Chapter 193: Third Round Begins!
One day later, all the Hakodate Nishi players were finally back in Sapporo. However, they were not going to the do yet. No, instead, they went to the northwest part of the city, where Hokkaido University was located.
The school they were going to fight in, Hokkaido University Science of High School, was located five minutes away from the university, so it didn’t take long before they arrived at the destination.
Once they arrived, though, so of them had their jaws dropped in shock while the others were blinking furiously, bewildered at the sight in front of them.
"Holy hell... Is this the kind of building that could exist in the world?" Fujinaga was too dumbfounded to lower his voice right now.
"Sapporo has this kind of building? How could we not know about it before?" Hori added, his eyes shining in astonishnt.
In front of them was far from being a normal school building. No, it was a modern architecture with two buildings being stacked next to each other. One was with the almost-star-like shape, and the other was with a sharp triangular design as if it were a birthday cake that had been cut so precisely with the most cutting-edge technology in the world.
This was definitely an unusual approach, one that could bring a new breath to the community. If there was one thing that they would give a minus point, it would be how colorless everything was, all being painted in white. Honestly, except for the students, there was nothing distinguishing the building from any normal hospital outside.
"Okay, everyone, just wait here. I will ask soone to guide us to the pitch." Kumiko spoke, not even being unfazed by the scenery in front of her.
Well, not that anyone dared to leave the pack, what with how mind-blowing everything around them was. Honestly, this was not the first ti they were in Sapporo, but this was definitely the most amazing building they had ever seen with their own eyes. With how they acted, they couldn’t even fault anyone for being called a bunch of country bumpkins here.
Fortunately, Kumiko ca back quickly, bringing a local student to help them get to the pitch. They were led to the ground behind the building, where the ho team’s players had already started their warmup.
Seeing this, everyone couldn’t help but let out a big sigh unconsciously.
"Damn, I thought they would be as scary as their school building, but it seems they are more normal than I thought." Jun cracked a joke with a wry smile.
The others didn’t say anything, but they definitely agreed with the sentint. Even though they knew it was impossible, their wild teenage imagination told them that only an alien-like student could go to this kind of school, so everything should be far from being normal in this place.
"Don’t daydream too far, okay? Also, don’t waste your stamina thinking too much, or you will crumble like the last ga." Makino snorted, reminding all the players here sarcastically. "Get ready to warm up, and do it seriously. Don’t get injured over a stupid thing, understand?"
"Yes, Captain..."
Right after that, all the players moved, starting to do their warmup. However, one thing that bothered them here was how crowded the sideline was, as a lot of people ca there to watch the ga live.
"Kyah! That’s Nori-kun, right?! He is so cool!"
"Hey, hey, who do you think will win the ga?"
"I an, I don’t know... Hakodate Nishi is the second-seeded team, right?"
"Bah! That ans nothing!"
Higo’s expression turned somber when he noticed this. Honestly, the atmosphere was even worse than when the team played against Sapporo Otani last sumr.
At least, in the Sapporo Do, the distance between the stands and the pitch was quite far. This ti, though, from the small space where the players could do a throw-in to the place where the audience gathered, everything seed so close, giving a suffocating atmosphere here. Not only that, their chants and cheers would be even louder than usual, giving a more intimidating pressure toward the away team.
"Kumiko-chan..." He whispered, as if wanting to warn the girl.
"Don’t worry, I notice this as well." Kumiko’s nod was solemn. "Our current starting lineup is filled with those who have the nerve of steel, so you don’t have to worry about the crowd. If they couldn’t bear with it, though, I will make the change accordingly."
Higo nodded quietly, going back to his warmup. At least Kumiko noticed the problem, so it should be manageable.
The others were still in awe, sohow getting nervous in the atmosphere. However, once they touched the ball, everything seed to fade in the background, as they only cared about their own world.
"Oi, Chibi, any last words before the ga starts?" Makino asked to establish the line of communication with the goalkeeper.
"Just try to keep your eyes on each other. Abraham Nori lives and thrives in the offside line, so don’t let him escape through your grasp." Higo reminded.
"Got it!"
After they had done their warm-up and everything was ready to play, the starting lineup made two long lines imdiately, walking behind as the referee led them to the pitch. They did so sort of formality, from shaking hands with each other to the point where Makino made a quick coin toss with the opponent’s captain to determine which one held the kickoff first.
Higo himself didn’t give a shit about that. Once he stood in front of the goal, he shook the nets first for a mont, before kissing the two goalposts quickly for a good luck ritual.
The next mont, Makino finally finished the coin toss ceremony, and in the end, the kickoff was on the ho team’s side first. Not that it really mattered, as, other than the chance to get a blitzkrieg attack, there was really no benefit to getting a kickoff first.
Once the referee blew the whistle, though, the move that Hokkaido Science High did was truly a shocker. Instead of taking it slow and trying to build up a possession play, they kicked the ball forward imdiately, leaving all the Hakodate Nishi players in bewildernt.
"What the hell are they trying to do here?!"
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