Of course, the most tense one here was Higo. After all, he was the one who was suffering right now, and knowing that he was being targeted like this, the boy couldn’t help but groan, wanting to bash that old man’s head into the ground. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do right now except to grit his teeth, getting ready for the bumpy ride after this.

’Oh, fuck it! Even if I cannot rush forward, I still have my clairvoyance ability!’ He scowled before calling out his fellow defenders. "Listen, I know this might be pretentious, but I need you guys to trust my instructions. I read the game faster and will be able to notice what they are doing quickly and will shout an absurd instruction, but I need you guys to follow me. Is that okay?" He asked cautiously.

The three center backs: Makino, Ishinori, and Sano, stared at each other silently for a second before giving a simultaneous nod. "Of course, Senpai. That would be the easiest thing to do in my life." Ishinori sent a thumbs-up.

Higo himself was dumbfounded at how quickly they were trusting him. Makino saw this and snorted. "What? You think we will not believe in you? Give us some credit, Chibi. We all know your game reading ability and command are always spot on. Following your words is definitely the best way to solve this ordeal."

Sano also gave a small, rare smirk while he wiped the sweat on his forehead. "Just tell me where to go and what to do, and you can consider the job done, Senpai."

Higo was so touched by their trust that words failed to escape his throat. He gulped slightly, and in the end, only one word managed to get in the air.

"... Thanks."

The other three just gave a simple nod before going back to their position, acting as if it was not a big deal.

After this, the game continued again, starting with a throw-in for Esashi High. True to Hakodate Nishi’s prediction, Esashi suddenly made a change in their offensive shape, with Nishimura dropping and two wingers shrinking into the penalty box, as if wanting to increase the number of people there. This only made everyone alert, knowing that a storm was coming.

Soon enough, the first fifty-fifty cross finally came. Even when he was under pressure, Nishimura managed to shake off Kazawa for a split second before lofting a cross high onto the far post.

Seeing this, Higo really wanted to make a move. However, his feet couldn’t move, as if something was entangling him to stay on that spot. Fortunately, he had already predicted this, and with his clairvoyance ability, the boy saw clearly where the ball would land next. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Sano, move back! It falls behind you, don’t let him jump!" He shouted.

Sano also reacted quickly. Even though he was in the middle of guarding that Mochizuki who was rushing straight to Higo, the boy didn’t hesitate to let that boy go, turning around to catch the left winger ready to jump for the ball. He didn’t hesitate, leaping first in such an intimidating way that it was enough to make the winger cower in death.

Seeing the tall figure in front of him jump, of course, that winger would hesitate to do the same. He backed down immediately, not wanting to have a clash in mid-air. As a result, the chance became wasteful here.

The cross that was perfect since it passed through Sano’s head and would land in him if he jumped now went wide with no one touching it, resulting in a goal kick for Hakodate Nishi.

"Yes! Good defense, Sano!" Higo grinned, helping his kouhai to get up from the ground.

Sano himself also nodded with a subtle smirk on his face. "You too, Senpai. Good call."

Of course, for this failure, the Esashi High’s head coach would never be happy. Just within a second, the man’s scream was booming instantly throughout the stadium, enough to make everyone’s ears ring with a headache.

"KIKUTA, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, MORON! HOW MUCH MONEY DID THEY PAY YOU TO MISS THAT?! JUMP, FOR GOD’S SAKE! THAT’s YOUR FUCKING JOB, AND YOU ONLY HAVE THAT! I CANNOT BELIEVE—"

The man kept spouting his colorful vocabulary for a full thirty seconds before the referee finally had enough and dealt with the situation. No one really knew what the referee said here, but after a while, Jirokichi finally stopped shouting. However, his face was still so dark, and his gaze was full of threat toward that winger.

It was as if he was saying, ’If you dare to mess up again, I will deal with you later!’

Poor boy, his face was so white as if blood had been drained from his brain. His steps suddenly became so weak that he stumbled upon even the smallest rock on the pitch. Still, not a single player on Hakodate Nishi’s side took pity on him. In their mind, the more the coach exploded and scolded the players, the better the future would be for them.

’Yeah, just kill them morally and let us have the win today!’

After this, the game continued again, and yet, it was clear that Esashi High’s game became more restrained. They still used the same strategy, launching a lofty cross close to the goalkeeper in the hope of taking advantage of Higo’s mental block. However, the boy was clever enough, using his teammates and his game-reading ability to fight without even having contact with the ball.

From the outside perspective, it looked like Hakodate Nishi’s defensive discipline played the biggest role here. After all, Higo himself didn’t even lift a finger, except for on a few occasions where he picked up the easy loose ball around. However, for those who understood, they were so solemn right now, finding the situation to be more troublesome than ever.

"I have never thought this could happen, but how could he..." Rin Mito felt the corner of his lips twitching when he said this. "How could that dude gain so much improvement just in one summer? Is he a monster or what