Unfortunately for Higo, the day passed so slowly that it was like a tortoise not even trying to race the hare. To make everything worse, whenever the teacher was out of the room, some classmates would always approach him, wanting to exchange a word or two.

It was not like they were rude. No, on the contrary, they were super nice, always keeping their distance appropriately as they knew that they weren’t even close to each other before. If anything, though, this only made things worse for him.

With their politeness, Higo would feel uncomfortable ignoring them, so he had to respond, no matter how annoyed the boy was.

"Man, I cannot believe I would say this, but I miss my NPC day..." He muttered in English unconsciously.

Hearing that, Kumiko, who sat behind, couldn’t help but snort. "Please don’t. I cannot bear to see you being so lifeless like that."

"Lifeless?! That is an outrageous accusation!" Higo gasped dramatically. "You don’t know how many people I beat in an online fight when we talked about even the most trivial things in the world!"

"Exactly my point." Kumiko retorted, far from being impressed. "Anyway, after the game is over, ask Kuroki-kun and Makino-kun to meet the others in the club room. This is going to be our last time getting involved with the team."

Higo was stunned for a second before nodding solemnly. "Roger."

They didn’t know, though, that their conversation was overheard by the classmates nearby, and everyone was in awe to listen to them speaking so fast in pure English.

’Damn, I don’t know that they are that good!"

"I mean, don’t you know what they are speaking about?!"

"Does this confirm that Higo-kun is going abroad next year?"

The whispers grew louder as Higo’s little conversation with Kumiko spread so quickly to the whole room. At this point, all the students here knew about it, and the intensity of the gossip started to get bigger again.

Fortunately, they were already the end of the day, so Higo didn’t need to endure this torture anymore. The moment the bell rang, he grabbed both Makino and Kuroki at the same time, dragging them to the club room immediately.

"The last time we got involved with the team?" Makino’s mood turned somber. "Indeed, the longer we stay, the harder it would be for them to move on. It is better for them to take care of everything on their own sooner."

Kuroki, though, looked impatient here. "I don’t care about that shit right now. I hope this will be quick, because I still have a night class outside to catch up with my math." His tone was full of worry.

"You sure adapt to your student life so quickly, Kuro. Your footballer aura has already gone at this point, you know?" Makino couldn’t help but tease his friend.

"Bah! Who cares about that aura? It wouldn’t give me an additional point in the entrance exam!" The boy retorted quickly.

Those three bickered for a while until they arrived at the club room, where all of their kouhai were already waiting for them. Their expression was somber as they themselves also knew what today’s meeting was going to be about.

Those three also went quiet immediately, finding it inappropriate to continue bantering in this moment. They all waited for Kumiko in such an awkward, yet tense silence, before, in the end, the girl finally came with three older men behind.

"Oh, you guys are here already? Good." Kumiko nodded in appreciation. "Well, first things first, let me introduce you guys to the staff team that is going to guide you from now on. First of all, Kazuyuki Toda-sensei is your head coach."

The first man stepped forward, giving a polite smile to everyone. He had a full white beard covering his face with hair that was far from being complete, giving an impression that he was an old man through and through. However, his posture and demeanor told the boys here that he was a former athlete.

"As you can guess, he is a retired footballer." Kumiko continued. "However, what you don’t know is that he was a part of the Japan National Team in the World Cup 2002, so you can expect him to share his experience with you guys."

This broke the silence instantly, whispers full of excitement spread across the room in a heartbeat.

"Damn! A former national player?! Are you kidding me?!"

"Kumiko-senpai sure is not playing around with us!"

"Man, next year is going to be fire!"

Honestly, it was so funny that they were getting excited over a man they knew nothing about. Well, it couldn’t be helped, because the man was just a substitute in that World Cup squad, and during that time, most of the boys hadn’t even been born yet.

Still, that didn’t dampen their enthusiasm here, because if there was one thing Kumiko couldn’t provide them, it was the perspective of a footballer. Now that they had one as their head coach, a high-level one, even, they would have a big chance to take a leap next year.

"Okay, okay, you can chat with him later. Be quiet, please!" Kumiko raised her hand as the situation started to get out of control.

Fortunately, the boys were still obedient, shutting their mouths instantly before going back to their own chairs.

"We still have two members to introduce here." Kumiko continued. That was when everyone finally took notice of the two younger men behind. "The first one is Toda-sensei’s apprentice, Nakai Okubo, who is going to help you guys with your daily training menu."

"It is nice to meet you guys." A man with glasses as thick as Takaaki’s stepped forward and bowed. It was clear by this single gesture that the man was the serious type here.

"Then, we also have Kazuki Oiwa, a master student from the sports medicine program, as our medical staff. He will be the one taking care of your health, so be polite, okay?"

"Nice to meet you, everyone." This time, the man looked so clean, and the bright smile radiating in his face made him look approachable. Takaaki, especially, had his eyes shining at him.

"So, those three are going to take over the team from now on, so you guys better listen and follow their guidance, okay?" Kumiko smiled wanly. At this point, she was holding back her tears already.

"I hope that in the next tournament, you can go further and achieve more things for yourself, for the team, and for the school. Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun and always try your best, no matter what. Do you guys understand?!"

"Yes, Ma’am!" All the boys rose immediately. At this point, their eyes also went teary, but none of them dared to let it fall.

"Well, then, I have no words to say anymore." Kumiko snorted, wiping the tears on the corner of her eyes. "I will just say this. Kumiko Shishida! Jumonji Kuroki! Ryusuke Higo! And Tomoaki Makino! Third year! Out!"

"SE! NO!"

"ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!"

With one last bow, the third-year students finally retired from the team, passing down a legacy that would be near impossible to achieve again in the future.