Losing interest, Ken shrugged and handed the phone back. As Latrell said, he didn't have a PG grade since he hadn't participated in the showcase, nor were there any videos of him.
"Maybe I'll need to attend the next showcase if I wanna increase my chances at a scholarship." Ken mumbled.
Both Latrell and Nico sent him a weird look. If Ken were to struggle getting a scholarship, then what kind of chance did they have to secure one?
"There should be one next month, you should receive an invite after this tournament is over." Latrell replied.
"Oh cool, thanks."
"Wait for me guys!" Steve panted, feeling left out. He was still limping a little, but he seemed in a better mood.
"What were you guys talking about?"
"Women."
"Food."
"Basketball."
Each of the three responded something entirely different, causing them to look at each other. In the next moment they all laughed, creating a mirthful atmosphere.
Morale was easy to upkeep when a team kept winning, but it was when faced with failure and disappointment that the true face of the team would be revealed.
It was a fact that Ken had yet to build the same rapport with his new teammates that he had with Yokohama or even the Japanese U18 National Team back then. But, players like Max, Nico, Latrell and Steve were the only ones willing to train with him.
Experiencing such harsh training together was something that had built the foundation of both trust and companionship between them.
It was human nature to get closer to those whom you suffered or toiled with. Even something as small as eating a spicy dish together with someone would elicit a type of camaraderie.
As they got onto the bus, they waited for around 5 minutes before the coach arrived. He was so happy that the guy was practically singing and humming along, his mustache moving along in time.
"Great work guys. Let's head back and get cleaned up and ready for dinner. We'll have a meeting afterwards since the single elimination draw should be done by then." He said, eliciting a cheer in response.
The notion of dinner after the long day was something that the teens couldn't pass up.
"Bro, I'm so hungry I could eat a damn horse" Steve said, cradling his stomach. His earlier sulking was now nowhere to be seen.
This was something that Ken liked about Steve. He was quick to move past things, seemingly never holding a grudge. If it was someone like Shiro, he might just hear whining throughout the entire night.
"Man, I wish we were back home. Your mom's cooking would hit the spot right now." He added, giving Ken a nudge.
"Mmm. Whenever I'd have a big game the next day, she'd cook up some Katsudon." Ken reminisced, feeling his own stomach grumble in protest.
"What's that? It sounds delicious…"
Ever since coming over to Ken's after practice, Steve had developed a taste for Japanese cooking. He wasn't a picky eater, and despite the cultural differences, he would try anything.
"Crumbed and fried pork cutlet over egg rice."
"Yum… But why does she only cook for you before a big game? Is there some sort of superstition or something?" Steve asked curiously.
"Heh, I guess you could say that. Katsu can mean victory, so many Japanese people cook this dish when they're wishing for success." Ken replied, a smile touching his lips.
He had never had someone ask him this before, so Ken actually enjoyed explaining it to someone else who hadn't experienced the culture before. After all, it was a lot better than those guys at school who would only talk to him about Anime and Waifu's.
"Oh sweet. You should ask Yuki to make it when we go back home… ARGH."
GURGLE~
A deafening grumble was released into the air, causing everyone in the bus to turn their attention to the sound. Steve paused, before waving everyone off with a look of irritation, "What you've never heard a stomach rumble before?"
There were a few laughs before everyone ignored Steve. The guy was like the class clown, but he was well liked because of his ability to transpose himself into any conversation seamlessly.
"Damn it, all this talk about food has gotten me so hungry." He complained.
Ken had theorized before that Steve's Mirror Effect status had come from his personality. The guy was adept at reading and mirroring the mood of those around him, adding to his already extroverted persona.
While this might seem like an enviable trait to have, Ken believed otherwise.
Since Steve was thrust into High School after being home schooled his entire life, he was likely afraid of being ostracized by his peers. This was probably where he picked up the habit of switching his personality to suit the situation.
This begged the question, who was the real Steve? Under all of the persona's, what lied beneath?
In the 2 months that they'd known each other, Ken believed that the guy was only recently starting to open up to him. Of course Ken would never rush such a thing, but he intended to blast through the defenses of his friend.
"Dude, why are you looking at me like that?" Steve asked, his face visibly paling.
"Hmm? Oh, I'm just thinking about upping our training plan again." Ken replied nonchalantly.
"EH!? Are you trying to kill me Sensei?"
Ken shook his head seriously, "No, that would be too much of a waste. More like, beat you within an inch of your life."
Steve's face paled even more, looking as if his soul was about to leave his body. "T—This is torture man… It's against the Geneva convention or something!"
"Bro, don't be so serious. It's not like you'll be doing the training alone, we have more victi—I mean trainees." Ken corrected himself, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
At the mention of these new additions, Steve felt a little better. 'At least if he tried to kill me there will be witnesses…' He thought.