A few days later, they had finally arrived at the game day. Unlike before, though, where they would always play at either Lublin or Gdynia, in the northern part of the country, this time they were going to Bielsko-Biała, a city in the southern part of the country.
It was another gorgeous city, being known for its stunning architecture, beautiful mountain views, and rich textile heritage. At least, that was what the Internet said.
’This city would be a perfect date place, and Kumiko-chan owes me one for that little promise in the last game.’ Higo couldn’t help but think once the bus entered the city.
Unfortunately, he was not here to have fun. No, this beautiful city was also the home base of the Senegal team in this tournament, so they were here as a guest, intending to kick out their opponent from their temporary home.
Soon enough, they arrived at another big stadium that looked a little bit dilapidated, not in the sense that they were old, but that no one had played there in a long time. Somehow, it seemed that almost every stadium that they played in this country was in that situation.
Still, this shabby stadium was now filled with people, as, with a capacity of 15,000 people, around 10,000 people had already arrived.
At this point, the tournament had already entered the quarterfinal stage, and just like all the high school tournaments that Higo experienced in the past, the number would rise so quickly the closer they were to the final. All the Japanese supporters who were at the South Korean game could also be seen in the stands, and Higo even waved at Chiaki and her father for a moment.
However, once they were in their warm-up session, the boys finally saw their opponent, and they couldn’t help but gulp here. After all, most of the Senegalese players there were huge. No, not just huge. They were so fucking MASSIVE!
They didn’t look like they were a bunch of teenagers around 20 years old. No, they were like veterans who had just come from their military assignment, and while they were doing their warm-up casually, there was still a hint of killing intent leaking in the air.
"Okay, this is getting ridiculous here..." Naoya laughed weakly, feeling his legs wobbling.
Of course, there would always be one person who didn’t fear anything in the team. That was the one and only Zion Suzuki, as the boy approached one of them with his usual friendliness.
"Hey, my name is Zion! This is going to be our first matchup, right? Let’s have a good game!" He introduced himself cheerfully.
Higo felt like he was going to slap his forehead right now. One moment the boy was under his gaze, and the next time he turned around, the boy had already disappeared, creating a ruckus on the opponent’s side.
"Sorry, everyone. That boy is my responsibility; I will take care of him." Higo mumbled before running to his troublesome kouhai, not even waiting for any answer.
On the other side of the pitch, Zion was surrounded by the Senegalese players. However, the boy didn’t look nervous at all here. Hell, if anything, it seemed that he had made some friends with them.
"Anyway, this is the first time I’ve seen a black person representing an Asian country. Do you have African blood in you?" Someone on the opponent team suddenly asked.
"Yeah, my dad is Ghanaian, and my mother is Japanese." Zion chirped happily, not even getting bothered at sharing too much personal information here. "I grew up in Japan, though, and I know my country well enough, so it is not difficult to pick Japan over Ghana."
"Ha! I know it!" That person exclaimed happily.
"It is good that you didn’t pick Ghana. Even though things are better back in Africa, Japan is definitely a better choice for young players to develop themselves." The other nodded solemnly.
Seeing that they were in the middle of a serious conversation, Higo felt so awkward for having to break it. Unfortunately, he had received a stern glare from Kageyama-sensei from afar, so in the end, the boy gritted his teeth and said, "I am so sorry, everyone, but we have to go first. Our coach has already called us there." He even pointed at Kageyama-sensei on the bench as validation.
"Ah, right! We still have a game to prepare!" Zion slapped his forehead for forgetting this part. "Anyway, thank you for the little chat, everyone! Let’s do this again after the game is over!" He waved at the opponent players as if they were his long-lost friends.
Higo couldn’t help but shake his head in exasperation. "You know what, while I am happy that you didn’t let your mistake in the last game bother you too much, I think you are easier to handle when you don’t jump around so crazily like this."
"Bah! What is the fun if you are not actively making friends like this?!" Zion just brushed off his concern nonchalantly. "Anyway, let’s go back first; Kageyama-sensei has been waiting for us! I don’t want to get scolded again!"
This time, Higo could feel the corner of his lips twitching at the boy’s audacity to say that. In the end, though, he just sighed once again, shaking his head helplessly. ’How could I not just be the team’s second goalkeeper, but also his babysitter here?’
Fortunately, the coach wasn’t really angry with them. No, if anything, they were still in their last preparation before the game began, giving the players one final talk before sending them to the battlefield.
"Okay, the tactic is solid, and you guys know which one to keep your eyes on and which space to attack later." The man spoke, standing in a circle that was created by the players around him. "One thing I need to emphasize more here is to stay disciplined in everything! Follow the instructions properly, and don’t let your ego take over yourself! We have done a great job in the game against South Korea, so let’s do it again today!"
"YES, SIR!"