Mayuko's Mother

Oval-framed glasses sit over her light brown eyes, and a few age lines mark the area around her mouth. A short, full-figured woman in middle age, she keeps her straight light brown hair cut to the nape with even bangs across the forehead.

She is an affectionate parent who stays on good terms with her daughter, though she nags Mayu endlessly about settling down, genuinely fearful of leaving her alone in the world. She also has a talent for playing her emotions, able to summon tears to guilt Mayu one moment and brighten instantly the next when a customer walks in.

With her husband hospitalized by a bad summer cold, she keeps vigil at his bedside, which leaves Mayu minding the shop that Mayu considers little more than her parents' hobby. Returning the following day, she passes Mayu a book that Shigure Sohma had ordered and wonders aloud why the two never married, only to be told they split up long ago. Her push toward marriage interviews earns a flat refusal, so she resorts to weeping over the prospect of Mayu's solitude, then flips back to cheer the instant a customer appears, exposing the act. Recognizing that customer as Hatori Sohma and sensing a spark between him and her daughter, she eagerly asks if he is Mayu's new boyfriend, prompting Mayu to whisk him out of earshot.