水口 似

Sex: Female Occupation: Yuza's Mother Age: Unknown Yuza Minakuchi's mother. Having gone missing in the Kameshima Southern Sea Disaster five years ago, she was declared dead a year later after search parties found no sign of her. * * * More than twenty years ago, Mare Somekawa arrived on Kameishma with no possessions to her name, expressing that she had taken a liking to the local environment and wanted to move there. However, she remained tight-lipped about her background, only revealing that she was from a small town out in the mountains and that she had had to leave her home for undisclosed reasons, and although her request to move to Kameshima was accepted, many islanders remained suspicious of her. After settling on the island, she showed an interest in the ama lifestyle and eventually took it up after displaying a talent for free-diving, with Tsuyu Minakuchi acting as her instructor. During this time, she grew close to Tosuke Minakuchi, Tsuyu's only son, and eventually married him a few years later. The two would go on to have a son of their own, who they named Yuza. Despite this, Mare was unable to fully shake the air of mystery that surrounded her, and many islanders continued to question whether her presence on the island might cause trouble down the line. Something of a free spirit, her nonconformist ways and somewhat naive personality meant that she was often absent from local activities, leading to further criticism from a portion of the population. Some also reported frequently spotting her wandering the island after she first moved there, seemingly looking for something, or catching sight of her doing something on the shore in the middle of the night. Fortunately, her mother-in-law, Tsuyu Minakuchi, was a person of no small influence on Kameshima, and no one dared openly persecute Mare under Tsuyu's watchful eye. The three generations lived peacefully under the same roof for more than ten years, until the Kameshima Southern Sea Disaster tore them apart. Since her disappearance in the disaster five years prior, a growing number of people have accused her of somehow being responsible, citing her various instances of suspicious behavior as justification. [From in-game profile] Mare and her younger sister Azusa were descendants of the sole survivor of Taishima. Following the destruction of Taishima, the Somekawa line hid themselves away, living for generations in a small village within the city of Shima. Azusa left her hometown behind, leaving the family duty to be handled by Mare alone. * * * The mermaid Sobae made contact with Mare, who treated her in a friendly manner from the moment of their meeting and promised to do all she could to return her to Ryugu. There was no pretense in Mare's bearing, and her attitude when speaking to Sobae was casual and lighthearted. A strange sense of trust came to blossom between them, one transcending the boundaries of their respective species. Mare had originally resolved to remain single and never start a family of her own in order to devote herself entirely to her duty with Sobae. However, Sobae strongly opposed this, saying that Mare's life here would continue even when she was gone, so Mare should not deny herself a possible future with her own family. Mare seemed unbothered at the thought, but said that she would consider it if someone suitable ended up coming along. However, that moment came sooner than expected: upon moving to Kameshima, she met the love of her life, Tosuke Minakuchi. It was Mare's constant wish to be able to introduce her beloved family to her dearest friend. Sobae said she would meet them when the time came for her to return to Ryugu. * * * On the day of the Southern Sea Disaster, Mare took Tosuke and Yuza out into the bay on a boat to introduce them to Sobae as promised. * * * The storm suddenly broke out around them, and their small fishing boat started to sink. The couple had fitted Yuza with a life boy and gotten him off the boat. Mare and Tosuke pleaded for Sobae to help Yuza, saying that his survival meant more to them than anything else. Smiling as she clung to the sinking boat, half-submerged in seawater, Mare thanked Sobae for her friendship and told her that the days they had spent together had been some of her happiest. * * * After carrying Yuza out of the reach of the storm, Sobae immediately went to rescue Mare. She finally found her after three long days of searching, but her efforts had been in vain — Mare's body was already cold. [Edited from Sobae and Azusa's in-game profiles]