LOVE:ZERO

Jiyu took her seat in the very front row of the bleachers next to Court 1, just as Hunter had instructed.

The players who had finished their matches, their companions, and even tournament staff had gathered to watch the finals quite a crowd for a junior tournament.

She waited, reading a book, and before she knew it, thirty minutes had passed. When she looked up at the sound of murmuring, the two finalists were walking side by side onto the court.

After setting his bag down on the player’s bench and pulling out his racket, Hunter glanced toward the bleachers. His eyes met Jiyu’s, and he gave her a subtle nod of acknowledgment. But when he noticed the book open on her lap, his brow furrowed.

He raised two fingers, index and middle first pointing at her, then at himself.

‘Don’t get distracted during the match. Keep your eyes on me.’

“The match hasn’t even started, and he’s already telling me to watch him…”

Still, a promise was a promise. Jiyu gave a curt nod, closed the book, and stuffed it into her bag. Only then did Hunter step onto the court.

As the short warm-up period began, Jake approached and took the seat she had saved for him.

Jiyu studied the opponent warming up. He looked at least 6’2, and with his mature features, he could’ve passed for 27 instead of 17. With his dark Slavic hair, solid build, and rough demeanor, he was nothing like the lanky, still-growing teenagers Hunter usually faced in the U16 tournaments.

Even though this was the U18 tournament, and the players were only two years older, their physiques and presence were nearly on par with adults.

Noticing Jiyu’s uneasy gaze, Jake quickly briefed her on the opponent.

“Dimitri Petrov. A Russian tennis prodigy. At eleven, he was scouted by a prestigious tennis academy in Tampa, Florida, and his whole family moved to the U.S. He mainly competes in U18 L1 and ITF junior circuit tours, but he’s been out for a few months due to injury. That’s why he’s here in an L2 tournament to climb back up the rankings.”

“So… he’s much stronger than Hunter?”

Jake shrugged.

“He doesn’t go to a regular school; he boards at the tennis academy full-time, and his physique is practically that of an adult. So yeah, in terms of experience, ranking, and skill, he’s definitely a step above Hunter.”

“Then… it’ll be hard to win?”

Jake smirked and added reassuringly, “Not necessarily. Hunter’s a blue-chip player, ranked top three nationally for his age. Dimitri’s weak on his backhand and mental game; if Hunter exploits that, he’s got a shot. But Dimitri’s also known for dirty tactics. If Hunter gets dragged into his temper game… well, things could get tough.”

Just then, the umpire walked to the center of the court, signaling the end of the five-minute warm-up.

Hunter and Dimitri approached the umpire, rackets in hand.

Before a match, the serve order was traditionally decided by a coin toss or racket spin. While pro tournaments mostly used coin tosses, junior tournaments typically went with a racket spin.

The umpire gave the younger player Hunter the chance to spin, while Dmitri was asked to call up or down. Most players in this situation chose up.

“Down!”

Dimitri grinned sharply, flipping his raised thumb downward in a blatant taunt a rare, low-class provocation in the so-called “gentleman’s sport” of tennis.

Jiyu gasped, her pulse quickening as she turned her gaze to Hunter.

She had no idea how he’d react. He’d never been disrespected like this before.

“Please don’t let him get to you before the match even starts…”

Sure enough, Hunter’s blue eyes flashed like lightning against a midnight sky. His jaw clenched, tendons bulging.

“Hold it together, Hunter…” Jiyu muttered under her breath.

Just then, Hunter turned his head, taking a deep breath and their eyes met. She shook her head slightly.

Hunter exhaled loudly, puffing out his cheeks, then rolled his neck as if loosening up.

“Hamilton: up. Petrov: down. Spin the racket.”

At the umpire’s words, Hunter relaxed his shoulders and set the rounded head of his racket on the court. Jiyu let out a quiet sigh of relief, pressing a hand to her chest.

She had seen this countless times before.

As a kid, after learning that racket spins decided serve order in tennis matches, Hunter had practiced spinning his racket relentlessly until the head was nearly worn out just to control which side would land face up.

The result? Whenever he was given the chance to spin, he got what he wanted 99% of the time. Which was exactly why he didn’t need to react to such a cheap provocation.

Hunter flicked the handle lightly. The racket head spun like a top before toppling over. He bent down, checked the logo’s direction at the base of the handle, then straightened up slowly.

With an arrogant tilt of his chin, he curled one corner of his mouth and flicked his thumb upward.

“Up. First serve.”

Dimitri’s face twisted.

Beside Jiyu, Jake shook his head, chuckling.

“Hunter Hamilton. Unbelievable.”

Hunter chose his side and took his position at the baseline on the deuce side, ready to serve.

Jiyu held her breath, waiting for the first serve. The match hadn’t even started, but her palms were already sweating.

How could anyone stand being judged in front of so many people, with every moment of victory, defeat, and mental struggle laid bare?

Even imagining herself in Hunter’s place made her chest tighten. But standing there, he looked completely unfazed.

Hunter bounced the neon-yellow ball three times with even force, then tossed it high without hesitation.

Thwack!—

The crisp sound of strings striking the ball echoed under the inflated white dome of the air court. As Hunter landed lightly from his jump, the ball, loaded with his full weight, slammed just inside the diagonal baseline.

“Whew.”

Jake whistled softly.

A flat serve with almost no spin was powerful and fast but less accurate. Using it as a first serve was a bold move.

Instead of being intimidated by an older, stronger, and more experienced opponent, Hunter had opened with an aggressive display of power and speed classic him.

Caught off guard by the speed, Dimitri barely managed to return it, but without enough control.

The ball floated high, a moon ball landing outside the sideline. The crowd applauded.

A clean service ace.

“Fifteen-love,” Jiyu murmured.

She liked that in tennis, “zero” was called “love.” Zero sounded like a pathetic score, but love softened the blow.

Hunter spun his racket handle in his palm once and moved to the left side of the court. The bad side was where he thrived a lefty’s playground.

His lips curved into a graceful arc, revealing neat teeth.

When he was little, he had smiled just like that the first time he made it across the monkey bars in front of Jiyu. Back then, she had found him scarier than a ghost in the night, but even she had to admit his smile was angelic.

After watching him for so long, she knew.

Hunter was genuinely enjoying this match.

He slashed his racket diagonally, loading the ball with spin and sending it deep into the opponent’s left court. The ball kicked wide after the bounce, forcing Dimitri into a strained backhand return.

The rally began, the yellow ball flying back and forth across the net countless times. With every crack of Hunter’s racket, Jiyu’s heart pounded.

She had never understood the kids at Aster School who dissected Hunter’s charm like he was some boy-band idol. But now, watching him on the court, it suddenly made sense.

Hunter shone out there.

And she couldn’t look away.

“I must be crazy…” Jiyu muttered in despair.