Chapter 1039: Higo’s Awkward Day

The next day, the team—or at least, all the players who had finally arrived here—gathered quite early in the morning, and that was when Higo found out that he didn’t know almost every single one of them.

Yeah, well, how could he know, when more than half of the players here were veterans, with the majority being in their prime, around 26 to 29 years old.

For Higo, who was still 21, almost 22, he felt like a little kid accidentally entering the meeting room full of adults, and while the boy was the loudest on the Internet, in real life, this kind of scenario was enough to make him crumble on the spot.

’What the fuck?! What should I do?! This is not funny at all! For God’s sake! Where are Yamane-san and Morita-san?!’

Even though outside, he still looked calm, inwardly, the boy could feel his brain melting, not knowing how to handle a situation like this.

It also didn’t help that most players basically knew each other and had their own friends to talk to, leaving Higo standing alone awkwardly in the middle of the crowd.

Well, not alone, since Miki Yamane also stood on the edge of the crowd in a similar situation. However, it seemed that the fullback was more comfortable with the silence here, not even bothered by his surroundings.

As for Morita?

Well, that traitor seemed to be comfortable enough in his own skin, having already been chatting and laughing with the other players here.

Honestly, Higo didn’t know what was inside the brain of a creature like Morita, always managing to break the silence even with the strangers and made friends so quickly with anyone who he wanted.

’Yeah, fuck, I will never be able to do that...’ Higo smiled while also shaking his head wryly.

The image of him having to introduce himself, listening to the people’s conversation quietly while he couldn’t understand a single shit about it, was enough to send a shiver down his spine.

Fortunately, some guys who recognized him took pity, greeting the boy with great enthusiasm.

"Hey, Higo-kun! When did you arrive here?!" Daichi Kamada greeted him with a loud dap, enough to gain the attention of some players around.

"Last night, Senpai. I arrived with Morita-san." Higo smiled, forever grateful for the Frankfurt’s attacking midfielder who was willing to drag him out of his misery.

"Oh, you are here already?! I haven’t seen you, Higo-kun! I thought you would be late!" This time, it was Wataru Endo, Stuttgart’s captain, who joined the conversation.

Then, to Higo’s horror, Endo suddenly hugged his shoulder tightly and shouted to the others, "Hey, guys! We have a newcomer here! He is our kouhai who wreaked havoc in Germany! Treat him well, okay?!"

Higo could feel his face heat up, wanting nothing but to disappear into the ground. This was the first time someone introduced him to a group like that, and honestly, this was also the most embarrassing moment that he had experienced in his life.

Fortunately, though, it seemed that Endo’s seniority was still strong in the team, as everyone respected Higo’s presence here.

"So, you are the one they said to be the best, huh? I cannot wait to see you in a real game!"

"Hah! Nice to meet you, Higo-kun! My name is Sho Inagaki, and if you need anything, just call me, okay?!"

"Hey, I am Nagatomo! Even though I have already left Europe for a few years, don’t think that I am still at the level of your defenders! I am way better than them!"

Well, it would be a lie if Higo said that he wasn’t overwhelmed by people’s reaction here, as everyone took their time to greet him properly.

Hell, even the two goalkeepers on the team also took their time to introduce themselves to Higo, and the most shocking part here was that there was no hostility that the boy could feel coming from those two.

This was definitely the first time, as whenever Higo came to a new team, even when he was still in Schalke II, some backup goalkeepers would always be a little bit hostile toward them, either making a snarky comment or just staring at him coldly.

He could understand why they would be doing so, though, as a new presence, let alone a talented one, would definitely threaten their chance to be in the main team.

Higo was lucky enough that no one truly did something stupid like asking him to wash their socks or something like that. Still, he couldn’t deny that the hostility existed toward him, so when he faced the two seniors in front of him, the boy was quite surprised.

"What, why would we be hostile toward you?" One of the goalkeepers, Shuichi Gonda, asked in confusion.

"You are this team’s future, Higo, and I am 32 years old already. Nishikawa-san is 36, even! Sooner or later, we will retire from the team, and the spot will be yours. So, why would we even feel threatened?"

"Yeah, just leave the spot in the next World Cup to us, okay? You can have them in 2026 when we were so close to our retirement!" Shusaku Nishikawa, the other goalkeeper, laughed freely.

Higo could feel his gaze soften immediately when he heard that, inwardly feeling relieved that the senpai here welcomed him to the team without even a question.

Inwardly, he couldn’t help but think, ’Yeah, maybe, this is what a good team should be, right?’

The little chat in the training ground suddenly stopped a moment later, when four older men wearing tracksuits walked together like they were some sort of a yakuza group.

All the players there scrambled instantly, shutting their mouths tightly while also lining up like proper soldiers.

Higo just followed along, not wanting to make a mistake on his first day with the team. He also glanced at those men, and soon enough, the boy saw the one in the middle, the smallest one, step forward with an air of authority around him.

"Okay, everyone, thank you for coming here. My name is Hajime Moriyasu, and welcome to the first national training camp this year!"