Chapter 638: Higo’s Time at Bosch

The next day, the three players who were called up to the main team had already gone from the training ground. Somehow, this made the atmosphere inside the team far heavier than usual, and even concentrating on the training session was quite hard to do in this situation.

The coach also hadn’t addressed the problem of being left by those three players right now. Hell, he hadn’t even said anything since the man dropped the bomb yesterday, leaving the team in uncertainty. Three days before the derby game, and somehow, no one was in the right mind to face that day.

Higo himself couldn’t bear it anymore. He called Kumiko to complain, but the girl also didn’t know what to do other than being patient with the team.

"Remember the conflict between Hori-kun and Denki-kun in the past? Where Hori-kun wanted to leave the team after knowing that Denki-kun is better than him? Your situation is exactly the same as that time, so try not to rush things and go with the flow."

Well, when he remembered the conflict in Hakodate Nishi a year ago, the boy had to admit that the situation was quite similar to what he faced right now. The problem, though, was that he was with his friends at that time, and today, he had to face everything alone.

The only friends Higo had here, Fabian and Morita, were called to the main team, and while he was close with Randy Gyamenah, the Ghanaian striker, the boy was still concentrating on the next game, taking this situation as his chance to show off his ability so that he could replace Fabian on the left side.

Facing the grim atmosphere in the team without any support like this, Higo couldn’t help but pray so that Kumiko could come over as quickly as possible.

"Higo! What a rare customer I have today!"

A voice suddenly greeted him, snapping the boy from his own thoughts. In his dazed state, Higo didn’t realize that his feet led him to the Vereinslokal bar, which people around called Bosch, the iconic Schalke fan pub where the team’s supporters often gathered to watch the game together.

There, he could see Hans, the bartender, standing behind the counter. Higo knew the man quite well since they always communicated with each other whenever the boy greeted the supporters after the end of the game.

Hans didn’t say anything for a moment, just looking at him curiously before asking, "So, this should be your first time coming here, right? What can I get for you?"

"Something non-alcoholic, please, and something light to fill me up." Higo smiled warmly before taking a seat on the stool. Somehow, the atmosphere inside was enough to allow him to relax, forgetting any messy things inside the team.

"Aye, Sir!" The man nodded enthusiastically before starting to whip out the food there.

Higo just sat quietly, observing the atmosphere inside the pub. It was a Wednesday night, and most people who gathered here had just come from their work at the factory nearby. However, that didn’t dampen their enthusiasm, as they still chatted passionately about the team’s current situation.

"Hey, have you heard about this? Hofmann, Morita, and Reese are going to train with the main team!"

"Bah! This is not a good thing! Wagner is an old-fashioned dude; there is no way he would let them play for at least two more months!"

"Hear ye! Hear ye!"

"If anything, I think this is Wagner’s attempt to sabotage the second team! He doesn’t want to be the only coach who lost against those Ludenscheid-Nord Bastards!"

It seemed the news about Morita and the others going to the main team had already spread among the supporters. Well, those who usually came here were fanatics, so it was always easy for them to get a wind on this.

No one had noticed Higo’s presence yet, and the boy just sat quietly while also listening to their conversation. Soon enough, Hans came with a plate full of food and a big glass of juice. "Here, die beste Currywurst und Apfelschörle der Stadt. Enjoy."

Soon enough, the savory smell of sausage hit Higo’s nostrils, enough to make his stomach grumble. He smiled at Hans for a moment before thanking him, and the bartender just left him be to enjoy his food. The boy didn’t notice that Hans was chatting with the other customers immediately, pointing at him secretly as well.

The moment Higo was about to pay, someone suddenly shouted, "Whatever he orders is on me!"

At first, Higo was confused, not knowing who said it for whom. However, when he turned around, the boy found out that all the people inside were looking at him, and he couldn’t help but point at himself. "Wait, me?!"

"Yes, you!" That person who shouted before laughed boisterously. "It is rare to have a player coming to our humble pub like this! You are also going to play against those scoundrels from Ludenscheid-Nord, so you will need all the energy you can muster!"

"Hear that! Hear that!" The others followed with a roar, clicking their glasses of beer candidly.

At that moment, Higo suddenly got surrounded by the local people, and he could foresee himself getting trapped here for a while. The boy sighed helplessly, but he decided to enjoy this experience as well. After all, what was the best way to integrate himself into the local community other than this?

In the next hour, he basically knew almost every person in the bar.

A young man trying to make a living by doing three jobs simultaneously.

A middle-aged man who had been an accountant for more than ten years.

A single mother who took her rare free time to spend the evening with the community.

Almost all kinds of people gathered here with only one thing in common, which was their love for Schalke. Higo himself still couldn’t understand how someone could love a football club so deeply as they did, but at that moment, at least, he felt like he was accepted as a part of this lively town.

Once he was about to go back home, people there didn’t forget to wave as well, all shouting so many things at the same time.

"Come on, Higo! We will wait for your masterclass in the next game!"

"Shut those rats from Ludenscheid-Nord next Sunday! I will come there personally to support you!"

Higo just snorted lightly, somehow feeling that his mood got better gradually. He just waved back, not forgetting to shout, "Don’t worry, I’ll fight my hardest! Just watch me, okay?!" And then, the boy left, his steps getting lighter as he was filled with new motivation.

’Yeah, the storm might still linger inside the team, but at least so many people are having our back, right? I cannot disappoint them!’