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LOZ 90
A tennis bet with Hunter Hamilton. What kind of idiot would do such a thing?
Jiyu had noticed that he was drunk. His bold stride had slowed to match hers, and his crisp pronunciation had become slightly slurred.
Above all, there was that absurd slip of the tongue: "Jiyu Hamilton."
But Hunter was still Hunter.
No matter how drunk he was, she would need to gather all the luck in the world just to score a single point against him with her amateur skills. However...
She had wanted to play tennis with Hunter at least once. Until now, she hadn't dared to even dream of it, but now that the opportunity had presented itself, she grew greedy.
She wanted to personally experience those terrifyingly fast serves and sharp, piercing swings she had only ever watched from the sidelines.
Biting her lip in thought, Jiyu narrowed her eyes.
'What if I make him unable to use his dominant left hand entirely and force him to hit only backhands with his right?'
She glanced up at Hunter and shook her head slightly.
Even then, there was no way she'd have a real chance of winning. But it was obvious that having a handicap was far better than having none.
"Don't use your forehand. Keep your left hand in your pocket and only use a one-handed backhand with your right. Oh, you can use both hands for the serve."
Hunter gave a short laugh and nodded.
"Not bad. Is that all?"
Was there anything else?
Jiyu racked her brain. But nothing else came to mind. So, she just blurted out whatever popped into her head.
"If I score one point, you grant me a wish and take a penalty."
He arched an eyebrow.
"A penalty too?"
Was that too much? What if he got angry and said he wouldn't play under such conditions? Suddenly feeling anxious, Jiyu glanced at his expression and took a small step back.
"Instead... you can choose the penalty."
Hunter looked down at her silently, as if weighing something. Then, with an arrogant smirk, he held out his fist.
"Deal."
When Jiyu instinctively held out hers, he gave her fist a light bump.
"Then, let's start. Shall I spin?"
If Hunter did the spin, the result was obvious. She shook her head vigorously.
"I'll spin. I'm 'Up'."
"You... know way too much about me."
He frowned, feigning a threatening look.
With a serious expression, Jiyu placed the racket head on the ground and spun it quickly using a flick of her wrist. As soon as the racket stopped, she checked the direction of the logo on the end of the grip. The W logo was facing the right way. She clenched her fist and declared:
"Up! I'll serve first."
Hunter nodded readily and handed her a ball.
As she trudged back to the baseline, her heart raced with every step. Perhaps because she knew Hunter's personality—that he wouldn't just let her win by playing lazily—she wanted to win even more.
Not much, just exactly one point.
'Who knows? Maybe a strong gust of wind will blow the ball in an unexpected direction.'
By the way, what wish should she ask for if she wins? Should she tell him to love her?
Jiyu looked down at the tennis ball in her hand and wiped away the bitter smile forming on her lips.
As promised, Hunter thrust his left hand into his trouser pocket and held the racket in his right. Rotating the grip lightly in his palm as he stood with his legs spread at the baseline, Hunter looked as relaxed as a winner already, a faint smile playing on his lips.
When it was time for the first serve, Jiyu imitated Hunter's serve routine and bounced the ball three times on the ground. This was also one of the things she had always wanted to try.
'Does doing this actually make the serve go in better?'
Seeing this, Hunter let out a low laugh. At that attractive sound, Jiyu's heart fluttered violently, as if it had the wings of a hummingbird. Her fingertips gripping the ball trembled slightly.
Jiyu tossed the ball into the air. Then, she struck the ball as it descended from its peak, giving it an awkward spin.
The ball hit the top of the net and rolled back to her feet. It was a serve fault. As soon as she picked up the ball, a barrage of advice poured out.
"Jiyu, your shoulders are stiff. Relax and bend your knees slightly. And toss the ball higher. Don't forget to shift your center of gravity to your left foot after the swing. Don't try a slice serve; just hit a simple flat serve hard. And think about sending it deep."
Jiyu pressed her lips tight and glared at him resentfully.
"Thanks to you, I'm completely sober now."
Hunter chuckled, teasing her.
"Be quiet, Hunter! Coaching is forbidden during a match."
When she grumbled, he raised his hand as if to acknowledge it.
"Fair enough."
Jiyu rolled her shoulders slightly to relax. For the second serve, she tossed the ball a bit higher and struck it with all her might, without any technique.
