I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 227 I'm Here to Save You
"Sis, is everything alright at the company? Why aren't you home yet?"

On the other side of the audience, Akihiko Miura was not with his class.

After all, there was a tall and charming young woman by his side.

The mature style suits her quite well; she's not overly trendy, and her rose-gold hair is a dreamy color in the sunlight.

This wasn't some girlfriend from outside of school; it was his older sister.

Otherwise, Akihiko Miura wouldn't have such a bitter look on his face.

"Nothing's happening at the company today? What, you really don't want your sister to come visit your school?"

Ayaka Miura said with a smile.

Miura Akihiko replied irritably, "You came here to see the school, didn't you?"

"if not?"

"Then why do you look at all of Tsukino Gen's projects but not others?"

Ayaka Miura sighed softly, "There's nothing I can do. My sister isn't good at sports, so she really can't understand it. She can only look at things that are pleasing to the eye."

"Then you might as well go look at some photo albums."

"Huh? Tsukino-kun participated in a photo contest? Is there such a thing as a photo contest?"

That's enough for you.

Miura Akihiko glanced at the young woman. "You don't want him to be my brother-in-law, do you?"

Ayaka Miura said with a laugh, "I'm not old enough to get married yet, am I? Are you in such a hurry?"

"Why am I in such a hurry? I only said it because I saw you like this! I already said that he has a girlfriend, so don't be a bad woman who tries to ruin his relationship."

Ayaka Miura shook her head. "You don't understand. If something can be destroyed, then it's not a genuine feeling."

Miura Akihiko stared wide-eyed at his sister. What did those words mean? Could it be that she really...
At this moment, Ayaka Miura turned around with a smile, "But don't worry, your sister isn't that infatuated. Just think of it as me reminiscing about the taste of youth."

You're so young and you're already reminiscing about the taste of youth? What does youth taste like?
It's the sweetness between others that's causing my own heartache.

The game has already started.

Both sides were engaging in a seemingly respectable process of probing each other.

For most people, such probing is boring; after all, there is no excitement to be had if they don't get close to the goal.

Fortunately, boys of this age can't suppress their inner passion and impulse. Their possession in midfield didn't last long; it was as if some mysterious force was propelling them towards the penalty area.

The situation on the field was indeed initially controlled by the white team.

With Suzuki's relatively precise control, they continued to advance towards the opponent's penalty area.

Try to control the ball and pass it into the penalty area to provide assists for the striker.

It seemed that everything was under Suzuki's control, and the opponent had, as he had expected, built their defense with their starting goalkeeper, so defense was the main focus.

In modern football tactics, the goalkeeper is no longer simply a goalkeeper; they have become a member of the defensive line, tasked with distributing the ball and connecting the backline.

Sometimes it can even serve as the starting point for an attack.

The advantage of this is that the counter-attacks can be launched more unexpectedly and in ways that are hard to imagine.

Just as Suzuki was leading his team in a sustained attack, committing more and more players to the half, a player on the white team made a careless pass, which was easily intercepted by the opponent.

What seemed like a reassuring back pass to the goalkeeper actually made Suzuki and the others lower their guard. The goalkeeper kicked the ball long, directly finding a player on the green team's wing. The player wearing number nine was as fast as lightning.

They sped off down the side lane at high speed, which didn't seem like a simple rescue attempt at all. It was at this moment that Suzuki realized something was wrong.

He shouted frantically, "Get back on defense! Get back on defense now!"

However, most of the midfielders were committed to the front line, and even the defensive midfielders were near the center circle, allowing the opponent to easily pass through with a simple one-two pass.

Then Suzuki was shocked to discover that the seemingly inconspicuous striker, who had been completely invisible for the first fifteen minutes, was actually a lurking cheetah who had somehow appeared in the weakest position of their defense.

Meanwhile, the number nine on the wing attracted the attention of two defenders. In the ensuing chaos, he couldn't even maintain his original position and could only desperately try to intercept the ball with a 'closing' pass.

However, the opponent was already well prepared, and just before the two were about to strike, Green Team's number nine kicked out.

"That was a precise through ball from the green team's number nine! The ball went perfectly through the gap between the two white team defenders. They did block number nine's path forward, but once the ball was passed out, it created a deadly one-on-one opportunity!"

"This was a 2-on-4 attack! The Green Team actually succeeded. Now it's up to the Green Team's forward, number seven, to seize this opportunity!"

