Chapter 588: Transfer crisis

After resolving the issue with the manager, Hiro and the others turned their attention to Shun, knowing it was time to say their farewells.

Shun’s expression grew somber, his reluctance to part with the group evident.

Sensing his hesitation, Hiro stepped forward to console him, saying, “There comes a point when we all face a crossroads. Today, it’s your turn. Tomorrow, it could be me or someone else. The journey that we’ve shared has been unforgettable, but this isn’t the end of our friendship. We’ll stay in touch.”

As Hiro finished, he extended his hand for a handshake. Shun looked deeply at him before glancing at the others, who smiled warmly in return. Their reassuring smiles eased his sadness.

Feeling a sense of peace, Shun grasped Hiro’s hand and then pulled him into a hug.

“Don’t leave us out!” someone called, and soon they all embraced in a tight, group hug, just like they did after a major victory.

The bond they shared was irreplaceable.

Click! Click! Click!

Many onlookers at the airport terminal couldn’t resist capturing the moment, touched by the deep friendship they witnessed.

********

The picture of them hugging went viral. Just in a day, it accumulated thousands of likes and comments. Many people wished Shun well while many couldn’t help but grieve over the loss of an amazing home-grown talent.

That picture, however, wasn’t simple.

Many people could see the foreshadowing exit of other young superstars as well. They were well aware that he wouldn’t be the only one.

He might be the first one from the golden generation of Kawasaki youth to leave but surely, he wouldn’t be the only one.

Many media outlets covered the news. Amidst the coverage, the incident regarding the tyranny of the airport manager and the rich lady also made it to the news.

That incident garnered a lot of attention. Especially, the manager, he had to shoulder the entire hate. As for the rich lady, she came out of it almost unscathed.

Later the airport, unable to bear the pressure issued an apology which followed with the dismissal of the manager.

Hiro, however, was unaffected by the event. Neither he cared about their apology nor the dismissal of the rude manager.

The season was about to start. So, he couldn’t afford to get distracted by such matters. Since he had already signed the contract, it was going to be his last season here.

So, he had to leave an impact memorable enough.

He couldn’t leave the club without giving anything in return. Sure, one might argue that he had already helped them win the league previously.

But he couldn’t be satisfied with only that.

********

Inside the club office, Haruki and a few other officials sat. The club office was relatively silent and almost everyone appeared anxious.

Haruki then stood and said in a rather agitated tone, “How could the deal collapse?”

Hearing him, the other people in the room exchanged glances.

“Coach, we had already agreed personal terms with Yamane. But at the last moment, they decided to go with Yokohama.”

Upon hearing him, Haruki fiercely looked at the sports director.

He was a middle-aged man with bulging eyes and a high nose bridge. At the moment, he had a rather terrified expression on his face.

His temples were covered in sweat and his eyes seemed like they could pop out of his eye sockets any moment.

Although he had a rather broad shoulder, at the moment he had tucked his elbows together.

Haruki let out a deep sigh, attempting to ease his expression a little. Then he said, “Didn’t you offer him a satisfactory contract? If only you would have offered him a satisfactory contract, he wouldn’t have changed his mind.”

Mukojima had offered him a very lucrative salary. Despite that Yamane chose to play for Yokohama. So, it couldn’t be said that the fault lay in him. After all, he had offered him the best possible contract a club could offer a newbie like him.

Riku Yamane, a rather talented defensive midfielder was built like a rock. He could handle both defensive and offensive responsibilities well. Especially, his ability to retain his position was something that even coach Haruki vied for.

So, Haruki who lacked a robust defensive midfielder had placed him under the most important signing. With their starting defensive midfielder retiring, he was the most idle option.

So, Haruki had wanted to sign him under any circumstances.

Initially, they had agreed personal terms with the player. But at the last moment, they heard the news that Yokohama F Marinos had snatched him.

So, obviously, they wouldn’t feel good having their key transfer stolen under their nose.

With him gone, they had to shift their attention elsewhere.

Mukojima couldn’t help but curse the player that had gotten him into this predicament. He had to suffer the wrath of the Manager and he wasn’t happy about it.

Failing to get the deal done, it had left a rather nasty stain on his glorious career.

Infuriated, he thought with his teeth gritted, ‘You brat! If you had been dissatisfied with the agreed deal then you should have at least spoken to me before. Rejecting the league champions to side with Yokohama, you have made a foolish deal.’

Even if he were to make an issue out of it, Haruki was aware that he wouldn’t get anywhere with it. So, he decided to cast the matter aside and focus on the solution instead. After all, the matter regarding the signing of a new defensive midfielder was urgent.

So, he couldn’t allow himself to remain fixated on a matter that couldn’t be solved. Instead, he had to search for another solution.

With that thought in mind, he sat down and picked a document from the pile of documents before him. Although Yamane was their key transfer, he wasn’t the only option.

They had selected a few other options as well.

In this season, they had to restructure their team. This scenario was mostly due to the foreign

club targeting their players after the successful season they had.

Since they had been dominating the league for a while, their players had received a lot of attention from clubs around the world.