Kumiko’s prediction came true.
Lee Kang-In, in his nervous state, tried his best to avoid the direction where his shot was blocked earlier. It seemed that the trauma, combined with the fear of failure, was too much for him to handle.
Unfortunately, his shot itself was far from being good.
Its route was weak, still within Higo’s reach. Not only that, the ball didn’t float that much, just slightly higher than Higo’s waist. As a result, even though the ball still slipped through Higo’s hand, with the goalkeeper’s good positioning, it hit his shoulder lightly, enough to deflect the ball to the sky.
BAM!
It took a whole second for everyone to process it, as all eyes were on the ball in the sky. However, once it fell on the ground, bouncing lightly on the grass, hell finally broke loose from all over the pitch.
"OH! THE THIRD SAVE!"
"Wait, what do you mean the third?! Did you forget the earlier penalty in the second half?!"
"Who the fuck is he?!"
At this point, people finally understood why Japan put Higo between the posts to handle the penalty. Everything was always under control, and even on one occasion where Oh Se-Hun managed to score, Higo still reacted in the right direction. He acted like he was born to save the penalty here.
Higo himself didn’t show any emotion. At this point, saving Lee Kang-In’s penalty didn’t feel special anymore. Instead, the boy just raised his hand, showing three fingers in the air. Yeah, three.
This was the third penalty that he saved in this shootout, allowing Japan to have one foot in the next round already. As long as the fourth penalty from them was in, the last round didn’t matter anymore; they would’ve been declared the winner already.
Makino and Kumiko just looked at each other for a moment, and in the end, they exchanged a high-five during the team’s celebration. Out of anyone else here, those two were probably the only ones who trusted Higo absolutely from the beginning, and now, seeing their friend thriving like this, a hint of a smile curled on their face.
"He really did it, huh?" Makino couldn’t help but mutter, shaking his head proudly. "That crazy bastard really doesn’t know how to stop..."
Kumiko also nodded, wiping a single tear on the corner of her eyes. She recalled everything that happened in the last couple of days, especially how insulted Higo was at the thought of him only handling a shootout like this. Now that the boy finally came out as the team’s hero, she couldn’t help but smile, inwardly thinking, ’Good for you, Ryukkun...’
Of course, while they were already half their way to the quarterfinals, they still needed to complete their journey here. This time, Miki Yamane came forward, holding the ball steadily without showing any emotion. Just like Morita, he acted as if this was an ordinary occasion, unfazed by any pressure surrounding him.
"Come on, Miki-san! This is your chance to shine!" Kawabe shouted from his spot. "I’ll reluctantly leave the job to be hero to you! Don’t disappoint us!"
"Tch! You bastard! You even failed to score your penalty, and now you have the guts to say you leave the hardest work to Yamane-kun?" Sugawara sneered at him in disgust. "Have a little bit of shame, please!"
"Okay, shut up and just watch!" Ito interrupted any argument before it could even start. His eyes were completely on the boy on the penalty spot, and even the ever-calm captain himself couldn’t help but say, "Get ready, because after this, we are going to celebrate the victory."
Those two paused for a second before they shared a similar grin. "I like the way you are thinking, Cap! Come on! We need to get ready to celebrate!"
Honestly, it was quite strange to put Miki Yamane in this most crucial situation. After all, they still had Mamoru, Miyashiro, or even Ito who could take that spot. However, Miki Yamane had one thing that he was better than anyone else.
Stability.
Out of anyone else, the boy and Morita were probably the only two players who could brush off even the most crucial stage as nothing, performing like it was just their daily training. Even Ito himself couldn’t do that, still knowing how to be nervous in this kind of situation. This quality was why those two were the most important players in a shootout, because they were always a guarantee for a point.
Compared to that, Miyashiro, the team’s top scorer who everyone thought should take a shot, didn’t have a chance here. The boy was a bundle of nerves in the most crucial stage. Even walking to the penalty spot would probably make him tremble, let alone executing it.
Also, Miki Yamane had one big advantage in taking the penalty right now. The one he faced was Kang Do-Jin, his goalkeeper teammate in high school. They had been fighting tooth and nail together for so long, and even though that meant the goalkeeper knew every trick of his, on the other side of the coin, Miki Yamane also knew how the boy would think.
That was why, even though there was a risk, trusting Miki Yamane was a no-brainer decision here.
Soon, the left back finally stood on the penalty spot, facing his teammate in this crucial battle. Kang Do-Jin’s expression was quite grim, finding this situation to be unfavorable for him. He had to save the penalty to give his team another life, but the boy also knew what his old captain was capable of.
’Even right now, I couldn’t read his intention at all.’ He scowled; his face was ashen. He exchanged glances with Miki Yamane for a moment, inwardly praying, ’Come on, Miki-san! Give this ball to me, please!’
Unfortunately, even if he said it out loud, there was no way in hell Miki Yamane would comply. Right now, they were enemies who fought for each other’s country, and friendship had no place in this situation.
FWEEE!
The referee finally blew the whistle, and Miki Yamane started his run immediately. There was no trick or deception here; every move was decisive. Kang Do-Jin also kept his eyes closely on the boy, and in the last second...
’THERE!’
BAM!