Ch. 10 #2
The students immediately agreed and began looking for partners. Yuna simply stood there, scanning the crowd. One by one, her classmates paired up.
She looked around again.
Then again.
Unfortunately, everyone already had a partner.
She was the only one left standing alone.
A few of her classmates noticed that Selene still didn't have a partner they exchange uncertain glances among themselves. No one seemed willing to approach her or suggest anything.
Yuna, on the other hand, couldn't care less.
I can just play alone...
Evy, who had started seeing Selene in a different light ever since the debate class, suddenly raised her hand.
"Professor! We're missing one person. Selene doesn't have a partner. I think one of our classmates is absent today."
"Really?" Professor Richard looked toward their group.
He briefly counted the students before nodding.
"Well, that's unfortunate. The sophomore class has an even number, so this means you'll have to play alone, Selene. Would that be alright with you?"
"It's fine with me," Yuna simply answered.
She gave Evy a quick glance before looking back at the professor.
"Are you sure, Selene?" one of her blockmates asked.
"Yeah."
Since Yuna was the only one without a partner, Professor Richard decided to have her go first on the opposite court.
Professor Richard then explained the mechanics of the game to his students, even giving them a brief history of badminton along the way.
While he was explaining, Yuna couldn't help but feel a little excited.
She kept checking her racket, lightly swinging it a few times to see if the grip and balance felt right.
Once Professor Richard finished explaining, he began choosing the first group of students to play. He was about to suggest that Selene face another pair of girls when two second-year students volunteered to be her opponents.
A girl and a boy.
Both were members of the university's badminton team. Richard wasn't particularly pleased with the arrangement. It was obviously an unfair match, especially with Selene playing alone. However, when he looked at her and saw that she didn't seem bothered by it, he decided to let it go.
"Alright, then. You two will be on the first court with Selene."
Yuna simply nodded, gripping her racket a little tighter.
"Go easy on us, Miss Selene. Wouldn't want to embarrass ourselves in front of an audience," the guy said, a hint of mockery in his voice.
"Why?" Selene asked innocently, completely ignoring the sarcasm in his voice.
When the whistle blew, the game began.
The first serve came fast.
Yuna barely had time to react before the shuttlecock flew past her.
A loud cheer immediately erupted from the second-year students.
"Let's go!"
"Nice serve!"
Meanwhile, Selene's blockmates reacted with a collective groan. Yuna couldn't care less about the reaction and simply picked up the shuttlecock. She casually inspected it, lightly tossing it in her hand.
Ah... different brand.
She rolled it between her fingers.
No wonder it feels different when they hit it.
Across the net, the female player stepped forward and took the shuttlecock from her.
"Our serve," she said.
Yuna simply nodded and returned to her position.
The second serve came.
This time, Yuna was ready.
The shuttlecock flew toward her at almost the same speed as before, but she quickly moved her racket and hit it back.
The shuttlecock flew cleanly over the net. The second-year students went silent for a moment.
"Nice!"
One of Selene's blockmates immediately cheered.
"She got it!"
The game continued, and to everyone's surprise, the score never changed. Well—except for Selene's side.
Selene has 7 points right now while the two second-year players remained stuck at the single point they had earned at the very beginning of the match. The point Selene had lost because she was still adjusting to the unfamiliar shuttlecock.
After that? They couldn't score again.
The cheering from the second-years gradually quiet. In contrast, Selene's blockmates became louder with every point she earned.
"No way!"
"Another one?!"
"She got that too?!"
Even Professor Richard's eyebrows had slowly risen. Who would have thought that Selene knew how to play badminton?
Not only that... she was keeping up with two university badminton players while playing alone. On the court, Yuna remained completely indifferent to the growing commotion.
Back in her previous life, badminton had been one of the few hobbies she enjoyed whenever she needed a break from work.
The only reason she had missed the first serve was because she wasn't used to the shuttlecock's weight.
Meanwhile, across the net, the male player wiped the sweat from his forehead. The casual confidence he had at the start of the match was long gone. Because for the first time since the game began, he realized they might actually lose.
In the end, they really did lose.
The final score was 10 – 1 and the winner was Selene.
The whistle blew, signaling the end of the match.
A mixture of disbelief and excitement spread across the field.
Some of the freshmen immediately cheered, while the second-years looked completely stunned by the outcome.
Yuna, however, didn't share their enthusiasm.
To her, it was just a PE activity, nothing more.
After returning the racket, she gave a small nod toward Professor Richard.
"Excuse me, Prof."
Since her match was already over, she quietly stepped away from the court.
The next set of students quickly took her place as the activity continued.
As she made her way toward the sidelines, Yuna accidentally lifted her head and met Ethan's gaze.
He was outside the field, walking along the pathway with Lina and several other students. It seemed their class had just ended.
Yuna immediately looked away. Inwardly, she turned around and casually grabbed her tumbler. As if nothing had happened, she unscrewed the cap and took a sip of water.
"It's Selene," Lina mumbled, slowing her pace as she stared toward the field. Ethan glanced at her.
"Looks like it is."
Lina continued watching the court for a moment before suddenly turning to him.
"Ethan, you go ahead first, okay? I just need to do something." Without waiting for a response, she flashed him a quick smile and immediately ran off.
"Wait, Lina—"