The pep-talk ran for another five to seven minutes, with Kumiko addressing every tiny detail that the team had to pay attention to. Higo himself wasn’t in the mood to listen to that, his mind still recalling what happened at the end of the first half.

’Is that... Fear?’ He frowned, trying to recall the incident frame by frame inside his head. ’I know where the ball is going, and I know how to deal with that, but my body refuses to work, not wanting to get another clash. Is that what happened?’ He frowned.

The more he thought about this, though, the more Higo found that the theory matched the reality here. This was some sort of PTSD case, where his brain knew what he had to do, and yet, his body reacted otherwise, trying to avoid the danger that he had already suffered beforehand.

This was a normal occurrence, but this also brought trouble for Higo. After all, for a goalkeeper, a clash in the air was sometimes unavoidable, and if he always backed down from the challenge, this would only leave a glaring weakness in his game, one that would make the team suffer further.

’No, that cannot do.’ The boy shook his head strongly. ’I have to think of a way to solve this situation.’

Seeing Higo getting so entangled like this, Kumiko couldn’t help but ask, "Is there any problem, Ryukkun?"

That was when Higo realized that all eyes were on him, probably wondering what was going on with his state. The boy opened his mouth quickly, wanting to reassure them all that he was okay. However, words seemed to stick in his throat, as he was unable to say anything else right now. Kumiko’s gaze basically told him that she would never believe any ’I am okay’ answer here.

After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Can I get a moment with you alone, please?"

This startled everyone, with Makino even frowning immediately. The captain wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but when he saw the dead-serious expression on Higo’s face, coupled with the goalkeeper’s slightly trembling hand, the captain held back his words, knowing that this was not the time to do that.

Kumiko didn’t answer immediately, but checked her best friend’s expression first. After realizing the seriousness of this matter, the girl finally nodded, signaling him to go out first. "Okay, everyone. Wait for a minute. We will be back soon."

The moment those two left, all the players inside scrambled into the door immediately, wanting to peek and even eavesdrop on the conversation. Makino frowned for a second, shaking his head in disapproval.

"It is not good to breach people’s privacy, you know?"

"Oh, come on, Senpai! Don’t be a spoilsport!" Kenji whined. Then, a mischievous smile formed as the boy added, "Also, don’t tell me that you are not curious about what they are talking about. Come on, this is Kumiko-senpai and Higo-senpai that we are talking about! We should be able to hear some juicy gossip, right?"

The others also nodded rapidly, having already set their eyes and ears on the wall.

Well, it didn’t take a lot to convince Makino, as the captain himself was also curious about what they were chatting about. He doubted they would get any gossip here, but the secrecy also made him uncomfortable. After all, he was the team’s captain, and he should be responsible for his teammates, right?

Still, in all honesty, it was not like Higo didn’t trust him or the others. He just didn’t want to show any weakness in front of the others. He might just be a simple boy, but as a normal teenage boy, he had his own pride, not wanting to get mocked by his friends.

That was why he discussed this matter with Kumiko first, wanting to ask for her opinion.

"Hmm... This is difficult..." Kumiko furrowed her brows deeply, finally realizing why Higo had suddenly stopped moving in the last attack. After racking her brain, she finally met his eyes, and after that, a question was thrown out of her mouth. "Do you trust me, Ryukkun?"

Higo was startled before nodding quickly. "Of course, I trust you. Why wouldn’t I?" He asked back as if that was the stupidest question in the world.

"Good, because we are going to explain this matter to the others." Kumiko nodded. Before Higo could complain, she continued, "This is not a problem that could be solved in one day like magic, so for now, we have to think of an emergency solution. You cannot afford to get into that situation again, and the best way to do it is with the help of Makino-kun and Sano-kun, right?"

Higo pouted slightly when he heard that. He knew that the girl was right. What she said was the most logical and responsible choice to make in this situation. That didn’t mean he had to like it, though.

"Okay, since you agree, let me do the explanation. Come on, we have to be quick! Only five minutes left before the second half starts." Kumiko pushed him back to the locker room immediately. "Don’t worry, no one will laugh at you. If anything, they all will cooperate to hide this weakness from our opponent."

As they both were about to go back to the locker room, everyone inside started to panic, scrambling back to their original position.

"Damn! Don’t push around! Go quickly!"

"Shut up, you Idiot! This is your fault!"

"Hey, don’t be too loud! They would be able to hear us!"

Still, while they rushed back to their original chair, no one could hide their worry here. Even though they still didn’t know what Higo and Kumiko were talking about, everyone inside the locker room could figure out that this was a problem for the whole team.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait, as the moment Kumiko entered the room, she coughed immediately, gaining everyone’s attention in one go. Her look was solemn, enough to make them tense. Hell, some of them had already thought of the worst-case scenario, especially when they heard Kumiko’s first sentence.

"Okay, everyone! Listen here, because it seems we have more trouble than Sano-kun’s situation right now..."