The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 112: Invitation to Niigata!
Niigata.
It was a beautiful coastal prefecture in the northwest part of the big Honshu Island, located at least almost 1000 km away from Sapporo. It was known for its fertile coastal plains, such as the Echigo Plain, formed by the Shinano and Agano rivers, which were also known as the longest rivers in Japan. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
Well... At least, that was what their geography teacher taught them in the class, even if some of them were clueless since they fell asleep during the lesson.
Still, the sudden announcement from Kumiko really caught everyone off guard here, as they all stared at each other, confused. In the end, it was Makino, the team’s captain, who asked the most important question here.
"What is going on, Kumiko-chan?"
In return, Kumiko just stared at her players for a moment before letting out a deep sigh here. "I know that training dulls your sense of time, but don’t you even notice the time yet? We are at the end of June already, Guys! That means the summer break is coming! It is time for a training camp!"
This stunned everyone here, as not a single one of them really realized how quickly time passed. It seemed that it was a moment ago that the new members of the team were joining, and yet, a month and a half—Close to two months, even—had passed since that day.
It seemed that what people said on the Internet. The closer you were to graduate, the faster time passed by.
Still... "Why Niigata, though?" Makino couldn’t help but be skeptical.
The others also nodded in agreement, looking at the girl carefully. It wasn’t like Niigata was a bad choice. Hell, it was definitely way better than last year, when they could only go around Sapporo to play against any low-level teams there. It was way less productive, especially since the team was too easy to help improve further.
Compared to that, Niigata definitely offered more options here, letting them face more varied opponents.
Still, the prefecture was definitely not the first choice for a team to go for their summer camp. After all, it was quite far and costly, but with not a lot of top teams being there. The question here was, if they wanted to go far, why not go all out to Tokyo? Why did she pick Niigata, which was not even that good?
"Well, there is a reason why we are going to Niigata." Kumiko nodded, picking up her phone before smiling at them all. "So, due to our amazing run in the last two tournaments we were in, we are going to be invited to play in Albirex Niigata High School Cup there for two weeks!"
"Huh?!" Everyone was confused; they still couldn’t quite comprehend what was going on here.
"Basically, Albirex Niigata, you know the J-League team, right?" She asked, which gained a collective nod from the others. "They are always holding a high school tournament annually, inviting three teams from three different prefectures to play against the second-best team in their prefecture, for a trophy and a big chunk of money. How is it, interested?"
This time, the explanation was clearer, so they all could understand the gravity of the situation better. Enthusiasm waved on each one of them as they started to chat with each other about it.
"Damn, Niigata! A tournament being held by a pro team! Do you think they will send their scout there?"
"Idiot! Of course, they are! If not, why would they bother with this tournament?!"
"Hey, that makes sense!"
"Who do you think will be invited there?"
"Also, why the fuck is it that only the second-best team in their prefecture joins it? What about the best one?"
"I—It should be during the National tournament, right? They should still be in that tournament, I guess."
"Damn, you are right! Usami-senpai, you are so smart!"
"Okay, be quiet, everyone!" Kumiko clapped, which was enough to silence the chatters in front of her.
"The tournament will be held three weeks from now, and our three opponents will be Echigo Central Academy, a modern school that has just emerged in the last couple of years, Akita Chuo High from prefecture Akita, and Shimizu Higashi High from Shizuoka. Those three are definitely strong teams, so you guys better be prepared for that, okay?!"
"Yes, Ma’am!"
The excitement was still there even after the announcement, with everyone chatting with each other enthusiastically. Some simple-minded ones, like Jun or Fujinaga, started to think of what to bring since it was basically a holiday trip, while the others also took out their phone to do preliminary research on their opponent.
The newcomers also fared quite well. The twins just brushed it off as nothing, probably having had a better experience in the past. Kenji also shrugged it off nonchalantly, even though a lewd laugh escaping from him later was enough to get him a smack on the head.
The only one who felt nervous here was Keita Sano. This was going to be the first time he was on a trip with... What did he call them here, anyway?
Friends?
Teammates?
Acquaintances?
He himself didn’t even know what his relationship with his teammates was right now, and yet, he still cared a lot about it, not wanting to be left out for nothing.
’No, Kumiko-senpai has already given me a chance to prove myself, so I cannot be a coward here!’ The boy clenched his fist tightly, even making it start to look so white from the pain he inflicted on himself right now.
Of course, Kumiko didn’t really notice his change of expression. Her eyes were just wandering around, satisfied with the result that she got. However, a mischievous smile also curled on her face, right now, as the girl was ready to drop the painful bomb here.
"I am glad that you are happy with this invitation, but I have to remind you guys that you also have a midterm exam to face before that. So, please, make sure that you study hard, okay? Because if you miss, no one will be able to help you."
Hearing this, all the lively boys froze instantly, as if they were told that their dog had just died. Their head moved stiffly like a robot, grimacing when they saw Kumiko’s single nod of confirmation.
Right after that, a wail of sorrow echoed throughout the entire pitch, as everyone had the same reaction here.
"NO FUCKING WAAAAAY!"
