Chapter 8: If They Approach Like That (1)

A family of hooligans, huh?

Is this their backing?

Of course, I couldn't find any information about them through an internet search.

Viiing.

A notification popped up on my screen indicating that Harry was calling. I stopped my search, hit the call button, and held the phone to my ear while slowly making my way toward the training facility.

"Did anything happen yesterday?"

As I debated whether to mention the incident, Harry started firing off words rapidly.

"I've got an urgent matter, so I won't be able to come down for a while. I sent the necessary documents via email to the address Katie provided. Should I send them to a different one?"

"No, that's fine."

"Okay, then I'll tell you what needs to be done. You'll have to do a few additional tasks besides your interpreting work. It's nothing major."

"Really?"

If it's work, I'm welcome to it. Honestly, just filming and interpreting was leaving me with too much free time.

"Our Client Services team collects training data for the Football Consultants team (which mostly consists of former players and coaches who advise agency players) and sends it to them. Typically, they check it once a week, but since Seb is likely to transfer at the end of this season, we need daily reports if possible."

"Aha, I see."

That makes sense; the Football Consultants team would need to keep an eye on the player's condition and provide necessary advice. They need to assess before recommending players to the club. Got it.

So, I'll be creating that training data, then. Should I just film and send it?

"So, what you'll be making is the training data."

I thought I had guessed correctly, but Harry wasn't done.

"There should be a daily report template in the materials I sent. You'll need to compile Sebastien's training logs, diet, relationships with other players, interactions with coaching staff, and the videos you record and send them to me weekly. This part is for me."

"What?"

He just said it was nothing major, and now it's this much work?

"For urgent matters like injuries, contact Katie directly. She's in the operations team and will take care of what's necessary."

Since I was hired not just as an interpreter but as a part of the agency, I suppose that's why they're piling on the work like this.

Well, they probably won't be too harsh on a newcomer. Let's give it a shot. Maybe this is why the weekly pay is decent.

"Got it. But…."

I decided to set aside the conversation about Liam Grant and talked about Sebastien.

I mentioned that it seemed like Sebastien wasn't eating breakfast properly.

Then I continued, "When will you be assigning someone new? Shouldn't the agency hire someone for that? It looks like he's been eating nothing but cereal for a month."

"…"

Harry, who usually spoke clearly, struggled to respond.

Maybe ten seconds passed? I finally heard Harry's cautious voice.

"… If possible, could you also take care of his meals? I'll cover the costs. If you can handle breakfast, the rest will be fine. We've had some issues at the agency, and we haven't been able to find anyone."

His voice sounded gloomy over the phone.

I joked half-heartedly, "Will you raise my pay?"

"Um, uh… It's a small amount, but if you could manage to cut back on food costs…"

"I'm joking."

Harry seemed stunned into silence.

I passed through the corridor and arrived at the training field. Sebastien, who was stretching alone, waved at me when he saw me.

I waved back and said to Harry, "I can eat breakfast with him. Do you have a meal plan or anything? Sebastien seemed to eat really healthily yesterday."

"Ah, yes. I'll send it to you after the call."

That was settled. Now for the second matter.

"And by the way, do you know about the hooligans called Liam Grant?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I heard a rumor and was just curious."

"It's a nasty place. They're the biggest gang in Brighton & Hove. They only become hooligans during matches; otherwise, they're just a gang."

"What? Like, do they shoot guns and stuff?"

"Yeah. Since they're from the coast, they don't have any connections."

Whoa?

I glanced at Liam Grant and the other two players who were just coming out of the dressing room as I wrapped up the call with Harry.

The image of me glaring and sternly questioning Liam Grant flashed through my mind.

Hmm.

I need to be cautious and gather information step by step.

Yeah, I should start with information.

This isn't because I'm scared. I just need to know so I can act, right?

_____________________

I couldn't gather any useful information over the weekend, and Monday rolled around.

For six days, the toxic trio hadn't made any moves, just as Liam Grant had mentioned. I tried to tail them, but the club wouldn't give me their addresses.

The club staff only spoke to me about necessary matters, and the players avoided me.

With no one else to rely on, I turned to the Helper, gathering information about them daily.

°°The socks have holes in them.

°°They're low on energy after a wild night.

°°There's a bit of a masochistic tendency.

Just useless information like that. Thinking back, it's odd how much they're revealing. Learning unnecessary details just made me feel worse. I even learned about Sebastien's secret hobbies, making it awkward to look at him in the morning.

I could only gather information if I got within about ten meters of them, so I couldn't avoid it. It was convenient yet frustrating.

I tried to uncover the trio's information like a spy from a movie, but since it was my first time doing this, I ended up only getting Helper's information while making the materials to send to the agency during the weekdays.

At the training facility, while filming Sebastien, there was plenty to record, and I spent a lot of time each evening going to the store for fresh ingredients, preparing reports, and editing videos. I also had to take care of Sebastien's breakfast.

I felt I couldn't just sit back and do nothing, so on Saturday, I followed the team to the match to gather additional information. After the game, I trailed Liam Grant, which proved to be fruitful.

°°He's going to feel the effects of alcohol for a day.

It was frustrating that it turned out to be useless information. I would have preferred if he had been drinking in a shady place, but it was a regular club, and he wasn't using drugs either. Right after leaving the club, he went straight to a hotel.

The next morning, I went to Sebastien's house to prepare breakfast for him. I thought he'd be off for personal training, but he said he was taking a break and would be at home all day, so I borrowed Sebastien's car and parked it in front of the hotel.

While waiting in the car, I planned how to respond if the toxic trio attempted anything against me. Liam Grant hadn't come out all day. Not even until this morning. Damn.

If there's one takeaway, it's that the Helper doesn't just give useful information.

"I missed you! Blue Eagle!"

As I opened the door to Sebastien's house to prepare breakfast, he rushed out, wet hair flying, and meticulously checked the condition of the blue Audi I had just parked.

Once satisfied that there were no issues, he sprawled over the hood, rubbing his body against it.

"Hey, you're going to catch a cold."

"I'm fine."

"Is that the name? Blue Eagle?"

"Yeah, isn't it cute? Huh?"

Sebastien turned his gaze from the blue Audi to me and asked with a teasing tone, "What were you doing all night to look so worn out under your eyes? Did you meet a girl?"

I rubbed my under-eye area. I did look a bit haggard.

"I'd need to have a girl to meet one…"

"Huh? Don't tell me it was a guy?"

I frowned, and Sebastien chuckled as he headed back into the house. He had been laughing more often these past few days, which put me in a good mood too.

After breakfast, we headed to the club for the morning training session.

I enjoyed the familiar sea breeze of Brighton while leaving the window open. Tomorrow would mark the end of the week the trio had mentioned, as well as the last day for an unconditional contract termination as Katie Cubitt had said.

Hmm. I was starting to feel tense again. I hoped there would be some useful information today…

We arrived at the training ground early, and a coach spotted us and informed us that there was a meeting with the manager.

"Have you been called in before?"

"No? This is the first time, aside from when I transferred here…"

We followed the coach into the manager's office.

I wondered why the manager, who usually just sat with his arms crossed during meetings and training sessions, had summoned Sebastien. The only time I had seen him act was when he celebrated Sebastien's elbow goal, so I tilted my head in confusion.

My question was soon answered.

"I've put up with this for months, and I can't take it anymore. Do you know you're disrupting team cohesion? Decide whether you're going to try to adapt or just don't show up for training for the rest of the season! Make a choice now!"

What?