Chapter 812: Kumiko Searching for an Internship

"No need to be that over-possessive!" Kumiko let out a small giggle while she pinched Higo’s nose playfully. "It is just a normal internship that is a requirement for our third year. You know that we need a specific number of practical hours outside the university to graduate, right?"

Even though Kumiko and Sakura were still in their second year, it was always important to prepare early, especially since any internship related to football was always sought in the sports science department.

Well, based on Higo’s blank gaze, the girl knew that her boyfriend was completely clueless about it. Not that Kumiko would blame him, of course, since the boy himself didn’t go to university. However, there was no way Sakura would let this matter slide.

"You don’t really know about it, right?" The girl sneered mockingly. "That’s why you don’t just let loose on football. You go to university as well, like any other normal player in Japan, so you won’t get out of touch too much here."

Kumiko grimaced a little when she heard that. Even though she knew that those two’s relationship was glued with one banter after another, the girl still thought that this was a bit too much. She glanced at Higo carefully, afraid that he would explode because of that.

Fortunately, the boy seemed to be a fair sport here. He just snorted, making some rude hand gestures that made a giggle escape from Kumiko’s mouth, and a playful kick on the butt was promised by Sakura.

"Anyway, the internship!" Sakura coughed. "I have talked with my academic advisor and even asked Guzman-san for help, and I think I have narrowed it down to three choices. I have seen their requirement, and those are quite high. I have some subjects that I need to work harder to meet their threshold, but I think it will be alright."

When Sakura offered Kumiko her phone, the girl picked it up, looking at the list that her friend made before a little frown formed on her face.

While all the institutions that Sakura picked were high-end and would give the girl a lot of valuable experiences, in the end, the girl focused more on athletes’ physical conditioning and injury rehabilitation. It was a completely different matter than Kumiko, whose focus was more on the football side, being on the sideline as part of the coaching team.

Her frown seemed to be noticed by Higo, as the boy suddenly asked with caution, "Do you need help?"

Kumiko blinked for a moment here, looking at Higo to see whether he was serious or not. Well, not that he would be, as the boy had never joked around when he offered to help. At first, she also wondered what kind of help he could give, but the girl realized instantly that her boyfriend was on the Schalke team, so it should be easy to ask around there.

Still, the girl let out a small smile before shaking her head quickly. "Thank you for the offer, Ryukkun. I will ask when I really need that. However, right now, I want to try doing it by myself first." Her tone was full of conviction, enough to make the boy accept the reason without any question.

Kumiko just smiled a little when her boyfriend dropped the topic, but inwardly, the girl couldn’t help but berate herself for her stupidity.

’Why would I have to let my pride take over?! It would be nice to get help from Waldoch-san, right? Oh, Gosh... I am so stupid...’ she groaned inwardly, wanting to bash her own head against the table.

It was no secret that students with the same focus as her would find a difficult time finding a place to have an internship.After all, the competition was fierce, and most of the time, the best they could get was to be an assistant coach for a local team that played in the fourth or even fifth division of the league.

It also didn’t help that they were still in a coronavirus era—or COVID-19 era, since the news started to change the terminology here—and not many teams were available to accept a university student to jump into their team. Kumiko even heard that some of the guys in their third year got their internship canceled this year, and honestly, the girl was not sure that she could get one next year.

’Oh, well... I still have one year to search, so no need to be anxious.’ She took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind. ’If things get worse, I just need to swallow my pride and ask Ryukkun again. That shouldn’t be that hard, right? At least, I cannot be left behind too far. He will shine brighter than ever, so I have to catch up a little bit here!’

Even though she loved the boy to death and didn’t expect to get anything, the connection that the girl could make just from being his girlfriend was a nice addition here. Kumiko didn’t want to make it a habit, but when she was cornered, the girl would never hesitate to use it for her own ambition to stand tall next to her boyfriend in the future.

Still, it would be a matter for the future. For now, time passed quickly with the three of them spending their time chatting with each other. This was probably the nicest part of living together like this, especially in the COVID-19 era. At least, they didn’t have to do everything alone, something that could drive them batty.

Then, their conversation suddenly got interrupted with a little buzz, showing that someone’s phone was vibrating right now. Higo frowned, checking on his own as he thought that it should be either his mother or his sister. However, to his surprise, his phone was quiet, so it shouldn’t be from him.

It took a while, but soon enough, Sakura realized that it came from hers. The girl frowned a little as she checked on her phone, accepting the call and greeting the boy on the other side of the call with an impatient tone. "What, Hiro? We had a call two hours ago, right?"

What she didn’t expect, though, was that the boy on the other side of the call would shout immediately.

"IT COMES, SAKURA! IT REALLY COMES! AN OFFER FROM A EUROPEAN TEAM!"