Chapter 148 Choices and the Future

Day 11 of the road survival game!

"Heh...that's really enviable!" The two of them had decided to take the police academy entrance exam after graduation, but Japanese law clearly stipulates that there are physical requirements for official jobs, and these days you need to be thin to take the police exam.

Even though the two of them regularly practice boxing, fighting, and other physical activities to expend their energy and improve their physical skills, they still need to pay attention to their diet in order to pass the police exam after graduation. They don't dare to eat and drink like the young girl.

In addition, their parents' views on Japanese aesthetics and customs have influenced them since childhood, and they are controlled to eat only until they are full, which has caused their stomachs to shrink. A red bean bread can be a meal for them.

So seeing her enjoying the food, not only was Matsuda envious, but Hagiwara himself was also very envious: "Where did she buy those takoyaki? They look delicious. Should we buy some and take them home for dinner?"

"The takoyaki inside is twice the size of regular takoyaki. Only that takoyaki truck around here sells such large takoyaki. It must be that one!" Matsuda glanced at the lunchbox in the middle school girl's hand and quickly deduced which restaurant she was eating from.

Upon hearing this, Hagiwara subconsciously glanced at the middle school girl's stomach: "That place does taste good, but even if it's just one serving of this super-sized dish, the two of us probably couldn't finish it, right? She managed to eat almost all of it by herself. This kid not only has nice table manners, but also a great appetite!"

"Envious? If you give up applying to the police academy, you can eat like this too." At this point, Matsuda's real goal of getting into the police academy was just to find someone he could get close to, who had now been promoted to Superintendent General of Police, and punch him to avenge his father.

He didn't have any grand ideals or lofty principles, so his childhood friend, who had decided to apply to police academy with him after graduation because he wanted to, wanted to persuade him to reconsider his decision.

After all, he was a top student at the University of Tokyo, and more than one professor at the university was willing to mentor him. Even if he didn't want to study in depth, just being a top student from a prestigious university like the University of Tokyo gave him a bright future that a profession like the police could never offer him.

Hearing him say that, Hagiwara shook his head dismissively: "Forget it! Rather than being able to eat and drink without any worries, I still prefer to find a job that I will never lose my job. After all, although racing is very exciting, I still prefer a stable and secure future."

This is one of the important reasons, but the main reason is that he really enjoys the time he spends with Xiaozhenping. Since they were together in elementary school, middle school, high school, and even university, why can't they work together after graduation?

He had seen his father occasionally look through his graduation photos, and remember that he couldn't recall who the people in the pictures were, where they were now, what they did for a living, or how they were doing...

I can't help but worry that one day Xiaozhenping and I will end up like this, going our separate ways after graduation, doing different jobs, and encountering different environments and people. Even if it's not our intention, we will gradually drift apart due to various factors.

He could no longer see each other every day and talk about anything like he did now... That was a future he loathed and rejected, a future he didn't want at all, but the future of one's life is determined by one's own choices.

If that's the case, why doesn't he choose a future where he and Kojinpei will never grow apart, where they can be together every day as before? Besides... if Kojinpei really does attack a police officer, especially the Superintendent General, he can help him...

For example, if he chooses to ambush someone with a sack, I'll help him erase the traces; if he chooses to beat someone up openly... cough cough! I can find him a good lawyer! -_-||

.

After all, they were childhood friends, and even if they didn't say it aloud, they could understand each other's thoughts. Matsuda knew what Hagi was thinking, and coincidentally, he didn't want to go their separate ways with Hagi after graduating from university.

"Tsk! You'd better be careful, don't get caught up in my beating up that guy." Matsuda, like him, hoped that his life would continue as before, so he didn't continue to persuade him, but said it half-jokingly and half-self-deprecatingly.

Hagiwara readily agreed, saying, "Don't worry, if you really want to make a move, I promise to keep an 800-meter distance from you."

Of course, this would be after all traces of the sack being removed. But surely Jinpei wouldn't be stupid enough to do it in front of everyone? He's quite smart; he shouldn't make such a foolish mistake. But his personality is a bit like a cat's—something about him is hard to fathom, so it's possible…

Hagiwara thought uncertainly. -_-||

"A wise decision. You might be able to take the opportunity to 'arrest' me and make a great contribution by saving the Superintendent General of Police, which could get you promoted three ranks in one go!" Matsuda heard the joking tone in his childhood friend's voice and teased him back, even though he hadn't decided how to beat the guy up yet.

