It had been a week since the sponsorship talk with BNI started, and so many things had happened in Sheva’s life. First of all, sohow, his living condition got better, as the sponsorship also included so sort of ’allowance’ to improve his situation back ho. The money was a lot, the sa amount as the monthly minimum wage in Jakarta. For Sheva, who didn’t do anything else except for studying chess, this was definitely a bargain that was too hard to refuse.
Not only that, Sheva also got new and fresh formal attire from the sponsorship, like formal shoes, a formal suit with the BNI logo in it, completed with the trousers, and it ca with three sets in different colors: grey, blue, and black. This would allow him to change style during a tournant where he would have to play every ga, ensuring that he would still represent the company.
This was also part of the sponsorship, and honestly, Sheva was happy to do so. After all, even though there was nothing wrong with the attire he usually used in a tournant, this change made him feel like he was a professional player, not just a casual one who played for fun. It didn’t help that the attire was of high quality, comfortable enough to be used for a long ga.
Then, his happiness didn’t stop just like that.
The monetary benefit Sheva received from the sponsorship was enough to alleviate his family’s financial problem, and Sheva could see the stress start to disappear from his mother’s face. She also looked healthier, smiling more and having her mood pretty high in the last couple of days. Even though the older woman still went to the market every day to sell the traditional snacks there, she didn’t overdo it herself again like in the past, which was crucial for her happiness.
Seeing his mother like this, Sheva clenched his fist, inwardly feeling determination burning inside his heart. ’Don’t worry, Mom. I will make sure you can retire comfortably in a year or two. Just be patient, okay?’ He clenched his fist, sohow getting his spirit up out of nowhere.
A week passed by quickly, and honestly, Sheva didn’t have a lot of ti to think about chess. No, he was busy with matters outside of the board, only starting to learn again just two hours before sleeping. Of course, it was still far from enough to push his level up, but at least this short study every night was enough to maintain his level.
After a while, the sponsorship event was finally over, and it was ti for Sheva to go back to the chess world. He couldn’t help but feel pumped, especially when the boy received a call from Irfan to et him at the man’s house. It seed that the man had sothing to discuss there, and not just with him, but also with Anna and Claudia.
’This should be related to the Olympiad team, right?’ He thought inwardly, having a hunch about this eting. ’If so, they should be trying to test , especially since I get a big sponsorship here, not the others. Oh, well... Let’s just face it as quickly as possible and establish myself as a solid player. That way, no one will underestimate in the future.’
Just like usual, Bagas picked him up, and they went directly to Irfan’s house. Yeah, even though Bagas was not a part of the team, he still went together with Sheva. At this point, the fat boy acted more like Sheva’s personal assistant, dealing with all the matters that were not related to chess, like sponsorship, accommodation, and all of that. Hell, Bagas even helped him find a decent lawyer to help Sheva deal with the sponsorship contract a few days ago, saving the boy from an unnecessary massive headache.
In return, though, Bagas also got a lot of good content for the YouTube account. The sponsorship announcent on social dia even went viral, especially since this was the first ti BNI gave a full sponsorship for an individual athlete, and a lot of people were curious about Sheva imdiately. The YouTube channel exploded in a short ti, from getting only 4000 subscribers to 40000, ten tis higher than the original. This explosion only made Bagas feel more motivated in handling this channel, and that was why he followed Sheva all around for the last couple of days.
Not only did he really want to help his best friend, but the fat boy also knew that Sheva was his mine of content. Everything the boy did would attract a lot of attention, and Bagas was in for it.
"So, who else does Master Irfan invite to his house? Besides Anna and Claudia, I an?" Sheva couldn’t help but ask. Currently, he was sitting on the backseat of Bagas’s motorcycle as they navigated their way through the crowded streets of Jakarta.
"I don’t really know," Bagas answered, half shouting. The sound of the horn banging from the cars around was enough to deafen him. "I heard from Claudia that Master Susanto would be there too, though."
Sheva nodded in understanding. The thought that this was related to the Olympiad team only got stronger inside his head.
It took fifteen minutes before they reached Irfan’s house, and the mont they arrived, Sheva jumped off the motorcycle imdiately. Without even saying anything, he went inside, letting Bagas follow from behind after the fat boy parked the vehicle first. There, inside, Sheva found out that not only Master Irfan and Master Susanto, but the GM Priasmoro Novendra, Master Irene Sukandar, a quiet woman with hijab, and the Marisa Sisters were also there. Even though Sheva didn’t know who the hijabi woman was, he could guess her identity imdiately.
’Is she the IM Aulia dina Warda?’ He thought inwardly. ’Man, the lineup here is stacked, huh? I an, the best chess players in this country really gather here. Unbelievable.’ The boy shook his head.
Master Irfan smiled at him warmly, and both Marisa Sisters also waved their hands at him. Before Sheva could say anything, though, Grandmaster Priasmoro Novendra suddenly rose from the couch, looking at Sheva with a big frown on his face.
"I really don’t know what the CEO of BNI smoked, giving you a blank check like that." The man sounded dissatisfied. "I still think that you are not that impressive. Even Arfan is still better than you, you know?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)