The student council president, who led the group, was an efficient individual; after arranging for the student council members behind him to help the Medford Team clean the field, he approached Mike alone.
"Mike, the principal wants you to come to his office; he says he has something to discuss with you." The student council president relayed the message from the principal.
"Got it—" Mike nodded.
At the same time, he already had a guess: Principal Tom looking for him was likely related to today's terrible invitational match.
"Paige, stay here for a while; I'll come back for you after I'm done…"
Mike instructed the little girl, then greeted Georgie before walking towards the teaching building.
Because it was the weekend, the teaching building appeared empty.
It didn't take Mike long to successfully reach the principal's office upstairs.
"Principal, what do you need me for?" Although he already had a guess, Mike still asked.
"You saw today's game, didn't you? Aaron and their performance wasn't very satisfactory…" Principal Tom continued straightforwardly, "So, I hope you can return to the team."
Like the students who came to the school today to cheer for the team, Principal Tom was also very disappointed with the Medford Team's previous game results.
As a principal who was about to retire, he cared more about the school's reputation than anyone else.
This mindset was probably driven by a sense of responsibility to do his best in his final post.
"As long as you are willing to return to the team, the school will consider giving you an additional sports scholarship." Principal Tom, from behind his desk, didn't give Mike much time to react before stating his terms.
Mike, who already had an academic scholarship this year as a top student, now, according to the principal, could easily get an additional sports scholarship if he returned to the team.
Together, that would be two rewards.
Clearly, the school didn't intend to take advantage of Mike's efforts for free this time.
Once an agreement was reached, it would be a win-win situation.
Mike, on his part, didn't lack pocket money due to the stock market, but who would complain about having too much money?
Moreover, he had already planned to return to the field to play, so he readily agreed: "No problem, I'm willing to contribute to the school.
However, I also have a small request."
Receiving Mike's reply, Principal Tom smiled and said, "As long as you're willing to come back to the team, I'll talk to Coach Wayne and have you rejoin as soon as possible.
Now, tell me your request."
"I want George to continue as the head coach of the Medford Team." Mike stated his true intention.
Having often eaten at the Cooper family, he could fully feel George's passion for football.
Under permissible circumstances, he didn't mind giving the other party a hand, which was also a way of giving back to Cooper for taking care of him during this time.
"George?" Principal Tom fell into deep thought.
The school had dismissed George last year due to a sponsorship issue, despite him leading the team to good results, which was somewhat unfair to him.
Moreover, Principal Tom had promised last year that he would re-hire him once the situation calmed down.
Perhaps because he was getting old, or because the Medford Team's situation had been very good, Principal Tom had forgotten his previous promise.
Medford Town was not big; as a small place, it valued human connections.
Since Mike brought up George's matter, Principal Tom didn't think for long before straightforwardly saying, "Your request is reasonable; the school can re-hire George as a coach.
However, for the head coach position, I still need to consider it."
George had been away from the school for half a year, and no one knew if his coaching level had declined during such a long time.
So, to be on the safe side, Principal Tom intended to observe him first.
The best-case scenario would be if George's level hadn't declined, then he would only need to adapt as an assistant coach for a period of time before being promoted to the team's head coach.
Having a buffer period for such matters generally benefited both George and the school.
However, Mike knew that George had never given up on following football during these past six months.
Often analyzing football game tactics in front of the TV, his level couldn't have dropped much.
And to put it bluntly, even if George's coaching level had declined, he would certainly still be more suitable for the team than the current Coach Wayne.
Their professional ethics were not on the same level.
"I can guarantee that George is definitely more suitable to be the head coach of the Medford Team now." After considering various situations, Mike vouched for George.
Seeing Mike's confident demeanor, Principal Tom fell into deep thought again.
The teachers at the school all knew a little about Coach Wayne's family situation.
Again, small places value human relationships more.
It was precisely for this reason that Coach Wayne received a lot of leniency.
However, his recent performance had been too outrageous, and the school's leniency towards him seemed to be nearing its end.
"How do you prove that what you say is true?" Principal Tom asked.
Based on Coach Wayne's situation, Principal Tom also felt that George was a better choice.
However, he now wanted a more definite reason to convince himself, and of course, to convince others in the school.
"How about the next invitational match?" Mike calmly said, "For next weekend's invitational match, I will invite George to watch the game live with me.
I believe he will prove with his actions that he has the ability to take over as the team's head coach."
Principal Tom's current attitude clearly acknowledged George's coaching status.
However, to directly reclaim the head coach position, George still needed an opportunity to prove himself.
"Very good, I'll leave this matter to you.
I'm waiting for you to give me a surprise…" Principal Tom said with a smile.
"No problem." Mike took on the task without any pressure.
Actually, this matter wasn't difficult to handle.
The Medford Team held too much of George's hard work; as long as he saw the team's current terrible situation, he would definitely be unable to resist helping out.
So, Mike only needed to bring him to the school next weekend to easily complete the task.
…
Afterward, after finalizing the details of the plan, Mike left the principal's office.
When he returned to the field, it had already been cleaned.
The football players and the student council members who came to help had also left, leaving only Aaron, Georgie, and Paige.
"Mike, what did the principal want with you?" Aaron clearly knew why Mike had left, and his remaining presence was out of concern for a friend.
"The principal invited me back to the team, and I've accepted.
So, we don't need to go find Coach Wayne next Monday." Mike replied with a smile.
"That's great!" Aaron clenched his fist tightly, and a smile immediately bloomed on his face.
Aaron, who was graduating in half a semester, now very much hoped to see the team improve.
This way, he could confidently put a perfect end to his high school football career.
Mike's joining made all of this possible.
"Is that all? No other good news?" Aaron, relieved of his burden, also noticed the mysterious expression on Mike's face.
This kind of expression usually meant he was hiding something else.
"There is indeed another piece of good news; you'll know it at the next invitational match…" Mike deliberately kept them in suspense.
It turned out that everyone hated riddlers, but everyone also loved being riddlers.
Watching others scratch their heads was indeed very interesting.
"Alright, I'll take that as a surprise you've prepared for me then."
Seeing Mike enjoying being a riddler, Aaron didn't dwell on it too much.
Then, he asked about what he cared about most: "So, will you participate in next week's invitational match?"
"No." Mike shook his head before continuing, "I won't officially join the team as a player until after the next invitational match is over."
This was something he had specifically discussed with the principal earlier.
It also contained a little bit of Mike's own careful planning.
After all, with his current strength, as long as he was on the field, he would definitely lead the Medford Team to victory.
However, doing so naturally wouldn't showcase George's abilities.
Principal Tom probably also considered this situation, which was why he agreed to Mike's proposal during the previous negotiation.
"It seems we'll have to work hard next week to welcome your return." The easygoing Aaron didn't overthink it.
Afterward, as noon approached, the few people on the field also walked home separately.