Seeing that he could still joke about it, Hagiwara knew that although Kojinpei was outwardly resentful that his father had fallen into depravity due to the other party's alcoholism while the other party had been promoted and made a fortune, he had actually let go of a lot of resentment in his heart.

This reassured him somewhat, and he retorted without hesitation, "This isn't ancient times, how could I possibly be promoted three ranks in a row? At most, I'd be promoted one rank."

"Hmph...you're really planning to use this as an excuse for a promotion!" o(￣ヘ￣o＃) Matsuda looked at him with a "you've betrayed my trust" expression, but before Hagiwara could speak, he turned his head as if he had thought of something and asked with some surprise, "But shouldn't it be summer vacation now? Why are they still in school?"

After asking the question, Matsuda subconsciously looked at the middle school girl who was eating and the other people in school uniforms. The two of them were studying some knowledge related to the police profession because they wanted to apply for police academy.

Knowledge of on-site investigation and reasoning is naturally within their learning scope, so when questions arose, the two subconsciously began to observe their surroundings based on what they had learned.

Hagiwara looked around and blinked his handsome purple eyes: "Didn't we go to this international school for high school before? I remember that every summer there were club activities, or clubs that needed training would go to the school for training during the summer."

"Is it only a small number? Aren't most of them going to places with low temperatures for study tours and training?" After all, this is a district where wealthy people gather, and the high tuition fees of the international schools from elementary to high school mean that students will have study tours and similar activities.

Well, it's called a school in an affluent area, but that's only in comparison to big cities. The high tuition fees in this small town can't compare to those of prestigious schools in Tokyo. To put it simply, low-income families in this area can't afford it.

High-income families look down on them; most are children from middle-class families, and a small number of low-income families grit their teeth and support their children's future. He and Hagiwara's family were originally considered high-income families in this district.

Unfortunately, their father, Hagiwara, who ran a car repair shop when they were in elementary school, was caught in the economic bubble crisis. Although he tried hard to find a solution to the crisis and persevered to avoid bankruptcy, his assets shrank drastically from a high-income family to a middle-class family.

His own family! His father was originally a well-known boxer in Japan, having won the national championship twice, and his income was naturally quite good. Unfortunately, after being wrongly arrested by that policeman, he was subjected to all sorts of crazy reports by social media as a murder suspect.

After the truth was uncovered, no one was willing to believe he was innocent. His boxing career naturally came to an end, and he could only make a living by drinking heavily every night and running a small boxing gym to teach other boxers during the day. His income naturally dropped to the middle class.

Naturally, these international schools that wealthy families look down upon become the top choice for high school education for families like theirs that can afford. Matsuda speculated, "Could it be that things have changed here this year?"

.

"Hmm...it seems like only students from non-sports clubs are here!" Hagiwara noticed that none of the students were wearing their own sports uniforms and their backpacks looked very light, and couldn't help but smile.

Then she brought up another matter: "I heard from my sister that because of Japan's aging population, the enrollment rate in our district is no longer enough to cover the cost of operating the school. So they have opened up a lot of junior high to high school study abroad spots. Could the fact that these people are still coming to school during the summer vacation be related to this?"

"Really? Is it that exaggerated?" Matsuda was a little incredulous when he heard his friend say that, but after looking around, he had to admit: "Indeed, when we were young, we felt like we were surrounded by peers and younger children."

There are hardly any children on the streets now, but we see foreigners even in a small place like ours! Wow! Is this actually affecting school enrollment and operating costs? It's unbelievable.

"Haha... Well then, Jinpei, you'd better hurry up and get married and have kids, so you can contribute to balancing the population of our poor town!" Hagiwara teased his best friend with a grin.

Knowing his true nature all along, Matsuda immediately flashed a half-moon eye and retorted: "Heh... When it comes to contributing to the Japanese population, someone like you who's received love letters from childhood to adulthood is the one who can find a partner anytime!"

What? How about we put in a little effort for the future of Japan's population? I can generously offer you the home addresses of all the love letters you've received since childhood; after all, my memory is pretty good.

"No thanks!" Hagiwara quickly shook his head, feigning grievance and complaining, "Jinpei has become naughty, teasing me like this!"

"Tch~! Don't disgust me." Matsuda pushed away his friend who was pretending to be cute with a look of disgust. He was so disgusted by his friend's shameless personality in front of his friends and family that he wanted to complain to him: "You should let those female classmates who like you see what you're like now. I guarantee they'll regret having feelings for you."

"What's wrong with me?" Hagiwara said innocently, "I'm an excellent student, a top student at Tokyo University, with no bad habits, a warm and cheerful personality... I have so many good qualities!"