Izumi Natsumura 5

But there's no one there.

"I told you it wasn't a good idea," says Ino. "While you were chasing each other and forgiving each other and not hugging each other, everyone went back home."

"But we didn't take that long, did we?" I answer. Or ask? Whatever.

"There was no one on the locker room, though."

Yeah, Ino's right.

Very, very right.

.

.

.

.

.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" I yell. "I'VE RUINED IT! THIS WAY WE'LL NEVER GET MORE MEMBERS AND NEVER MAKE THE CLUB AND NEVER SEIZE OUR YOUTH AND, AHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT WE GONNA DO, WHAT WE GONNA DO, WHAT WE GONNA—

"It's ok, Izumi," Sotoka-chan only conforts me with her words. I would prefer her to approach me and hug me forever and ever, but we can't have everything we want, right? "We can stay here for a while, in case someone comes."

So we stay.

And, before I forget, I open my backpack and take out a flyer from last time. It's all wrinkled but whatever. I was thinking of making some new ones, but I was too lazy. Maybe I'll do it later. Anyway, I put it up a lamppost near the school's entrance.

"We were told not to put up more of those, Izumi-san," Sotoka-chan tells me.

"Yeah, but this is outside school," I answer. "They can't do anything of we put it up here; maybe it'll stay forever."

"No one's gonna notice it. But that's ok; wrinkled looks even uglier," says Ino, but I almost ignore her. And she's right: nobody's gonna appreciate my drawing if they're all wrinkled.

Well, now we can only wait. They won't take long.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHY AREN'T THEY COMING?!"

"Because they left already," answers Ino.

"Maybe there's still someone left," says Sotoka-chan. "We just need to wait a little longer."

And we wait.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! ¡THEY'RE NOT COMING, THEY'LL NEVER COME! ¡SOTOKA-CHAN, YOU SAID THEY WERE COMING, WHY DON'T THEY COME?! WHERE ARE TH—

"Shut up," says Ino.

"You shut up," I say.

"You're the one who's yelling."

"No one's coming, what you want me to do?"

"To shut up, didn't you hear?"

"You shut up! Man, you're such a nuisance!"

"You're the nuisance! You're always a nuisance! ¡We're wasting our time here waiting for nobody, because nobody's coming, and we also have to deal with your shit! ¡You're always crying and yelling and crying and yelling and crying and yelling, and you're always yelling the same stuff. "SoToKa-ChAn, SoToKa-ChAn" and "cHaN, cHaN, CaLL mE iZuMi-ChAn"! I'm sick of it.

"SHUT UP! I'M THE ONE WHO'S SICK OF YOU! YOU'RE ALWAYS INSULTING ME AND YOU'RE ALWAYS SAYING: "tHaT's A bAd IdEa", "tHe WoRlD sUcKs", "EvErYoNe'S dUmB bUt Me", "i DoN't HaVe AnY fRiEnDs 'CaUsE i CaN oNlY iNsULt ThEm".

"Hey, you two, calm down."

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING! YOU'RE THE ONE WITH NO FRIENDS! IF IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF SOTOKA-CHAN YOU WOULDN'T HAVE ANYONE!"

"YOU SHUT UP, 'CAUSE YOU'RE IN THE SAME PAGE AS ME! I WISH I HAD KICKED YOU OUTTA THE CLUB!"

"Calm down, both of you!"

"WHO WOULD WANT TO BE IN YOUR FUCKING CLUB? ¡aNiMe LiFe! ¡AnImE LiFe! THAT'S SO FUCKING DUMB!

"JUST GO, THEN!"

"MAKE ME, BITCH!"

So I approach her, and we start slapping each other. That goddamned Ino may be tiny but hits pretty hard, but I'm hitting her as hard and fast as I can, let's see how much we can handle, but Sotoka-chan gets in pur way, pushes us over and:

"CALM DOWN!"

.

.

.

"CAN'T YOU STAY 5 MINUTES WITHOUT INSULTING AND FIGHTING EACH OTHER?! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE SAME CLUB, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE FRIENDS! WE CREATED THIS CLUB FOR A REASON: WE NEED IT, AND IF YOU DON'T, GO HOME AND STOP BOTHERING ME, BECAUSE I REALLY CARE ABOUT THIS CLUB!"