This time, the ball flew high. Hunter didn't move a single step from his spot, tracking the ball only with his eyes. Then, as soon as the ball landed outside the baseline, he shouted loudly:
"Out! 1-0."
Having absurdly given up a point due to a double fault, Jiyu stood at the baseline, anxiously biting her lip.
"Now it's my turn to serve."
Hunter smirked, bouncing the ball three times on the ground. Then, he leaped up and swung the racket powerfully.
Jiyu couldn't even see the ball coming. As soon as there was a thwack, the ball hit the court like a bullet and bounced out of the baseline.
"Do you really have to go this far? Take it easy, Hunter."
He looked like a man whose intoxication had completely vanished.
"That was taking it easy."
With an arrogant curl of his lips, Hunter took his stance for the second serve. Then, just as he had done to Jerard, he extended his arm as if to toss the ball, but instead dropped it and performed an underarm serve.
"Huh?"
While a startled Jiyu hesitated, the ball flew in a gentle arc, hit the court, and rolled past the baseline.
Seeing Jiyu glare at him with a face that said she'd been tricked, Hunter laughed out loud.
"I really took it easy this time. What's the problem?"
The problem was that she had given up three points in an instant.
It was Jiyu's turn to serve again. The first serve was a double fault, but fortunately, the second one landed inside the court.
Hunter lounged backward and returned it with a light tap. To the eye, it looked like he hit it casually and softly, but the speed as it crossed the net was immense. Jiyu ran hard and swung her racket, but it was a complete miss.
Once the score became 5-0, Jiyu grew anxious about what kind of wish he would make.
It was Hunter's turn to serve again, and this time, he sent a low-power ball right next to her racket to make it easy to hit. It was obvious he was blatantly letting her in, but she was happy to finally be in a rally with Hunter.
Hunter returned balls that flew high over the baseline, exchanging shots with her five or six times. But the moment she felt confident that she could do this, he slipped in a drop shot just over the net.
"6-0."
One more point and it would be Hunter's victory.
'Ah. This was a nonsensical bet from the start.'
Wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, Jiyu wondered if she could avoid the wish or the penalty by just giving up the match here.
As if reading her mind, Hunter warned her.
"You can't give up until the end. If you do, you lose automatically. The bet isn't over yet. Just get one point. You can do it."
A timely sea breeze cooled her overheated body. Tucking her wildly fluttering hair behind her ear, Jiyu let out a resigned sigh.
'I don't care anymore. Whether Hunter Hamilton wins or not.'
Jiyu managed to return Hunter's final serve, which had dropped conveniently near her racket. Like a tennis coach giving a beginner's lesson, he returned her erratically flying ball plainly. The ball crossed over high and slow.
'I think I can hit this!'
Jiyu reached out and leaped high. At that moment, a sea breeze blew so strongly it made a whistling sound. The moment she swung her racket and landed lightly on the ground, the long slit in her skirt fluttered and flipped completely over.
"Kyaak!"
Hunter, who had been moving slowly toward where the ball was falling while tracking it with his eyes, flinched at the sound. His gaze shifted to Jiyu for a split second, and as it was returning to the ball, he hit a mental brake. Then, he whipped his head around entirely.
The ball hit right next to him and bounced out of bounds, but Hunter couldn't tear his eyes away from her.
Jiyu threw her racket aside and frantically pressed down her flipped-over, fluttering skirt. With a bright red face, she finally managed to fix her skirt and looked up.
Hunter, holding his racket at a slant, was standing like a statue, staring at her. His Adam's apple bobbed once, and then he spoke.
"Isn't that cheating?"
Jiyu's jaw dropped.
"Wait, did I score a point?"
"6-1."
"Huh. No way. I won! I beat Hunter Hamilton!"
Jiyu threw her arms up and jumped for joy. At that moment, the wind blew again, fluttering her skirt and revealing her white thighs. Letting out a short scream as she pressed down her skirt, Jiyu eventually burst into laughter.
She never imagined she'd score a point because her skirt flipped due to the wind, but a point was a point.
Staring at her without even blinking, Hunter crossed the court in wide, sweeping strides. Then, he lightly leaped over the net.
Approaching Jiyu in an instant, he wrapped both arms around her waist and lifted her up, simultaneously pressing his lips against hers. Her feet didn't touch the ground.
Startled, Jiyu's eyes widened, but she wrapped her arms around Hunter's neck and lowered her trembling eyelids.
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