"Yes! Come on!"

The moment the referee blew the whistle, all the Hakodate Nishi players scrambled on the pitch, hugging each other with great joy on their faces. While this wasn’t their first time anymore, they were still enthusiastic about advancing to the final, as not every team had the chance to do so.

"Hey, Takaaki, you bastard! Since when did you have the ability to show off like that?! I mean, two beautiful goals?! What the fuck?!" Fujinaga laughed while rubbing the glasses boy’s hair quite violently.

"Oh, stop it, Fuji! No! My glasses!"

"Hey, Denji! Denki! Come here! Why are you always following Hiroshi! Come on, have a drink!"

"Sano, you are the main character today! Show some personalities!"

"Oi, Kenji! You didn’t even play, how could you be the one who celebrates the hardest?!"

Cheers and laughter could be seen as all the Hakodate Nishi players walked back to the bench. Kumiko had already waited for them there, and of course, the first thing she did was to guide them all to the supporter’s stand. There, they saw a small group of people with black-and-white jerseys, gathering on the northern part of the goal straight behind Esashi’s goal, waving at them cheerfully.

"Come on, everyone! Good job!"

"Usa-chan, you did a fucking great job! As expected from my son, hahaha!"

"Hiro-chan, I am so sorry! I don’t have any record of your goal!"

All the Hakodate Nishi players just blushed and scratched the back of their necks awkwardly under their praises. Yeah, those were the parents’ association who promised that they would be late before. No one knew when they arrived here, but it would be a lie if the players said they weren’t touched by their parents’ support here.

Higo himself just smiled wanly as he applauded back to the crowd. He knew that his mother wasn’t here, and she would only come in the final. That didn’t mean he couldn’t be jealous, though, as he really missed one familiar figure who would always hold a small pocket camera to immortalize his youth. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

While they were still greeting the supporters, of course, the losing side of the game would have a different story. All the Esashi players could be seen lying on the grass, some still covering their faces in tears. Jirokichi himself could be seen consoling some of his players; all the stern and harsh words seemed to be gone from him.

Nishimura, particularly, was the most emotional here. The boy didn’t even hide his tears, as he was crying straight on the spot and had to be consoled by his friends.

"Come on, Nishimura! You have done a great job in carrying us here! At least, hold your head high!"

"Yes! It is our fault that we cannot meet your expectations, Senpai! We are so sorry!"

Honestly, it wasn’t like they were crying for their defeat. If anything, they were like this because their captain was so emotional right now. After all, the boy was already in his senior year, and this defeat was definitely going to be his last game in his high school career.

This was the harsh reality of the winter tournament. This was the place where so many young adults had to bury their dreams forever, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to step into this stage again for the rest of their lives. Every game seemed to be walking on a thin rope, with one loss to be enough to end their high school career.

All the Hakodate Nishi players also saw this, and honestly, they couldn’t laugh at their opponents for their reaction. While most of them hated Esashi High for their dirty trick, they still had to admit that the team under Jirokichi’s leadership was a tough opponent to beat.

Higo, Makino, and Kuroki also stared at each other right now; their breath was heavier than ever. This could definitely be the scene in the final game, and it would be a lie if they said they weren’t terrified of this. They were so close to creating history here, but losing would also force them to go to an early retirement. That was definitely the worst-case scenario here.

’No, no, no, that won’t do.’ Makino shook his head strongly, trying to banish that negative thought from his head. ’We have already reached this far, and I’d die standing to get us into the national stage! Sapporo Otani has done this so many times throughout the year, and now, it’s our turn to do so!’

Somehow, even after winning their game, the atmosphere shifted suddenly, as some of them realized that the fight was not over yet. Seeing this, Kumiko also figured out what was inside their mind, so she didn’t hesitate to bring them back to the locker room to take their things and leave, helping them rest for the game a few days later.

Coincidentally enough, though, the moment they left the locker room, all the Sapporo Otani players had already waited outside, as they were going to occupy the nest immediately. It was as if a plot of a film where enemies met in a small alley, and the moment they met each other’s eyes, tension rose to its peak immediately.

"Great game, Hakodate Nishi." In the end, it was Rin Mito who spoke, as his voice carried more authority even among the Sapporo Otani team. "Just wait a little bit more, because we are coming for you."

Right after that, the boy stepped into the locker room, ignoring the dumbfounded Hakodate Nishi group, who still hadn’t left yet. The Sapporo Otani players followed one by one without looking at them, having their focus completely on the game. Honestly, with how they acted, people would think that they were about to go to war right now.

"Okay, everyone. Don’t just stay here like a bunch of fools." Kumiko finally spoke as well, snapping them out of their daydreaming. "The next game is about to begin, so we need to get out first. After this, we will be back on the stand to watch their game, so fill our stomach first to recover ourselves, okay?"