Chapter 871: Unpleasant News from Kumiko

Unfortunately, life was never all about good news.

No, once Higo was back in Gelsenkirchen and stepped into his humble abode, he could feel the atmosphere had changed. It wasn’t like he had just won the game, especially with the two girls looking at each other with an unsure gaze.

If anything, just based on this reaction, Higo knew that they were going to drop an unpleasant information, one that would make him frown and overthink for the whole week all night.

"Okay, spill it." He finally said, his arms crossing in front of his chest. "What is it that you want to talk about? The more you hold back, the more it will affect me, so let’s get over this as quickly as possible."

Honestly, the way he said it was quite arrogant, as if those two girls didn’t have any right to do anything that would affect him at all. Still, he couldn’t help it. Right now, those two just fidgeted around with hesitant looks, even nudging at each other secretly when they thought that Higo couldn’t notice their actions.

’Come on, Sakura-chan! You promise me that you will be the one to say it, right?’

’Hey, he is your boyfriend! It is your responsibility to inform him of something like that!’

Higo heaved out an unamused sigh while frowning at them, waiting with a hint of impatience until someone finally became brave enough to spill what was going on here. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait for too long, because Kumiko shifted her gaze out of nowhere, and the boy knew that the answer was already on the tip of her tongue.

"Well?" He asked, not even noticing how harsh his tone was.

"Urgh... It is like this..." Kumiko opened her mouth, just to find that words seemed to get stuck in her throat. "Um... How should I say it?" Her pupil darted away for a second, as if wanting to avoid Higo’s gaze.

Well, it seemed that Sakura also grew annoyed with her wishy-washy attitude, so with a big roll of her eyes as she did that in exasperation, the girl finally helped her friend get out of this situation.

"We cannot stay longer here, Ryusuke. The new term has already started, and the restrictions around the campus have also been gradually decreased. Our advisor expects us to present in the next two weeks, and while our study will still mostly be online, we need to be in the vicinity of the campus, so we have to go back to Cologne."

Higo frowned immediately, getting slightly taken aback by this sudden news. Well, Kumiko had a reason to hesitate earlier, since it was clear that he didn’t like the idea of them leaving him here.

After all, they had lived together for more than 6 months in this place. Moreover, with the girls even helping him in his rehabilitation program, even though he knew that they would leave sooner or later, when the reality was already in front of him, Higo found it difficult to accept everything in front of him.

"So... You guys are leaving?"

The temperature dropped instantly when he said that sentence, and Kumiko could be seen grimacing secretly while muttering to Sakura, ’I told you that he wouldn’t react well!’

Sakura himself didn’t panic. No, if anything, she just rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Don’t act too gloomy like that! It is not like we would leave forever, you know?" She scolded the boy with a karate chop sent to his head. "While yes, she is your girlfriend, but even Kumiko-chan also has her own life and aspirations, you know? Are you really that big of a dickhead to not allow her to thrive in what she excels at most and follow her dream?"

Well, Higo understood that as well, and honestly, his brain also agreed with what Sakura said. However, his feelings were never logical, as he was unwilling to accept Kumiko leaving just like that.

Poor Kumiko, she was caught in a dilemma right now. On one hand, the girl had a future that she wanted to chase, but on the other, she also figured out why her boyfriend was so reluctant to do this. In the end, no immediate solution was found, as they all went back to their own room with a heavy atmosphere.

Still, Higo couldn’t really sleep even after he lay down on the bed. No, the boy just shifted left and right uncomfortably, his mind getting bugged by the anxious thought about what would happen if Kumiko wasn’t here.

’No, having no one to greet me after a tiring practice session will definitely drive me crazy, right? I swear, I have never noticed it, but her smile whenever she opened the door is some sort of therapy for my sanity, right? Still, I cannot just lock her up here... No, but I don’t know what to do, for God’s sake!’ He started kicking his pillow out of frustration.

Having no choice in mind, Higo finally opened his phone, finding his sister’s contact number before making a call immediately. He didn’t pick his mother for an obvious reason, as it was always embarrassing for a son to tell his parents about his love life.

Soon enough, the call was finally connected, and Higo could see his sister’s sleepy eyes pop on the screen.

"Urgh... What’s going on, Ryukkun? Do you really have to call it so early?" Ayaka groaned, clearly having just woken up from sleep.

Higo checked the clock immediately, finding that it should be around 4 in the morning back home. "Sorry, Aya-nee, I forgot to check the time. Shall I close and wait until a little bit later?" He asked with an apologetic tone.

"No, it’s okay... Give me a moment, please..." She yawned big, stretching a little before her image was gone from Higo’s phone. It took a while, but in the end, she was back with a better expression, having just washed her face while also having a cup of hot coffee in her hand. "Okay, so, what is going on?"