Chapter 178: Last Preparation before the Winter Tournant Begins
"Okay, listen, everyone!" Kumiko raised her voice once again, snapping everyone from their ssy thought. "I know that you all are excited about taking action, and I know that we have improved a lot throughout the year, but I will still remind you again about a few things here!"
All the Hakodate Nishi player straightened their back imdiately, knowing that this was the ti to get serious.
"First of all, no looking down on your opponent." The girl said it seriously. "It is not just because we are afraid that they will surprise us or to respect the ga more, but all of your bad attitudes will be taken to the note by the referee, and they have an alliance where they talk about teams with a bad attitude like that. We don’t want to make enemies of the ref, okay?"
They all nodded in agreent, knowing that this was crucial information. While the referee’s task was to stay neutral, at the end of the day, he was a normal human being who could get swayed by emotion.
A bad impression of the ref might not change the big decision, but the subtle clash or ambiguous definition could definitely be shifted away from their direction because of that.
"Second, regarding our lineup." She continued.
This ti, so of them, especially those freshn and the players who were competing against them, tensed for a mont. Hori, especially, started to sweat. Since he decided to co back to the team, the boy had been working harder than usual, not wanting to lose against his kouhai. Now, it was ti to prove whether all the efforts were worth the ti or not.
Or... So that was what he thought.
However, Kumiko didn’t reveal a big list of nas here.
"There is no fixed lineup for our team. I will only choose the best eleven depending on the situation, on who is in their best state, and what we need more in that ga. We might have to play the twins at the sa ti if we want to have an attacking ga, or we might even play Sano-kun if we control the ball more on the ground. So, get ready for everything, okay?"
Well, it was anticlimactic, and it would be a lie if all of them said that they were disappointed that there was no fix lineup here. However, that ant everyone still had a chance, and this was definitely better for the team, since all the players would be so motivated to stay on top of their level in every ga they played.
"Sano-kun, unfortunately for you, I will also ask you to be our backup goalkeeper. Tell
if you are not willing to do that, okay?" Kumiko asked the tough-looking guy on the back.
Sano was taken aback when he was called like this. The boy was more like a do-it boy, though, so he just nodded silently, giving Kumiko a thumbs-up for his agreent.
This was not an impromptu decision, either. The team had already prepared this from the beginning, what with Kumiko training Sano as a backup goalkeeper while also being a defender for the team.
It was not an ideal situation, especially since Sano himself didn’t have the talent to guard the goal. However, this was the solution that she could think of right now, so at least, until they got new mbers next year, they had to rely on Sano after Higo retired from the team.
’This also reminds
that I have to search for my replacent.’ Kumiko thought inwardly. ’I have to make sure that this ship can still run even after I retire, but I cannot pick any head coach outside, or they would only ruin it if they don’t know what they are doing. I have to be careful about this.’
This was a big issue for a team with a student as the manager, since they had to search for a new one after that particular student retired.It would be okay if the student themselves didn’t do well in their job, but Kumiko did fucking everything to build the team from scratch to the point that they could compete at such a high level like this.
Her presence was irreplaceable, and it would be a big loss for the team next year.
Still, this was a problem for the future. Now, they had a ga to prepare, especially since there was only a week since the tournant’s bracket was announced, so the first ga had to be played.
"So, you are going to play in the school?" Minami, Higo’s mother, asked.
It was the night after the training was over, and while preparing dinner for his mother, Higo just chatted around casually, giving her an update about what he was doing at school.
"Yup! Yup! We are fortunate not to have to go to Sapporo in the first round." Higo nodded while tasting the dark curry in the pot, nodding slightly when he was satisfied with the result. "Also, you can co to watch as well! It has been a long ti since you ca, right?" The boy asked.
The mother blinked for a second, then clapped loudly as if she had just realized that. "You are right! I was so busy with the work that I forgot to co and see you!" She exclaid with a little hint of guilt in her tone.
"Eh, no need to fret over it." Higo shrugged. "I an, besides the Niigata tournant, we didn’t really do a lot of practice matches, so there is nothing to watch."
Minami nodded slightly, pondering for a mont before asking, "Speaking of Niigata, what about your offer to go to that team? Will you take it?"
Higo stiffened for a mont when he heard that, not expecting his mother to remind him of this again. Well, not like he didn’t expect that, honestly. The others might forget about it, but his mother would never.
It was related to his MVP award from the Niigata tournant. The other result was a tryout opportunity for Albirex Niigata, and it wasn’t just an empty promise. They promised a chance to do that after Higo graduated, so this was indeed the right ti to discuss it.
Unfortunately, Higo wasn’t really ready to start this conversation, so after thinking about it, he just let out a deep sigh and smiled weakly at his mother.
"Sorry, Mom, but I still don’t know what to do. Can we think about this more after this winter tournant is over?"
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