After Michael Chen returned home, washed up, and lay in bed, he began thinking things over before going to sleep.
His current physical condition broke down roughly like this: 192 centimeters tall, 70 kilograms, with a 190-centimeter wingspan.
Setting aside the obvious lack of muscle, he at least had the basic frame of a goalkeeper.
His fundamental saving technique and goal kicks were passable.
As for reaction saves and one-on-one situations?
With the help of his cheat ability, those were absolutely no problem.
In fact, if someone studied Michael’s data carefully, they would assume his reaction speed was practically world-class.
Michael understood the delicate art of showing off very well.
If you were going to show off, you had to make it look smooth, natural, and completely effortless.
Because of that, the most urgent thing right now was improving his core strength and overall flexibility.
He was simply way too skinny!
Today, when Leganés fired those two back-to-back shots to opposite corners, he had almost failed to parry them even with the time rewind.
For a goalkeeper, flexibility was crucial.
Sometimes, just being able to drop into a full split could solve a lot of massive problems on the pitch.
On top of that, he desperately needed a stronger long throw.
His footwork was decent, but his throwing technique lagged far behind.
After catching the ball, getting up quickly and launching a lethal counterattack was an essential skill for any modern keeper.
After reviewing his own physical flaws, Michael made up his mind.
On tomorrow’s day off, he was going to find a yoga instructor.
If he wanted to dominate the league, his own body had to be strong enough to handle it first.
With that thought settled, Michael closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.
…
Early the next morning, his phone buzzed violently on the nightstand.
He answered the call, but before Michael could even get a word out, Oriol’s loud voice blasted through the speaker.
“Michael!
We’ve got the day off today, so I’m coming over!
I’m already right near your place.
Wait for me!”
Click.
Oriol had not slept well last night.
He had spent the entire night obsessing over that “mysterious magic,” and he had made up his mind to track Michael down today to finally uncover the secret behind it.
“Hey—wait, today I…
This idiot!” Michael helplessly shook his head, tossed the phone aside, and got up to wash his face and wait for his teammate.
In truth, Michael had already completely forgotten about the so-called magic.
What normal person would actually dwell on a joke like that?
Oriol, apparently.
While Michael was cooking breakfast, Oriol arrived.
The second he stepped through the door, he followed the smell straight to the dining table like a bloodhound.
“Michael, I really love your food.
I need to learn how to cook it so when I go back home, I can make it for my family!” Oriol was covered in sweat from his morning ride, but he still flashed a simple, massive grin.
“You rode your bike here again, didn’t you?
Oriol, your salary isn’t that low.
Buying a decent car should be easy enough for you.
Why haven’t you bought one?” Michael finally asked the question that had been bugging him since last night.
“I have a lot of relatives back home.
Aside from my basic daily expenses, I send almost all the money I earn back to my family.”
The two chatted as they ate.
As it turned out, Oriol’s village back in Ghana was basically one massive extended clan.
Oriol had been the most talented footballer in the entire region, so when he got the chance to go to a bigger city to play, the whole village had pooled their money together just to cover his living expenses.
Now that he was earning a professional salary, he sent most of it back to help build up the village.
“Oreo, after we finish eating, come with me into the city.
I need to find a proper yoga studio,” Michael said while clearing the plates.
“Do you know any good places around here?”
“I do!
My yoga instructor is amazing!
I’ll take you there right after this!” Oriol immediately lit up with excitement.
Wasn’t this absolutely perfect?
If he helped Michael with his errands first, then asked to learn the magic afterward, surely Michael couldn’t refuse!
…
When they finally headed out, under Michael’s strict insistence, the two took a taxi straight to Santander’s CBD district instead of riding the bike.
Led by Oriol, they arrived at a premium yoga studio on the 25th floor of a high-rise building.
A young, pretty receptionist greeted them at the entrance.
“Welcome.
Do you two have an appointment?” the receptionist asked with a polite, professional smile.
“I’m here to see Emma,” Oriol answered proudly, puffing his chest out.
“I’m a member!”
“Please wait a moment.”
The receptionist spoke quietly into the intercom.
A short while later, a woman with an incredible figure and a soft, mature presence walked out into the lobby.
She looked like she had just finished a session.
Her face was slightly flushed, her almond-shaped eyes were striking, and her pale pink hair was tied up into a loose ponytail.
Her smooth, athletic figure honestly made it a little difficult not to stare.
“Hello.
Are you two looking for me?” She paused, her eyes landing on the defender.
“Mr.
Oriol, it’s you.
You haven’t been here in quite a while,” Emma said gently.
“Emma, I brought my friend today.
He wants to improve his flexibility!” Oriol hurriedly stepped forward to explain.
“Follow me.” Emma smiled softly, turned, and walked inside first.
