The Crazy Four

Chapter 8: Debt Collector

A few days later, Sakura found herself standing in front of the North Wing dorm, her heart pounding in her chest. It was a massive, imposing building, its facade adorned with a giant, stylized kestrel's head that seemed to glare down at her with predatory intensity.

This is a terrible idea, a voice whispered in her head.

But Sakura ignored it, stepping onto the pressure pad that triggered the massive automatic doors. They whooshed open, revealing a glimpse of the inner sanctum.

She hadn't seen Eunchae since their brief encounter after the match. The Four Wings were still MIA from the intra-competition, their focus fully shifted to the upcoming Metro Cup Tournament, a city-wide showdown between all the elite Hoverblitz academies. Which meant Sakura's only chance of finding Eunchae was in the North Wing dorm.

Hanni had given her directions, but she'd also given her a warning.

"North Wing is... different," she'd said, her voice low and serious. "It's not like East Wing. It's more... intense. More competitive. More... Rabid."

Sakura had just rolled her eyes. "Okay, Hanni, enough with the dramatic foreshadowing. It's a dorm, not a dragon's lair."

But as she stood in the North Wing common room with its sleek, minimalist decor, Sakura couldn't help but feel a twinge of uneasiness. Hanni might have been joking, but there was definitely a different vibe here.

She scanned the room, looking for any sign of Eunchae, but it was mostly empty. A few girls were lounging on the couches, scrolling through their phones or chatting in hushed tones. No one even glanced in her direction.

Maybe she's not here, Sakura thought, a mix of disappointment and relief. Maybe she should just turn around and go back to the familiar, if slightly stifling, comfort of East Wing.

But she'd come this far. She wasn't going to back down now.

"Can I help you with something?"

Sakura jumped, startled by the voice behind her. She turned to see a girl with sharp eyes and a no-nonsense expression standing in front of her, her arms crossed over her chest. She was wearing a North Wing tracksuit, the kestrel emblem emblazoned on her chest like a badge of honor.

"Oh, um, no, I'm just... looking around," Sakura stammered, feeling a little flustered. "It's a nice dorm."

The girl's expression didn't soften. "Sorry, but we have a strict policy," she said, her voice clipped. "No visitors unless they have official business with a North Wing resident. Especially not from other dorms."

"Seriously?" Sakura frowned. "What's the big deal?"

"Let's just say we had a... situation last year," the girl explained, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "One of Eunchae-lideonim's... enthusiastic fans from the first-year class managed to sneak in and cause a bit of a calamity. Headmistress Hee-jin wasn't pleased."

Sakura winced, imagining the chaos that a Rabid Hong superfan could unleash. She'd seen the fan pages online-some of those people were seriously intense.

"Okay, I get it," she said, holding up her hands in surrender. "No unauthorized fangirling. Message received."

"Sakura? What are you doing here?"

Sakura turned to see Eunchae standing behind her, her brow furrowed in confusion. She was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a black T-shirt, her hair pulled back in a messy bun, and a pair of round, wire-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. She was clutching a half-eaten bag of cheese puffs in one hand, a dusting of orange powder on her fingertips. She looked more like the girl Sakura had met in the City Hall lobby than the intimidating Hoverblitz star she'd seen on the field.