Yuriko Hori

Yuriko is a striking woman whose shoulder-length dark brown hair is pinned back in part with a clip, the loose fringes falling along either side of her face. Her eyes usually stay closed, but a closer look reveals an olive color to them. In flashbacks to her high school years she strongly resembles her daughter, Kyōko, wearing her hair either in a low ponytail or loose with her bangs over her forehead. In the OVA her hair takes on a lighter brown shade and her eyes read as chocolate brown.

At home Yuriko is a tender, attentive mother, if a somewhat lazy one when it comes to cooking. A high school flashback in Chapter 119.7 reveals a firmer streak hidden beneath her calm exterior, marking her as anything but a pushover; after she slaps a younger girl for harassing her, Kyōsuke remarks that for all her flower-like gentleness, this particular lily comes with thorns.

Because her work keeps her exceptionally busy, Yuriko is seldom around the house, which routinely leaves Kyōko to handle the parenting of Sōta in her place. Her name suits her disposition, pairing the characters for lily and child, while her maiden name of Koyanagi joins the words for small and willow. Kyōko has noted that her mother's culinary specialty is curry, likely of the boil-in-the-bag variety. Yuriko tends to keep her eyes shut, opening them in her introductory chapter and whenever she is startled or being especially motherly.