The second semester in Zoe's home university began in January. While everyone else focused on enrollment, she made herself busy by fixing the documents for the exchange program. School days would start on the 5th of April. She also purchased her airline ticket and applied for dormitories.
As expected, Zoe's mother, Ma, insisted that she take the Komaba Lodge to avoid the hassle of commuting. But Zoe strongly refused, determined to experience life as a regular university student. Luckily, the result for the dorm application came out early, and Ma could no longer do anything. Zoe was assigned to Mitaka International Residence, which was located at a considerable distance from both the Hongo and Komaba campuses.
She scanned the course catalog available for the semester, and most of the classes she'll take would be offered in Komaba. She came across an article suggesting that she could either ride a bike or take the bus to reach the nearest train station, from where she could conveniently travel by train and disembark right in front of the campus gate. Although this transportation arrangement might be slightly inconvenient, it was a trade-off she was willing to make since the dorm in Mitaka offered more affordable accommodations.
Zoe, being a cross-enrollee, didn't need to go through the enrollment process at her home university for the second semester. This meant she had plenty of time to prepare or engage in productive activities before the Spring-Summer semester at the University of Tokyo commenced, which was still three months away.
At random times, Zoe wondered how Elle and Seth were doing. If their classes were fun even without her around. She envied how they spent every single day together like usual.
To ease her mind during these moments, Zoe turned to her journal and wrote down her thoughts and emotions. It provided a sense of control, allowing her to articulate her feelings and thoughts, rather than letting them overwhelm her. Zoe had made her decision to pursue the exchange program, and she understood that missing her friends and even facing her parents' anger were part of the consequences she had to bear.
In the last week of January, Seth and Zoe went out on a date to celebrate their 'anniversary.' Seth was reluctant to call it 'anniversary', but he eventually gave in. With Zoe's departure looming, they realized it wasn't the time for arguments or disagreements.
Their passion for reading was one thing they had in common, so they decided to stop by a bookstore to start the day. The two of them strolled inside in complete silence, captivated and satisfied just by the mere scent of fresh and new pages.
New books had always comforted Zoe in a way nothing else could. She perused the titles and authors, hoping to find something familiar and intriguing. Finally, her eyes settled on "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, and she carefully plucked it from the shelf.
"Look, Seth. I've read this before."
Seth's eyebrows furrowed, then he took the book from her fingers. He flipped the pages for a few seconds before giving it back to Zoe. He preferred thriller and horror books written by the likes of Stephen King.
"Looks short. What's it about?"
"About creating your own reality."
"Hmm, interesting."
"Coelho says in the book that people should be braver in chasing what they truly want. I mean, we can all create the reality that our hearts desire if we dare to pursue it."
Seth raised his eyebrows. "Zoe, it's easy for any fictional work to say that you can do whatever you want, but in reality, you should know your boundaries. There are cultures and traditions. There are rules in society that we cannot just break. We all have limits, whether physical, cultural, or societal. Especially economic."
YOU ARE READING
The Spring I Met You
Romance"Things that are special, though temporary, tend to last longer in our memories," Kaito says. Zoe recalls the Hanami party that they had and everything that has happened since she arrived. She remembers every detail perfectly. She nods slowly. "You'...
