Haruko Daichi

**Haruko Daichi** (大地 春子, *Daichi Haruko*) is a frequent visitor of the Drop-in center and a member of the Cat Clowder, a non-profit organization that restores vacant/abandoned houses.  After being commissioned by Anonymous, she renovated the Lounge with friends she met through a gay community on Twitter.  She is living with her wife, Saki, whom she met online through an LGBT twitter community.

## Appearance

Haruko has dark blonde/light brown hair with blue eyes. When she is at home or in the Lounge, she wears her mid-length hair down, and wears casual, feminine clothing. She will usually wear her hair in a loose bun while working.

## Personality

Haruko is an outgoing and forceful woman who goes out of her way to help Tasuku feel comfortable, despite his initial hostility. She is very bold, despite saying it is an act.

## Background

Before becoming a freelancer, Haruko worked at a design company in Hiroshima. While there, she was sexually harassed by her boss and had a tense relationship with her co-workers because they assumed she was straight and would often pressure her about when would she get married and have kids. Though she coped with it by playing along, she finally got fed up and came out to her co-workers. After this, it got too hard for her to continue working there, so she had to quit.

After connecting through the LGBT+ twitter community, Utsumi helped her get a design job in Onomichi. She soon became a design director for the company. Her first job was where she met Anonymous. She was already dating Saki at this point. Anonymous allowed Haruko to make her first renovation whatever she wanted it to be. This freedom made her cautious, but Anonymous made her realize she was just hesitating. Anonymous' boldness gave her the courage to start breaking down the wall in her renovations, but also in her relationships. She came out to her parents, which created a rift in their relationship but gave her the freedom to be herself. This also gave her the idea to make the Drop-in center as a safe haven for the LGBT+ community in Onomichi.

## Plot

### *Volume 1*

**Chapter 1**

Haruko is seen with Utsumi, carrying things around from the Lounge to the house they are working on remodeling.

**Chapter 2**

When Tasuku comes back to the Lounge a second time after experiencing a very bad episode of homophobic discrimination at school, Haruko is quick to remember him from the day before and gets extemely worried when she realizes how pale Tasuku looks, asking him if he has heat-stroke. Later, when Tasuku goes out from his talk with Anonymous, Haruko tells him to rest on the sofa, since she sees him very drained and exhausted.

**Chapter 3**

Haruko invites Tasuku to help with demolishing an abandoned building with Utsumi. She invites him to volunteer for Cat Clowder over the summer and to visit the Lodge whenever he wants. After getting snacks from her wife, Saki, she tells Tasuku that Saki, her wife, is in fact, her wife. She very casually and comfortably talks about this. Her interactions with Saki help Tasuku realize he has a crush on Tsubaki, confirming his sexuality.

**Chapter 4**

At home, Haruko reflects on the Tasuku conflict and the legalization of gay marriage in the United States. She starts to talk to Saki about Tasuku but is interrupted when Saki gets upset with her coming out to Tasuku on the spur of the moment.

After another day of demolishing, Tasuku asks about Saki and Haruko's relationship. Haruko asks him to keep Saki's orientation between them and shows him a gay twitter community. After telling him how she met Saki, built the drop-in center, and came out to her parents, Tasuku confesses that he finds her to be very amazing and strong. So there is another tense moment between her and Saki when she says being open about her sexuality is just her "being kind to [herself]," at the exact moment where Saki comes to the drop-in center and hears her.

**Chapter 5**

Saki is angry with Haruko for what she heard her say, explaining to her that she is not ready to come out to all the people in her life, and the hardships that come with that. But later, as they go get ice cream together, as they usually do after a fight, to make up, things are already back to normal for the two of them. The two of them also offer some ice cream to Tasuku. She is excited when Saki tells her she wants to get married. She notices Tasuku's reaction but is not sure how he feels. Haruko tells Tasuku she will let him choose what the next renovation will be. Later, while Cat Clowder is demolishing another house, Haruko comforts Tasuku after he admits he has a crush on a guy.

