Well, it didn’t take much to convince Higo and the girls about the man. Even though Koisuke Fujita was a little bit overly enthusiastic, the man was organized and planned so far ahead that it was impossible to ignore.
It also helped that the man was so accepting of the girls around here, never even questioning their presence around Higo.
"Well, I mean, they are your family, right?" Koisuke Fujita shrugged. "At the end of the day, you will listen more to them than me, so I have to convince them as well to let them know that I am serious with you. Only when it is done can I work well without having to worry about any external factor."
The man didn’t say anything about what those external factors were, but everyone here was smart enough to know what kind of trouble he wanted to avoid in the future. So many conflicts between players and agents erupted from the family member, so it was important for the agent to help explain to them as well.
"I am just lucky that your family is quite understanding, only asking about your well-being. I heard from my senpai that some of the senior players have their girlfriend even demanding a direct cut from that player’s wage, and it has to be stated in the contract as well. Scary..." The man shuddered at his own memory.
In the end, both Higo and Koisuke Fujita signed a contract to officially work together. If before, Higo was just a young man aspiring to become a pro, this time, he really had an agent who would help him step forward into that circle.
After the day was over, they were back to Hakodate again, and somehow, though, all the hype around having a new agent dissipated immediately. Koisuke Fujita was also gone, back to Tokyo again to start dealing with the administrative task before going to Germany, leaving Higo alone with the three women for their ’tender’ care.
Yeah, tender indeed.
"Auf Geht’s, Ryukkun! Noch mal!" (Come on, Ryukkun! One more time!) Kumiko cheered as she observed Higo’s training.
Higo gritted, lowering his body while also feeling his core was burning. He also cursed at the same time. "How the hell did you speak German so well in such a short time?!"
"Nein, nein, nein! Klein English, Hier nur Deutsch!" (No, no, no! No English, only German here!) Kumiko frowned, shaking her head in disapproval.
Yeah, right now, she was forcing Higo to learn how to communicate in the German language. After all, while yes, he had decent English as the base, it never hurt to learn some local language beforehand. At least, it could give the coaching team a good impression that Higo was willing to learn before going abroad.
Koisuke Fujita also approved this method. In fact, he also forced Higo to join an online class to learn more German, so every weekend, Higo and Kumiko would sit like good students they were, listening to an online class with a real tutor from Germany itself.
Honestly, for a boy who desperately wanted to forget anything about school, this was a nightmare. However, whenever Higo looked at how seriously Kumiko was in treating everything here, he gritted his teeth, not wanting to lose. Well, he might lose in terms of brain, but his effort couldn’t be beaten just like that.
So, just like that, the next few weeks were spent by Higo in peace, only having to do four things. Practice well, learn well, eat well, and sleep well.
The change on his body was also quite obvious. Not in terms of height, since his height plate seemed to reach its limit. However, Higo was quite satisfied with 181 cm, inwardly smirking at the image of his meeting with Makino in the future.
’Well, I will dare him to call me Chibi again later. Hah! I will try to get taller again, and it would be funny to see him being the smallest in the group!’
Well, that was just a pure fantasy for his part. However, the most drastic change was in his overall muscle mass.
He didn’t get bigger in frame, but his muscles were tougher. He was also more explosive, being able to at least react quicker than ever inside the penalty box. This helped him maximize his clairvoyant ability, and Higo had already imagined himself to be invincible around the penalty box.
Unfortunately, that theory had to wait before it could get tested, as right now, he himself didn’t have a club to train with. The boy might still ask Hakodate Nishi to join one or two training sessions, but he was not shameless enough to barge in as if he owned that team.
Fortunately, this state didn’t last long, because soon, they finally entered May. The weather was quite sunny outside, with Sakura starting to bloom all over the place. This was perfect timing for a new couple to go outside for a romantic date. However, it was different for Higo, since the call from Koisuke Fujita finally arrived.
"Two days from now, you will fly from Sapporo to Haneda first. We will all fly together to Düsseldorf before going by train to VELTINS Arena in North Rhine-Westphalia. Get your passport and ticket ready, make sure that you will not leave even a single thing behind, okay?"
Higo took a deep breath after receiving the phone. He knew that the day would come sooner or later, but when it finally arrived in front of his eyes, the boy couldn’t help but feel... Nervous.
"What? Having a second thought?" Ayaka couldn’t help but ask with one eyebrow raised above her bangs.
"Yeah, I couldn’t help it." Higo smiled wryly, playing with his fingers. "What if I didn’t do well in the trial?" His voice was barely a whisper.
Ayaka paused for a moment, looking at her brother intently. In the end, she just let out a little snort and said, "Then we go back with head held high. It is not like this is the end of the world, you know? Don’t forget, German was just an option, but you have so many different options here. This is what you achieve with your amazing performance in the past, so keep your back straight and be proud of yourself."