Everything happened in a flash, yet it still got caught by Higo's clairvoyance ability.
He could see someone on the football pitch miss-kick, sending the ball straight in Kumiko's direction. It was a powerful shot, and while the direction seemed to be off, Higo didn't want to take a chance, especially with the girl walking next to him. So, in just a millisecond, a plan formed inside his brain, and his consciousness guided his body instantly to follow the plan.
BAM!
"Urgh!" Higo groaned, feeling the dull pain in his chest.
He used his body to protect the girl, letting the ball hit his stomach. It was enough to reduce the impact of the shot, and to make sure that the ball didn't escape from his grasp, he engulfed it immediately with both hands, getting a perfect catch out of nowhere.
Silence fell on the field as everyone was stunned by the display. Higo didn't really care, though, as he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Hey, you guys! Be careful when playing! Also, Hiroshi, that miss shot is so outrageous that it flies here, you know?! And you think you can go anywhere with this quality?!" He voiced his dissatisfaction.
"Ah! Sorry, Senpai! I slipped due to the snow!" A handsome boy with a bright smile suddenly came forward, taking responsibility for his mistake. However, there was no hint of remorse in his tone, and if anything, his expression turned into an excited one. "That is a great save, Senpai! How could anyone not know that you are good at being a goalkeeper?!"
Kumiko, next to Higo, also nodded in agreement. She was surprised to see a wild ball coming in her direction, but how her best friend handled the situation was what stunned her the most. It was a perfect textbook catch, protecting the goal—in this case, she was the goal—while also preventing the ball from getting out of control. If it were a football match, he would have the best opportunity to launch a counterattack.
"Ryukkun…" The word escaped from her mouth, enough to make the boy shiver instantly. "Is there anything that you want to tell me about?" The smile was so innocent, yet the dark aura surrounding her made everyone back down without question.
"U—Uh… No?" Higo answered weakly, sweat rolling down like bullets on his back.
"What do you mean by no?! You know that I've been searching for a goalkeeper for the entire term, right?! I've been ranting over and over again, and yet, here you are, having such an insane reflex and eyesight! Are you kidding me?!" Kumiko stomped his feet quite hard. Then, she narrowed her eyes dangerously, trying to search for Higo's eyes. "Or… Are you secretly mocking me for my incompetence?"
"W—What?! Of course, no!" Higo shook his head quickly, trying his best to defuse the bomb in front of him. "Y—You said that you need a tall goalkeeper, right?! I'm just 164, just your average boy! Also, did you forget that I am not that good at sports? You are slandering me here, Kumiko-chan!" He complained, feeling wronged.
Unfortunately, the girl didn't buy it. She kept narrowing her eyes, trying to find any lie there. The boys from the football team also didn't help. They were whispering at each other on the back, and the simultaneous grin they showed was enough to make Higo know that they were up to no good.
"Uh… Shishida-senpai, don't be too suspicious like that. He is your best friend, right? There is no way he would lie to you." The handsome boy who was also the source of this trouble, Hiroshi, suddenly got his arm around Higo's shoulder.
"Urgh! Get out of me! What do you want, Brat?!" Higo hissed, trying to throw away the hand before he got roped into a more troublesome situation. Unfortunately, he was slower, as the second boy suddenly chimed in with a mischievous grin.
"Anyway, Shishida-senpai, since your best friend is already here, how about he helps our training session a little bit? Not too much, just acting as our temporary goalkeeper. It shouldn't be too much, right?"
Higo could feel the blood drain from his face as he finally understood their conspiracy. They wanted to use his relationship with Kumiko to rope him into the team, and when he showed any hint of talent, Kumiko would never let him go.
The girl herself also understood the plan. Once things clicked inside her brain, she started her acting immediately. "That's a good idea, Kenta-kun! I'm sure that Ryukkun is willing to help, right?" She turned around at Higo, giving him her best doe eyes.
"What about your goalkeeper? He should've said anything if I had to take his position, right?" Higo asked, still trying to resist even though he knew it was useless.
"Eh, don't worry, Senpai, our current goalkeeper is an infield player who we force to play as a goalie, so he would be happier to relinquish that role," Hiroshi replied, as if knowing what Higo wanted to ask. A tall and muscular guy behind also waved, clearly noticing that he was being mentioned here.
Higo cursed inwardly while he also tried his best to avoid Kimiko's gaze. He knew that once he got caught in that sight, there was no way he could escape. Unfortunately, he was too late, as her puppy-dog eyes were faster than his speed to turn around. That… Or, he secretly wanted to accept the request, couldn't bear the thought of disappointing her, but still wanted to put on a tough attitude up front.
'I sure am a simp, huh?' He sighed helplessly.
"Oh, fine! You win!" Higo finally gave up. "But I have a condition here!" He added quickly.
"Yes! That's fine!" Kumiko's expression turned 180 degrees as she clenched her fist in celebration, while the boys behind her started to give each other high-fives. Higo could feel the corner of his mouth twitching, knowing that he had been caught in their scheme.
"First, no one is giving a live commentary, especially if I did something stupid!" He said, wanting to get over it quickly.
"Well, that's fine." Kumiko nodded, representing the boys.
"Then, I will only do it for 30 minutes and just for today! This is not negotiable!" He added the last part before anyone could complain. "Kumiko-chan, you know that I am not into sports, right? I only know a lot about football because you drag me into it, but if it were not for you, I would rather spend my time on… I don't know, playing a game, maybe? Watching YouTube?"
Kumiko opened her mouth for a moment, as if she was thinking about something. However, she shut it down immediately, and the boys behind her started to get restless, whispering madly at each other.
'Hey, are you sure that it is a good idea? I mean, look at him! He is so thin, and he is not that tall!'
'Yeah, and he also said that he doesn't know anything about football!'
'Hey, he didn't say that! Also, can you see his action earlier?'
'Just trust Shishida-san, she knows what she is doing.'
Higo ignored the whole conversation there, waiting for his best friend to answer. In the end, she just gave a nod, asking, "Anything else?"
"…No, not really."
"Then, good! Your request is approved! You'd better change into a comfortable training suit, because you are in for a rough day!" A grin suddenly curled on her lips, giving Higo a shiver down his spine. Then, she turned to the other members of the football team, clapping loudly. "Okay, everyone! Let's clean up the snow on the east side of the field! We are going to have a shooting drill today!"
"YES, MA'AM!"
That was when Higo finally realized how fucked up he was.