Michael looked at Emma’s retreating figure and could only silently applaud the Ghanaian’s taste.
‘This Oreo guy actually knows what he’s doing,’ Michael thought.
‘A mature, beautiful yoga instructor?
Very nice!’
He then followed her inside with Oriol.
Oriol leaned in close and whispered proudly, “Michael, I’ll tell you a secret.
I think Emma might actually be interested in me.
Every single time class ends, she always pulls me aside and explains things to me again in private, like she’s worried I’ll forget.
Also, they always charge me way lower fees than everyone else here.”
Seeing Oriol’s bizarrely confident yet shy expression, Michael looked back at Emma in sheer disbelief.
He guessed there had to be some other underlying reason he didn’t know about yet.
Otherwise, the world was just feel deeply, deeply unfair.
Today’s group class was capped at one instructor for five students.
After Michael and Oriol arrived, the group was perfectly full.
Following her lead, Michael slowly began immersing himself in the quiet, challenging world of yoga.
Emma immediately noticed Michael.
This tall young man fit her personal tastes incredibly well.
Plus, her own grandmother was of mixed Eastern descent, so she felt a natural familiarity.
More importantly, he was intensely focused.
He had only just started practicing, yet he already seemed to have entered a deep, calm meditative state.
Emma simply couldn’t help taking a few extra glances in his direction.
And then there was Oriol right beside him.
This particular student had never given her a single moment of peace.
Every single time he attended a class, he would fall asleep within minutes.
And once he was out, he slept like a rock through the entire lesson.
Every time class ended, she felt obligated to patiently explain the basics to him again just to be polite.
When it came time to charge him, she always felt incredibly guilty taking his money, mainly because the guy hadn’t actually learned a single thing she taught.
Right on cue, Oriol had already drifted off.
He had been way too excited to sleep properly last night, and coming straight out to do relaxing yoga in a quiet room had been the final blow.
Michael had no time to worry about his snoring teammate.
He could already feel the stretches having a genuinely positive effect on his stiff muscles.
He felt his breathing grow longer and steadier.
He felt calm, free, and incredibly peaceful.
By the time the session wrapped up, Michael felt like a new man.
He sat up and watched as Emma gently tried to shake Oriol awake.
Every movement she made seemed remarkably soft and natural, giving her the comforting aura of a kind older sister.
Snorting loudly, Oriol finally woke up.
He rubbed his eyes.
“Emma, are you going to give me another private lesson now?”
Emma was so annoyed she actually laughed.
“Oriol, you make me feel like my teaching is a literal sleeping pill every single time you come here.
No extra explanations today.
Go home and figure it out yourself.”
Michael walked over, wiping his face with a towel.
“Emma, thank you for the class today.
I can already feel my flexibility improving.
If you don’t mind, would you like to grab a meal with us later?”
“I’m sorry, Michael.
I still have another class booked today.
Maybe another time,” Emma said, politely turning him down.
“You did very well, though.
Your natural understanding of the forms is excellent.”
Honestly, if Michael had asked her alone, Emma might have actually considered it.
But with the snoring human rock Oriol standing right next to him, the idea suddenly lost all of its appeal.
“No worries, I won’t hold you up then.
I’ll definitely be back next week,” Michael replied smoothly.
He then dragged Oriol by the arm out to the front desk to pay.
The checkout process was highly entertaining.
The receptionist happily helped Michael sign up for a full membership card with a bright smile, while Oriol just stood beside them completely ignored, like an awkward background extra.
Oriol finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“Hey, I attended the class today too!
Why aren’t you charging my card?”
The receptionist gave a polite but strained smile.
She really had no choice but to explain.
“The owner explicitly informed us that if Mr.
Oriol comes in, we aren’t supposed to charge him anymore.”
“Why?” Oriol asked, his chest puffing out again.
Finally!
This was his golden chance to show off his undeniable charm in front of Michael.
Oriol firmly believed deep in his soul that Emma had a massive crush on him, so he stood there looking incredibly proud.
The receptionist awkwardly broke the brutal truth.
“Well…
every time you come here, you just fall asleep on the mat.
You can’t actually do any of the basic movements, and you honestly don’t show up that often anyway.
Emma told us there’s simply no point in taking your money, since you don’t actually do any yoga…”
Hearing that, Oriol’s proud posture instantly shattered.
He turned and practically sprinted out the door in total defeat.
Michael burst out laughing and followed him to the elevator.
In the end, Oriol didn’t even bother going back with Michael to pick up his precious mountain bike.
He caught a separate cab and went straight back to his own apartment to hide.
It was just too damn embarrassing.
He had spent the whole morning loudly bragging to Michael about his romantic charm!
Who the hell would have thought this would be the result?
He couldn’t show his face in public for at least a week!