Advice in The Early Step

Sherla instantly blinked. It was obvious that her eyes were wide open although the next second she controlled herself to remain calm. She heard what Kein was asking, but Sherla didn't understand why he was still trying to engage her in conversation when Kein kept complaining about how tired he was and went to bed immediately after finishing his task.

"Do you want to continue the talk? I think it's going to take a lot of time." Sherla reminded and coded that she was also tired after today's activities.

"It's okay, it's still nine o'clock. Maybe I'll push my body a bit for tonight." Kein had already taken the risk and hoped that he would not be sleep deprived the next day.

Sherla paused for a moment, thinking things through as if this conversation needed to be considered. After struggling with her own thoughts, she sat back down and asked for something.

"Then, I'll order what I ordered before. It was not agreed upon but you forced me to stay here." Sherla looked for an excuse to get more of her favourite dessert.

Kein frowned and asked. "Don't you want to order something else? Is our assistant coach a red velvet fanatic?"

"That's the stupidest question I've ever heard. Now, order it back before I change my mind."

He let out a long sigh and decided to go back to the cashier and ordered a red velvet cake and a red velvet latte. Kein didn't care about the money he spent because he inherited enough from his family and he still had personal savings that could buy at least two houses. In addition, his uncle still sent a good amount of money.

"You're satisfied, Red Velvet Queen!" Kein seemed to graciously comply with the girl's wishes. He returned with the order as before.

The girl just laughed and her face actually showed a bit of a mature woman's aura. Kein was not interested but he recognised Sherla's beauty.

"Alright, back to the original conversation. I'm really curious about your view of me as a basketball player." Kein did not want to waste any more time.

Having not yet thought of what to say, Sherla asked for time to compose a sentence that might answer her friend's curiosity. Even though she had been there for a few days, Sherla had already noted what each individual's weaknesses were and what was needed to overcome them. After figuring out what to talk about, Sherla raised her head and there was a hint of a wicked smile behind it.

"What the hell was that?" Kein who looked at her felt confused and curious.

"You don't seem like a human who was born a basketball player, Kein." Sherla only said one sentence.

But that sentence made Kein a little angry and did not accept Sherla's opinion. "What do you mean, you think I can't be like Stephen Curry or Magic Johnson?"

"Oh, I didn't know you also follow the news about NBA. But if you hope to be like them, then from now on I will tell you not to be overconfident and try to surpass them. Don't surpass them, even trying to get close to their level I'm sure you won't be able to. Because everyone has their own limits since they were born."

"Outrageous. I'll prove your words wrong!" Kein replied in a slightly raised voice, startling the customers who were passing by them.

"Calm down. I didn't mean to patronise you... though you might be trying to escape that status now. Talent is necessary if you want to equal or surpass those who have definitely earned the title of one of the Best Players in NBA History. But so far I don't see any talent that stands out in you.

"You suck at shooting. As a Point Guard, you don't even have the ability to set a deadly tempo or find your own game. It looks like in the scrimmage, you're relying too much on Davies while you're just trying to keep passing because you don't want to commit turnovers. Even a ball boy can do that because what separates you two is a smart brain.

"As a point guard, try to make risky decisions. There's nothing wrong if you have your own thoughts and don't rely on the coach's tactics. But when you take those risks, you must have the confidence to do so. If you are filled with doubt, then the ball will not flow to your friend. Even if it does, the enemy is either very weak or the one person you're relying on has more talent than any other young man his age."

Kein was silent for a moment. Hearing that he had no talent was one of the biggest insults he had ever heard in his life. He realised that his potential in academics had plummeted while his potential as an athlete had received a lot of support and effort that he had prioritised since learning that Anthony Kein was one of the most influential athletes in the world of football.

Although he was not in line with his father, that did not mean he did not have talent in other disciplines. Kein knows exactly what he wants to be in the future. He already knew, so hearing Sherla's statement was enough to leave him speechless and confused.

Not wanting to appear disappointed or panicked, Kein tried to break her thoughts by asking a question.

"If that's what you think, then what should I do? I assume this conversation is between a player and an assistant coach, not a friend or a classmate."

Sherla swallowed, nodding slowly. She understood their relationship couldn't even be described as 'friends', considering they rarely interacted despite being in the same class and division.

But Kein tried to make use of the moment to try to find out how far he could judge a player and be considered special by the coaches and teachers who entered their class.

"If you don't mind, tell me what I should do. I really need advice or criticism. It doesn't matter if it's going to hurt or not, the important thing is that I just want to keep going and get a spot in the national competition. Somehow this moment is the right time for me and I don't want to miss it."