’Oh, well... Let tomorrow’s problem be dealt with by tomorrow’s me. For now, I just need to focus on the second half.’ In the end, he just waved off the uncomfortable feeling, deciding to ignore it for now.

Little did he know, though, that it wasn’t just his future opponents who were taking him seriously. No, almost all the professional scouts on the stand were now following his action, wanting to record everything for their database.

Soon enough, all the players from both teams had already gathered on the pitch. Hori had also come, replacing Denki on the right flank. The boy seemed to be nervous right now. After all, his first-ever national tournament game would be a head-on battle against the second-best player in the generation, and it would be a lie if Hori said that he wasn’t nervous.

"Don’t think too much, Hori." Hiroshi suddenly spoke as they were waiting for the referee to be ready. "You are different than Denki-kun. You are here as a blank sheet, not knowing anything about Kawabe-senpai. Don’t get intimidated so easily by his big name; try to challenge him all the time."

Hori blinked repeatedly in surprise for a moment, not expecting Hiroshi to give him advice. However, that was indeed a useful one. Denki’s performance was so restrained in the first half due to his being too afraid of Kawabe’s image in his mind. However, Hori was a different case here.

In the end, the right back just nodded solemnly, patting his chest in a faux bravado. "Don’t worry, Hiroshi. Leave everything to me."

Hiroshi just snorted amusedly in return. "Say that again on my face when you can do that without having your legs trembling."

While they were chatting around, on the other side of the pitch, Shohei High’s players were also getting ready for the game. They made another substitution here, replacing their number 9 with a quite small boy wearing the jersey number 16. It was so strange to have a small striker who was at a disadvantage in a team with Kawabe, whose one of the strengths was crossing, but that would only make Hakodate Nishi’s defenders worry more.

’They change their type of forward, so their scheme will also be different. We need to be ready for everything.’

Soon enough, the referee finally walked to the center of the pitch. There, both Kenji and Hiroshi were already standing, waiting for the ball to be put in front of them. This was their time to get the kick-off, and while for most teams, this was just an ordinary event, for Hakodate Nishi, this was their biggest chance to score a goal.

’Don’t mess this up, Senpai.’ Kenji couldn’t help but whisper.

’Don’t worry about me, just keep an eye on your surroundings and don’t get tripped again.’ Hiroshi muttered back while also pretending to tie up his shoelace.

FWEEE!

Soon enough, the referee finally blew the whistle to start the game. Hiroshi didn’t wait anymore. He pushed the ball back to Takaaki, then rushed forward immediately to wait for the ball. Kenji also did the same, albeit in the opposite direction. Those two, combined with Denji and Hori, occupied both flanks immediately, ready to overwhelm the opponent with their blitz attack.

"Come on! Keep calm, everyone!"

"Don’t let them get away! Keep an eye on one!"

"Lock your target! Lock your target!"

"I get Hiroshi!"

Shohei High’s players were far from falling into panic here. It seemed they had already anticipated this attack. Well, how could they not be, since Hakodate Nishi’s strongest scheme always came from this scenario.

After receiving the ball, Takaaki glanced at the front line. He frowned a little bit, realizing that his teammates were spread apart pretty far, making it difficult for them to coordinate with each other.

’Yeah, Kazawa is gone, so we don’t have the anchor. I have to deal with whatever I have here.’

With that in mind, the boy decided to play it safe, sending a pinpoint pass to the right flank where Hori and Hiroshi were strolling around. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust Kenji, but the boy was being surrounded by three players on the other side of the pitch.

Thud!

"Yes! Nice pass, Takaaki!"

Hiroshi controlled the ball with his chest, standing straight in front of the sideline. He also let Hori run forward, wanting the boy to act as a distraction. Now, he had two options here, either sending a through pass to the outer line or trying to cut back on his own.

However, before he could decide on what to do, a voice suddenly popped into his ear.

"Hey, Roshi, payback is a bitch, eh?"

And right after that...

BRUGH!

His world spun around, and the next thing Hiroshi knew, he was already on the ground.