### *Volume 2*

**Chapter 8**

When Tasuku tries to label Misora, Haruko explains that gender and sexuality are on a spectrum, but a label would help Misora find a supportive community.

❝
I don't think you need to be so focused on labels or whatever. Basically, it's what *you* want to be and how you think of other people. It's like... even if some people are similar, no one has 100% the same sexuality as you. On the other hand... if you can figure out a label, it helps you find people similar to you, and that's a good thing. At least, if you can be comfortable with that. It's how I met Saki after all.

Their conversation is interrupted when Tsubaki-san comes into the lounge. He asks if Tasuku is one of "*those kinds of people*", but Haruko quickly intercepts and says he just volunteers with Cat Clowder. Tsubaki-san tells Haruko that them having this safe space to meet is as long as the neighbors do not mind and as long as it does not become "some kind of pickup spot". Haruko stops him and tells him that gay people are not "horny zombies" who only think about love and sex twenty-four seven, meaning they are human beings, with cares and needs of their own.

Tsubaki-san insists that he did not mean it like that, but Haruko rushes him out politely and with a smile. Now fired-up, she calls on Tchaiko and Tasuku to go to Triangle Manor, the temporary name for the building Tasuku is in charge of.

**Chapter 9**

Haruko helps Misora get ready for the Summer Festival.

**Chapter 10**

After Tasuku has a fight with Misora, he was preparing to go see Misora at the Lounge, when Haruko stops him and tells him that he should not, saying that there are times when someone gets hurt no matter what one does. Upset about the whole situation, Tasuku breaks down and begs Haruko to tell him how to understand Misora to not hurt him anymore. Haruko tells him that she genuinely does not know because it is not their job to decide what to do, it is Misora's. She tells Tasuku that now was not the right time to push Misora, and apologizes to him for not telling him that earlier.

### *Volume 3*

**Chapter 11**

Haruko helps out in the project that she made alongside Utsumi, a grade schoolers workshop project in Cat Clowder.

**Chapter 13**

Haruko is seen visibly angry and annoyed by Koyama's presence in Cat Clowder. She wonders out loud about why she is making her way into Cat Clowder so casually, but Utsumi is quick to cut her off, by saying, in the nicest way possible, that she is just his friend trying to help out. Haruko objects in an anger outburst, very worried about her friend, and softly tells Utsumi that he is not "Natsumi-chan", which is the deadname that Koyama calls him by. Haruko affirms that Utsumi is "Utsumi Natsuyoshi-kun", and tells him that he should not try so hard to please people like Koyama.

Although Utsumi agrees with her, later on Haruko is seen containing all of her anger and annoyance at Koyama's constant uncomfortable  transphobic comments about Utsumi, misgendering him and using his deadname. So, vey fed up, she punches a hole in one of Cat Clowder's walls, with a blank expression on her face, which shocks the whole room, even scaring Koyama's daughter, who drops the tiles she was carrying, breaking them into little pieces. After Koyama leaves with her daughter, Saki takes a picture of the punch left on the wall by her wife.

**Chapter 14**

When Utsumi goes to his class' reunion, Haruko is very worried about Utsumi getting hurt. So her wife, Saki, hugs her from behind the couch Haruko is sitting on and reassures her that Utsumi decided to go on his own, so they should just relax while they wait for him.

**Chapter 15**

When Mai comes to the Lounge, Haruko asks her if she wants to go see how the boat tile she made is already on the yard, after she is done with her homework, which Mai excitedly agrees with. And later, Haruko goes with Tasuku to Triangle Manor and there, he confesses to her that his idea for the place will be for Triangle Manor to be where hers and Saki's wedding ceremony gets celebrated.

