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nAfter releasing Masao from his embrace, Hiro handed his ID to the guard infront. The guard then took a quick glance at his ID card. And as he confirmed Hiro’s identity, he finally permitted him to leave.

n“You can go.” The guard spoke while handing him back his ID card.

nTaking the ID from the guard’s hand, Hiro then hurriedly put his books and stationaries which were scattered on the ground, inside his bag.

nAnd just as he was about to exit the main gate, he stopped infront of the gate and turned around. He then curled his lips a bit and spoke, “Remember this face and remember the name. I’ll be leaving the school quite frequently after today.”

nHearing Hiro’s words, the old guard’s mouth twitched a little.

nAnd although it wasn’t Hiro’s intention to sound arrogant, his words and attitude still made him look quite arrogant in guard’s eyes.

nSaying such, Hiro then stepped outside of the gate. And just as he stepped outside, he bumped into manager Makoto who was coming towards the gate with his phone.

nUpon getting bumped with Hiro, manager Makoto nearly dropped his phone. However he still somehow managed to save his phone from falling down.

n“Sorry sir… Sorry sir…” Hiro began to apologize.

n“It’s okay. I was just about to call your principal. But since you’re already out here, let’s hurry.” Makoto spoke in a hurry. “Let’s go. We have to reach the venue as soon as possible.”

nThe two of them then hurriedly rushed towards the bus. 𝒍𝓲𝒃𝙧𝙖.𝓬𝙤𝓶

nAfter boarding the bus, Hiro then walked towards the empty seat beside Shun.

n“Took you quite long.” Shun commented.

n“Well I lost my ID and the guard wasn’t willing to let me go without my ID.” Hiro replied.

nAnd as he sat down, the driver hit on the gas pedal. On the way, he elaborated about his reason for being late.

n**** ****

nAfter about more than half an hour bus ride, they finally arrived at the venue.

nMaebashi Ikuei HS football ground.

nIt was the home ground of the team that they were going to play against, Maebashi Ikuei High School which was located in Gunma prefecture.

nAnd as the bus stopped, coach Makoto rose from his seat and spoke, “Everybody step outside in a queue. Don’t rush. Don’t panic. Stay calm and come down in an orderly manner. Remember, no pushing.”

nSpeaking such manager Makoto stepped outside of the bus. Followed by him other coaches too stepped outside, one by one.

nIn an orderly fashion, one after other, all of the players boarded off the bus.

nAfter coming out of the bus, Hiro began to stretch his arms, “So this is Maebashi Ikuei High School.”

nMagnificent four storey building which covered a vast area, a huge gate, a huge empty space infront of the school building, few trees and decorations, the school seemed just like any typical highschool from anime.

nAnd looking from infront, one couldn’t even see the stadium.

nWhile he was analysing the school infront, other players were busy taking out their luggage from the bus.

n“Let’s head inside quickly.” Manager Makoto spoke and began to make his way inside the school.

nAfter walking for a while, they then arrived at the ground where the match was going to take place.

nAbout 100 yards in length and 50 yards in width, the ground infront looked quite similar to their home ground.

nHowever unlike their ground which was equipped with flood lights and sprinklers, Maebashi’s ground looked quite bland as compared to their home ground.

n‘Well it’s only natural for highschools to have such field. Afterall clubs are funded by several rich sponsors.’ Thought Hiro while making his way towards the changing room.

nAnd as he was making his way towards the changing room with his teammates, he noticed some players dressed in green and white jersey warming up in the field.

nThey were the players of Maebashi Ikuei HS. And since they were going to play in their own home ground, unlike them, they had already arrived at the pitch about an hour before.

n“So they are the players of Kawasaki Frontale’s U-18 team.” One of the player of Maebashi Ikuei HS commented while looking at the direction of Hiro and his teammates.

n“They look quite intimidating.” Another player added.

n“What’s there to be afraid? They don’t even have two of their star players Naoto and Kazuya.”

n“But even without Naoto and Kazuya, they’re still a force to be reckon with. So don’t drop your guard against them.” Player with number 7 on his back who was also wearing the captain armband reminded his teammates that even without two of their star players, they should still be cautious of them.

n“Yes Naoya is right.” Another player with number 10 on his back nodded his head.

nJust as Hiro and his teammates finished changing into their black and blue jersey, manager Makoto entered the locker room.

nSeeing manager Makoto, everybody sat down and shut their mouth.

n“Has everyone finished changing?” Manager Makoto questioned them while standing in the middle.

nAll of them nodded their head.

n“Then let’s go through our strategy once again.” Speaking such, he walked towards the strategy board. “Everybody. Now pay attention.”

n“Our opponents although they aren’t considered one of the favourites to win the tournament, they are still a tough nut to crack. In previous season, they had conceded only 28 goals. If not the lowest, one of the lowest in the league.”

n“So you can tell that they’re quite good at defending. And they’ll stick to their usual counterattacking playstyle. So watch out for their longs balls. They are also brilliant at executing offside traps. So keep that in mind and don’t fall for it.”

n“Also pay special attention to their number 7, Naoya. As I’ve said before, he has very quick feet and he’s also insanely good at shooting. So try to limit his shooting space as much as you can.”

n“And you Hiro, you try to hold the ball as much as you can. That way you can create spaces for your teammates. But once you find yourself in a favourable spot. Don’t hesitate to take the shot.” Manager Makoto revised the strategy which they had been working on for past few days.

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