"He looks so cool playing! His moves are so beautiful and amazing! He's like a movie star!" Becky, who hadn't really participated in the discussion about his skills, said with hearts in her eyes.
Hermione's smile froze for a moment, a strange sour feeling welling up inside her, like taking a big gulp of unsweetened lemonade. Of course, she knew Draco was handsome, and the way he played ball... was indeed very charming.
But having another woman praise her fiancé in that tone right in front of her felt really awkward.
She shifted uncomfortably, pretending to adjust her posture to avoid Emily's slightly envious gaze, while inwardly thinking: Handsome? What's so handsome about him?
It's just about perfecting the movements, isn't it?
Showing off! Trying to impress anyone!
"Well, another one's been captivated, but the real lady is sitting right next to him," Tom reminded him.
"I understand. He's handsome and plays basketball so well, it's no wonder he's popular with women. But looking at Draco, he only has eyes for his wife." Barty gestured towards the court.
On the field, Draco, who scored again, did not immediately prepare to serve the next ball. Instead, while retrieving the ball, he glanced at Hermione again, seemingly unintentionally.
Seeing Hermione's reaction, he felt even more pleased, and even Jack across from him seemed more agreeable.
"Relax, Jack, don't worry too much about the score."
The words, though well-intentioned, only made Jack feel more aggrieved; they echoed what he had just said to Hermione.
This was clearly the pity of the strong for the weak. He gritted his teeth, said nothing, and just gripped his racket even tighter.
Meanwhile, Hermione's nameless anger burned even brighter in the audience.
Hmph, let's just play ball, why waste words with the opponent!
Instead of wasting your time, why don't you think about how to explain to me how you developed those "weird" serves?
And... stop attracting attention!
Then, Draco delivered another tricky outside serve, which Jack barely managed to touch, sending the ball flying high out of bounds.
"Game, Draco. 2-0." In the second game, Draco easily held serve again, and Jack still didn't score a single point.
According to the best-of-three rule, Jack has already lost, and the loser has to take their place.
"Hey, Jack!" Tom shouted, "Come on down, bro, you've already lost! Let the others have a turn!" He mainly felt that Jack was beating too badly, and continuing would only be humiliating for him, and it really was time for a change of scenery.
In front of so many people, especially with several ladies present, Jack was utterly humiliated to lose two games in a row to a guy who looked like a rich kid. In one game, he lost four serves, and in the other, he barely touched the ball but made all mistakes.
He was still panting heavily, while the other person remained calm and composed, barely even breaking a sweat.
"Best of three games is true, but I just haven't gotten used to it yet! His serve is so weird! One more game! One more game and I'm sure I'll figure it out! Maybe I can even break his serve!"
Jack didn't want to leave the field so humiliatingly.
Kate, who hadn't said much, said, "Forget it, Jack, he's way better than you. Even if you play one more round..."
"Just one more game!" Jack interrupted her, his face flushed red, but his eyes were stubbornly fixed on Draco. " Draco, dare to play one more game? Just one more! Let me serve too!"
Draco simply glanced at Hermione in the audience.
Receiving Draco's blatant flirtatious glances, Hermione blushed instantly. She quickly looked away, pretending to admire the scenery, but her heart was racing uncontrollably.
This guy still gives me that look in front of so many people!
"Um..." Hermione cleared her throat and said tactfully to Jack, "It's all for entertainment, as long as everyone has fun."
After receiving Hermione's signal, Draco turned back to look at Jack, who was still defiant, and said calmly:
"I don't mind, it depends on what everyone else thinks. If no one else objects, we can play one more game to get some practice."
The group exchanged glances, Tom shrugged. "I don't care. I can join in after you guys are done." He mainly wanted to see what other tricks Draco could pull.
The others nodded in agreement. Becky said, "Let's play another game, it looks interesting..." In fact, she was very curious about Draco's skills... and looks.
"Look! Nobody objects! Let's play another game! I'll serve this game!" Jack said quickly, immediately walking to the service line, picking up a tennis ball, eager to serve, as if winning the serve would turn the tide of the game.
Looking at Jack across from him, who seemed ready for a life-or-death battle, Draco casually flexed his wrist.
Alright, since this Muggle gentleman is so enthusiastic and insists on playing another game with me, I'll play with him again.
Hopefully, he can improve his performance in his service games.
"As long as I can hold my serve, just one game! At least I can't let him bagel me!" Jack encouraged himself in his mind, and then he started bouncing the ball, preparing to serve.
So he chose to serve the safest and most reliable flat shot, not aiming for a tricky angle, but simply hoping it would land in bounds. Then, he would use his decent baseline rally ability and his superior power compared to Draco to look for opportunities in the rally.
Toss the ball, draw back the racket, generate power, and the ball is launched, tracing a straight arc as it flies towards Draco's backhand side.
Tom and the others in the audience held their breath.
I'd also like to see if he can score in Jack's service games. He shouldn't be as badly off the court as he was when receiving Draco's serve.
Hermione sat up a little straighter. Although she was annoyed by Draco's previous "hiding," she couldn't help but be curious at this moment.
How will Draco respond when his opponent serves?
Can I still dominate like I do when I serve?
The instant Jack served, Draco moved with lightning speed, as if he had already anticipated the ball's landing point. Instead of waiting behind the baseline, he took a large step forward like an arrow the moment the ball crossed the net and began to fall.
Leaning forward with a very low center of gravity, racket already prepared and face up, step forward to meet the rising ball that has just crossed the net and has not yet reached its highest point, and volley it!
"He's going to launch a quick attack online?!" Tom exclaimed. This was an extremely risky choice; the slightest mistake could result in giving away points!
Jack, who saw Draco's movement, felt a chill, but the ball had already been served, so he could only adjust his center of gravity to deal with it. He thought Draco would hit a quick straight or diagonal cross.
However, Draco's swing motion is quite different from a typical volley. At the moment of impact, his wrist makes a subtle, swift, and concealed slicing and downward motion.