Ichinose Hanae

Japanese name:	一の瀬 花枝
Nickname:	short, middle-aged woman who is rarely seen sober

A short, middle-aged woman who is rarely seen sober. Her wage-slave husband seldom appears in the manga and is completely unknown to the other tenants until he gets temporarily laid off. She enjoys joining in with the other tenants to stir up trouble for Yusaku and Kyoko, but she occasionally acts with good intentions for the two, especially Kyoko, whom she sees as a "younger sister" (willfully ignoring the difference in their ages, as the other tenants point out). However, even when she is acting with the best of intentions, her way of doing things often leave Yūsaku, Kyoko, or both in worse situations than if she had not gotten involved. Mrs. Ichinose is also an incurable gossip who relishes her room's proximity to the communal telephone. She lives with her husband and her son Kentaro in Room 1 (Ichi-no-se means "first ford").

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