Chapter 625: Game Day! The Start of the Season!

Kumiko-chan: Come on, Ryukkun! First game of the season, try your best!

Mom: This is the game day, right? Have fun and don’t be too nervous!

Aya-nee: Tell me the story after the game is over, and send all of the pics you can get immediately.

Higo couldn’t help but smirk when he read the messages. It was game day, and the first thing he checked after waking up was his phone. As he expected, the three most important women in his life had already barraged him with one message after another, showing their support for him.

At this point, he had already gotten used to this, sending a quick ’OK’ to those three simultaneously before going to the stadium.

The team’s home base was at Neues Parkstadion, a small stadium close to the Berger Feld where they usually trained.It could contain about 3000 people, and somehow, the moment Higo stepped onto the pitch, he could see that the entire stand was full of people.

"Come on! When will the game start?"

"Hey, that should be the new Japanese goalkeeper, right? I heard he is awesome!"

"Bah! Can you see how short he is?! Just a little lob and his life will be over!"

"You don’t know a single shit about him!"

Higo could feel his jaw drop at the scene in front of him. It wasn’t like he had never seen or played in front of such a big crowd, since the World Cup last month always had about 5 to 6 times the number of the crowd this time. However, he had never expected that the second team would gather so much attention like this.

"Crazy, right?" Hofmann suddenly came, patting Higo on his shoulder. His eyes were also on the stand, looking at the people there in awe. "This is the first time I’ve seen such a big crowd in this stadium. The news has already spread, and they heard how good we were in the pre-season. Now, they want to see it by themselves, wanting to confirm whether the gossip is true or not."

The goalkeeper couldn’t help but gulp when he heard this. If anything, the captain’s words were another pressure on his shoulder, enough to suffocate him on the spot.

"Eh, don’t be too nervous, Higo!" Morita grinned at him, warming up excitedly. "This is just the beginning of our legendary journey! We will shake the whole country in the future, so get used to a louder cheer than this!"

Well, Higo could definitely appreciate his friend’s enthusiasm, but it was difficult to get into the same mindset. In the end, he just took a deep breath, doing his best to concentrate on his warm-up while also ignoring the noises outside of the pitch.

It was already August at this point, and the weather was at its hottest right now. The news reported that the temperature had just reached the record high in this city’s history, touching 38 degrees Celcius yesterday. Somehow, when Higo heard that number, all he wanted to do was melt into a puddle, not having to care about anything else.

Even if he had trained for quite a while in this city, he was still a Hakodate person through and through. The boy spent most of his life thriving in cold weather, so to have him put in this situation was definitely a nightmare.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do right now. Even though he was sweating like a bull, the boy still tried to put on a poker face, not wanting to show any weakness before the game began. Honestly, if he wasn’t the victim here, Higo would find this situation to be funny, what with his shirt being drenched in sweat as if he had just run a full marathon before the game even started.

The coaching staff also noticed this, and one of them, the team’s conditioning coach, Heinrich, offered the boy a bottle of water. "Here, carry it next to you. If you have emptied it, don’t hesitate to ask again. In this weather, it is important to stay hydrated."

Higo paused for a second before taking that bottle gratefully. "Thank you, Sensei."

That man’s face softened a little bit when he heard that. At this point, Higo had already made a name for himself among the staff as someone polite, always addressing them with an honorific. This small gesture was enough to gain him favor from so many people, just like this little care from the physical coach.

"Just... Don’t lose your concentration, okay? Today is the first game of the season, so it is important to set the tone." Heinrich reminded him again.

Higo nodded quietly, understanding how important the game was. It wasn’t just to set the tone for the entire year, but also to determine how much support the team wanted for the entire season.

If they managed to capture people’s hearts straight away, even if their performance wasn’t that stable, they would be more forgiving. But if they failed to show off what they were capable of, Higo could imagine that only fifty to sixty people would come regularly. That was why winning in style was very much needed for the game today.

Soon enough, everyone’s attention was on the tunnel, as the opponent’s players finally came out of there. They all wore their proudest white jersey with a cool green accent on the bottom of it, one that any collector would drool in envy.

Still, the jersey was the least thing Higo cared about right now. No, his attention was on the players, trying to figure out which one he should keep his eyes on.

’Thomas Kraus, 33, a veteran even in the Bundesliga. He should be in the first team, but after a year struggling against the injury, this is going to be his first match in a while, so threat level is unknown.’

’Justin Steinkotter, a talented striker and also their top scorer last year. Couldn’t adapt with the first team at the end of the last season and got demoted here again. HE will be motivated to show off why he deserves a spot in the main team.’

’Besides those two, the wingers would also be another danger spot. Their midfielders can also be a secret weapon as well.’ Higo clenched his fists, somehow getting paranoid over all of the opponent’s players. ’I have to get ready for everything!’