<h4>Chapter 18: Deep lying ymaker</h4>


    March 25, 2015


    A week before themencement of the All Japan interschool football tournament. The day when the tie-sheet of the tournament would get published.


    As usual yers of Ookami elementary school were going through a rough training session in preparation for the tournament.


    Just then assistant coach Honda made his way towards the pitch while carrying some paper''s in his hands.


    Beep!!


    With the sound of the whistle, everybody stopped the training. The sudden stoppage of the training confused everybody.


    "Alright everyone gather up."


    Honda sanmanded everybody to gather around. And with that announcement everybody started to gather around the coaches.


    "Is it for the tie-sheet?"


    yers began to question each other.


    While they gathered around the coach, Coach Miura started to speak;


    "The tiesheet for the tournament is out. Pay attention now as I''ll be announcing our first opponent and I''ll also be announcing the starting yers for the tournament."


    With that announcement, everybody started to get anxious. While there were few people on the pitch who maitained theirposure and didn''t seem bothered by the revtion.


    Most of the yers seemed extremely flustered and anxious.


    "Please God!! Let me make it to the team."


    "I''d be satisfied even if I can y as a substitute."


    The yers started to chatter among themselves.


    "Silence!!"


    Honda san yelled.


    After that nobody dared to make a single noise.


    "Before I announce the name of the team which we''ll be ying against, I''ve got a good news and a bad news."


    "Good news is that just like our school, we''ll be facing against a newbie school who have entered the tournament for the first time in our first match and -"


    "Woohoo!!"


    Before the coach could even finish his sentence, the yers started to cheer very loudly. They celebrated as if they had already won the first match of the tournament.


    "Silence!!"


    "Let the coach finish his sentence first."


    Once again Honda san yelled at them.


    "Sigh~"


    "Don''t celebrate too early. The bad news is that we''re ced in the same group as Karasuno elementary school."


    "Huh!! What??"


    The smiles on their face quickly faded away as they heard about the announcement made by coach Miura that they were ced in the same group as Karasuno elementary school.


    "Okay!! Okay!! Let''s keep it low for now. We''ve prepared enough, so let''s believe in our efforts."


    Coach Miura tried to raise the morale of the yers which was already crumbling just after hearing that they''ve been ced in the same group as one of the favourites of the tournament.


    After that coach Miura gestured Honda san toe closer and whispered something in his ear softly. As soon as coach Miura finished his sentence, Honda san stormed outside the pitch.


    "Before we end our training, I''ll announce the yers who are going to be our starting eleven."


    "Those who''s names are called, step forward."


    "In goal we have Mark Ueto from ss 6-B and Kobayashi Endo from ss 4-C."


    Kobayashi Endo was the same keeper who he had faced against during the match between the senior team and the junior team. Unlike Mark, Endo was kinda short. Endo was about the same height as Hiro. However his reflexes were top notch. His ystyle was simr to that of Iker Kasis.


    "Centre backs: Daichi Kamada from ss 4-B, Shinsuke Negura from ss 3-A, Yamamoto Kesuke from ss 5-B, Yamazaki Kento from ss 6-A and finally Nobara Akashi from ss 1-C.


    "Right backs: Gagamaru Gin from ss 2-A and Iori Sato from ss 3-B."


    "Left backs: Wataru Lemon from ss 5-A and Kusakabe Sou from ss 6-B"


    "Midfielders: Ito Rin from ss 4-B, Kosei Otsuka from ss 3-B, Ashime Suzuki from ss 5-A, Asahi Kuon from ss 6-B, Ryouske Ruon from ss 6-A and finally Takahashi Hiro from ss 1-B."


    "Forwards: Sohei Sato from ss 6-B, Suzuki Shiro from ss 4-A and finally Kurosaki Kuro from ss 3-B."


    "All of these yers have been selected as the starting yers for the tournament ahead. But the list could change anytime, so don''t take your position for granted. Even those who''s names were not called today have an equal chance to make it into the team. So don''t feel sad about it. Do you understand??"


    The yers who''s names were not called looked extremely gloomy. Some even started to cry in the pitch. While some started to whine andin.


    "Why are those first years selected and not us??"


