Anju Khanna 9
"Well, I don't know about you, girls, but I'm not touching that disgusting boxes and envelopes and whatever, so bye-bye," Ino-san says and gets out of the room.
And she slams the door.
Izumi-san, Hamano-san and I remain surprised and confused by Ino-san's behavior. And then Izumi-san opens a drawer of her parents' closet, takes out a box from there and hands it to Hamano-san.
"Here, Sotoka-chan, this one ain't dirty or smelly or anything."
"Oh, thanks, Izumi-chan, but why did you have this box on a drawer?" Hamano-san asks.
"'Cause you'd help me pack my stuff someday, so…" Izumi-san says as that would answer everything.
And maybe it does: Izumi-san and Hamano-san are definitely a couple—even though there's still the possibility they're just friends, but said possibility, judging by all the hugs and affection Izumi-san gives constantly to Hamano-san, is practically zero—so it's logical to assume Izumi-san gives Hamano-san a special treatment by giving her the best box she has—or at least the one unexposed to either sun and garbage for a long period of time.
But if Izumi-san had that box for Hamano-san, why didn't she give it to her at the beginning? Maybe to sell her the idea she was going to pack Izumi-san's sales in some of those unclean and smelly boxes, and then surprise her with a clean box.
Izumi-san's definitely a genius.
"And why didn't you give it to Ino-san before she got mad?" Hamano-san asks without a glimpse of consideration to Izumi-san and her gift.
Maybe they had a big fight, and that's why Izumi-san wanted to surprise Hamano-san with the clean box strategy—and the fact such masterful strategy failed means the relation between Hamano-san and Izumi-san is in danger.
"'Cause is Ino, and she's always mad at something. And this box's for you, Sotoka-chan."
"You'd better have one for Ino-san next time. And also one for Khanna-san," Hamano-san says.
"I don't mind," I answer, head to the closet and take some boxes and envelopes. "What's important here is the state of the boxes. And, besides, they don't smell as bad as Ino-san said."
"Right?!" Izumi-san yells. "But she's so grumpy and lazy and a drama queen. She's such a nuisance. And I only choose the good boxes: I don't take with me the ones that are wet or dirty or anything. These ones only smell bad 'cause they were surrounded by garbage for a long time, but they can't smell that bad 'cause my parents sometimes sleep here, and they haven't told me anything about all this, and even if the boxes and all smell really bad I always spray 'em with… where is it? Ino took it?! Ino used it all?! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! KAMI-SAMA-CHAN, TASUKETE KUDASAI! NOW I'LL HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER AIR FRESHENER AND AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"There, there, Izumi-chan" Hamano-san pats Izumi-san's back lightly. "I bet Ino-san kept the air freshener if she saw another smelly box or something."
And speaking of Ino-san���
"Hey…" I call Hamano-san and Izumi-san.
"Yeah? What is it, Khanna-san?" Hamano-san asks me with a smile.
"You… do you think Ino-san hates me?"
"Yes," replies Izumi-san immediately. "She hates everything and everyone."
"Izumi-san, that's not true! Ino-san can be grumpy, but she doesn't hate you, Khanna-san. Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's just that before she left she glared at me."
"She glares at me all the time," says Izumi-san.
"Yeah, don't worry about her. Today she was really mad because of the boxes; she just hates dirt and everything related to it."
"Sure, but she has been really hostile with me lately. Some days ago I told her:
"'Hey, Ino-san, I really like Disintegration's album God is somewhere but here.
"And she replied:
"'Oh, and I asked you when?'
"And I asked her the day before yesterday:
"'Hey, would you like to go to my house someday? We can listen to music or something.'
"And she replied:
"'I only go to my friend's houses.'
"So, why she always comes to mine?" Izumi-san asks, and Hamano-san laughs.
"Because Ino-san and you are best friends, Izumi-chan."
"NO, WE'RE NOT; SHE'S SUCH A NUISANCE!"
"And such your best friend," Hamano-san laughs even harder.
"YAMERU, SOTOKA-CHAN! SHE'S NOT MY FRIEND! SHE'S SUCH A NUISANCE AND I HATE 'ER!"
"There's a thin line between love and hate."
"So, there has to be a thin line between you hating my hugs and you loving them," Izumi-san smiles and screams with excitement and hugs Hamano-san.
"Let me go, Izumi-san."
"♫A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE, LOVE AND HATE♫!"
"Let me go, Izumi-san! Khanna-san, help me!"
"And I, in order not to intrude on their relationship—I've always heard that relationships end the day a third party comes into play, and the end of a relationship usually leads to the end of a friendship, and the end of a friendship will surely end this club, and if this club is over, I'll be alone again—I start packing Izumi-san's sales.
------------------------------------------------------
Hamano-san and Izumi-san were hugging and yelling and fighting almost all the time it took me to pack all Izumi-san's sales. But in the end Izumi-san let go Hamano-san, and Hamano-san seems to be extremely angry at her.
This is bad.
"Well, I just packed all the products and labeled them with their respective shipping guides," I inform both of them in order to distract them from their recent fight. "Now we only need to send them to Xpress® shipping."
