Soon enough, all the players from both teams came out of the tunnel one by one. Higo was the last one there since the boy chatted a little bit with Kumiko first, but when he stepped into the field, the boy couldn’t help but shiver, somehow feeling a little bit cold right now.

’Damn, I just rested for 15 minutes, and I need to warm up again? Playing in the winter is really troublesome...’ He cursed.

That wasn’t the only problem. No, if anything, the weather seemed to get worse, as the snow also started to fall. The intensity was so low, and it didn’t really affect the overall temperature here. However, at the end of the day, snow was formed by water, so when it fell, it would make the whole ground slippery. This would be another challenge for both teams today.

"What are you thinking, Chibi?" Makino asked when he saw the boy’s thoughtful face. When his friend explained the problem, the captain frowned a little bit before letting out a deep sigh. "Sometimes, with how crazy your ability is, I forgot that you just joined the team in April..."

"Um? What is the problem?" This time, it was Higo who frowned here.

"Well, what you said is indeed a problem for any other team, but for us, Hokkaido people?" Makino snorted. "Did you forget that snowy pitch is just our backyard? We have been practicing in this kind of battlefield since we were old enough to remember our first ever training, so if anything, the situation should be in our favor right now."

When he heard about this, Higo was so stunned that he stared blankly at the captain for a full ten seconds. He didn’t expect that the trouble he had in his mind would turn out to be the hidden strength for his team.

"So, yeah, don’t worry about us. Just make sure you didn’t embarrass yourself by slipping stupidly on the ground." Makino patted his shoulder playfully before starting to warm up again.

"... Damn, this is stupid!" After recovering from the shock, Higo couldn’t help but groan. "He can say like that so easily, but what about me?! I have never played outside when the weather is snowy, for God’s sake!" He cried in frustration.

Yeah, sometimes, people really forget that before joining the football team, Higo was just a normal NPC who didn’t like going outside. When it was winter, he would spend most of his time chilling under the warm kotatsu while playing with his phone, only going out after getting dragged by either his mom or Kumiko. Now, it seemed that his lazy ass personality started to bite his ass here.

"Come on, Senpai! Get ready!" Jun called him out, snapping him from his own thought. "The second half is about to begin here!"

"Sure!" He replied, starting to run back to his own territory.

Once Higo was there, the referee also started to check everything here. In the center circle, both Kenji and Hiroshi had already been there, waiting for the man to blow the whistle. The crowd also started buzzing, getting restless over the current situation.

"COME ON, TOIN GAKUEN!"

"SHOW ’EM! SHOW ’EM! TOIN GAKUEN!"

It was such an impressive display that even during cold weather like this, most of their supporters still stayed to accompany their team until the end. Unfortunately, all the Hakodate Nishi players couldn’t feel any sympathy right now. No, they were bound to be the villains today, destroying the dream of around 5000 people who gathered here.

"Don’t mess this up, Kenji-kun," Hiroshi mumbled lightly, trying to act nonchalant.

"Hah! If anything, I should be the one who said that!" Kenji also replied with the same casual attitude, pretending to tie his shoelaces there. "I have scored one before, I cannot mess this up! It is you who have to step up your game, Senpai!" He grinned secretly, not wanting the conversation to get overheard by their opponents.

Right now, they still wanted to give the impression that no blitzkrieg would happen. If somehow, they got excited out of nowhere, this would reveal their plan prematurely, which would throw away all of the scenarios inside their head into the trash bin. No, subtlety was the key, and since they were not the best actors in the world, the only way to do so was by avoiding eye contact with the opponents at all costs.

Toin Gakuen themselves didn’t really know that Hakodate Nishi was planning their demise right now. Oh, they knew about the existence of the Blitzkrieg attack, but they themselves had never seen it directly. Also, with Hakodate Nishi being on the lead in their first game in the National Tournament, no one really thought that they would go crazy like that.

That was also going to be their downfall here.

FWEEE!

The moment the referee blew the whistle, Hiroshi kicked the ball back immediately to Takaaki. Then, he, Kenji, the twins, and Usami started to rush forward, running frantically like they were in a sprint race. Just within a second, Toin Gakuen’s territory was surrounded by Hakodate Nishi’s players immediately, and when he saw this, Naoya Takahashi couldn’t help but curse at his opponent.

"FUCK! THEY ARE COMING! DROP BACK! KEEP AN EYE FOR EACH ONE OF THEM!" He shouted so loudly, sweat dropping on his face, even though he had just come back from the break. "LEFT SIDE! LEFT SIDE!" He pointed so aggressively, even coming to that side to help.

He couldn’t help it here. After all, Kenji, Denki, and Usami gathered at that flank together, overwhelming them with numbers. Somehow, this reminded him of their usual strategy, and he didn’t expect that this would come to bite their ass now.

However, the ball didn’t come to that side. No, those three were the distractions, as Takaaki sent a precise ping pass onto the opposite flank. It pierced the midfield area before landing straight to Hiroshi’s feet, and the boy pulled the world-class first-touch control that allowed him to make an immediate run straight to the penalty box.

"YES! COME ON, HIROSHI!"