Chapter 811: Different Kind of Loyalty

"Yeah, well, that is the fate of a small club." Kumiko smiled in sympathy after listening to Higo’s story.

It was after the boy was back from the training session, and just like usual, he would dump all the stories that he had today to Kumiko. Not that the girl would complain, of course, as she clearly enjoyed listening to his story.

Compared to her boring daily life that would only involve her opening her laptop before working on anything that she could do, Higo’s life sure was like something coming out of a movie.

"The fate of a small club? That is a harsh judgment, Kumiko-chan." Higo pouted like a little child.

Kumiko just rolled her eyes in exasperation, ignoring that hurt gaze from her boy. Instead, she explained further about this matter.

"They don’t have enough money to retain their best players, so once someone shines bright enough and they get a good offer, the first thing they do is try to raise the price further. That’s why it is hard to keep up with the players from that kind of team. Every year, they would get an overhaul, and most of the time, they would be like a completely new team compared to the last year."

She smiled amusedly as the girl watched her boyfriend slumped on the couch as his spine melted on it.The boy seemed to be bothered by his two friends’ departure, which was indeed sad, but unfortunately, this was a normal thing to happen in a football game.

"That is why the definition of being loyal is different between players from a poor team and a wealthy team." She added.

"Oh?" Higo arched one of his eyebrows lightly. "Is there really a difference?"

"Of course, it is." Kumiko turned around, shutting her laptop before sitting next to Higo. "What we always see is the loyalty from a wealthy team, like Paul Scholes for Manchester United, Steven Gerrard for Liverpool, or Paulo Maldini for AC Milan. Well, they can stay at that club for as long as they want because the team can give them all the benefits that match their status."

Seeing as Higo nodded, the girl paused for a second, pondering how to say this.

"As for a loyal player for a small team, the matter is simpler. As long as they didn’t badmouth the team, played well enough to create a long-lasting memory for the supporters, and got out at the right time with a hefty amount of fee that would benefit the team’s financial situation, that is enough to put them as a loyal team. It would also help if they are willing to come back in the twilight of their career to help the team once again. That is also exactly what those two new veterans of yours did in the past and do right now."

Well, with a clear example like that, it didn’t take long for Higo to have everything click in his brain. Still, Kumiko could see that the boy didn’t like it, as he just let out another deep sigh before laying his head on his lap and starting to shut his eyes as well.

"How could everything be that complicated?" He moaned in frustration.

"Well, once again, that is exactly the fate of a small club." Kumiko shrugged while rubbing Higo’s hair soothingly. "You should also start thinking about this matter. Schalke’s financial situation is not that good, so if there are any teams offering enough money to shake their belief, I’m sure that they wouldn’t hesitate to send you out."

This only made the boy cry further, which Kumiko responded to with a merry giggle. It sure was always fun to fill Higo’s head with this kind of information, but Kumiko also took a note on the back of her head so that she wouldn’t do it often.

’Just once or twice a month is enough, but if I did it too often, he would be eaten by his own anxiety. At least, this kind of a conversation will get him to treat his career more seriously.’ She mused.

They chatted for a while in such a romantic pose, not even noticing that Sakura had just come out of her room. The girl looked so sour at the first sight she saw in the living room, pouting a little at Kumiko.

"Where is all that shyness that you had in the past, Kumiko-chan? You used to get a blush on your cheeks just for a simple hand-holding, you know?" She couldn’t help but accuse her friend.

"W—What?! What do you mean by that?!" She shrieked in a high-pitched note, not knowing whether it was due to the embarrassment from getting caught being lovey-dovey with Higo or from the fact that Sakura had just exposed her black past like that.

She glanced at Higo for a moment, just to see that the boy was rolling his eyes at Sakura. It was clear at this point that he was immune to the girl’s little jab here.

’Anyway, I am here not to talk about your romantic escapade." Sakura suddenly joined on the couch, sitting next to Sakura. "Have you already decided where you would want to do your internship?"

"Wait, what internship?!"

It wasn’t Kumiko who answered the question, but Higo, who snapped his head so quickly that the girls were so afraid he would snap his own head.

"Calm down, Ryukkun! Your shoulder still hasn’t recovered fully; don’t try to force yourself!" Kumiko gushed over him quickly, enough to kill all the bubbling shock that he just had earlier. "Come on... Sit down and take a deep breath... Done? You want to ask a question?" The girl asked, trying her best to ignore her traitorous best friend who was giggling not-so-secretly next to her.

Fortunately, Higo was a good patient. He did everything as Kumiko followed, and after the boy regained all the color in his face, he finally turned around to his girlfriend once again before repeating his question.

"So, what is this internship that you are talking about, and how could I not know about it?"