.

.

.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! GO!"

.

.

.

"GO!!!!"

.

.

.

.

.

Sotoka-chan sighs.

"Pleas forgive me, but it's you who're yelling and fighting and It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. It was my fault. Now apologize to each other and never fight again, please."

I and Ino glance at each other. We're not that mad with one another anymore (or, at least, I think Ino isn't), but we do feel really uncomfortable right now (or, at least, I think Ino does).

"Gomen, Ino," I tell her.

"Oh, right, gumen to you too. And sorry, Sotoka-san, for causing you so much trouble."

"Yeah, that's right, Gomen'nasai, Sotoka-chan, it's just Ino who's only nagging me—I'll shut up now."

We all shut up and keep waiting.

Poor Sotoka-chan, her wrath seems like one of those transformations from shonen series, especially those with a disadvantage, Sotoka-chan's being instant regret and sorrow.

That's why she need more of my hugs.

But she doesn't want them.

:'(

Or maybe if I stop hugging her she'll miss them, and she'll start hugging me instead.

:O

XD

I'm such a genius! That's totally worth a try!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We're still waiting someone to come but nobody does.

"Hey, Izumi, why did you sell your bed, by the way?" Asks Ino outta nowhere. I turn towards her and stare at her with a justified distrust.

"And why do you want to know? You're gonna insult me or mock me?"

"That depends on your answer."

Of course. Was I expecting something else from her?

And it's not like I wanna answer.

But I don't wanna be here anymore.

But I can't stand her anymore.

But I don't wanna be here anymore.

But she's gonna mock me.

But I don't wanna be here anymore.

But we're gonna fight again.

But I don't wanna be here anymore.

But Sotoka-chan's gonna get mad at me.

But I don't wanna be here anymore.

But everything will be Ino's fault 'cause she started it with her questions.

Ino sighs.

"Look: it's just small talk while we wait here."

Well, yeah, that'll be helpful; we have already wasted so much time and no one's coming.

"Ok, ok, I sold it 'cause I wasn't using it, and 'cause I needed more space for my manga."

"Wait, what? How many manga do you have, then? And why you weren't using your bed? You don't sleep or what?"

"You can only have more manga; it's almost the only thing in my room."

"Why? Your room super tiny or did you sell everything else or what?"

"I've sold almost everything else."

"How many things have you sold, then?"

"I dunno. A lot."

"And how do you sell them? You leave your ugly flyers all around town or…?"

Wait, you think my flyers are ugly? I take so much time doing them, and I use a lot of color (It doesn't show in the copies, though. Maybe I should make them with color, but they cost way more, and I can buy a bunch of manga with that money). Also, I always drew a bunch of flyers and pick up the best one.

And all of them are super pretty.

God dammit, Ino, you only said that to annoy me.

Anyway, is Ino who we're talking about. She hates everything and everyone. It's no surprise the thinks they're ugly (even if they aren't. 'Cause they aren't). Everything's ugly for her 'cause she's so ugly and irritating and such a nuisance, and she's only here 'cause Sotoka-chan is too noble and kind and beautiful and perfect and she feels sorry for you.

And so do I. That's why we let you stay with us.

Poor Ino, so small and angry, so alone and miserable, if it wasn't for Sotoka-chan, you wouldn't have anything or anyone.

Poor girl. Poor, poor little girl.

You should watch more anime.

Even though you'll end up being an otaku in no time.

But I'm sure you'll be too proud to accept it.

And because of it even otakus will reject you.

What a sad, sad little girl.

You're so, so lonely.

"Izumi!"

"What?! What happened?!"

"How would I know?" right now Ino's starting at me the same way everyone else always do. "I asked you how did you sell your stuff, and you spaced out or something."

"You said my flyers are ugly."

"Because they are."

"Nuh-uh. You're the ugly one."

"Hey, what did I tell you," Sotoka-chan puts herself between us again, and she doesn't seem very happy about it.

