The moment Jack served, Hermione glanced at his position and the direction of his shot and predicted the ball's trajectory.
This is most likely a flat serve aimed at the outside corner.
In that very second, Draco understood perfectly.
He shifted his foot half a step to the left, lowered his center of gravity accordingly, and positioned his racket at the most comfortable volley angle, waiting for the landing point.
The next second, Jack's serve, just as Hermione had predicted, was flat and fast, flying straight to the outside corner of Hermione's backhand side.
Hermione, who was already prepared, used a backhand push to return the ball to the open space between Jack and Becky in the middle.
The return shot was of high quality, neither too deep nor too shallow, landing perfectly between the two players, making it somewhat uncomfortable for both Jack and Becky.
The opponent's return was indeed awkward. In the midst of the hasty return, Draco had already started moving to the net and his footwork was in place.
"Snap!" A crisp and clean interception sounded.
The tennis ball didn't stay in the air; it slammed into the corner of the right side of the court at a tricky angle, right of Jack and Becky.
"30-15."
Before the two could react, Tom announced the score.
The entire offensive and defensive sequence flowed smoothly, without a single word exchanged, and even eye contact was fleeting.
"Were you whispering and giving each other signals? How did you coordinate so well?" Becky on the other side couldn't help but ask in surprise.
"No, weren't you watching?" Hermione said.
"It seems Miss Granger's commands have been streamlined to the point where a single glance suffices," Draco told her.
"It's just a coincidence that our thoughts are aligned, don't get the wrong idea." Hermione kept her eyes straight ahead, her cheeks flushing slightly. She would never admit to having felt a connection with someone just now.
Draco didn't say anything more, he just smiled.
That being said, in the following matches, the two frequently found themselves with the same "coincidental thinking".
The spectators noticed it too and began whispering among themselves.
"Wow, their teamwork is getting better and better!" Mary exclaimed. "Just now, Hermione moved, and Draco knew exactly where to go. It's like they have telepathy."
"Yes," Susan nodded, "And the two of them didn't say a word. It's completely different from before."
On the surface, Hermione pretended to be nonchalant, but in her heart she was secretly thinking: So it turns out that teaming up for doubles is quite interesting.
However, the intensity of the match did not decrease with the increase in teamwork. Both sides played the ball in a standard manner, but their offensive was not weak at all. The opponents discovered that Hermione was a relatively weak link and began to target her, specifically targeting the blind spots where she was running.
At first, Hermione was able to handle things with ease thanks to her competitive spirit and the rapport she gradually developed with Draco.
However, as the match progressed, the rallies became longer and the intensity of the confrontation increased. After more than a dozen high-intensity rallies, her stamina began to decline noticeably.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, her fingers ached, her breathing became rapid, and her chest heaved noticeably, but Hermione remained focused.
At the crucial juncture, Jack seized the moment when Hermione paused to catch her breath, and unleashed a powerful, deep cross-court shot.
There was virtually no room for recovery from the landing point.
Oh no, Hermione has figured out how dangerous that ball is.
There was no room for maneuver for this ball; she had to sprint at full speed and exert all her strength just to barely reach it.
But the ball was already there, and there was no time to hesitate!
Just as Hermione leaned forward, about to start—
In that instant, a swift white figure darted across the net like the wind, landing in front of her.
Draco abandoned his usual net position, decisively and quickly sliding across half the court, instantly reaching the baseline area.
He lowered his center of gravity, shifted his weight, and caught the powerful dunk.
Taking advantage of the momentum, they launched a counter-attack, unleashing a powerful smash.
The tennis ball landed under Jack's feet!
Jack hadn't expected Draco to be there, and he certainly hadn't expected that this seemingly forced save and return would be of such high quality!
In his hasty retreat, he could only manage to block the ball back with a backhand, but the return was high and floaty, posing no threat whatsoever.
Hermione, who had already covered the net area, seized the opportunity and jumped without hesitation, delivering a clean and decisive volley.
The tennis ball hit an open space in the opponent's half and bounced out of bounds.
"40-30," Tom announced in surprise.
Sparse but heartfelt applause rang out from the audience.
"Wow, Draco's move was so cool!"
"And so fast! I didn't even see how he got there!"
"Did you see that?! A hero saves the damsel in distress!"
Looking at Draco, who had just made an incredible shot, Jack and Becky exchanged a wry smile. How could they possibly win now?
Their individual skills are overwhelming, and now their teamwork is gradually improving, along with this unreasonable ability to save the ball...
Why did you take my seat?
Hermione, at a loss for words, routinely interrogates him.
"I just don't want someone to run out of breath, then have sore arms, and I'll have to coax them," Draco said, stretching his joints that had taken the impact.
Hermione's cheeks flushed a deeper crimson than from exertion with just one sentence. To hide her unusual emotion, she snapped, "Who asked you to meddle? I can run by myself!"
That's what they said, but before the next point started, Hermione moved a few steps towards the net, giving up a large area of the baseline, while giving a look that said: You go to the back.
Draco smiled and retreated to near the baseline.
As the game progressed, Draco's strong defensive control provided cover for Hermione, significantly reducing the pressure on Hermione at the net.
She no longer needs to scramble to save those baseline shots, allowing her to focus more on intercepting and blocking at the net.
Draco's baseline returns are of extremely high quality, often putting pressure on his opponents and forcing them to return shots at poor angles, which then fall right in front of Hermione, allowing her to easily volley and score.
Every time Hermione scores a point with a volley at the net, a quiet thrill rises within her, followed by a fleeting glance at Draco.
Sometimes, as he was gently wiping away sweat, his gaze would inadvertently drift over, and their eyes would unexpectedly meet.
In that instant, Hermione felt flustered and her face flushed. She quickly and hastily turned her face away, pretending to focus on the ball's trajectory on the field. However, her suddenly stiff posture betrayed her. Draco took in her reaction without saying anything, only raising the corners of his mouth.
The onlookers on the sidelines were completely stunned.
This isn't watching a tense and exciting tennis match; it's clearly witnessing a massive display of affection!
"Here we go again..." Jack, panting with his hands on his knees, couldn't help but grumble sourly as he watched the couple exchanging glances.
"Hey you two, can't you show a little respect for your opponents? Is this a competition or a show of your teamwork?"
"Yeah, so we're the ones working ourselves to the bone, while they're just there to show off their love as background characters. This gaming experience is terrible!" Becky chimed in listlessly.