Izumi-san stares at the packages. She seems a bit confused but also surprised.
"So you packed 'em all? Wow, didn't expected less from my senpai Khanna-senpai," Izumi-san tells me, and then she approaches towards Hamano-san, who's still visibly angry. "Do you want me to put your box back in the drawer, Sotoka-chan?"
She tries to grab Hamano-san's box but:
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Hamano-san yells.
Apparently the situation's way worse than I imagined: maybe their relationship is about to collapse.
"And haven't you ever regretted selling your belongings, Izumi-san?" I ask because it was the first and only think that came to my mind, but still a question like that should be a good enough distraction. "They could be useful in another occasion, even though you're now receiving a remuneration for them, and money's incredibly useful in almost any situation; but it's very unlikely to sell your own belongings to an equal or higher price that they cost you so, technically speaking, you're losing money at every transaction, and if you need one of the articles you already sold, you'll have to buy it again, probably at retail price, so you'll be losing even more money… Anyway, what I want to ask you is if you haven't ever regretted selling your belongings."
"I'm emptying myself up here, but it's not like I wasn't half empty in the first place, so I'm fine, I'm fine; I have money for manga and anime and expressos and expresso's capsules and other stuff, so I'm fine, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Oh, yeah, the packages. I have a bag right here. Let me get it," Izumi-san opens one of her parent's drawers, takes out a big and dark gray travel bag, extends it, opens it, and we start to put all packages inside.
And, thanks to my question and this mundane activity, Izumi-san has forgotten momentarily but completely of her almost ruptured relationship.
"Ok, let's go," says Izumi-san after she packed the last package. "¡Sotoka-chan!"
"Leave me alone!" replies Hamano-san.
"Sotoka-chan?" Izumi-san asks and approaches her.
"Wait," I immediately put my hand on Izumi-san's shoulder to stop her. Normally I wouldn't do something like this, but this time I acted without thinking—and I hope this doesn't become a habit—because Hamano-san said clearly she wanted to Izumi-san to leave her alone, and the fact that Izumi-san doesn't seem to have the intention to do so could mean the end of their relationship. Wait, does it means I'm interfering in their relationship? Is this the right choice? Well, I hope it is; it seems it's already too late to retract. "I think bothering her is not a good idea."
"But Sotoka-chan…"
"She wants you to leave her alone, and I believe you should listen to her."
"But there's a thin line between love and hate!"
"Yes, you're definitely crossing the line, but that doesn't mean you're crossing the right one."
Izumi-san stares at me surprised, and I feel the same way: I have no idea where this piece of wisdom came from—wisdom seems too abstract of a concept for me.
"WOW! I didn't expected less of my sensei Hanna-sensei. So I just need to know the right line, cross it, and Sotoka-chan will love me."
"I'm still here, you know?" says Hamano-san.
"I know, Sotoka-chan, and I say this in front of you 'cause I'll never talk behind your back… Hug?"
"No."
"Ok, hug later."
"No!"
"Shouldn't we go to Xpress® shipping?" I ask them in order to distract them from an imminent discussion.
We go down the stairs, and Ino-san's laying on a couch in the living room. She seems incredibly calm.
"Is she asleep?"
--------------------------------------------
"Where's Ino-san?" I ask after running away from Xpress® shipping.
"Wasn't she with you?" —Hamano-san asks.
"I don't think so," I confess.
"Oh, yeah, she can't really run, right?" Izumi-san says. "She's such a nuisance. I bet she fell behind."
"How far behind? Is she still at Xpress® shipping?" I ask concerned.
"I don't think so, but…" Hamano-san replies.
"Do w ego back to look at her?" I ask.
"NO, WE'RE ALREADY HERE!" Izumi-san yells. "AND IT'S INO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT; SHE'S ALWAYS GRUMPY AND—
"Oh, you're so mean with your best friend, Izumi-chan," says Hamano-san jokingly.
"HIDOI YO, SOTOKA-CHAN! ¡HIDOI YO!" Izumi-san yells and starts crying.
"Hey, come on, Izumi-chan," Hamano-san hugs Izumi-san, and Izumi-san smiles and pretends to keep crying.
Maybe she's crossing the right line now.
"So ¿should I go look for Ino-san?" I ask.
"No," replies Hamano-san, "we should better go to Izumi-chan's; Ino-san's ging to get there eventually."
Hamano-san lets Izumi-san go, but Izumi-san immediately hugs Hamano-san with all her strength.
"Ok, let me go, Izumi-san."
"HIDOI YO, SOTOKA-CHAN! HIDOI YO!" Izumi-san yells and pretends to cry.
"Izumi-san, let. Me. Go."
"HIDOI YO, SOTOKA-CHAN! HIDOI YO!"
"Stop!" Hamano-san yells and pushes Izumi-san with all her strength.
But Izumi-san hugs her even harder.
"Can't you get I don't like hugs! Stop!"
"Why?!" Izumi-san asks. "Who doesn't like hugs?!"
"Me! I just said that!"