She really needs a hug.

Maybe as much as I do.

:'(

"Gomen, Sotoka-chan," I say very crestfallenly.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"So how do you sell your stuff, then?" Ino asks.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Oh. She's asking me.

"Flyers or online."

"And why do you want that much money, anyway? Do you really buy that many manga? Is it that expensive or what?"

"No, but I just buy as much as I can. And I also buy other stuff, like snacks, paracetamol, Scotch tape, a laptop, an espresso machine, espresso capsules, a gamer chair."

"Are you also a gamer?"

"No, but I use the chair to watch anime and read manga."

"And couldn't you use a regular chair for that? Or your bed?"

"Yes, but I also use it to sleep."

Ino stares at me as everyone else always does when I say anything.

And that's a nuisance.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Let me get this straight: you sold your bed 'cause you weren't using it, and then you bought a gamer chair to sleep on it."

"Uh-huh."

.

.

.

.

.

"Izumi, you're definitely the most idiotic person I've ever met in my life. Hands down."

"¡Ino!" Sotoka-chan comes out to defend me.

And I really appreciate it.

"Arigatōgozaimashita, Sotoka-chan!" I approach her and should I hug her or not? I mean, my heart says yes but I don't know about hers.

And remember your plan, Izumi. Make her miss your warm and loving hugs. And it's not like I wont be giving her those hugs sometime later.

Ok, I won't hug her, then.

But anyway, at least I can crack myself up watching Sotoka-chan scolding Ino:

"What did I say about insulting each other?"

Ino sighs once again.

"Sorry, sorry, but Izumi's blowing my mind right now. But it's ok, it's ok. She's just like that, and that's how I'm gonna treat her." Ino turnos towards me "Anyway, hey, Izumi," Ino stares at me and speaks to me like I'm some sort of a little child or a very dumb dog, "why did you bought a gamer chair with the money you got from selling your bed? What made you think that was a good idea?"

"I hate you, Ino. I really, really hate you."

"Awwwwww, that's very sweet of you, but why did you bought that chair, though?"

I shouldn't answer her anymore. But what else can I do here? No, really. No one's coming and it's pretty hot right here, and Sotoka-chan told us to wait, and if I let her down she'll want me to hug her even less.

It seems right now I can only bear Ino's questions.

I only hope she stops asking that much.

Anyway…

"'Cause I always watch/read anime/manga until I fall sleep."

"Oh, for god's sake. And couldn't you watch your anime and your manga from your bed or what?"

"That's really uncomfortable, and I needed the space."

"For your manga, yeah, yeah, whatever. But still, why do you need that much space? It's not like you just leave your precious manga lying on the floor."

.

.

.

.

.

.

"You just leave your manga lying on the floor, right? Why would you do that?! Don't you care about them?! Do yourself a favor and buy a bookshelf; at least, there'll be a little ordered that way!"

"Bookshelves are pretty expensive, and I can buy a lot of manga with that money."

"Yeah, but why would you want so many if they're all piled through all the floor? It's not like you want to search everywhere every time you're looking for one."

"Why not? That way I always find a lot of reread material."

"But how can you live that way?! I bet your room is a total mess! And there's surely a lot of bugs hanging out around there! Gross!"

"I don't think so; they always fumigate at home.

"That's a relief. But still! Your room is surely messy and disordered and y dusty and—

"Hey," Sotoka-chan interrupts us. "Here comes a bunch of people."

And she's right: a bunch of people's leaving school and approaching us.

.

.

.

.

.

.

But they're the soccer team.

And that's not good, right?

The come by and look at us and whisper and laugh.

"There's the anime life club."

"What're they doing here?"

"They're throwing flyers to whoever comes here."

"aNiMe LiFe!"

"And what's the deal with those flyers anyway?"

"I know, they looked like some elementary school shit."

Leave now.

"Yeah, like kid's drawings."

"Like some of those horrible shit parents have to put on their fridges."

"Ugh, tell me about it, my fridge's filled with my brother's shitty art, and I can tell him how much he sucks 'cause he starts crying and shit."

