Chapter 687: Family’s Arrival

Higo spent the next entire week like a madman, going for one training after another tirelessly. His motivation was at its peak right now, and he had to run more than anyone else to burn this excessive energy. Even the coaching staff noticed his situation, and Waldoch had to call him during one of the training sessions to make the boy calmer.

"I know that having your debut is something exciting, but you need to preserve your energy better." The Polish man gave some advice. "This reckless training is a foolish thing to do. Everything you work for will be nothing if you get injured right now."

Higo was so quiet during this time, knowing that the assistant coach was right. The problem, though, was that knowing was one thing, but him following the advice was a completely different thing. Right now, besides excitement, his mind was also getting haunted by so many anxieties, making him overthink about what would happen if his debut spiraled down to the worst-case scenario.

In the end, the best thing he could give was a simple nod and a little promise. "I will try my best to contain myself, but once I go overboard, you have to remind me again, Waldoch-sensei."

The Polish man sighed in exasperation, but still nodded in agreement. Fortunately, Higo didn’t have any bad habits like drinking or smoking to ease his anxiety, or the boy would be in a big problem right now.

Time passed by, and the anticipation built for his debut was also getting bigger. Even though the outside world had already deemed Schalke in trouble since they hadn’t found a replacement for Nubel, all the people in this town knew that the team had a talented player who could even be better than their former goalkeeper, and they couldn’t wait until the boy proved it to everyone else in the next game.

From the Chinese old man who always did a Tai Chi exercise every morning in the park nearby to the security guard of the main stadium, every single person that Higo met would always give him a piece of encouragement.

"Come on, Higo! This is your time!"

"Wakabayashi, we will be counting on you!"

"Damn, boy! It feels like yesterday I watched you playing for the first time for the second team, and yet, you are finally here! Come on, I will cheer for you!"

Higo could only smile awkwardly while accepting the support here, not knowing what else to say to the people around. Fortunately, his mind got distracted two days before the game began, when his sister and mother finally arrived in this town.

"Ryukkun! It has been a long time!" The moment Minami saw Higo’s figure, the woman slammed the car door open and gave the boy the warmest hug she could muster. "Wait, why are you so thin? Have you not eaten properly? Is the food here really that terrible? No, that wouldn’t do!" She narrowed her eyes dangerously, checking on the boy from head to toe.

Higo felt his chest warm at her nagging concern. While everyone was cheering for his debut, his mother was still the same, always fussing about his daily life, like eating or sleeping habits.

"I am good, Mom, I swear." Higo returned the hug tighter, trying to receive all the warmth he could get from his mother. "I just really miss you here." He choked in that whisper, finding his throat heavy.

It couldn’t be helped. This was the first time Higo was going away from home for such a long time, and while he called her almost every day, it still couldn’t replace the warm feeling of this hug, especially in this cold country.

Minami’s gaze also softened as she patted her boy on the back; her heart ached at the crack in his voice.

Ayaka and Kumiko just watched from afar while also wiping the tears on the corners of their eyes as if they were here to watch some sort of soap drama. Meanwhile, Fujita-san was still finishing the administrative task for the hotel so that Ayaka and Minami could have a room to stay here.

After everything was finished and they secured a room for themselves, Higo decided to bring them to the closest Asian restaurant here. Even though it was rare for his mother and sister to come here, there was no way the boy would let them enjoy the local delicacy here.

In the end, the choice fell to a Vietnamese restaurant a few blocks away from the hotel, as they enjoyed the warm Pho in the middle of the snowy weather outside.

"Oh, God... After such a long journey, it is always good to have a warm meal like this..." Minami couldn’t help but moan, her breath misted in the air.

"It is good that you like the food." The Vietnamese aunty who was also the cook here gleamed proudly. "Higo is the pride of this town! It is such an honor to serve his family!"

"What are you talking about, Aunty?" Higo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Usually, he was not this shy when facing praise from the others. However, his mother and sister were here, and he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about this.

"Bah! What are you talking about, Boy? Just accept the praises here; what is so hard about it?!" The woman glared at Higo playfully. "Anyway, wait for a moment! I’ll give you the second portion!"

"Wait, no, Aunty!"

Minami watched this with fond eyes, enjoying every little interaction that Higo had with the residents of this town. This was basically the testament of the boy’s growth after living here for half a year alone. She also felt so proud whenever people waved at them or even asked for a photo with Higo enthusiastically.

"Ryukkun sure starts to become a big star, right, Mom?" Ayaka couldn’t help but mutter, noticing this as well.

"Yeah, he changes so much just in one year..." The mother beamed in pride, but also with a hint of worry in her tone. "I just hope that he doesn’t put too much pressure on himself and can still enjoy the sports just like how he played for the first time in the past..."