"Everyone likes hugs," says Izumi-san ignoring completely what Hamano-san said a couple times, "so if you say you don't like hugs is because you're ashamed to be seen hugging or being hugged."
"No, it's just because I don't like hugs!"
"Sure," Izumi-san winks at her. "I don't like them either," she winks at her again.
"Let me go!" Hamano-san pushes Izumi-san again without any success. And then she looks at me. "Khanna-san, help me!"
"Sorry, but I don't want to get involved in your relationship," I say even if I'm already involved.
"I didn't expected less from my senpai Hanna-senpai."
"WE'RE NOT A COUPLE!" Hamano-san yells at me.
But Izumi-san has a point: maybe Hamano-san's ashamed of her relationship with Izumi-san, and that's why she doesn't let Izumi-san to hug her in public and she even denies they both are in a relationship.
Or maybe she's just a very cold person—she doesn't seem like one, but there's still that possibility.
-------------------------------------------------------
We arrive to Izumi-san. She opens the door and gets in as fast as possible; she runs through the hallway, she gets up the stairs, and she runs through the second floor.
Meanwhile, Hamano-san and I go to the living room and sit on the couches there.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"And how are you, Khanna-san?" Hamano-san asks.
"Fine, thanks. And you?"
"Fine, fine, thanks."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand… do you like basket-ball or something?" She asks, and, before I could answer, Izumi-san gets in the living room, and she's bringing what it seems like some books with her.
"You guys want to watch anime? I recommend you Watashi to onaji kurai ninki ga ari kanpekina hito ga anata no yōna hito ni koi o shita no wa dōshitedesu ka, Baka-chan? Or Baka-chan for short. It's a rom-com, and it's pretty good, even if you like anime.
"Or we could read Baka-chan's manga. I have it right here."
"No," says Hamano-san, who's laying on the couch. "You can put that anime if you want."
Izumi-san gasps and hugs her.
"SOTOKA-CHAN! DAISUKI, DAISUKI, DAISUKI, DAISUKI, DAISUKI DESU!"
"If you keep hugging me, I'll never want to watch anime again," warns Hamano-san.
"Ok," Izumi-san lets Hamano-san go, turns on the TV, chooses an app called Aidoru and chooses the Baka-chan anime.
--------------------------------------------------------
"Khanna-san…"
"Did you hear that?" I ask Hamano-san and Natsumura-san.
"Hear what?" Khanna-san asks.
"Someone's out there. Maybe Ino-san."
I head to the door and open it. Ino-san's outside.
There's a thin line between love and hate.
So maybe there's a thinner line between love and hate—because friendship's the midpoint between love and hate, right? Maybe, because first is friendship, and then, love.
Or maybe these concepts are too abstract to try to understand them logically.
But logic's my only tool to understand the world around me.
"Finally you open," Ino-san complains.
"Sorry," I say.
"What good are your apologies for? I've been yelling here for like ten minutes and—
"Why didn't you just ring the b—Oh, yes, because we never hear it. You're right. Perdón.
"You already said that."
"No, I'm trying to say I'm sorry for everything; it seems like I don't understand people, and I constantly piss everyone off without even knowing why, so I'm sorry for everything. If you could be a little more patient with me and explain me why people are so irrational sometimes I'd never thank you enough, and if you don't, it's ok. I'd say I get it but I don't."
"So… would you forvige me?" I ask her, and I truly hope there's actually a really thin line between hate and friendship, and that I'm crossing the right line with this apology. Also I didn't know I could be so eloquent from time to time.
Weird.
But maybe I'm wrong, because Ino-san stares at me vary confused.
"What? Why do you apologize? It's not like I'm mad at you or like we're on a fight or anything, but, you know what?, I'm glad you apologize because you're so weird and emotionless and you lack your sense of smell and your common sense and conversation topics, even when I recommended you so many bands. Haven't you listened to them yet?"
"Yes, but last time I told you anything about a band you recommended me you asked me you asked me when."
"Yeah, because I never asked you, but I never told you to stop talking about it. You and I are the only ones here who actually like Disintegration, and I'd rather talk with you about bands than get mad at Izumi and her bs."
And now there's a moment of silence.
I wish I could say something but my eloquence is gone.
"Ok, I���m going to forgive you this time, ok? Just stop being so weird."
"Ok, I'll do my best," I tell her, and we both enter Izumi's house.
"Hi, Ino-san," Hamano-san says, "do you want to watch Baka-chan? It's entertaining."
"Yuck, that's some otaku stuff."
"WE'RE NOT OTAKU!" Izumi-san yells.
Ino-san smiles. I've never seen her smile.
I guess it's nice.
"Ok, then, if this isn't otaku stuff I guess I can watch for a while."
Both Izumi-san and Hamano-san stare at her surprised and confused.
"What? I just want to rest for a moment because you made me run for a while and then you abandoned me and left me outside for like twenty minutes and you haven't apologized yet, and that's why I hate you both… shut up and keep watching your anime stuff."
Ino-san sits on a couch and starts watching that Baka-chan anime.
And we all follow her lead.
Hamano-san's right: that anime really is entertaining.