    One of the senior yerined.


    "Because youck the skill."


    Coach Miura bluntly stated the truth in his face.


    "And those who are not satisfied with my decisions are free to leave the team."


    To control the tantrums of the unselected yer''s, coach Miura announced that anyone who was not satisfied with his decision was allowed to leave the club.


    "So are you going to leave the club?"


    He then pointed his finger at the senior yer who was throwing a tantrum. The senior yer quietly took a step back and shut his mouth. After that nobody dared to speak anything against his decision.


    The team mostly consisted of the senior yers and the only first years who even got the shot at the starting eleven were only Akashi and Hiro.


    After themotion, the coach adjourned the training. Everybody aside from the starting yer''s were advised to leave the pitch.


    And as everybody aside from the starting yers left the pitch, coach Miuramanded the starting yers to follow him.


    "I can''t believe, I made it to the team."


    Akashi whispered in excitement while following the coach. Even though he was only whispering, due to his loud voice everybody around them could hear him.


    "Shh!! Don''t make noise."


    Hiro insisted Akashi to keep his mouth shut.


    "Why is he taking us into the hall??"


    Akashi questioned as the coach stopped before the auditorium.


    Coach Miura took them inside the auditorium.


    Inside the auditorium, infront of the stage, a projection was being disyed by a projector on a huge white cloth hung infront of the stage. Seeing the projection, everybody bewilderingly stared at the projection ahead.


    "Are we going to watch a movie??"


    Akashi eximed in ecstasy.


    "No you idiot! We''re probably here for some video analysis."


    "Video analysis?? What is that??"


    While most people would avoid Akashi for his appearance and manner of speech, surprisingly Hiro and Akashi had many things inmon with each other.


    After the first match, Akashi approached him daily and tried to converse with him. At first Hiro felt awkward around him and brushed him off by giving him one word answers.


    He expected that he''d stop eventually but contrary to his expectations, Akashi approached him daily without missing a single day. He''d approach him while heading home, he''d approach him in the cafeteria while eating, he''ll even try to converse with him while going to toilet.


    Even though Akashi followed him basically everywhere, he didn''t detect any ill motive from him and he could feel that he genuinely wanted to befriend him.


    However Hiro who was already 27 years from the inside thought of Akashi as a little kid instead of a friend. But he didn''t want to decline his genuine intentions as well. And thus he befriended Akashi in the end, giving in to his persistence.


    Although he talked with Akashi as a friend, he considered him more like a little brother than his friend.


    "Okay!! Now, everybody pay attention."


    Coach Miura spoke while standing infront of the stage.


    "Now I''ll be discussing our tactics, so don''t get distracted."


    Coach Miura then started to discuss tactics with the starting yers. The formation they were going to y in the tournament was 4-4-2 diamond. With two forwards at the top, four midfielders and four defenders, Hiro was assigned the role of attacking midfielder.


    Even though Akashi got selected in the team, he wasn''t selected in the starting eleven. And in that whole lineup, Hiro was the sole first year.


    Around the time when the coach revealed the starting eleven, he could vividly feel the cold gazes of the senior yers. But those gazes weren''t the gaze of jealousy, instead it was a gaze initiating apetition.


    "Hiro!! Even though you''ll be ying as an attacking midfielder, I want you to drop deep to receive the ball and y as a deep lying ymaker. Do you understand?"


    "Yes sir!!"


    The coach wanted Hiro to y as a deep lying ymaker and dominate the midfield.


    And just like that after exining the tactics to the yer''s who were selected for the tournament, coach Miura adjourned the meeting.


    "Lucky you, You''ll get to y in the starting eleven."


    While they were changing their clothes, Akashi yfully punched him.


    "What''s lucky about it. Do you think that I don''t deserve my role??"


    Hiro returned the punch and questioned Akashi.


    "Don''t joke!! I don''t know who''ll deserve it, if not you. But even though I''ve been drafted into the official team, I don''t know if coach will even use me or not."


    Akashi frowned.


    "Don''t worry you''ll definitely get your opportunity, so keep on improving. Also you''re much softer than you appear. hahaha"


    Hiro chuckled as he consoled Akashi.