The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 23: A Gruesome Goalkeeper Training
"Come on, Ryukkun! This drill is simple!" Kumiko smiled innocently. "Just like the usual, your task is to prevent any ball from reaching the goal. This time, you will face three players, and they will start their move one after another."
Outside of the penalty box, three attacking players, Yuji, Kuroki, and Hiroshi, waved at him cheerfully, way too cheerfully to Higo’s liking.
"It will start with Yuji-kun taking a low shot, and I need you to learn how to dive. Then, Kuroki-kun will send you a powerful strike, and you have to start getting used to being hit all the time. After that, Hiroshi-kun will be the closer, and after receiving the end of Kuroki-kun’s shot, you have to get up quickly and close the distance forward, because I want you to have a one-on-one duel against him. We will do this for at least fifteen minutes, and then, we can move on to the next training menu."
"..."
Higo had the corner of his mouth twitching speechlessly, and those three attackers were also dumbfounded at how insane Higo’s training menu was. "Kumiko-chan, do you have any grudge against me? If so, just kill me already, no need to prolong my suffering!" He groaned weakly, feeling his knee buckle before the training could even start.
Honestly, Higo started to regret this.
No, no, no. he had already regretted this since the beginning, knowing that getting dragged into the club was a mistake. However, his fragile masculinity didn’t allow him to refuse Kumiko’s request, and after hanging out with the other players there in the last couple of days, he had already gotten dragged into the center of the storm, not being able to find any escape way for himself.
Oh, yeah, he could still leave the club immediately. Even though it would be cruel for the team, he himself wasn’t registered there in the first place, so his status in the team was just a temporary member. However, it would be cruel for the team, and imagining the others’ difficulty in finding a new goalie and Kumiko’s sadness after they lost because of that... He wilted.
’Damn! Fuck me and my kindness! How could I get trapped in this chain of moral obligation?!’ He couldn’t help but curse.
Little did he know, Kumiko had stared at his face for quite a long time. However, after finding that he was just reluctant, not hating the thought of joining the club, was enough to put her heart at ease, as at least one of the team’s weaknesses was about to be solved.
"Get ready, Ryukkun!" The girl shouted as she ran quickly behind the three attackers. Then, she turned around at the three attackers and said solemnly, "Don’t forget my instruction, don’t be easy on him."
Although those three didn’t understand why Kumiko wanted to torture her childhood friend, they complied happily. The first to come was Yuji, the one with a headband covering his forehead. The freshman striker raised his hand to give Higo a signal, and a moment later, he launched a low shot to the tricky spot in the left corner.
BAM!
"Fuck!" Higo gritted his teeth, diving toward that side while also extending one of his hands to reach that spot. Fortunately, his clairvoyance ability acted up early, allowing the boy to react one second before the shot was launched. This was enough to stop the ball, deflecting it to the sideline.
"Damn, it hurts!" He cursed again. Even a long-sleeved shirt still failed to protect his arm from the bruises.
However, he didn’t have time to recover. Before Higo knew it, his clairvoyance ability flared once again, and this time, he got up as quickly as possible before flying to cover the middle.
BAM!
"Fuck! That’s awesome!"
"Hey, hey, Higo-senpai, are you sure you didn’t take any drugs or some shit like that?!"
"This should be cheating, right?!"
The astonished gasps from the others echoed throughout the pitch, and if not for his running once again after having to fall to the ground, Higo would’ve given his best middle finger already at this point.
This time, his reaction slowed down, and his clairvoyance ability failed to show him in time, as Hiroshi just took a shot straight in the area below his right hand. His prediction only showed straight a millisecond before the shot was coming, and in the end, the ball just rolled gently on the goal without him being able to.
"As expected of Hiroshi, he is a monster!"
"Shit! If only he weren’t that innocent..."
"Hey, what do you mean by that? Don’t be mean to Hiroshi-kun!"
The other players were chatting excitedly, while Higo himself was still too dumbfounded by the goal in front of his eyes. This was the first time he conceded a goal at any competitive level, and honestly, it sucked.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to lament about it further, because a moment later, the whistle rang once again, showing that Yuji was about to launch another attack. Then, the vicious cycle started to happen, with Higo having to run back and forth from one position back to the original one. It was as if they had a grudge against him, as whenever a save was made, the next person would make it a mission of their lives to make him desperate further by aiming the ball toward the other side of the goal.
Kumiko just stared at her childhood friend in pity. However, she shook her head strongly, convincing herself once again that this was the right thing to do.
’Sorry, Ryukkun, this is the only way I could think of to make you ready for the game quickly.’ She apologized quietly. ’You have the talent to be the best player in the prefecture, or maybe even in the country. However, we don’t have the time to nurture that slowly. This way, we force you to adapt to the grueling life of a goalkeeper, so I hope you get used to this sooner or later.’ 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
Yes, while Kumiko acknowledged Higo’s goalkeeping talent, the boy was still too green in this field, and he was often hesitant to make a jump or dive to save the ball. It was understandable, as no one really wanted to get bruises or slam their body to the ground voluntarily. However, this was what every goalkeeper had to endure, and Higo was not an exception here.
As she watched the training session for the goalkeeper running smoothly, Kumiko shook her head once again, praying, ’Good luck, Ryukkun.’ Before turning around, leaving her best friend to his executioners.
