Everything passed by so quickly that day. Most of them were filled with so many formalities, from taking a photo together, a short interview with the federation’s official PR, finishing the administration task, and so on.
The next thing Higo knew, though, he was already on the plane, carrying his tired body before falling asleep in his seat. Fortunately, it was a private plane from the federation, so he didn’t have to fight against the crowd inside. The moment the boy felt his head hit the comfortable chair, he was lulled to the dreamland immediately.
The journey itself took quite a long time, probably around 18 hours. They would stop at Dubai first for a few hours in the process, and coupled with the fact that there would be at least 7 hours of difference between Warsaw and Tokyo, Higo had already braced himself for a massive jet lag once he arrived at the destination.
True enough, once everything was over, and they landed on Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport, the first thing Higo felt wasn’t joy or relief, but a massive headache. Not only that, he could feel his stomach was getting twisted from the inside, and the only thing he wanted to do right now was to throw up everything inside straight away.
He wasn’t the only one, though. Some of the guys, especially those who had never done a long-distance travel like this, also reacted strongly. Still, somehow, Makino and Kumiko didn’t look bothered by anything else, dragging their luggage casually without even batting their eyes at any side effects of the flight.
"Oi, Chibi, you just went to Germany a few weeks ago, how could you suffer from jetlag when our destination today is not that far? Haven’t you adapted to the journey itself?" The former Hakodate Nishi captain asked with a tone full of mockery.
In return, Higo didn’t even have enough energy to reply verbally, just making some rude gestures to his friend. Still, even he himself couldn’t help but feel curious. How could he be okay in his first journey and become like this in the second one? Would he have to suffer again later when he came back for Schalke?
Thinking about that last part, the boy couldn’t help but shudder, not wanting to imagine that scary scene right now.
"Well, it is a normal reaction, don’t worry about it. Just wait a few more hours or until tomorrow, and you will be back and kicking in again." It was Sakura Aizawa who checked everyone’s condition here. "As for what you mentioned here, the first time is always exciting, so that the side effect is suppressed by your nervousness and excitement. However, the second time is different, so while you are less enthusiastic, your body also reacts more honestly, making you suffer from this jet lag. Just bear with it, everything will be okay."
Higo nodded along as he enjoyed the warm ginger drink from the girl, and his face gradually regained its color. She explained it patiently so that even the dumbest person here could understand the situation. It would be better, though, if the girl also took her time to explain what would happen in the next visit. However, Higo wouldn’t complain here, just trying to enjoy the peaceful moment before they had to go to the city where they would stay.
Their destination itself was called Warka, a small city around 50 kilometers to the south of Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. It only had around 12,000 residents, which was 20 times fewer than Hakodate. That was why the journey was quite peaceful here, not getting bothered by any crowded places.
Some of the players spent their time snapping photos, marveling at the new, magical scenery of the city in Poland. Unlike in Japan, there was a unique charm in any city in Europe. Not only was it because of their quaint architecture, but even the ambiance was different here.
Well, at least, compared to Japan, which was so crowded with tourists this month, they would prefer spending their time in a quiet city like this.
Soon enough, they finally arrived at the hotel where they would live. The moment the boys left the bus, they could smell the fresh air of Europe, and it would be a lie if they said that this was not a marvelous experience.
Higo himself compared this city with Gelsenkirchen, the only city he had ever visited, and the boy knew exactly why the team picked this place as their camp.
’The place is so quiet it could make you sleepy.’ That was at least his first thought after stepping into Warka. ’Other than the nice scenery, the boys would get bored after the first day. There is definitely no exciting thing that exists in this city. This is a perfect place to work without any distractions.’
Little did he know how true it was, as the coaching team really picked this place for that exact same reason.
"Okay, guys, I know that you all want to explore as quickly as possible, but remember, you have just finished almost 20 hours of flight, and we will start our training tomorrow evening," Kageyama-sensei spoke before letting the guys go to their own room. "I will not treat you as teenagers anymore here. You guys have already stepped into adulthood, so try to be responsible with your own choices. Don’t make yourself regret any choice you make here, understand?!"
"Yes, Sir!" The players replied simultaneously. Whether they truly followed the rule or not was definitely a different matter, but as the coach said, they would only be responsible for their own choice here.
Soon enough, the coach finally let them go to their own room. Higo himself was back with Naoya, the same as Makino, who was with Tagawa. With the team being fixed like this, there was no need to randomize roommates anymore. It was better for each one of them to have someone they were familiar with to communicate with each other.
Before they entered the room, Naoya just sent a huge grin at Higo, raising his hand for a dap.
"Well, we are going to fight alongside each other again, so don’t disappoint me as your roommate, okay?"
In return, Higo just snorted, accepting the dap before replying, "You are the main player, so I should be the one saying that. Don’t make an embarrassing mistake, or I would never acknowledge you as my roommate, okay?"