Chapter 706: Family’s Departure

Unfortunately, the mother and daughter couldn’t stay for so long in this town. After all, they had only taken a week off, and tomorrow would be their sixth day here. If they didn’t come back home as quickly as possible, they wouldn’t be able to recover long enough before they started working again. Or... Going to the class again, in the case of Ayaka.

So, just two days after witnessing Higo’s rise to the peak of the summit, they had to get separated once again even though they were reluctant to do so, having to continue their own lives back in their home country.

Right now, Higo took an absence from the training session to accompany those two to the Dusseldorf International Airport, and just like any separation that they had in the past, he was now sighing helplessly as his mother was gushing over every single thing in his life.

"After training and after the game, don’t forget to take a shower, okay?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Don’t always stick to your strict diet. When it is time for your cheat day, enjoy everything that you want to eat. Don’t be too strict with yourself."

"Yes, Mom."

"Always listen to your coach and don’t let your emotions control you. Don’t make a conflict with your senior if you can."

"Yes, Mom."

"Also, take care of Kumiko-chan for us. Even though she lives in a different city, make sure you visit her quite often, okay?"

"Don’t worry, Mom, she has the key to my flat."

Higo let out another tired sigh as he stood quietly, letting his mother rub his hair like he was just a mere child. He glared secretly at the two older girls who were filming this scene with a quiet giggle, knowing that they enjoyed seeing him getting so embarrassed in public like this.

In the end, the boy took a deep breath once again before saying, "Don’t worry, Mom, even though you are not here, I would still call you every night, and Kumiko-chan will also be close enough that she will know if I get into trouble. Everything will be alright, so you can go back with an easy mind."

Minami was quiet for a second, looking at her son with a complicated gaze. "Oh, you beautiful boy..." She pulled him into another hug, starting to cry for... Well, Higo lost count of how many times her mother had cried today. "I know you will always be alright, but I would always be worried about you, you know?"

Higo nodded quietly while also accepting the hug, letting this action speak louder than any words. In the end, his mother and sister had to go back, and even when they disappeared from his sight, the boy couldn’t help but keep his gaze at where they had just left, staring at the space in front of him blankly.

"Miss them?" Kumiko asked softly, her gaze also pointed in the same direction.

After spending a few moments in this still quietness, not even caring about the busy crowd around, Higo finally let out a small snort. "I would lie if I said that I don’t miss them, but that’s okay. They would be here again next month, right?"

Yeah, before his mother was back, she promised that she would often come here, at least once a month, to watch the game in the stadium again. That alone was enough to get Higo pumped up, not getting bothered too much by his family’s departure.

If anything, though, what bugged his mind was the fact that Kumiko’s holiday was finally over, and instead of going back with him to Gelsenkirchen, she had to go back to her own flat in Cologne where Sakura was already waiting for her.

Once Higo was back, he found his flat, which had been quite crowded in the last couple of days, was empty once again, being greeted by the cold silence and the humming sound of the fridge inside. He couldn’t help but sigh, taking the trash outside while muttering, ’Damn, this is going to be a hard time for me...’

Fortunately, Higo was also busy with his schedule. After playing against Hoffenheim, he would travel with the team to Bremen, going to face another struggling historic team, Werder Bremen. Unlike Schalke, though, their journey was even more pitiful, as they started this year with a complete defeat against Borussia Dortmund with the score of 5-1.

So far, even though Schalke was still sitting in the relegation zone, they were just one point behind FC Augsburg. Compared to that, Werder Bremen was sitting one spot behind Schalke, but the distance was greater here. Die Grün-Weißen had only managed to accumulate 10 points so far from one win and seven draws, being down by 7 points from Schalke, which was above them.

Hell, Werder Bremen was even closer to SC Paderborn at the bottom of the table compared to Schalke, which showed how bad they were this year.

Of course, that didn’t mean they could underestimate their opponent. No, even with a win against Hoffenheim, Schalke was still not in a position to look down on any team in this league. One small mistake, and they were sure it would be their head who would roll on the ground next.

It seemed that the head coach also thought the same. Right when they were in the locker room before the game was about to begin, he emphasized this point over and over again, forcing all the players to take everything seriously today.

"I know that Bremen is not in their best state right now, but that only means this game is bigger than anything else!" Frohling slapped the whiteboard on the front side of the room, waking everyone up with his forceful tone. "A win against Hoffenheim is nice, but the weight is not the same as today’s game. Bremen is our rival in the relegation zone, so I cannot accept any result other than victory! Do you guys understand?!"

"YES, SIR!"