The Sun Will Come Out (WayV)

New Semester

Her name was Zhou Weijian...

"Today's the day, I  guess." 

Zhou Weijian received her schedule for the semester. She wasn't surprised to see that half her classes were over at "The Other Side."

Weijian packed her books and notebooks into her backpack, getting ready to walk across to Dominatus. Before she left, she grabbed a minuscule glass bottle. She smiled every time she looked at the way the bottle fit in the palm of her hand. 

Weijian was born in Shanghai, China. Her family had a cozy little home in the city, where she had so many memories. One memory she had was of the gutta-percha tree in front of her home. She could always see it from her window and helped her feel calm. It was one of the best things that reminded her of home. It was strange how calm that tree made her feel, but Weijian never questioned it.

 When Weijian moved to South Korea to continue her education, she cast a spell on a glass bottle. This spell was called Nature in a Bottle. She studied hard and eventually mastered the spell. She grew a mini gutta-percha tree in the bottle, with dirt and clouds, to remind her of home. Whenever she felt stressed or nervous, she kept that bottle with her to calm her down. It always worked. 

Weijian tucked the bottle into one of the smaller pockets of her backpack. It was padded, which kept the bottle safe. Weijian pursed her lips and sighed. 

"You can do this.  Just don't get lost." Weijian opened her eyes and walked out the door. She made her way down to the main floor of Pink Hall. Her face lit up when she saw her best friend.

Manaka Takahashi ...

Weijian waved at her and darted down the remaining stairs. "Manaka!" she rushed over to her side and smiled. "When did you leave the room?" she asked. Manaka was her roommate, after all. 

"You didn't read the note I left for you? I went to get a book from the shop down the street, then I came back to wait for you. I figured you'd be ready by the time I came back." Manaka smiled and showed Weijian the magic spells book she'd brought. "See?" Manaka put the book in her backpack and gestured to the door. 

"Ready to go?" 

"I guess." Weijian threw her bag over her shoulders and walked to the parking lot with Manaka. They walked past the row of cars their classmates owned and over to the bike stands. 

"Pfft, what even are cars? I only know about bicycles, yo," Weijian mumbled. She smirked and unlocked her bike, kicking the bike stand away. She mounted her blue bike, as did Manaka with her orange one, and the two started to pedal out of the lot. 

"So, do you know where we're going?" Manaka asked. Weijian hesitated for a moment. 

"Uh ... no. I was hoping you ... would?" Weijian asked, hopefully. Manaka's apologetic smile gave her the answer. 

"Oh, no. We are thoroughly screwed," Weijian said. Panic was evident in her voice. Manaka glanced over with a reassuring smile. 

"Now, now. We don't know that yet. Who knows, maybe we're just partially screwed." Manaka smiled when she saw Weijian glaring at her. "See, I know where the campus is. We're not too far, and we're making really good time. We're probably gonna get there forty minutes early. We can ask someone for help." 

Weijian ignored everything Manaka had just said except for the 40 minutes early part. "Wait, back up, we're gonna get there forty minutes early?" They stopped at one of the crosswalks, waiting for the light to signal for them to go. Weijian took that time to pull out her phone and check the time. "Oh shit, yeah we are," she said. How did I not notice that? she wondered. 

"Manaka, remind me why we left so early?" Weijian asked. The signal for them to go had appeared, so the two started pedaling again, getting closer to Dominatus. 

"I find it comforting to be obnoxiously early to classes," Manaka spoke so casually, Weijian burst out laughing. 

"What?" 

"You're so weird," Weijian laughed. Manaka grinned. "Why, thank you very much." 

The two eventually reached the Dominatus Academy of Wizardry campus. It was an all-boys college, but there were several girls on the campus that day. The start of the new semester was the start of a new experience for the Dominatus boys and the Eximia girls. 

Manaka and Weijian found their way to the bike stands and hopped off, securing their bikes before scanning the map they had brought. Weijian took in the beautiful campus and grinned. She turned and tapped Manaka's shoulder. 

"Ready for the new semester?"