Unfortunately, no amount of complaining would be enough to change his situation. After all, it was already good that he could be with the main team in just four months, since the initial promise was that it would take a year before he could get this promotion.
Still, even though Higo knew that his situation was already good, when the opportunity was in front of his eyes and he couldn’t truly grasp it, the boy couldn’t help but sigh in pity.
"Don’t be too greedy." Kumiko chided him during one of his phone calls. "It is always you who ask with hesitation about whether you are moving too fast or not, so why would you want to rush things up like that? Enjoy the process; it is only three months, anyway. Use it to learn everything you need to know from Nubel, and time will pass so quickly you don’t even realize you are already on the pitch again."
Well, when Kumiko put it that way, he had no reason to whine and make a ruckus, so Higo just accepted the fact that he became a bench player again quietly. Hell, even when Frohling announced to the team that Nubel would still be the main goalkeeper, he didn’t show any reaction, just letting the others whisper behind his back.
"Damn, even with the performance he showed, it is still not enough? What the hell does he need to get into the first team?"
"You don’t know shit about it! Goalkeeper’s position is the most important one, needing stability to make sure everything goes right! If we change it now, the coordination on the back will be chaotic, and we will be screwed!"
"I know, I know... It is just a pity that he couldn’t get into the team, right?"
Nubel also noticed the whispers around him, and honestly, the man felt uncomfortable about it. However, since Higo didn’t mention this as a problem, the man just stayed quiet, gritting his teeth as he continued further with the team.
’I will only be here for three months at most, and after that, this position will be his. He can sit patiently on the bench before that happens.’ At least, that was what he said to reassure himself.
Well, Higo just spent the next three months doing the same routine: Training and sitting quietly on the bench. He didn’t even complain, which was appreciated by Frohling, who always kept his eyes on the boy.
However, it would be a lie if Higo said that he was not envious, especially when he watched Morita debut for the first time in the Veltins Arena, being cheered by more than 50,000 people inside.
’Fuck! At least, in my debut, I have to be better than him!’
With the arrival of Frohling, the team also started to perform better. He injected three new blood straight to the main roster: Morita, Hofmann, and Fabian, and those three had made an immediate impact on the team.
Not only did they manage to organize the play better and less chaotically, but their presence also sharpened the frontline. So many imaginative passes were sent, giving the frontline numerous chances to score. As a result, the team’s goal production also increased, helping the team get a better result.
However, it was also not the best one that the team could get. No, their defense was so weak that their opponents always found an easier time to tie the score or even overtake it whenever Schalke stole the lead first.
As a result, they still failed to accumulate a lot of wins. So far, two and a half months had passed since Higo started entering the first team, and they were still in the relegation zone. The only different thing here was that they managed to climb two spots, leaving the bottom of the table to the 16th place for now.
During that period, they played ten games, achieving three wins, five draws, and two defeats. With 14 points out of 15 games they played so far, honestly, it was a miracle that they didn’t sit at the bottom of the table. It was fortunate that there were two teams whose achievement was worse so far, SC Paderborn and Fortuna Düsseldorf.
The most infuriating part here, though, was that those two that were struggling to even get a draw in this season managed to defeat Schalke in the past, their only win so far in this season.
Their position so far was, of course, not enough to satisfy the supporters. After all, 16th was not a place that a big team like Schalke should belong, and it also didn’t help that they also became one of the worst defensive teams in the league so far, conceding around 39 goals right now.
Still, this result was at least better than when the season had just started. At least, even though they were still at the lower part of the table, they had a big hope that the second half of the season would be different.
However, that still had to wait, because right now, they had already entered December, and Christmas was already on the corner. It was time for a break, and since the team was not in England where they had two boxing games, that meant everyone had at least three weeks of holiday.
Right now, Higo found himself not on the football pitch anymore, but fighting against the crowd in the jam-packed train station in Gelsenkirchen. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, as even with the low temperature outside, the boy was still sweating a lot in this environment.
"Fucking hell... When the fuck will she be able to get out?" He groaned anxiously, checking his phone over and over again.
Fortunately, after fifteen minutes of waiting, Higo finally found the girl of her life, trying to get away from the crowd that was trying to crush her into pieces. That particular girl also noticed Higo’s presence, so even in her situation, her eyes still lit up immediately, showing a mixture of joy and relief.
"Ryukkun, you are here! Help me with my luggage, please; I cannot move!"
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