"Hey, you're so mean, we also drew tht shitty whem we were kids."

"Yeah, but Nuki-chan's still drawing like that and she's in high school."

Leave now!

"You, re right, lol."

"But, aren't otakus good at drawing?" I'M NOT AN OTAKU, AND I'M REALLY GOOD AT DRAWING! "So they can draw themselves a girlfriend or something?"

"Lol. That's so sad."

"Yeah, they only draw and watch their cartoons, right?"

"And they never bathe."

"I can smell Nuki-chan's fucking stench from here."

"Get a bath, you fuck."

"And comb that fucking hair of yours for once."

"No, that's hair's so fucking dry, it'll light on fire if you comb it just once."

"lol."

"Fucking Nuki-chan, you look as shitty as your drawings."

"Hey, stop it, I bet that bitch really loves her shitty drawings. And she probably a lot of her flyers on her fridge.

LEAVE NOW!

"Yeah, lol."

"And why are they here, anyway? Why don't they just go home or something?"

"I dunno, maybe they're waiting for some more losers."

"Hey," Ino yells, "if you're going to mock us, at least do it in our faces, we're still here, you goddamned vain masochists!

"Ino!" Yells Sotoka-chan.

"Well, yeah," I say in response of that comment of us waiting for more losers, "that's exactly what we're doing."

Those girls look at me surprised and without knowing what else to say.

And they just leave.

And I know they were mocking us, but I just played foolish. That almost always works 'cause they never expect it and leave you alone.

Or they'll start mocking you ever harder. it's not like they weren't mocking you in the first place.

But that barely never happens.

And if it does, well, it's not like they weren't mocking you in the first place.

But anyway…

No, wait, Yuri Okabe's still here. But why, though?

"Hey," she says to Sotoka-chan and only to Sotoka-chan, "Hamano-san, right? Hi, I'm Yuri Okabe. Nice to meet you. And how that club thing doing?"

"Oh, hi. Nice to meet you. Yes, I'm Hamano-san. About the club, well, not so good, really, but it has only been a couple days."

"Hey," she grabbed Sotoka-chan by the shoulder. HEY, SOTOKA-CHAN'S MINE! GET SOMEONE ELSE! "It's ok, girl. You'll get your club eventually. And, like, if I know about someone interested or something, I'll let you know. Gimme your number and I'll be in touch or something."

They exchange numbers.

"And like if you're looking for more members, they're probably at home. Or in the library, maybe, idk. Anyway, bye."

And she leaves.

She passes right in front of me and doesn't even see me.

I don't know if that's reassuring or insulting.

But, anyway, like I care.

"That was weird," says Ino.

"Yeah," says Sotoka-chan.

"Well, she just wanted to hang out with you," I tell her; "you're Sotoka-chan: you're so perfect and beautiful and kind."

"And what´s so good about it?" Asks Sotoka-chan.

"Ummmmmm… she told us she's gonna tell us if she knows someone interested, right?"

"I guess."

"Well, this was a total waste of time," says Ino. "Let's leave, then."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I yell. "WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING, SOTOKA-CHAN, 'CAUSE IF WE DON'T DO ANYTHING WE WON'T MAKE OUR CLUB, AND IF WE DON'T MAKE OUR CLUB, WE WON'T BE SEIZING OUR YOUTH, AND IF WE'RE NOT SEIZING OUR YOUTH, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I WANNA DIE, I WANNA DIE, I WANNA DIE, I WANNA DIE, I WANNA DIE, I WANNA—

"There, there, Izumi," Sotoka-chan puts one of her soft and warm hand by my shoulder. I already feel way, way better. "Yuri Okabe said maybe we can find someone at the library."

"YEAH, YOU'RE SO, SO RIGHT, SOTOKA-CHAN!" And I hug her; she already owed me many, many hugs, and I couldn't handle myself anymore.

She yells (she always does).

"Let her go Izumi, and let's go.

I let her go and we head to the library.

"And while we're there we can do our homework," says Ino, "because I didn't do it last time."

"Oh, yeah, sure, good idea," says Sotoka-chan.

"Wait, there's homework?" I ask.