Chapter 982: Great News from an Old Friends!

The sudden bold declaration startled Higo for a moment. After all, unlike Morita, the boy knew that his former captain was never someone who was comfortable bragging like that.

However, this state didn’t last that long.

No, it just took a few seconds before everything was connected inside his head, and the boy couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock at his own thought.

"Wait, wait, wait!" He couldn’t help but shout, feeling more nervous than ever. "Did you mean that you are going to Europe as well?! Is it just for a vacation, or does a team have their eyes on you?! Fuck it, Teme! Spill it out! No single detail can leave us!"

Higo could hear his voice shaking, and hell, his hand was quivering right now. Still, he couldn’t care less. The boy just waited impatiently for Makino to answer his question.

"Exactly! Even though it is not Germany, a European team has already made a deal with Yokohama FC for me!" The defender’s voice was loud and clear, followed by laughter from the other side of the call.

Higo himself laughed as well, finding this too crazy to be true.

"Fuck, Teme! Are you kidding me?! Where are you going?! Is it somewhere far? Shit! Shit! Shit! Have you already talked to Kumiko-chan?!"

"No, besides my parents, you are the first one I told once the deal was done."

Higo was so flattered when he heard that. The boy didn’t know that Makino would think so highly of him, being the first one to hear this big news with his own ears.

"As for my destination, I am quite lucky here. I will go to Sint-Truidense, a team in Belgium with several senpai playing there. You know Yuma Suzuki? Or Keito Nakamura?"

Well, Higo... Didn’t know any single one of those names. Still, the fact that Makino wouldn’t be alone in his escapade relieved him slightly.

After all, before Morita came, the boy knew what it felt to be a foreigner alone being surrounded by people who didn’t even understand his language at all.

Inwardly, the boy also took note in his head, intending to search everything about Sint-Truidense later after the call was over.

’There is no way such a team that has a lot of Japanese players would be unknown back home, right?’ He thought inwardly.

They chatted for quite a while, talking a lot about what it felt like to play in Europe.

Honestly, Higo was still quite strange about it. After all, Makino was the first person with Kumiko who taught him everything about football, and yet, now, he was the one who shared his experience with Makino about what to do here.

Still, the boy didn’t mind it. No, if anything, he talked all the time about what he experienced so far in this country, wanting to ease Makino’s journey and adaptation later.

"First, don’t use any translator! Make an effort to learn the language! How is your English, by the way?"

"It is decent, I guess. I have been learning in so many classes for people who will work abroad." Makino admitted frankly.

It seemed that he had already thought about this since Higo was recruited to Schalke a few years ago, as the boy also wanted to follow his path to play football abroad.

"Good. But that will not be enough." Higo nodded.

"You need to make an effort to learn the local language as well so that you can communicate with your neighborhood and even the supporters! Remember, on the pitch, you might let your ability talk, but you will also live most of your life outside of it! Don’t be too stubborn to learn something new!"

At this point, Higo heard the sound of a pen scratching paper, and he knew that his friend was taking a note seriously about his suggestion.

"Still, the last part is what to do outside of the pitch. Inside, though, it is a completely different matter. You remember how you did it the first time in the Young Samurai team?"

A pause followed for a second before Makino snorted.

"Hah! As if I could forget about that! So, you want me to do that?"

"Of course. Make sure you give a strong impression that you are not there to mess around or just be a bench warmer! The first time you are on the pitch, make sure you show no mercy even toward your teammates!"

Indeed, what Makino did in the past with the Young Samurai team was the best way to make a strong first impression among the team.

At that time, he didn’t even flinch, launching a flying tackle straight at Mamoru Suzuki and Kawabe twice in a row to show his authority on the defensive line.

That was a bold move, aiming straight at the two best players on the team. However, the effect was real, as no one dared to be casual again when they were fighting against Makino on the defensive line.

"So, in the end, it is just being soft outside, but kill everyone on the pitch, right?"

"Yeah, exactly how we always did when we were still in Hakodate, remember?" Higo couldn’t help but smile, feeling nostalgic about the past.

They talked quite a lot after that, reminiscing about the past and what they had done so far after graduating from high school.

From Makino, Higo also learned that Hiroshi had already gained a chance to play for Consadole Sapporo’s youth team, and sometimes, he was even called to sit on the bench of the main team.

More than that, it seemed Makino also learned a lot about what happened to all of their friends, from Jun, Nori, Hori, the twins, and everyone else.

At this point, Higo had to admit that Makino was closer to everyone else in the team compared to Higo with them. Not that it was a competition, of course, since the defender had already been in the team for three years compared to him, who was parachuted in his last year.

Still, Higo couldn’t help but smile after knowing about what they were doing, feeling happy that everyone was thriving on their own path.

In the end, though, before Makino cut off the call, the defender couldn’t help but add one last message to Higo.

"Once I am there, let’s have a little reunion! Let’s show the whole country that two little boys from a small town like Hakodate could still reach the top of the football world, Chibi!"