"He strode into the penalty area, facing the goalkeeper! The goalkeeper couldn't wait any longer and rushed out!"

"A lob shot!! Wow, number seven's incredibly calm judgment! He anticipated the goalkeeper's attack, and even though the goalkeeper was already quite fast, this delicate lob shot was a perfect example of using minimal force to overcome a powerful opponent!"

"1-0! The referee has indicated that the ball was not offside, and the goal stands! The Green Team, who had been under pressure for the first fifteen minutes, has taken the lead with a simple and efficient counter-attack!!"

This shot undoubtedly damaged Suzuki's confidence and made the players on the field feel even more impatient.

After all, they were the more favored team, and before the match they confidently used various reasons to make that boy a substitute, yet they were the ones who were leading.
Watching the Green Team's excited celebration and the almost deafening cheers from the support team, I was struck by their deafening cheers.

Suzuki could barely remain calm; the bigger the occasion, the more it tests the captain's abilities. But in this situation, the atmosphere seemed to be urging Suzuki to launch an even fiercer counterattack.

This is also true.

More and more players pressed forward, eager to find a breakthrough. However, the opposing team, whose style of play was primarily defensive, organized their defense with great order and efficiency. Even their forwards frequently dropped back to receive the ball and provide support, leaving the impatient Suzuki with no openings.

As a result, more and more inaccurate long shots and meaningless high passes were made, with no one in the penalty area to receive them.

Some even attempt to score against a penalty area packed with five or six players using their individual skills, and the consequences of such reckless and hasty attempts are quite obvious.

"The white team has been intercepted again! This time, the green team's goalkeeper launched a long ball! My god, that shot was incredibly accurate!"

"They've pinpointed the striker near the center circle with pinpoint accuracy. Was this a long-range run?!"

"No, there are teammates providing support on the left flank!"

"Compared to the White Team's offense, the Green Team's counterattacks can only be described as a pleasure to watch. With just a few passes, they quickly dismantled the White Team's defense!"

"Now the goalkeeper is facing two attacking players closing in at the same time, what should he choose? What should the green team's striker choose? Wow! He's so selfless, he just crossed the ball to his teammate the moment the goalkeeper came out! How could the green team's number nine let a sure goal slip away with an open net!"

"2-0! 2-0 after just 35 minutes!!"

"The White Team is now under immense pressure! This start is disastrous. Even though there seems to be plenty of time left, it looks like they haven't found a way to break through the opponent's defense! Is this going to be a defensive feast?!"

"Oh dear, Sakuraba-sensei, how come we're behind again? We agreed to meet in the finals!"

Since the Blue Team and Red Team's match is in the next round, Mr. Fujii can now leisurely watch from the stands.

Sakuraba Yuki wasn't as irritable this time, even though she could see that the players on the field were obviously getting impatient and their offensive organization was becoming quite chaotic.

But she still has her confidence.

"What's the rush? It's only the first half, and the game isn't over yet. There's still time to adjust."

Having witnessed such miraculous reversals, Fujii-sensei naturally understood what the other party was waiting for.

She chuckled softly, "I know you're counting on Tsukino Gen, but this time is different from last time. Last time, there were too many students in our class who couldn't play soccer. But this time, everyone is quite professional. If this hole gets too big, even if he goes on the field, it might not be enough."

Sakuraba Yuki tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on the boy sitting on the bench, his expression indifferent, even seemingly engrossed in his phone. "It's alright, let's just watch. I trust my student's resilience."

Humph.

And resilience?
It's just a number.

You're in for a rude awakening. Once you, as a star player, run into walls everywhere, you'll realize just how cruel sports really are!

Similarly, Mrs. Saionji also exerted pressure on others.

She was still quite looking forward to seeing the boy play. After all, they had no real grudges against each other, and it would be more satisfying to see an interesting match.

However, this situation seems...
"Won't the game be killed before he even gets a chance to play? It looks a bit one-sided."

Jun Asagiri understood this perfectly well. She knew that relying on the current players on the White Team would only lead to more chaos. However, she wasn't the coach and had no real vested interest in the situation, so she didn't have any reason to be anxious or nervous.

He just said it with a smile.

Don't you think a reversal is the most exciting part of the drama?

"What if it doesn't happen? Wouldn't that be a purely satisfying situation? Of course, that's from the other party's perspective."

"Haha. That's true, but I still think my scenario is more likely."

