Chapter 7: Missing Wings

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The next week flew by in a blur of practice sessions, classes, and late-night strategy talks with Hanni. Sakura was still riding high on the adrenaline of her first match, her confidence boosted by that unexpected goal. She was even starting to get the hang of the East Wing drills, her Flightskate maneuvers becoming smoother, her passes more accurate.

"You're a natural, Sakura!" Hanni had exclaimed after watching her nail a particularly tricky platform jump during a practice session. "I knew you had it in you!"

Sakura had just grinned, feeling a warm glow of satisfaction. Maybe she wasn't destined to be a bench-warming Tuner after all.

When the schedule for the next round of intra-competition matches came out, Sakura eagerly scanned the list, looking for her team assignment. She was ready for another taste of the action, another chance to prove herself. But as she scrolled through the names, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Something was missing.

Kazuha.

The Black Swan's name was nowhere to be found. None of the East Wing teams listed her as a player.

"Hanni, have you seen this?" Sakura asked, waving her phone in Hanni's face. "Where's Kazuha-sunbaenim?"

Hanni glanced at the screen, then shrugged. "Huh, that's weird. Maybe she's injured or something?"

But as Sakura scrolled through the rest of the schedules, she realized that it wasn't just Kazuha. None of the Four Wings were listed on any of the teams. Chaewon, Jennifer, Eunchae... they were all missing.

"What's going on?" Sakura wondered aloud, her excitement turning to disappointment. She'd been secretly hoping for another chance to play alongside Kazuha, to maybe even redeem herself for that impulsive goal. And now it looked like she wouldn't even get to see any of the Crazy Four in action.

"Maybe they're prepping for another tournament?" Hanni suggested, scrolling through the academy news feed on her own phone. "There's that junior league championship coming up soon, right?"

Sakura nodded. That had to be it. The academy was probably shifting its focus to the bigger competition, pulling its star players out of the intra-competition to give them more time to train and strategize. Which made sense, but still... it was a bummer.

"Guess that explains why Coach Park whisked Eunchae away after our match," Sakura mused, remembering the stern look on Coach Park's face.

"Yeah, probably," Hanni agreed, her eyes glued to her phone. "Looks like the Crazy Four are going into lockdown mode. No distractions allowed."

Sakura sighed. It looked like she'd have to wait a little longer to get another glimpse of Seraphim Academy's elite squad in action. But that just meant she had more time to hone her own skills, to prove that she deserved a place on that field, alongside the best of the best.

Someday.

The next few weeks were a mix of anticipation and frustration. Sakura threw herself into practice, determined to prove that she was more than just a backup player. She spent hours working on her speed, her agility, her passing accuracy. She even started experimenting with different JetGas combinations, trying to find the perfect balance between control and power.

"You're getting good, Sakura," Hanni commented one afternoon, watching Sakura practice her platform jumps. "Like, scary good."

Sakura grinned, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Just wait until I unleash my secret weapon on the competition."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Hanni asked, her eyes widening with curiosity.

"You'll see," Sakura said, her voice was full of confidence.

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