Cafe Haru Haru

Cafe Haru Haru
Location Statistics
Japanese	喫 (きっ) 茶 (さ) ハルハル
Rōmaji	Kissa Haru Haru
Type	Shop, disguised as cafe
Controlled by	Hinao (employee)
Located in	Tokyo
Debut
Manga Debut	Chapter 3

Cafe Haru Haru (喫 (きっ) 茶 (さ) ハルハル, Kissa Haru Haru) is a shop frequented by sorcerers seeking employment, posing as a coffee shop. It appears to be owned and run by Hinao, as she is the only employee present. Following Genichi Sojo's attack on the cafe to find Chihiro, part of the cafe's interior was destroyed and the building is under repairs as of November 1st.

It is a major setting in the former half of the Vs. Sojo Arc.

Description

Cafe Haru Haru's 'cafe proper' consists of the main room, and the building also connects to a back room and a bathroom. Despite being called a cafe, it does not contain anything to eat. The establishment's true purpose specializes in connecting yakuza gangs and big corporations to sorcerers, where the former groups can post job offers for the latter, who can take the requests usually acting as bodyguards or security. Civilians can also arrive and ask for a sorcerer's protection, but will be denied service if they are not able to provide payment.

History

Vs. Sojo Arc

While it is unknown when the cafe was established, Shiba had been a regular since at least three years ago, having been informed of various jobs opportunities by Hinao when he came by. Following the Hishaku's attack on the Rokuhira house, Shiba arrived with Chihiro in tow in order to ask her for help in his quest to retrieve the Enchanted Blades supposedly stolen by the Hishaku. Hinao agreed after hearing their story and put up a flyer asking for information on the Hishaku on Shiba's request, essentially agreeing to become their informant. However, no information turned up for three years.

Three years after Shiba's request, Char Kyonagi entered the cafe, asking to have a sorcerer as a bodyguard. Hinao initially accepted but quickly realised Char was penniless. After briefly asking about Char's pursuers and Char told her they had 'the most strongest sword', Hinao immediately contacted Chihiro and Shiba and had Char sleep in the back room.

Upon their arrival on October 6th, Shiba was immediately distrustful of the information upon seeing its source, believing it just be made up. However, Chihiro was more amenable to the possibility, and agreed to treat Char to some soba in order to glean more information from her. After an encounter with Norisaku Madoka, Chihiro and Char returned to the cafe, Chihiro having now agreed to protect Char. Hinao lent Char a jacket, which Char was thankful for, and Hinao was glad that her information had been of help to Chihiro. Char then abruptly collapsed, having eaten very little of her soba earlier, and Chihiro agreed to go out and buy something to eat.

Before he left, Chihiro went to the bathroom and Char snuck into Shiba's car, which Chihiro would later drive. Hinao decided not to keep her in the cafe as Char said she 'really needed some fresh air' and Hinao also wanted to make sure Char stayed away from the sorcerers frequenting her shop, as they might be the ones after her. She later retold this to Chihiro when he was driving, to which he reluctantly agreed Char could stay in the car. Sometime later, Hinao saw news of Sojo's bounty placed on Char and Enten on her computer, and frantically called Chihiro, unaware that he was already being pursued by the Clone Sorcerer at the time.

Sometime later, Shiba returned to the cafe and asked her to investigate Genichi Sojo. Not long afterwards, Chihiro, Char and Azami returned, Hinao wondering if Azami was here to take Char into custody. Azami wished he could help secure Char's safety, but that would go against the Kamunabi's policies, prompting Char to celebrate being able to stay with Chihiro.

Azami then told Shiba that the Kamunabi's leaders wanted to see him, wanting to inquire into any connections he had with the Enchanted Blade on Sojo's bounty as well as any connections between the bounty and Sojo's submission of Shinuchi to the Rakuzaichi. He lamented that though he had overlooked Chihiro's ownership of Enten thus far, Chihiro was getting more and more public with his actions and thus getting harder to cover up, but Shiba retorted Chihiro had become capable of fighting, and so things were different.

At Shiba's insistence, Azami then told Chihiro about Sojo's submission of Shinuchi to the Rakuzaichi, and after receiving news that his subordinates had taken down the bounty placed by Sojo advised Chihiro to leave dealing with Sojo and the Rakuzaichi to the Kamunabi. After realising there was no way Chihiro would agree to do nothing, Azami instead advised him to be prepared.

Azami and Shiba then left to plan out their next actions, while Chihiro, Char and Hinao stayed in the cafe. The next morning, as Char was still asleep, Sojo bursted into the cafe and immediately engaged Chihiro, Hinao quickly hiding in the back room with Char. Sojo's resulting Mei completely destroyed one of the cafe's walls as Chihiro was blasted through it, and Chihiro rapidly took the battle outside, Sojo hot on his heels. Hinao and Char also fled the scene away from the fight.

Rakuzaichi Arc

After Sojo's attack, Chihiro and his allies no longer used Cafe Haru Haru as a meeting place. By November 1st, the cafe was still under repairs, and Hinao had been taking care of Char whilst Chihiro and Shiba were scouring the underworld in search of ties to the Sazanami Clan.

Employees and Clients

Hinao

Employee

Chihiro Rokuhira

Regular

Togo Shiba

Regular

Char Kyonagi

Client