Caught Between the Dark-Skinned Guy and the White-Haired Neighbor at Police Academy

[Currently updating a side story: About Being Childhood Friends with Matsuda and Hagiwara. Blurb at the end.]

[The blurb below is in first person; the story itself is in third person.]

After I entered the police academy, it took only a moment for my rosy impression of it to shatter. The so-called strongest five in the academy were really just a bunch of immature brats.

But before I knew it, I'd joined their ranks and become the "sixth member" of the brats.

I was closest to Furuya. I thought we had perfect chemistry and were the best, most compatible friends.

But it only took a second to break my heart. One day, when I went to see Furuya, I heard him tell Hiromitsu in an annoyed voice, "I don't want to be friends with that idiot Saki!"

You're the idiot, Rei!

I left the school sadly, and as soon as I stepped outside, I ran into a familiar friend from Jujutsu High.

Gojo, who was as unreliable as ever and loved making stupid jokes, smiled at me. "Did someone bully you, Saki? Cheer up. I still like seeing you smile." Before I could bring myself to tell Gojo what had happened, he suddenly produced a huge bouquet of roses from behind his back and confessed to me!

I gaped at him, not knowing how to react. Then Rei Furuya walked out of the school gate with a bouquet and handed it straight to me.

"I don't want us to be just friends, either."

Looking at the two bouquets in front of me, I suddenly remembered that it was Valentine's Day.

*

About Being Childhood Friends with Matsuda and Hagiwara:

I have two childhood friends, one called Jinpei Matsuda and the other Kenji Hagiwara.

My mom always says the three of us are as close as if we shared a pair of pants.

I looked down at my nice blue overalls and said that even Matsuda and Hagiwara couldn't expect me to share them.

My mom stared at me in shock, and I stared back at her in confusion.

Matsuda and Hagiwara came over to play. My mom waved us off, saying she was feeling a little exhausted.

I didn't understand why she looked like that. Hagiwara said it might be because someone had told on us for stealing eggs in the countryside a few days ago. I thought he was probably right.

*

We started kindergarten together, and I was voted the class beauty.

I didn't care whether I was the class beauty. Even if I was, Matsuda wouldn't go easy on my face when we fought.

"I was going easy on you!" Matsuda insisted.

And that was that for the class beauty business.

Then one day, I noticed that boys often gave me snacks and asked me to be their girlfriend.

"That happens?" Matsuda exclaimed.

He studied my face for a long time, then solemnly promised, "I'll try not to hit you in the face anymore."

I nodded with satisfaction, and the three of us shared the snacks. I also wondered whether Matsuda and Hagiwara could become class or school beauties if they wore my overalls.

*

We started elementary school. We weren't four or five anymore! It was time to grow up!

I told my two childhood friends that from that day on, I would stop being greedy for snacks and stop bursting into tears. I would be a strong person.

A few days later, I held my failing math test and bawled my eyes out. Being a strong adult was really hard.

Matsuda was crying, too. While my mom was scolding me, he'd laughed beside me, and laughed so loudly that his dad beat him for it.

Hagiwara didn't cry, but he looked miserable, too. He'd waved a pile of snacks in front of Matsuda and me, so the two of us teamed up and beat him up.

And so I got scolded, Matsuda got beaten, and Hagiwara got scolded again... We were trapped in a vicious cycle.

In the end, the three of us shared the snacks and secretly vowed that starting tomorrow, we'd be strong adults!

Theme: Whether in school or in life, always strive to improve.