[32] Kesseki High (1)

Inside a locker room...

The Kazamizawa High was huddled up together with Kousuke at the center, holding a small whiteboard while the Suzuki twins and Aizawa were watching on the sidelines.

"Do you understand?"

Kousuke asked the team, confirming if they understood his explanation which the players nodded in response.

"I won't say it again, our formation will be a 4-2-2-2..."

"..."

"The team will consist of Izumo and Yamamoto as the two strikers..."

"..."

"Followed up by Akai and Minato as the AM while Botan and Ren as the DM, understood?"

Hearing him, the six who were called, including Izumo nodded seriously, expressing their understanding.

"Hinata and Fuji, center backs while Kaito, right back, and Jiro, left-back..."

"..."

"Lastly... Kouji, the goalkeeper"

Having finished assigning positions, Kousuke then turned to look at the Suzuki twins, expressing to take the stage next.

Seeing it was their time, the twins stepped up and took out a notebook.

"Our opponent today is Kesseki High which is known for its strong and solid defense"

Asayo Suzuki, the brother of the twins, spoke up, telling the team what their enemy was specializing in from what they'd gathered.

Meanwhile, the team hearing his words looked solemn, especially the seniors.

Although their school was known for their quick passes which are great at breaking defenses.

But they knew from experience that there were a lot of ways to crack their tactic since they personally experienced it after having a match against them in the past.

This made the senior players focus their attention on listening to Asayo's words in order to find weaknesses they could exploit.

Meanwhile, the first years were simply listening in silence, not knowing the emotions their seniors were feeling.

After a while, it was Asuna Suzuki's turn, the sister of the twins who stepped up next.

"What everyone needs to look out for is their forward..."

"..."

"Last year, their school was defeated in the quarter-finals due to a lack of a strong forward. But now..."

"..."

"A skilled transferee managed to take the position, increasing their firepower"

Asuna explained, showing the video she took during Kesseki High's first match.

Watching the video, the transferee didn't feel that much of a threat to them in terms of skill and technique...

Rather it was the counterattack from the defensive players instead that made their forward a formidable one.

With the support from the center backs, the so-called transferee would have no fear of attacking.

After all, if the other team steals the balls...

The defenders would just block their way and snuff them out, leaving the forward at ease to concentrate on attacking.

"Ren and Botan... It's your job to mark him close"

Kousuke suddenly chimed in, staring at the DM players.

On the other hand, both Botan and Ren nodded and formed a serious expression as they felt the pressure from the expectations of everyone.

"Now go out there!"

Kousuke screamed at the team, eliciting a loud and enthusiastic shout from most of the players in response.

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"Ladies and gentlemen..."

The commentator greeted the audience while both teams started warming on the sides, preparing for the match.

Meanwhile, Izumo was simply stretching mindlessly, looking at the sky in a daze with thoughts inside his head.

He was thinking about what sort of plays he should do or how much should he exert himself.

For a while, Izumo was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even realize that his team was already called upon.

"Introducing the team for today's match... Kazamizawa High!"

The commentator yelled out to the mic as the audience clapped and cheered in response.

And upon being introduced, the team began walking toward the field, including Izumo who was dragged off by Akai.

"Up next! The Kesseki High!"

The moment the name was uttered, loud cheers erupted from the stands as Kesseki High players started heading off toward the fields.

Hearing the cheers, the audience clearly had a favorite to win for today's match judging from their enthusiasm.

And Izumo thought it was only logical considering this school did manage to reach the quarter-finals last year.

'I wonder what the reactions from the audience will be if I thoroughly destroy them?'

Izumo thought as he covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hide the crazed smile on his face.

Not long after, both teams positioned themselves before a coin flip was initiated, granting the first kick-off to Kazamizawa High.

Whistle!

The moment the whistle was blown by the referee, Yamamoto immediately kicked the ball back toward Izumo, giving him the reigns of the match.

"Hmm..."

Upon receiving the ball, Izumo twisted his head all around and surveyed the field, trying to get a grasp of the situation.

'Got it'

Seeing the position of all players, Izumo's eyes glinted with light as he then kicked the ball and dribbled it forward.

With him in the center, he started connecting quick passes from the left and right side, making the opposing team occasionally slip up in their defenses.

On the other hand, the Kesseki High head coach who was on the bench looked at the game with a slight apprehension.

"Who is that kid? How come we have no data on him?"

"We don't know, sir. He wasn't in the first game"

"He wasn't?"

Upon hearing the vice coach's words, the Kesseki High head coach narrowed his eyes before staring at Kousuke in the distance with suspicion.

Meanwhile, the Kazamizawa High players were surprisingly having an effortless time outmaneuvering the opposing team.

'When did the Kesseki High became this weak?'

The 2nd and 3rd-year players thought, feeling baffled by the match since they personally knew how strong the defense of the other team was.

After all, they had played a few practice matches with them last year and even lost to them once in a tournament.

But now, it's as if their defense has become fragile, no...

It wasn't because it had gotten weak.

The reason why they were having an easier time was because of Izumo.

With him as the connecting factor for the left and right sides, the possibilities of plays opened up by a large margin, making the rhythm of their movement smooth without them noticing.

'Seriously, what else can't he do!?'

The Kazamizawa High players thought, staring at Izumo who was breezing his way past the defenders with ease.

'This is the so-called solid defense?'

Izumo thought, looking at the opposing team in disdain.

'I've seen better defense than this garbage'

Izumo clicked his tongue before extending his leg and receiving a pass.

The moment he got the ball, an opposing player rammed his shoulders against him, trying to contend for the ball.

But as the man tried to do so...

He started feeling pressured instead as Izumo didn't budge at all and even managed to beat him in terms of physicality.

'This is a first-year?! For real?!!"

With the ball in his grasp, Izumo took a quick step back before performing a roulette, switching positions with each other before bursting out in speed and leaving the man behind.

"Sh*t!"

And as Izumo closed in on the goal, two opposing defenders blocked his path.

Seeing this, Izumo didn't stop his charge and calmly looked around before he smiled and flicked the ball to his left.

"...!?"

The moment the ball was passed, Yamamoto who left his mark appeared and received the ball before his mark caught up forcing him to pass back to Izumo.

And as he did so, Izumo didn't waste a chance and immediately cut in between the two defenders, leaving them dumbfounded.

Shortly after, he received the ball back just as he expected as a small smirk formed on his face.

On the other hand, the audience erupted in cheers after seeing the consecutive plays by Izumo, especially the one-two passes by both him and Yamamoto.

Though truthfully, Izumo could have actually passed it to Akai instead who was open...

But instead, he gave it to Yamamoto because he knew the man would be forced to pass it back to him.

If it were Akai, he would have tried to be a team player and passed it to someone else instead of him.

So naturally, he couldn't allow that to happen.

He wanted to score the first goal after all, no...

He wanted to make a great impression on everyone.

After all, this was his first high school debut.

Obviously, he had to make a big bang and shock everyone.

Plus, he wouldn't pass the chance to acquire free points anyway.