"Shev, are you sure that you are not being too harsh on Anna?" After they left the café, Bagas couldn't help but ask his best friend. "You know that Claudia stared at you all the time like you just stole her favorite toy, right?" He nudged Sheva's hips teasingly.

In return, Sheva just rolled his eyes at the fat boy's ridiculous metaphor. "Don't worry, Anna is not that weak. Also, you might not notice this, but based on her look, I know that she understood what I wanted to talk to her. As for Ia, well, once Anna is alright, she will also come along. For God's sake… She is too much of a sis-con to the point that I could predict her behavior…"

Indeed, Sheva could see from the gleam in Anna's eyes that the girl understood what he wanted to convey. It wasn't just risk management, but also Anna's conviction in every game.

Just like any other player in the world, Anna wanted to win every game she played. However, the difference between the ordinary and talented players often lies in their conviction to win the game when the opportunity arises.

Yeah, the top players would catch every opportunity that came in front of them, no matter how big the risk was. Of course, they wouldn't always win all the times. Hell, it was quite often that the opportunity they chased would end up as a trap that the opponent set carefully, which would only lead to their defeat. However, their gut to chase the win was the thing that made the top players improve vastly. The same couldn't be said for the ordinary players who would always back down in cower, not wanting to dare themselves to reach the glory.

Just like any wise people outside said, it was those who dared to chase the opportunity without the fear of failure who would be the best in the world, and those who were too afraid to take the risk would never touch the sweetness of glory. Unfortunately for Anna, though, she fell onto the ordinary one today, failing to capitalize on all the opportunities given to her in fear of losing.

'Oh, well, at least, this would stimulate her better in the future.' Sheva muttered inwardly. 'The next time we meet, I will start helping her to get better. Let's just hope she would appreciate it.'

After leaving the café and getting separated from the Marisa Siblings, both Sheva and Bagas went straight to Irfan's house. Yeah, they didn't go home directly, but came to the old IM first to discuss this matter. After all, at the end of the day, Irfan was still Sheva's mentor, and it was important to discuss something big like this kind of sponsorship with the old man.

CLANK!

"You say what?!" Irfan had his eyes widened, even dropping his cup of tea in shock and utter disbelief when the man heard the news from the boys. "You get the sponsorship from BNI?! The fucking BNI?! The one and only?! And it is the kind of blank check that would allow you to travel the whole world until you earn your GM title?!"

At this time, there were a few members of the club who still gathered in Irfan's house, so they all heard the man's outburst loud and clear. Of course, none of them could blame Irfan's exaggerated reaction. If anything, they still felt that his reaction was too bland, as most of them had already come and slapped Sheva on his back.

"Good boy! You sure fly so high and so fast! We don't even have any chance to catch up with you!"

"You don't want to wait for too long, huh? Sure enough, young people are not to be underestimated!"

"Sheva, don't forget about us when you become famous, okay?"

"If you really became a GM, this club would be famous overnight!"

Sheva was overwhelmed by the reactions he got from the others. Hell, Bagas even got pushed out of the crowd, as everyone tried to have a piece of him. Some slapped his back, patted his shoulder, and even yanked his hair playfully. Honestly, the reaction was pretty insane, not something that Sheva would've ever expected before.

In the end, it was Irfan who stopped the commotion. The man stared at Sheva, the boy he had found just three months ago, and somehow, his feelings were complicated here. While he had a hunch from the beginning that Sheva was a talented player, never even in his wildest dream did the old IM think Sheva would fly high this fast. It would be a lie if he said he wasn't envious, as just like Anna, the man also thought about what if it were him who got this opportunity.

"Are you confident that you could fulfil the target?" Irfan finally asked, staring at Sheva intently.

"If I am not confident, why would I accept it?" Sheva answered with another question. However, the determination burned in his eyes was enough to answer Irfan's question. "So, yeah, I am absolutely confident that I could get my title before the end of the year."

'This is it…' Irfan couldn't help but smile bitterly. 'This is what makes him and me different. He has the gut to chase what he wants, and even when I was young, I never dared to fight like him. No wonder he got this opportunity. It always falls on those who fought for it, right?'

Of course, while Irfan himself was jealous, he was also happy for Sheva. The man also wanted nothing but the best for his protegee. After all, this kind of chance was rare, but once Sheva managed to reach the target, it would open a whole new door for the chess community in this country. His success would lead the other big companies to invest in the community more, and that would lead to more talented players emerging from the dark.

This was what happened for India when Vishwanathan Anand shone for the first time, and while Sheva was not the first grandmaster in this country, at least, he could become the Indonesian version of Vishy Anand, opening the door of opportunities for the younger generation.

So, facing this kind of situation, of course, Irfan only had one appropriate response here. "So, what kind of support do you want to get from me?"

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