Silence fell for a moment as everyone tried to process the announcement here. This seemed to be too good to be true, as if coming out of a storybook. However, looking at Kumiko’s genuine expression, they all knew that this was true, and right after that, hell broke loose.

"Holy fuck! 100 seats?! Are you kidding me?!"

"No way! I have to tell the others from my class first!"

"Fuck it! Since when did our school become so generous like this?!"

"Shishida-senpai, be honest, what kind of blackmail material do you have on the headmaster?!"

Well, this was definitely the most exciting news of the day. After all, they still remembered how nerve-wracking it was to play in the Sapporo Dome and were surrounded by the opponent’s supporters last summer.

Now that there were 100 additional reinforcements, coupled with the parents’ association that was probably around 50 people, just like in their last tournament, they would at least have around 150 people behind their back, and while it wasn’t that high a number, every single person counted to have their back there.

While the others were excited over the news, some of the smarter ones still caught the underlying in her sentence.

"You mean to tell me that it would only work for the final game, Shishida-senpai?" Takaaki asked, pushing his glasses upward like the stereotype of a smart student he was.

"Smart." Kumiko nodded in approval. "Indeed, the headmaster could only give us one day here, so it is either the semifinal one or the final match. He asked me about this, and I decided that it would be better to have the support on the last day. You guys don’t mind about it, right?"

Well, even though they had no complaints, the decision had already been made, so nothing could be done about it. That was if they had any. However, based on their reaction, it seemed that the players here preferred to have the support on the last day of the tournament.

"That’s the best decision, Kumiko-senpai! It would be better to have our own crowd in the final!" Kenji sent a big thumbs-up here.

"Yeah, I mean, what are they going to watch in the semifinal?! Let’s give them a proper trophy lifting show!" Hori added, laughing while also hugging his kouhai’s shoulder playfully.

"Well, I love your confidence here, but don’t forget we still have a semifinal to play, okay?" Kumiko’s demeanor suddenly turned serious as she was worried that they were going to look down on their next opponent. "I know that we won our friendly match against Esashi at the beginning of the year, but they are still a strong opponent, and they will come with the hunger of revenge against us. So, don’t underestimate them, okay?"

"Eh, don’t worry, Senpai! We have this under our control!" Jun laughed casually.

Well, this was definitely the atmosphere that Kumiko was worried about the most here. They were excited, yes, but they saw things too far ahead, imagining so many unnecessary things to the point that they forgot about the opponent in front of them.

This was also reflected in the training session the next day, where some players showed an unexpected laziness on the pitch. Of course, they were the usual boisterous boys here, from Hori, Fujinaga, to Kenji himself. They liked to show off their skill, were too lazy to track back when the possession was snatched, and did not even move to open a room when their teammates had the ball.

Honestly, it was so infuriating to see them acting so high and mighty, as if they were so sure to win in their next game. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Kumiko herself didn’t really say anything here. The girl just watched with her usual poker smile, not even reminding them all about their lackadaisical performance. However, Higo could see a glint of coldness in her eyes, shining brightly as she took a note inside her head.

In the end, Kumiko only announced the punishment one day before they boarded for Sapporo. It wasn’t one where they had to run or do anything physically. No, it was worse. They were stripped of what they wanted to have the most here, which was one spot in the team for the semifinal game tomorrow.

"So, with our usual 3-5-2 formation, our starting lineup will be Ryukkun, Makino-kun, Ishinori-kun, Sano-kun, Kazawa-kun, Takaaki-kun, Usami-kun, Denji-kun and Denki-kun, Hiroshi-kun, and lastly Kuroki-kun as our lone striker. Any question?"

The moment the list came out of her mouth, a lot of players complained here.

"Senpai, how could I be sidelined in tomorrow’s match?!" Fujinaga spoke loudly, trying to make a case for himself. "I was the one who ran the most in our last game! Is this the appreciation I get?!"

"Yes, yes! You also put me on the bench again, Kumiko-senpai!" Kenji added. "Our next opponent is just a team that we beat before, right? Would it be better to have an attacking player like me from the start to seal the deal as quickly as possible?"

Jun was the most shocked one here. He thought his position on the backline would be permanent, especially since Sano was just a rookie in this sport. However, it seemed Kumiko dared to make a move against him here.

"Senpai, I know that I am a clumsy player, but does that mean I am worse than him?" He pointed at Sano rudely.

Kumiko herself let out a deep sigh, yet did not show any surprise at their complaint here. Hell, she even raised her hand to stop Makino and Higo from shielding her, knowing that this was something she needed to say directly to them.

"Well, in terms of football ability, yes, you might be superior to those whom I chose for tomorrow’s game." She nodded in acknowledgement.

"Then, why?!"

"Because of your attitude." She answered firmly. "You think that it is okay to look down on your opponent like that? Who do you guys think you are?! You are not even better than Sapporo Otani, for fuck’s sake! Don’t think that just because you reach this point that you are invincible! Let me tell you this, our team is still crap! Until it reaches your thick skull, just sit still and watch from the bench!"