Chapter 320: Another Attack from Shohei High, Another Save from Higo!

"What?! Only yellow?!"

"Sensei, are you fucking kidding me?! He tried to murder our captain!"

"People watch this game, you know? If they see you failing to protect the second-best player in the country, your future will be bleak!"

The moment the yellow card was raised, the ones who complained here were the Shohei High players. They used all the arguments inside their head to put more pressure on the referee, asking for another red card to be given. Fortunately, the referee didn’t bulge at all, not even getting intimidated by all the empty threats thrown at him.

"The foul cut off your captain’s momentum, but he is still far from dangerous space. Also, excessive shoulder-check is not a warrant for a card. I only give it because Hakodate Nishi’s number 3 deliberately blocked your captain’s path, and he knows what he was doing. It is a professional foul, so don’t try to push your luck here."

Hearing the explanation, some of the Shohei players clicked their tongues in annoyance, clearly not satisfied with the result. However, there was nothing they could do about it. After all, the final decision had already been made, and they had to live with it.

Meanwhile, on Hakodate Nishi’s side, Higo couldn’t help but give his captain a high-five. "Good job, you saved us from disaster." He praised genuinely.

"Yeah, captain, the yellow card is definitely worth it to stop the attack." Denji nodded in agreement.

Makino took a deep breath, nodding at the praises. He also looked around, finding that Jun and Ishinori’s faces were so bleak.

"Sorry, Captain. If only I were quicker to clear the ball..." Jun gnashed his teeth in annoyance.

"Yeah, I also didn’t expect him to burst out with his speed like that. This is my fault." Ishinori shook his head in regret.

"Don’t worry too much about it. I have already done this, and I will not regret this yellow card." Makino patted his kouhai’s shoulder reassuringly. "Instead of lamenting the past, try to use this time to think of how to protect me. I am the weak link right now, so they will definitely target me next."

All the defenders there stared at each other solemnly before Ishinori gave a firm nod to his senpai. "Don’t worry, after this, there will be no more mistakes on our side!"

Soon enough, everything finally settled, and Shohei High was ready for their free kick. It was so close to the baseline that people would think this was a corner kick, and the angle was also impossible for the taker to take a direct shot. This was also one of the reasons why Makino dared to commit a foul earlier.

’At least, the free-kick will not be that threatening from that side.’ He muttered under his breath.

The taker was none other than Hiroki Kawabe himself. He had already gotten up from the violent charge earlier, putting one hand on his hip while also raising the other in the sky. It was definitely a signal for a scheme, and Higo stared at his surroundings warily.

’Now, where would he send the ball to...’

FWEEE!

The moment the referee blew the whistle, Kawabe didn’t wait for too long. He whipped a low cross through the middle of the box, and somehow, it got through the crowd there so easily, landing straight to the boy’s teammate on the far post. There, the boy with the jersey number 16 had already waited, and in such a close distance, he tapped the ball in, with great confidence that he would finally get the first goal here.

At least, that was his original plan, before someone suddenly blocked his path.

BAM!

"Not in front of me!" Higo roared, suddenly jumping in front of the boy.

"Shit!"

Honestly, if it were any other normal goalkeeper, there was no way they would react so quickly after that kind of a ball. No, their attention would be fully on the crowd, tracking the ball anxiously while waiting on who would execute the attack.

However, Higo’s clairvoyance ability was a huge help here, allowing him to figure out where the ball was going and react so decisively. Even though the shot was still made, the boy was clearly taken aback by Higo’s sudden appearance. He failed to aim the ball perfectly, shooting it directly to Higo’s stomach.

"Oh! Nice save, Senpai!"

"Clear it away! Clear it away!"

Seeing that the ball was still rolling inside the penalty box, Denji arrived in time, clearing it from the penalty box. Kenji, who was on the front line, managed to get it, but the defender who was marking him was quicker, disturbing his rhythm before clearing the ball away from the pitch.

On the stand, Marius Draxler, the scout from Schalke 04, frowned when he recalled how the play unfolded. He observed Higo’s movement in particular, and the man witnessed how that goalkeeper didn’t even track the ball crossing through the penalty box, but just sprang into the far post blindly, as if knowing that the ball would arrive there. It was a reckless move, especially with so many players in the box. One slight touch would be able to move the ball from its original route, deflecting it toward the goal.

’Is that a reckless gamble? Or did he predict that the ball would go on that side?’ The man hummed, being puzzled by this matter. "Masaki, you recorded the last chance, right? Put it on a highlight and send it to me later." The man didn’t forget to ask his assistant.

"Ah! Sure, Draxler-san!" The man, Masaki, just nodded quickly, taking a note inside his head.

Higo didn’t know that he was being stripped naked by so many people on the stand right now. Metaphorically, of course. He just had 120 percent of his focus on the game, not wanting to lose concentration even for a moment. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Still, it seemed that the danger he faced next would be more difficult. After all, the boy watched Kawabe suddenly inserting himself between the center defenders, and he knew exactly that the Mohawk boy was up to no good.

’Shit! What kind of an antic are you trying to pull here?!’