The Rise of the Iron Wall!

"OH! The game starts! Papa, look! Ryu-nii is there!"

The moment the referee blew the whistle, the innocent excitement squealed by Chiaki Yoda was enough to melt the tension around. The girl, with a bunny beanie, bounced around enthusiastically as she watched the pitch with a pair of binoculars hanging around her neck.

"Oh, you cute girl! Are you happy to see your brother on the pitch?" Minami couldn’t help but squeal, hugging the girl tightly without even caring about her dad behind.

"Um!" Chiaki answered with the innocence that only a little girl like her could muster. "Ryu-nii is always so kind, buying me so many plushies! He just wants me to support him, so I will cheer the loudest for him!"

If it was a fantasy story, Minami would feel like her heart was pierced by an invisible arrow at this overload of cuteness. For a moment, she even forgot that the game had finally started, gushing over the cute little girl who treated Higo as her big brother.

’Does that mean I am her aunt? Oh, yes! I will spoil him to death, and I will also ask Ryukkun to visit her more!’ She took a note inside her head.

Both Kumiko and Ayaka, who saw this scene, were so speechless before turning their head quickly. Right now, they were busy recording everything around with their phones, sharing it as a story on their social media to show that Higo was making his debut today.

Yeah, somehow, in Higo’s big day like this, they spent the first few minutes busy with their phone, updating everything as if the world needed to know about it. Poor boy, he didn’t even know that all the important people in his life didn’t really pay attention to the game.

Unfortunately, that was the fate of a goalkeeper. Except when they were truly under attack, it was hard to pay attention to them. Even if Higo knew about how those three women acted, he would just twitch the corner of his lips quietly, but still accept that it was impossible to pay attention to him all the time.

Well, they didn’t need to wait for so long, because Higo’s first action happened quite soon.

It was the fourth minute of the game, and the ball went to the left side where Robert Skov got it. The Danish winger pushed the ball further down the byline, dragging Jonjoe Kenny to his side. Then, as all the players fought for a position to receive the crossing inside the box, the man made a different move, sending a cutback to the area slightly outside of the penalty box, where Christoph Baumgartner suddenly popped out of nowhere.

"OH, NO!"

Everyone on the stand gasped in horror, and Minami clenched the girl on her lap tighter unconsciously, her hand sweating coldly. No one noticed that the attacking midfielder who fought for a position in the box earlier suddenly dropped back further to receive a cutback pass, and in the next second...

BAM!

The man used his left foot to aim at the bottom corner, getting through all the crowd in front of him.

However, Higo was also faster than ever. His concentration was at its peak right now, and coupled with his clairvoyant ability, the boy could predict where the shot would land even before it was taken. As a result, he dived toward that side right when Baumgartner took the shot, and with a sweeping motion, his left hand managed to touch the ball to knock it outside of the pitch.

"OH! What a save, Higo!"

"It has to be him! Our Wakabayashi!"

"HIGO! HIGO! HIGO!"

"Come on, Ryu-nii! You are awesome!"

As the crowd cheered, the little girl also clapped enthusiastically. Even though she didn’t truly see her brother in action, the girl knew that he should’ve done something amazing to get this kind of reaction.

As for Kumiko and the others, they just let out a relieved sigh. The first chance was always the most dangerous one, as it was the time when the nerves were at their highest. They were so afraid that Higo would be too tense and make a stupid mistake in the process, ruining his debut from the very first start of the game.

"Well, it seems that we still underestimate our boy, huh?" Ayaka laughed wryly while her hand moved quickly, saving the footage of Higo’s save earlier on her phone. "I always treat him as a fragile boy who would crumble at the lightest pressure that he has ever faced, but honestly, he is stronger than I could ever think. That save is brilliant, and I am so sure that he will shine brighter than ever after this."

While Kumiko and Minami didn’t say anything, they both couldn’t help but agree with that statement. They also snorted amusedly as Koji Yabu, the father of that little girl, was roaring so loudly to cheer with the people around after seeing Higo’s save, somehow forgetting that he had a young daughter with him right now.

Unfortunately, Higo couldn’t hear the raging enthusiasm from the family box right now. No, even though he had just made his very first save of the game, the boy didn’t get relaxed immediately. If anything, his sense of danger heightened once again, remembering one statistic that Kumiko gave to him a few days ago.

"Hoffenheim is one of the most dangerous teams in the Bundesliga when it comes to crossing scenarios. They not only have Robert Skov, but a bunch of tall guys who are so good in an aerial duel. 52 percent of their goal so far come from this scenario, and that includes corner kicks or free kicks from the flank. So, you better keep your eyes on this, okay?"

Higo didn’t notice it at first, but now that he had to face a corner kick situation, the boy finally saw so many giants standing in front of him, all getting ready to fight for this cross. Looking at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes, the boy couldn’t help but smile wryly while also punching his fists secretly.

’Oh, if you think that being tall is enough to beat me here, you are so naïve! Come on, get it to me!’

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