The news of Hakodate Nishi winning the game and coming to Sapporo Dome next week spread quickly across the entire island. Well, more like to the ears of those who wanted to hear it, as football really wasn’t that big in the northern part of the country. Still, if there was one team that would be so eager to hear about them, it would be Sapporo Otani, the ultimate king of the prefecture.

"Oh, so they won their game?" Kenji Harada, their team’s playmaker, arched one of his eyebrows when he saw the news on the phone. "Not bad... It seems they are going to be stronger this year. At least, this will make the prefecture more interesting than the usual..." He nodded slightly in approval, still carrying the arrogant attitude around him.

"Hmm... Hakodate Nishi? I saw the game last summer, but are they really that strong?" A boy with a bandana preventing his long hair from falling on his face took a quick peek and asked.

"Ha! You don’t know anything, Uehara!" Shintaro Okamura, the team’s left back, barked out laughter when he heard that. "From the outside perspective, they were indeed not a threat to us. But their defense is so stubborn that you want to bash everything into their head! And their goalkeeper... He is someone special..." He said the last part with a solemn tone.

"Um? Someone whom you acknowledged as a special player, Senpai? Is he really that strong?" Uehara, the new member of the Sapporo Otani team, couldn’t help but ask.

He knew that his senpai here was a very proud person, what with him coming here from the Urawa Reds Academy through a recruitment process. Uehara knew that his senpai always looked down on any team in this prefecture, and this was the first time praise came from the older boy’s mouth.

"If you really want to know how good he is, just ask Yuwell or Kenji." Shintaro Okamura grinned. "They both were the players who were blocked the most by him in the last game! Hell, our two goals from Yuwell are both sloppy, relying on luck! His positional ability and reaction are what you expect from a fucking beast!"

Well, now, the news intrigued not just him, but the other freshmen around as well. After all, Yuwell Carlson was a player who everyone acknowledged as a sharp striker who couldn’t miss any chance in front of him. So, to hear that he was blocked the most last year, it seemed that Hakodate Nishi’s goalkeeper really had something here.

"What are you guys talking about?!" A charismatic voice suddenly boomed in the air, demanding that everyone turn around and listen to him.

That was Rin Mito, the team’s captain, who was also the team’s main defender. He didn’t show any smile here, just crossing his arms while also staring at them blankly, enough to make everyone nervous. Next to him, Yuma Igari, his partner on the back, stood there to show support to his best friend.

Of course, Shintaro Okamura would never take the blame for this shit. He just threw his kouhai under the bus immediately.

"Ah, it is nothing, Senpai! They just want to know about Hakodate Nishi’s goalkeeper!"

Fortunately, the freshmen were indeed curious about the mysterious goalkeeper that made their senpai, the players from the best team in the prefecture, so solemn like this, so they didn’t mind getting the blame in this case.

However, Rin Mito had a funny reaction when he heard the name. He first had his lips twitching a little, then scowling for a moment before his expression was back to neutral. "That annoying goalkeeper, huh? Just get ready for an exhausting final, because I’m sure he will also be better than last summer."

Well, this time, they were completely surprised here. If before, they were a little bit skeptical since Shintaro Okamura was known for loving to show off and exaggerate things, but Rin Mito was different. He was always cold and clinical, so to say this goalkeeper was annoying would be the biggest praise he could give here.

"He doesn’t even mention Esashi High, right?" One of the freshmen whispered after noticing this.

"That means Captain is confident that we are going to fight against Hakodate Nishi? Just because of that annoying goalkeeper?" The other whispered back. "Man, I cannot wait to see if he lived up to the reputation or not..."

-0-

Of course, while Sapporo Otani only felt annoyed, the one who was tensed the most was Esashi High’s players. Since they knew that they were going to face Hakodate Nishi in the semifinal, the mood was quite somber, with their movement becoming stiff even in the middle of the training session.

Jirokichi, the old man who was also the head coach of the team, frowned and couldn’t help but bark here. "What the hell are you guys doing here?! This is embarrassing! Nishimura, where is your loud, annoying voice?! I cannot hear you all! Is this a pitch or a fucking graveyard, tell me?!"

"Y—Yes, Sensei!"

"We are here!"

Some of the players gritted their teeth and started to run harder. However, the others didn’t feel well, so the old man had to call out everyone else to gather on the sideline for a quick pep-talk.

"Okay, care to tell me why you guys are so nervous?" He spoke with a flat tone. "I mean, yes, we are not getting Ritsumeikan High, but we also escape from Sapporo Otani again, right? Why are you guys so gloomy like this? What, you think of giving up already?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"What?! Of course, no!" So many players refuted that outrageous remark incredulously. Even though they felt like Hakodate Nishi was a strong opponent, giving up was never in their dictionary.

"Then, why are you guys acting as if you will lose already?!" Jirokichi roared angrily. Yes, they are strong, but we are stronger! At least, if you cannot believe in yourself, try to believe in me! I refuse to believe that I could be double-killed by a little girl like her!"