Chapter 175 Summer vacation
And as the ball landed inside the post, the anxious fans of Kawasaki suddenly burst into cheers as they rose from their seats.
"Hirooooo!!! Hiroooo!!!"
Clap!! Clap!! Clap!!
Rhythmically clapping their hands while shouting Hiro's name as if they were singing, a bunch of teenage kids gathered at one section of the stadium began to cheer as they witnessed the goal scored by Hiro.
They also held a bright blue coloured banner with large black letters written on it. The letter as a whole read- Pride of Kawasaki Middle School "Takahashi Hiro".
Those kids were the students of Kawasaki Middle School.
"See! I told you that it's gonna be fun." Excitedly spoke Rin while celebrating Hiro's goal.
Masao who was happily rooting for Hiro replied whilst still celebrating Hiro's goal, "Thank you for bringing me here."
There was a hint of gratitude in Masao's words. And unlike the time when he used to get bullied, the current smile on his face reflected a sense of genuineness.
Their loud cheers which reverberated all over the stadium didn't go unnoticed as Hiro too ran towards the section of the stand where they were cheering for him to celebrate his goal along with them.
Raising his hands above his head, Hiro waved his hands back and forth as if he was some kind of celebrity greeting his fans.
[The stadium sure is lively today. Especially those kids who are celebrating Hiro's goal at the east stand. If I'm not wrong they should probably be the students of Kawasaki Middle School which means they're Hiro's schoolmates. It's really a blessing to have such passionate supporters]
The joyous celebration lasted for a while. And as the celebration ended and all of the players returned back to their original position, referee blew his whistle and resumed the match.
With the score of 5:2, Kawasaki was currently winning the game.
[I doubt Yokohama could make a come back now. Even to tie the game, they'll have to score 3 goals in less than 13-15 minutes. Although that much time is a lot. It'll still take Yokohama considerable amount of effort to score 3 goals in such a short period of time. And I don't believe Kawasaki will let down their guard. Even at this moment, they look as sharp as ever.]
For the next 13 minutes, Yokohama desperately tried to score some goals. But all of their attempts were futile against Kawasaki's impenetrable defence.
And thus, the game ended with the score of 5:2. Kawasaki easily defended their lead as they went on to win the game with a huge goal difference.
Beep!! Beep!! Beeeeeeeep!!
[With this Kawasaki Frontale U-18 has extended thier winning streak to 11. And they're the only team in the league to do so. Not only have they not lost a single game, they also haven't drawn a single game. Till now they've simply gone undefeated.]
[Comfortably sitting at the top of the table, they're dominating the league. And if this same form continues, then I doubt they'll lose even a single point this season. They could very well create a new history.]
As mentioned by the commentator, Hiro's team had yet to lose or draw a match. Even after the departure of Tatsuki to senior team, Hiro's team were still winning the game under Hiro's tutelage.
Maturely handling every situation like a real leader, Hiro had proved his leadership qualities from the very first day.
And although there were quite few players in the team who were not happy with coach's decision on appointing Hiro as the new captain, most of the players in the squad readily accepted him as the captain from the very first day he was appointed the new team captain.
And since it was manager Makoto who was the first one to suggest appointing Hiro as the new captain of U-18 team, his head was literally in the clouds.
Overjoyed with happiness, he was embracing his players with a big wide smile on his face while running wild in the pitch at the moment.
Flinging his long-coat, he was acting as if he had lost his mind.
[Seems like manager Makoto is really happy with his team's progress. That smile on his face reveals everything about him.] Letting out an awkward laughter, commentator commented about manager Makoto's victory celebration.
And while manager Makoto and few other players were celebrating their victory, Hiro and few other players of Kawasaki were currently infront of east stand where kids of Kawasaki Middle School were singing joyously.
After celebrating for a while, Hiro began to gather his other teammates to thank their supporters for their support.
"Senior Minato, senior Nakahara, please help me gather all the players." Asking for the help of his seniors, Hiro asked Minato and Nakahara to help him gather all of his teammates.
Minato and Nakahara nodded their head and stormed towards the far side of the pitch where the reserve players were gathered.
And while they were gone, Hiro began to gather the players close to him, "Everyone gather around." noVe/LB.1n
"Everyone gather around"
While shouting such, he began to gather his teammates.
And as they all gathered, they all headed towards the east stand. Upon reaching close to the east stand, they all bowed their head down to show their gratitude.
Clap!! Clap!! Clap!!
Moving along the stands, they continued to express their gratitude to all the fans present in the venue.
Finally as they finished thanking all the fans for their support, in a single file, they walked towards the opposing players to exchange handshakes with them.
And as they finished expressing their gratitude, they all began to slowly head towards the tunnel.
While on their way, Shun took his gloves off as he spoke to Hiro, "So you'll be heading home tomorrow?"
Hiro ruefully nodded his head as he continued to make his way towards the tunnel. Although he was happy to go home after so long, he was a little sad to leave his friends with whom he had spent his time for almost about a year.
Even though it was only for a month, he was used to life in Kawasaki's hostel. So leaving Kawasaki for about a month for summer vacation, still made him somewhat sad.
Smack!!
"After almost about a year, you're finally heading home. So why are you making that long face?" Playfully hitting Hiro on his back, Shun tried to cheer him.
Forcing a smile on his face, Hiro exchanged looks with Shun, "What about you? Won't you miss hostel food, friends and training?"
"Hahaha.... Why would I miss such things? I can finally chase after girls freely for a month. Why would I be sad?" Cheerfully answered Shun.
There wasn't even a hint of sadness in his voice. His face as cheerful as ever, Shun was genuinely happy to head home.
"Although I might miss you guys occasionally." Added Shun.
His voice a little softer than before, his eyes also felt a little heavier.