### *Volume 4*

**Chapter 16**

While Haruko waits for Saki to finish her shift at her parents' bar, she gets lost in thought, thinking about Tasuku's offer, and how happy that makes her. When Saki finishes and they are ready to go, Saki's dad starts talking to Haruko, and grabbing his daughter by the shoulders he tells Haruko to introduce "smart, upstanding" guys to his daughter, Saki, since he says he is worried about her since she never gets to meet anyone while working at the bar. Deeply affected by this, Haruko tells him she will not do it, excusing herself saying that she can not "just hand over a girl as nice" as Saki. She puts on a fake smile that fades away as soon as she leaves the bar with Saki. Outside, Saki stares at Haruko, worried for her as she walks away. And as Haruko thinks about marriage again, Saki grabs her from behind, in a soft, intimate moment.

Later in the day, she goes to help out in the Triangle Manor, and is also seen intently and attentively listening to Tchaiko's stories of how he and his partner met Anonymous. In the night, Haruko finds Saki admiring Triangle Manor. And when Haruko asks her if they will get married there as soons as possible, Saki, getting close to her and softly playing with Haruko's hair, tells her that she is been thinking about their future, and realized that she has to make a decision to marry her sooner or later.

**Chapter 17**

As the holidays approach, Haruko helps out decorating the Lounge. And Touma asks her how she will spend her Christmas, to which Haruko replies that she will be spending it with Saki.

**Chapter 18**

At night, when Haruko comes home, she finds Saki lying on a beanbag, with her face hidden against it, in complete darkness. Haruko turns on the light and starts getting worried thinking she is sick. However, Saki tells her that her father fond out she is a lesbian before she could tell him, crying incontrollably. Haruko is first visibly shocked, but her expression quickly changes to a more determined one.

**Chapter 19**

The next day, both of them decide to go to Saki's parent's bar, to talk directly with them. After hearing Saki's dad's feelings on the matter, and how he did not want to admit his daughter was gay at first, he tells them that whatever they want to do, he will support them. Haruko grabs Saki's hand from under the table and she firmly tells her parents that she is going to get married to Haruko. Haruko then tells them that she wants to be Saki's partner forever. And Saki's dad keeps talking about his feelings, her mom interrupts him and tells them both how she is relieved she is that the both of them trusted them and told them about their relationship, and that she kind of knew about it already.

**Chapter 22**

During the week of her wedding with Saki, Haruko is extremely busy with work, so she tells Tasuku that she will not be able to help with the preparations on Saturday. Tasuku tells her not to worry since they are taking care of it all, but Haruko is still deeply sorry for not being able to help. When Tasuku asks her about Saki, Haruko fondly stares at the garment bag where their dresses are stored, and tells Tasuku that Saki is spending some time with her family. She also happily shares that her family would be coming to the wedding too. So she starts confessing just how incredible this all is for her, since a while ago, she would have never imagined that she would have a day like her upcoming wedding. She hangs up the call with Tasuku, telling him that she counts on him.

On the morning of the day of the wedding, Haruko goes to Triangle Manor with Saki to get ready for the wedding. And later, when all the guests are already at the place, and everyone is ready, the two of them appear hand-in-hand, with their beautiful dresses, with flowers adorning their hair and with smiles on their faces.

**Chapter 23**

Haruko and her wife Saki celebrate their wedding surrounded by all their dear ones. They take pictures and dance with all the guests. Later, the after party is celebrated at Saki's family bar.

After spring ends, Haruko is seen working with Utsumi on Cat Clowder.

## Etymology

* The name **Haruko** means "spring" (春) (**haru**) and "child" (子) (**ko**).
* Haruko's surname **Daichi** means "big, great" (大) (**dai**) and "earth, land" (地) (**chi**).

## Trivia

* Haruko is responsible for redesigning the Lounge.
* Tasuku Kaname is extremely grateful to Haruko, even telling his family that she is someone who offered him a place "to ***be***".

## References

1. ↑ Shimanami Tasogare. Chapter 22. Volume 4