The journey took at least 17 hours, with them having to transit in Dubai first, just like the usual. Once both Higo and Morita arrived at Narita Airport, though, someone whom Higo was familiar with had already been waiting for them.
"Kusakabe-san? You are the one who picked us up?!" Higo blinked in surprise.
"So, a top goalkeeper in the world still remembers the little old me, huh? Hahaha! I can brag about this to my daughter later!" The man laughed happily as he hugged Higo with the fondness of an old friend.
The man was Soichiro Kusakabe, the liaison officer from the federation who invited Higo and Makino to the Young Samurai team in the past. He still had the same appearance here, a clean hairstyle with glasses as thick as an encyclopedia.
Looking at the man, Higo felt his gaze soften immediately, feeling a little bit nostalgic about the past right now.
