Chapter 425 Face-off


    ??The locker room of Kawasaki was charged with palpable tension at the moment as yers prepared themselves for the match against the league leader, Kobe. Most of them had already got dressed and were waiting for their coach''s final words while some appeared to be in some kind of slump.


    Currently, there were two kinds of people present in the locker room; one who was excited about the match and the other who was anxious about the match.


    Yet still, it was rather quiet here at the moment.


    Already ustomed to the ways of his teammates, the quietness in the locker room before the start of an important match wasn''t a new thing for Hiro. Often, they preferred to remain silent to prepare mentally against what was about toe.


    "You nervous, kid?" Asahi tried to initiate a conversation with him.


    "Well, a little, but not much," Hiro answered honestly without hiding anything.


    After all, it''d be lying if he were to say that he wasn''t even a bit nervous at all. The opponent they were going to face today was a rather formidable team full of stars. Even the legendary Andreas Iniesta had yed for this club.


    And, even now they weren''tcking yers of high caliber.


    Everyone was already aware of the difficulty of the match, and thus many were rather quiet at the moment.


    "At least you''re honest about your feelings," Asahi said.


    Then while they were conversing, Coach Tatsuya walked inside. Upon his arrival, everybody stopped their gossip as they directed their attention towards him.


    Standing at the center of the room, he swept his gaze across the entire room, scanning each yer''s face, and gauzing their readiness.


    "Alright, everyone," Coach Tatsuya began, his voice steady but powerful, cutting through the anxious silence. "We all know what''s at stake today. Vissel Kobe is at the top of the league, and we have a chance to change that. We''ve trained hard, and we''vee a long way. This is our moment."


    They were right behind the league leaders, so even though they had plenty of matches left to be yed, today''s match wasn''t just any match, but this was the match that could very well redefine their season.


    Both being a formidable team, it was unlikely for either of them to lose many of their other matches. So, as much as it meant to them, this match was equally important for the opposing team as well. After all, they had an opportunity to extend their lead even further.


    While Hiro and his teammates had an opportunity to surpass them.


    His words had an immediate effect as they drew the attention of his yers towards him.


    "Remember the preparation we''ve put in. Every drill, every strategy session—it all leads to this. Trust in your skills, trust in each other. y with heart, and don''t forget why we love this game."


    They had been preparing intensely for this match for a while by now. Analyzing their y, creating strategies to nullify their y, and going through a rigorous training regime, they had been training intensely for the past few weeks for this match.


    And, Tatsuya''s words exactly reflected the amount of effort they had put in.


    Tatsuya then paused for a while to let his words sink in, "This match means everything. It''s not just about the points; it''s about pride, it''s about proving ourselves. You have the talent, you have the drive, and now, you have the opportunity. Let''s seize it."


    As he said, a murmur of agreement rippled through the team. The tension began to ease and was reced by a burgeoning sense of determination.


    "Stay sharp, stay focused. And most importantly, enjoy the game. Let''s go out there and show them what we''re made of," Tatsuya finished, pping his hands together.


    Just as he finished his words, the team roared in unison, and suddenly it got extremely noisy. A sharp contrast to the previous atmosphere at the locker room, right now it was bustling with energy and passion.


    Then they all exited the locker room. Their morale was at an all-


    time high, and so were their spirits. It was almost as if they weren''t worried about the match at all.


    And, as they approached the tunnel, Hiro could audibly feel the noise from the stadium growing louder with each step. The closer he got to the exit of the tunnel, the more the noise grew on him. Then they all stood in a queue, awaiting the announcement to walk out onto the field.


    Many of his teammates, mostly the experienced ones who had been ying for quite a while by now, started exchanging friendly greetings with the opposing yers. But he preferred to remain silent and hidden.


    There were familiar yers on the opposing team. Yet, he intentionally chose to ignore them as he tried to hide his presence. They were familiar but they weren''t close to him, or so he felt. That''s why he wasn''t willing to be involved with them.


    But despite his best efforts to remain undercover, he still got found out by the curious gaze of Tominaga Nijichi.


    "Well, well, if it isn''t Takahashi Hiro," Nijichi said, a smirk ying on his lips. "Ready to lose today?"


    Hearing his voice, Hiro turned to look at him.He appeared quite confident and as arrogant as usual. Nothing much had changed, except the fact that they were no longer wearing the same jersey.


    Previously they had shared the field while ying for the national team. But now both of them were dressed in different jerseys, queued in different queues.


    Since he was already found out, Hiro had no reason to remain hidden anymore. So, he looked Nijichi in the eye. For sure, he could tell that he wasn''t here to greet him or had any good intentions. The tone of his voice and that smirk on his face were proof of his bad intentions.


    But he didn''t feel bothered in the slightest. After all, he was well aware of his attitude problems. So instead of getting annoyed, Hiro smiled.


    With a calm, unruffled expression, he responded, "Good to see you too, Nijichi. We''ll see who loses today."