Chapter 25: Reencounter

Chapter 25: Reencounter

Coach Tesser sensed some issues with the players' condition, so he decided to give the team two days off and resume training on Tuesday morning to prepare for the next league match. At the end of the season, it's not about training but about adjusting the players' conditions to bring out their best fighting spirit, which is key to victory.

After returning to Novara and announcing the two-day break, Tesser specifically called Bruno aside, asking him to also take a break from training and rest well for two days to relax.

Tesser told Bruno that he was too tense, which was not good, and what he really needed was some real rest. Bruno knew Tesser was right. Since the end of the winter break, he hadn't had any real rest, resuming the intense cycle of training—match—training—match, and spending every evening in the Training Master System for special training.

Three months down the line, his abilities had improved again, but he occasionally felt a deep-seated fatigue. Although he tried to adjust his mood, the feeling of exhaustion lingered.

Hearing Tesser's reminder, Bruno felt that there might be truth to it. The Training Master System was incredible, but the relentless cycle of training was draining, even if he appeared energetic, the mental fatigue was irremovable.

Indeed, his last two-day trip to Milan had helped him relax, and upon returning, he had exploded in performance, achieving 5 goals and 13 assists in 9 league matches, an average of creating 2 goals per game—a spectacular feat.

However, since then, his form had slipped. In the recent 5 matches, although he had given his all on the field, with 5 goals and 7 assists, he had started to harbor many negative emotions. For instance, he often reprimanded teammates during games and became somewhat irritable and quick-tempered... He felt that some teammates were gradually holding grudges against him, which was not a good sign.

Heeding Tesser's advice, on April 28th, Bruno got up in the morning and, instead of heading out with a soccer ball as usual, he greeted Mr. Richie and rode his bike out for a purposeless outing.

The countryside of Novara at the end of April was stunningly beautiful. Riding through the fields, with the majestic Alps in the distance, Bruno's mood lifted.

Unintentionally, he found himself nearing Milan. Remembering a café he had visited before, he changed his direction and headed towards the place from his memory.

As Bruno stepped into the somewhat dimly lit booth of the café, he couldn't help but pause and hide in the darkness to quietly observe the intellectual woman behind the counter.

It was just past 9 AM, when late-rising Italians usually start their day. The woman seemed to have just opened the café and was daydreaming behind the counter.

Her beige professional jacket hung on a hook next to her, her form-fitting ruffled silk white blouse displayed her perfect curves, and her petite trousers and black high heels were hidden under the coffee table. Resting her chin on her crossed hands, the delicately designed lamp cast a soft and dim light, her eyes melancholy and distant, seemingly lost in her own world.

Sensing something, the woman looked towards the dim corner, spotting the quietly standing Bruno and showing a surprised smile.

"What's wrong?" The light mist of coffee hovered between them.

"Nothing much. Just work stuff," Bruno shook his head lightly, stirring the coffee in his cup with a silver spoon.

"Is it about Novara's winning streak ending yesterday?" she asked with a light smile, her mild melancholy seeming to melt away in her smile.

Her serene and gentle face smoothed the wrinkles in Bruno's heart, making him feel more at ease, but her words made him cautious. "Oh? How did you know?"

"Don't be so sensitive, I guessed," she said with a smile.

"Guessed? You can guess such things? Do you know me?" Bruno asked, his lips curling into a slight smile.

"Yes, you're currently the super talent of Italian football. Anyone who cares about football would know you. I used to be somewhat involved in football myself, plus with all the newspapers covering it, is it strange that I know you?" She looked at Bruno, explaining, "The news that Novara's winning streak was broken by a draw with Padova was the headline in several Italian media outlets, so…"

"So you surmised I might be upset about it?" Bruno nodded, impressed by the woman's perceptiveness.

He looked at her again seriously, smiling, "You know me, but I don't know you; that seems unfair…"

The woman chuckled, shaking her head, "You can call me Vanessa… Vanessa Heisler."

She only introduced herself by name, not saying much else. Bruno didn't inquire further; he was never one to probe too deeply.

"I think the people at Sassuolo are probably under a lot of pressure right now!" Vanessa remarked.

"Is it bad for them to feel pressured?" Bruno countered with a smile, "Like in the first half of the season, when Sassuolo was far ahead, many fans probably didn't like that. The current leaderboard is much more exciting."

Although Novara's winning streak had ended, because Sassuolo had lost the day before, their lead had shrunk to just one point.

At the end of the winter break, Sassuolo was 21 points ahead of Novara. At that time, Sassuolo didn't even consider Novara a rival, possibly only keeping an eye on Livorno, and probably not even considering Verona a threat, as Livorno was only 4 points behind them and Verona 8.

Now, with only 3 rounds left in the league, Sassuolo had 80 points, Novara 79, Livorno 76, and Verona 75, all four teams still had a chance at the championship.

The battle for the championship had suddenly become very unpredictable.

Vanessa looked intrigued as she watched the young man in front of her using his body language and expressions to communicate. While he might not be considered very handsome, the sharpness and vivacity emanating from his features surpassed his age, especially a subtle wildness that permeated her senses, evoking a mixture of fear and anticipation.

"You and Novara's performance these last few months have been too spectacular, 21 consecutive wins, it's almost unbelievable," Vanessa sipped her coffee, curiously asking, "A lot of people are very curious, how did you manage to do this? You know, even Juventus, with their strength, couldn't achieve so many consecutive wins six years ago."

Bruno laughed, saying, "Honestly, I'd like to know why myself."

"You don't know?" Vanessa widened her eyes in surprise.

"What they call a miracle is a combination of a bit of luck, a bit of effort, and a bit of strength. If I said it was all down to luck, would you believe that? If I said it was all effort, would you believe that? If I said it was all about strength, would you believe that?" Bruno said.

Vanessa laughed softly, shaking her head, as if to agree with him; miracles are indeed unpredictable, unreplicable, and indefinable, otherwise, they wouldn't be miracles.

The melodious saxophone echoed in the café, and the two chatted happily, undisturbed by anyone.

It wasn't until noon that Bruno, in a cheerful mood, said his goodbyes and left. (End of Chapter)

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