Chapter 930: Time to Go Back Home!

It had been about three months since they met, and honestly, Kumiko didn’t know what to expect when she saw her boyfriend for the first time in such a long period.

However, that was definitely not what she saw right now, as she could feel her jaw drop for a second.

Somehow, it felt like Higo was bigger than what she remembered, with broader shoulders and probably slightly taller than what she usually saw on television.

However, that was not what struck her the most here.

No, it was the hairstyle that he used, as his hair grew a little bit too long in this pandemic era where he couldn’t really go to a barber to fix it. As a result, his hair was around shoulder length, and the boy decided to be creative about it.

He tied his hair back into a slightly messy bun that had been a trend back in Japan, and coupled with the plain white shirt and a casual black jacket down that let loose below his waist, Higo looked like someone cosplaying as Eren Yeager from Shingeki no Kyojin right now.

"What? Is it looking weird?" Higo asked, rubbing the back of his head while also twirling awkwardly. "I thought that since it has been a long time since we met, I would like to—OOF!"

Higo was taken aback for a moment as the girl suddenly slammed into him, hugging him so tightly as if she wanted to suck all the heat inside his body in that moment.

His gaze softened immediately, rubbing the girl’s head soothingly.

"Hey, hey, no need to be like this, okay? People are watching, you know?" He asked softly with a slight joking tone.

"I don’t care..." Her voice was muffled as she said under his jacket. "I haven’t seen you for a while, so how could you be so handsome in such a short time? I cannot help but hug you, okay?"

Higo was flustered for a second here, not expecting the praise to come out of nowhere. "Ah... Well, it is just a random change after seeing this style on the Internet, you know? Nothing special at all..."

Yeah, that was the only reason here, especially after he noticed that his hair was long enough to be made for that. Usually, the boy would only tie it messily to make sure that it wouldn’t bother him in the middle of the game, so it was nice to have a little change like this.

Well, he didn’t expect that Kumiko would be so happy to see his change of style that she was basically hogging his hand all the time.

Higo even felt a little bit embarrassed at the knowing smiles that he received from the other people in the airport, probably finding him and the girl to be a lovely couple.

Oh, yeah, speaking of their current place, they were in the Düsseldorf International Airport right now, waiting for their flight to Tokyo. This was also the exact spot where they landed in Germany for the first time a year and a half ago, so this brought a nostalgic feeling for them.

"Hey, Ryukkun! Remember that place? We took a photo together in front of that after I landed, right?!"

"Ryukkun! Ryukkun! You want a donut? They have one with fewer calories, you know?!"

"Hey, Ryukkun! Look at the baby there! They look so cute!"

Higo just smiled helplessly while also trying his best to hold back Kumiko from going berserk in her mission to socialize with every single person in this place.

The airport itself was quite empty even though it was close to Christmas. After all, the restrictions from the pandemic were still there, preventing so many people from traveling or even going back to their hometowns.

Honestly, Higo felt a little bit strange about it. After all, when he was playing football, everything seemed to be normal, but the moment he was off the pitch, the whole city turned back into a ghost town, with so many people still dying from the virus.

It wasn’t like football was free from the virus, of course. No, some players still got infected, delaying a game or two. It was fortunate that Schalke had never been affected by this at all so far.

Still, the protocol for COVID was still there. Even right now, before taking a flight, the boy had already taken a swab test a few days earlier as one of the requirements to be allowed to travel far.

Even though the boy knew that this was necessary, that didn’t mean he enjoyed the whole thing.

’Oh, well, no need to think too much about it.’ Higo shook his head quickly. "Anyway, how is your internship progress? Have you found one that you could try?" He asked, remembering the girl’s problem before she left his flat.

Kumiko’s eyes lit up at that question.

"Oh, I am currently trying to connect with SGS Essen! You know that team, right?"

Higo also perked up when he heard the team’s name.

"The one close to Gelsenkirchen? It should be around 20 minutes of driving, if I’m not wrong?" He frowned, trying to remember it correctly. "Still, isn’t that just a small team? Are you okay with that?"

In his mind, of course, the boy was ready to ask Waldoch for a favor so that she could do her internship in Schalke. After all, the team was still better than SGS Essen, which, if he remembered correctly, was still struggling in the third division of the league.

"Oh, you get it wrong!" Kumiko giggled. "Their men’s team might not be good, but their women’s team is one of the best in the country! It is even better than what Schalke has, you know?!"

Well, Higo didn’t really know about it. Still, he just nodded with a slight grunt, accepting the explanation.

They chatted for a while here, talking about everything in their life. The conversation only stopped when an announcement rang loudly, echoing throughout the whole airport.

"Attention, please. Etihad Airways flight EY134 from Düsseldorf International Airport to Haneda Airport is scheduled to depart in one hour. Please proceed to the gate and be ready to board. Thank you."

Those two perked up instantly, knowing that this was the flight that would bring them home.

Higo smiled gently, offering his hand.

"So, ready to go back home?"

Kumiko’s eyes beamed so brightly as she accepted the hand, holding it as tightly as she could.

"Yeah! Let’s go home!"