Miki Saito, the biological mother of protagonist Miyo Sasaki, is a minor yet pivotal figure. Her former marriage to Yoji Sasaki once painted a picture of domestic stability, but their divorce fractured this illusion, straining her bond with Miyo. Resentment over the separation and Miyo’s choice to reside with Yoji and his new wife eroded Miki’s nurturing nature, leaving her embittered and grappling with unresolved anger. Miki’s appearance mirrors her conflicted essence—light-brown hair swept into a low side ponytail, four delicate strands framing her forehead. Her casual floral-print shirts and crisp white pants project composed practicality, while her brown eyes and mature bearing hint at weathered resilience. Driven by guilt and fractured maternal instincts, Miki’s attempts to reconnect frequently ignite conflict. A climactic confrontation unfolds when she pressures Miyo to lobby Yoji for cohabitation, provoking the girl’s emotional eruption and fateful dash to the shrine bridge. This rupture directly catalyzes the story’s central events, exposing Miki’s incapacity to reconcile remorse with constructive action. Her history simmers with regrets about the family’s dissolution. A violent clash with Miyo’s stepmother Kaoru lays bare Miki’s hypocrisy when confronted about neglecting her daughter’s emotional needs during the divorce. These combustible interactions underscore her perpetual war with past choices and present consequences. The kanji in her name—美 (beauty) and 紀 (chronicle)—echo her narrative function as both a haunting remnant of Miyo’s past and a living testament to fractured bonds. Through these strained relationships, Miki propels her daughter’s journey through abandonment’s scars and reconciliation’s fragile possibilities.