Chapter 686: The Opponent’s Information

"Their most dangerous player is Andrej Kramaric. A veteran from Croatia, very good at finding a room in the pocket space or channel area. He likes to drop back a little to receive the ball, and the man also likes to be the one who appears from behind the scene to receive the cutback pass from the opponent. Use your clairvoyant ability not to predict where he would shoot, but to point out to your teammates which space you guys should shut down first."

"Kramaric’s ’shadow’, Christoph Baumgartner. A slippery attacking midfielder from Austria. If Kramaric is a magnet that could draw several players to his side, he will be the one who exploits it. His chemistry with that Croatian striker is superb, always standing in the best spot to receive Kramaric’s pass. He could also act as a perfect bait, dragging the defenders away so that Kramaric has a bigger space to dribble the ball forward."

"Robert Skov, a very versatile player on the left side. Their top assister so far with 5, and he is the tricky player with elite crossing and free-kick taking abilities. If you paid too much attention to Kramaric and Baumgartner, they would kick the ball out to that flank and overwhelm the penalty box quickly, waiting for Skov’s dangerous cross. Aerial duels will be difficult, so coordinate properly with your teammates."

"Sebastian Rudy..."

"Florian Grillitsch..."

"Pavel Kaderabek..."

Somehow, before Higo knew it, he had already listened to Kumiko breaking down the opponent one by one, giving him a big picture of their strength, weakness, and playing style in a very detailed description.

The boy could feel the corner of his lips twitching once again right now, somehow feeling so speechless while looking at the girl in exasperation.

"How long have you been analyzing this?" He finally asked the biggest question in his mind. "I mean, your data and analysis seem to be quite complete, right? Have you worked it out once you know that my opponent for my debut is going to be Hoffenheim?"

Kumiko paused for a second, looking at Higo through her round glasses with a mischievous smile. "Are you touched? What about a little kiss here?" She leaned one side of her face toward Higo, offering her left cheek to him.

"...You little minx..." Higo sighed helplessly. Somehow, after living together like this, the girl had been learning this kind of lovey-dovey act and always teasing Higo with this. Not that the boy was not happy, of course, as he pecked her cheek fondly. "Now, tell me, is this something you have been preparing after knowing that I would face Hoffenheim in my debut?"

"Oh, well... I would love to say yes and act like a good girlfriend, but unfortunately, no." Kumiko sighed dramatically. "This is a little project that I have done for my statistical class, wanting to find out with scientific data who is the most likely team to dethrone Bayern Munich this season. Want to see it?" She tilted her laptop so that he could read it as well.

Higo felt a headache immediately when he saw so many numbers and graphs there. He could see some words that he could understand, but when those were being put together, everything was floating inside his head, enough to make the boy sleep on the spot.

’You sure are very smart, Kumiko-chan...’ He couldn’t help but murmur in awe.

Kumiko just smiled smugly at the praise before explaining more about Higo’s next opponent.

Now that the girl was also getting involved with his preparation, Higo felt more confident in facing the next opponent. However, there was still one more thing to do. The boy checked his phone quickly, scrolling through the countless names in his contact before finding one he intended to call.

"Hello, Fujita-san, sorry for bothering you right now. It should be late back in Tokyo, right?" Higo smiled apologetically even though he knew the person on the other side of the phone couldn’t see it.

"Don’t worry about it. I am still quite awake." That person replied, even with a big yawn that could be heard from Higo’s side. "Anyway, what is going on? Is there any problem with your debut game? Should I come to communicate with your team? I haven’t been there for quite a long time, right? Maybe it is a good idea while also watching your game."

That person was none other than Fujita-san, Higo’s one and only agent. Even though he had Higo as his player, the goalkeeper was the only player he had who was abroad, so he operated mostly in Tokyo, where all the talents gathered. Still, now that Higo would have a big day ahead, there was no way he would miss that.

"Well, you are going to be here, right? Can you reserve two more tickets for Aya-nee and Mom? I promised them in the past that they would be here when I play for the first team for the first time in my career, and I don’t want them to miss it." Higo didn’t beat around the bush, just stating his purpose straight away.

"Ah? Just that?" Fujita-san asked back. "Of course, I can do that. I thought you had a problem with your team... Shall I reserve two hotel rooms for them to stay?"

Higo pondered for a moment, glancing at his flat with scrutinizing eyes. "...Yes, please." In the end, he nodded, finding his little flat couldn’t accommodate three women at the same time. "Make sure it is close to the stadium, is that okay?"

"Sure. Is there anything else?"

"No, nothing."

"Then, see you next week, Higo!"

Once the call was cut off, Higo stared at his phone for a moment, his mind going blank. Kumiko also noticed this, and after hearing the entire conversation, she just patted the boy’s shoulder calmly.

"Why are you looking like that? Your family is going to be here watching your debut, so you should be ecstatic about it! Come on, don’t let them come here just to watch you lose, okay?"