Chapter 798: Another Round of Checkup

Well, in the end, Higo needed to wait until next Monday so that he could go for his next checkup. During that time, the club had also just finished its last game of the season. In the end, they managed to get into 14th place in the standings, just two spots above the relegation zone.

It was not a place that a big team like Schalke should be in, but compared to the first few weeks of the season, where the supporters had to bear with defeat after defeat and with the future looking so bleak, being in this position seemed to be acceptable. It also helped that some of the important players got injured at the end of the season, so the supporters were a little bit more understanding on social media.

It’s okay, it’s okay! Slow start, but we finally managed at the end!

Yeah, I am also satisfied that we smacked those rude bastards in Dortmund! Man, if only the supporters were allowed to go to the stadium at that time...

Next year, we have to be better! We have to buy someone who can be a creative force other than Morita! He cannot fucking do everything alone!

Hey, don’t forget the striker! Damn Suat and his fat ass! Damn Greg and his injury! We cannot always rely on old Cali to score!

Still, we gained a lot this year, especially the young players! Man, I cannot wait for the next season to begin!

At least, that was the kind of sentiment that was spread among the supporters. Well, they had the right to have this kind of positivity, since Frohling finally signed another two-year contract for the team. The man was the one who led this struggling team out of the mud, giving the supporters the confidence that if things were right, maybethey could be in a higher place.

Still, for now, it didn’t matter what the supporters said, but it was time for summer break.

Honestly, this should be the shortest one that the players had ever had in their career. Usually, they would have at least three weeks to one month of vacation in June, and once it was July, they could start preparing for the next season.

This time, they had only two weeks, as the season ended on the first day of July, while the next season would start around the second week of August, as scheduled.

Well, the supporters grumbled that football had to stop once again, but for Higo, this break was the best moment that could arrive for him, as right now, he could focus on getting better first before another game began. If it was in the middle of the season, he wouldn’t have that much time to adjust.

’Although... It is embarrassing to forget that the season is over. Man, Sakura-san sure still is laughing her ass off at me whenever we mention this.’ Higo felt the corner of his mouth twitch whenever he remembered.

For now, though, he and the girls had to go to the hospital with Daniel Guzman, as it was finally his time for another checkup. This time, fortunately, no MRI scan was needed, so it wouldn’t take long before he could go back home again.

"Come on, Mr. Higo. Take a deep breath... Try to rotate your arm, gently. Try it inward. Yes..."

Higo grimaced as he was fighting against the tightness in his shoulder. He tried his best not to show any reaction, not wanting his chance to come back to be pushed down once again. Unfortunately, the doctor noticed the twitch in his facial muscle and took a note about it.

"Okay, good job, Mr. Higo! Let’s do this one more time, but this time, try outward. Follow my guidance. One..."

Both girls looked intently at how the doctor guided Higo for two different reasons.

Kumiko was so tense right now while also putting her phone up to record this session, having already promised Minami and Ayaka to send this home. She was even sweating as well, probably praying that nothing went wrong in this process.

As for Sakura, well... Her attention was on how the doctor did the checkup here. The girl had already foreseen herself in that situation in the future, so it was better to learn as much as possible when an unwilling victim like Higo became her guinea pig, because once the boy was back on the pitch again, she would be back in her theory books once again, only having another hands-on experience in the next two or three years.

The checkup this time was quicker than the usual. The doctor was looking for several things here, from the weaknesses caused by the pain that still lingered in Higo’s shoulder, the control over his shoulder, rotator-cuff dysfunction, and so many other things that were far from reaching Higo’s head.

Fortunately, Daniel Guzman was there to accompany him, so when Higo saw that the man wasn’t worried about the result he had right now, Higo was also relieved. That meant everything went as it should be, and honestly, right now, he was so itchy to go back to the pitch even if he himself knew that it would take two weeks before the next training session began.

After doing several series of moves, the doctor finally faced Higo once again to tell the boy the final result here.

"The shoulder is still in the correct position. Your pain has improved, your nerve function is normal, and your movement is progressing. You still have some weakness and restricted external rotation, which is expected at this stage. I do not see anything today that requires emergency treatment or immediate surgery."

Higo could feel relief wash over him. That was definitely the greatest news he had today.

"So... Am I allowed to train more?" He asked, not even able to hide the hopeful tone in his voice.

The doctor raised one of his eyebrows slightly before giving an answer that Higo had been waiting for.

"You may be able to return to the training environment soon, but not to goalkeeper training. First you return as an injured athlete. Then you return as a player doing controlled work. Only later do you return as a goalkeeper."