The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 98: Higo’s Thought
The dinner lasted for quite a while, with the children sighing helplessly as they had to watch their parents—not a lot, but most of them—starting to go crazy with a glass of beer in their hand. Who would think that it was a good idea to buy alcohol at the celebratory dinner for a high school team, anyway?
Fortunately, the inn they rented was not that far, so for those kids whose father was too drunk, they could just go back easily. As for Higo...
’Now, what?’
Honestly, after everything was settled, the exhaustion hit him hard. He felt his body aching, and the fatigue here normally was enough to knock him out until tomorrow. It was unbelievable that the organizer scheduled another game two days later.
However, even with all the physical exhaustion, his brain was somehow quite active. He tightened his scarf, letting his mind wander back to the game earlier while also staring up at the clear sky above.
His mother and Kumiko saw him like this, so they couldn’t help but ask, "Is there anything wrong, Ryukkun?"
"No, just... Thinking." Higo paused, trying to build a coherent sentence inside his messy head. Those two waited patiently until the boy continued, "Just wondering, what could I do better in that game earlier that could change the game? I mean, have I worked hard enough?"
It seemed the quote he found on the internet in the past was right. The later the night became, the more complicated and melancholic a man’s mind worked.
Both Minami and Kumiko stared at each other concernedly before the former shook her head firmly.
"No, that is not a healthy mindset." The older woman glared at the two teenagers in front of her firmly. "It is okay to look back to evaluate yourself. But this? No, this is just you trying to blame yourself. You as well, Kumiko-chan. Don’t think I didn’t hear what happened at the table earlier."
Kumiko rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, knowing that she had been caught here.
"I know that this is a tough defeat, but I will tell you again, this is not your fault," Minami emphasized on the last part. "It is just your guilt that is taking over your cloudy mind, but let me ask you this. Before today, have any of you ever thought that you could win today’s game?"
"Um?" Higo was startled at the question. "What do you mean by that, Mom?"
"I have done my research before coming here, you know, and I know full well the team’s last encounter ended in disaster. Also, Sappotani is the best school in the prefecture, and it is not something that they themselves decide. No, it is a fact that everyone agrees on, a school with a great reputation in the north. So, tell me, after losing 7 – 0 last winter, was there any of you who came here with the desire to win?"
Well, when she said it like that...
Kumiko couldn’t help but ponder, suddenly remembering her first intention before arriving at the stadium. At that time, all she wanted was for the team to hold the game down until the last and try their luck in the penalty shootout. That thought itself was also the most realistic one she could come up with, but in reality, the probability was still quite low. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
As for the thought of the team managing to pierce through Sappotani’s defense... Well, she didn’t dare to dream that far. No, Sappotani had never conceded a goal in this tournament so far, and if there was a team that could break this tough egg, it was definitely not an ultra-defensive team like them.
"Well, I get your point, mom, but..." Higo paused, struggling to find a suitable word to describe his feeling.
"But..." Minami also waited patiently here.
In the end, Higo let out a deep sigh before turning to his childhood friend, ignoring the cold breezing wind around. "Do you remember our conversation about those who didn’t train hard enough usually wouldn’t be too sad even after losing the game?"
"Um? Yeah?" Kumiko nodded confusedly, not expecting the sudden shift of topic.
This was the conversation they had after winning the game against Sapporo Kita in the second round. However, when that memory was finally at the tip of her head, something clicked inside her brain as she realized what Bagas was trying to convey here.
"I know that I am so frustrated right now, yet somehow... I cannot feel any sadness in my heart, you know? I even feel more emotion at the sight of you crying rather than me losing the game itself. Does that mean... I didn’t really train that hard?"
This time, Minami also connected the dots. However, just like Kumiko, she was too stunned here, not knowing how the boy’s mind went too far at this point.
Higo didn’t really notice their reaction, though. Right now, he was still in his ranting mode, and the boy continued, "I mean, you know that I come to the team because of you, right? If not for you, I couldn’t care less about football. Hell, even if I joined all of the training sessions, you could see me doing everything half-heartedly, preferring to go back and sleep under my kotatsu. I am just wondering if I did a slightly better than that... Is it enough to change the game?"
His last words lingered in the air for a moment, with only the sound of the wind breezing and sometimes the car’s engine buzzing could be heard around them. Both women were still too stunned, though, not knowing that Higo’s mind was so complicated.
In the end, once again, it was the mother who came for rescue.
"Even with you training four more hours a day, I don’t think that you could change the outcome of the game. However, indeed, you can do a little bit better here and there." The woman nodded.
"So...."
"So, I will give you a homework for life, Ryukkun!" The woman chirped happily, sending a shiver down Higo’s spine.
"... What kind of homework?" Higo asked wryly, while Kumiko had her eyes shining right now. She knew Higo’s mother was always so creative in her educational style, so the girl couldn’t wait to see what the woman would come up with.
"Oh, it is easy, don’t worry!" She even smiled at him! "Since you admitted that you are only here for Kumiko-chan, I will ask you to watch more games, observe them all carefully, and try to think of any real goal that only involves yourself! Don’t just think of Kumiko-chan, but also try to find your true self! Try to find your own path, young man!"
