Chapter 983: A Little Trip to Pick Up a Friend

After the call was over, Higo couldn’t really sleep, just rolling around in bed while also browsing the internet to spend his free time.

The boy couldn’t care less about all the news about him and Morita being called the best youngsters anymore. No, if anything, his finger went to the local news platform, searching for anything he could get about Makino.

Tomoaki Makino – 20 y.o. – A strong defender whose ability to read the game and take command is top-notch, among the best in the league. His tough and no-bullshit playing style put him as one of the most feared defenders in the league, and with his young age, he will only get better in the future.

At least, that was the assessment that the league gave to Makino, and it seemed that his former captain was truly thriving even if it was just in the second division of J-League.

’Well, Yokohama FC managed to be in first place so far, and they are also the best defensive team, only conceding 15 goals from 18 matches. It seems that he really has improved since graduation, huh?’ Higo couldn’t help but muse.

Well, this also answered one of the questions lingering inside Higo’s head.

After all, even though he was happy for his friend, the boy was still confused for a second about why a Belgian team was willing to bet on Makino.

Well, it couldn’t be helped, since Makino had been one of the biggest sensations in the J2 League so far, so sooner or later, a better team would take a look at his service.

The fact that it was Sint-Truiden who recruited him was also fortunate. After all, that team was acquired by one of the biggest e-commerce platforms in Japan, DMM.com, in late 2017.

Somehow, DMM.com had a great vision of making that team a gateway for any Japanese player who was talented enough to take their first step in Europe, at least allowing them to adapt to the football community here more easily than in any other place.

As a result, some of the guys who came out of that place turned into decent players, and Higo also knew a few names there.

The first one was Wataru Endo, probably the one who left a strong impression in his head. After all, the boy still couldn’t understand how a Japanese player could be trusted to captain a big team like Stuttgart.

Not that he said that Japanese players were not capable, of course, but somehow, the lack of confidence in Asian people when they were being compared to any European dudes was still lingering inside his head.

Then, Daichi Kamada also came to Belgium first before he spread his wings to Frankfurt, and the attacking midfielder was even considered one of the best for the team during his stay there.

More names also popped on his screen, and while most of them were strangers to Higo, at least this was big proof that Sint-Truiden was serious about preparing Japanese talents to get ready for the whole world.

’Oh, well, at least Teme is in safe hands after this...’ He murmured under his breath.

The news about Makino managed to get him so excited out of nowhere, wanting to vent out all of the energy building inside him in the training session.

Unfortunately, two days after the game was over, Higo had to leave the training ground earlier than usual, as he had his own business to attend to.

’Hm... A car key? Yes, there it is. The letter of my PCR test result? Ah! It is! Masks? A box is already in. Good. Snacks, maybe? No, there would be no need. What about food? Hmm... Maybe we could have a good dinner later.’

With everything being prepared nicely like this, Higo finally went into his car, turning on the engine immediately before letting it run outside of his neighborhood.

The journey itself was quite long, crossing through a few cities in the process. Still, Higo learned a great deal at this point: that driving a car was truly a man’s dream, enough to keep his mind at peace and excited at the same time.

The journey itself took quite a long time to take, as he had to let the Google Maps guided him to arrive at the destination. After all, the boy didn’t really know the road here well enough, especially when this was the first time he was going to this place.

’Hmm... After this, we will arrive at another big city, right? Well, at least, I will be able to see another life there...’ He murmured while still not letting go of the steering wheel.

Indeed, even though he enjoyed driving like this, the weather outside wasn’t that friendly in the first place. Snow kept falling heavily, and humans were a rare sight in this kind of situation.

Honestly, even though it was still the middle of the day, the whole road was so empty as if it was a ghost town, and sometimes, Higo couldn’t help but shiver, feeling creepy about this situation.

Still, fortunately, his destination was a big city, one of the biggest in the country, even. It didn’t matter that it was a freezing winter outside and that it was still pandemic, but Higo could see the atmosphere was livelier once he entered the city.

This was enough to ease the tension on his shoulders, as he drove through the heart of the city before arriving at the destination.

’Ah! I am right on time here!’ He checked his watch before carrying his bag on his shoulder and getting out of the car immediately.

Soon enough, the boy found himself in the middle of a crowd with a mask and sunglasses being put on his face so that the others couldn’t recognize him. He carried his phone all the time, waiting for the call to come as well.

Fortunately, he didn’t really need to wait; soon enough, the person that he had been waiting for finally arrived as well.

That person also noticed his presence, and before Higo knew it, she had already jumped into his hug, engulfing him with the warmest one that he could muster.

"Ryukkun! It is good to see you again!"