"Oh? The first half is about to end. Let's see how you, this young junior, perform in the second half."

"drop!!"

"The referee has blown the whistle, the first half is over!"

"The Green Team is now leading the White Team 2-0!"

"From a time perspective, the White team still has plenty of time to catch up, but the problem now is that the White team needs to solve its own attacking problems first. They are playing too chaotically and there seems to be no effective organization. It's either blind individual ability or long shots with no accuracy at all, which is just giving the Green team counter-attack opportunities."

"That's right. If the Green Team hadn't been a bit off in the first half, their accuracy and luck wouldn't have been so bad. The score would probably be quite a staggering number now. Let's wait and see what changes the White Team will make in the second half."

In the locker room.

The atmosphere was somewhat somber, as if it had reached a low-pressure state.

Actually, falling behind isn't unprecedented; even when they were down 3-0, the atmosphere wasn't this depressing. The main reason is that Suzuki feels the problem lies entirely with him.

He remained silent for a moment, looking at the team members with their low and dejected expressions, and then took the initiative to step forward.

"I'm sorry, my command in the first half was too chaotic. I didn't set the rhythm well, which made our attack too aimless. It's all my fault. But there's still the second half, we still have time to adjust our mentality!"

The striker seemed a bit down.

"Let's bring on Tsukino in the second half. I really don't know how to play anymore. I'm like a water tank! This defense is too solid! And we're playing way too hastily. We're passing the ball before our players even get into the penalty area. I can't fly!"

There's even a hint of a tendency to shift blame.

Suzuki instinctively wanted to stop such a statement.

But soon, the player on the wing said something rather irritating.

"You didn't even look at how the midfielders passed the ball! I've said several times that the opponent would set an offside trap, but you didn't even check when you passed it!"

"Can't you run a little slower?!"

"Nonsense! If I run even a little slower, the defenders will catch up. I'm not Ronaldinho, do you think I can just dribble past them like that?!"

"So what do you mean by this? Who's to blame?"

"It's all the defense's fault. We can push forward, but why are you pushing forward so much? One through ball and you get through. What kind of play is that?"

"How the hell do you talk like that?!"

all of a sudden.

The entire locker room was in complete chaos.

Emotions are contagious.

Especially in highly competitive sports, the rebellious mentality will be forced out once there is a tendency to shift blame.

It might seem like a project for an eleven-person team where everyone shares the blame and it's all over, but in reality, no one wants to be the target of everyone's criticism. From each person's perspective, they all have their own reasons for their predicament.

The defenders and forwards failed to capitalize on opportunities, allowing the opponent to launch counter-attacks.

The striker blamed the midfield for not timing their passes well, which hindered their attack.

The midfielders blame the strikers for their bad footwork, the defenders for their incompetence, and even the goalkeeper for being a bot.

With the second half yet to begin, the team was on the verge of falling apart. Suzuki, seemingly unable to even get a word in edgewise, appeared to be the nominal captain with absolutely no authority.

"boom!"

A loud bang brought all the arguments to a halt.

Everyone turned around and saw that it was Tsukino Gen who had knocked on the door.

The boy calmly looked at everyone.

"It's only 2-0, it's not like we don't have a chance. Why are you in such a hurry to shift the blame? Have you already given up on the game? We've even come back from a 3-0 lead before, what are you afraid of?"

Suzuki quickly chimed in.

"Yes, everyone, let's not argue. In the second half, let's be more patient and cautious. We just need to make the necessary adjustments."

Some people said with difficulty.

"But as you've seen, with such a good defense, what can we do if they just park the bus and huddle up?"

Tsukino Gengyun answered calmly.

"I'll be the one to create the explosive moment. Everyone just needs to stay in their own position and pass the ball to me as much as possible. Don't worry about how many people are marking me."

"You? We're all on the soccer team, so let's not use some casual pickup games as experience, okay?"

Clearly, some people still believe that the boy's skill level is not as exaggerated as claimed, and that his previous outstanding performance was only due to his opponent's lack of professionalism.

Gen Tsukino didn't explain much about this.

He simply told everyone calmly.

"It's simple. If you do all that and still can't win, then it's all my fault."

"What's the point of blaming you? We need to win the game! You might get all the credit, but we still won't win."

"So, arguing back and forth like this will lead to victory?"

A simple sentence shut everyone up.

Gen Tsukino looked at everyone and said, "Get this straight, I'm not showing off, I'm saving you."

……

(End of this chapter)