STORY 1
for as long as mafu could remember, her life was bound to the grand narukami shrine, much like the rest of her family. though, of course, she wasn't tasked with doing much as a kid, she still had to lazy around the shrine until her mother had completed her duties for the day. she would pass the time idling by, sweeping the wooden verandahs and kicking stones at the ravens that would settle on the pathway to the shrine. she would often grumble little curses towards yae miko, who she saw as the person that kept ordering her dear mother around - unbeknownst to the fact that she was the one helping them to get by. this only became certain for the young mafu when she was to be taught by her, as her family did not have the mora nor the prestige to send her to school, or to hire tutors.
STORY 2
suffice to say, mafu wasn't too confident in her bladework. to be more precise, she was never taught the art of the blade, or any weapon for that matter. be it the lack of funds, or the horrified look on her mother's face whenever she brought it up - she just wasn't meant to raise a weapon. of course, that was until she met her dear friend, chery. cher too, wanted to learn to wield a blade, much to her own mother's dismay. but, what they don't know can't hurt them, right? it was how mafu was able to convince cher to secretly take lessons with her. to this day, they are still unsure just why she agreed to her little schemes; but there isn't an ounce of regret in her heart for what they managed to do for themselves, and for their friend.
STORY 3
mafu wouldn't consider herself a family person, but she truly did love her mother. she was the only familial relation she had after her grand mother passed, and her father left them. throughout their life, their mother was the only being that chose to provide for her, even though she barely had much to get by herself. and for that, she was grateful. it was the reason why she wanted to grow up as soon as possible - so that she could repay her mother, and shower her in fortunes untold to her. however, she just couldn't grow up fast enough. she sat there on the bloodied plains of araumi for hours on end by her mothers side, unfazed by the downpour. it just felt surreal; only days ago did her mother go out for an assigned cleansing ritual, before being deemed a missing person by the tenryou commission, upon not arriving back in time. mafu was worried, yes; but it was beyond her wildest nightmares to think that this was the predicament her mother had to face. it was only by yae miko's words did the tenryou commission strip mafu away from her mother's side, needing the body to perform the autopsy and begin an investigation as to find out just what happened.
STORY 4
the weeks to come after their mother's death, was one filled with vexation and irritation. not because the only one person that truly cared for her was now gone - but because it felt like the whole world was now turned against her and her mother. the tenryou commission that was to investigate the case had dropped it in merely a few days time - blaming it on the weather. "the rain washed away all possible clues related to this case", they'd say; nonchalant and unhinged as they spoke. it infuriated her - so much so that she'd start little fights and arguments at the station, until yae miko was forced to dismiss her work for the day and drag mafu back to the shrine. mafu knew that it wasn't the weather that stopped the tenryou commission from looking into the case any further - but the fact that she had not a dime to her name, nor a title that upheld the honor of her family. she was insignificant in their eyes, and now, so was her request.
STORY 5
yae miko knew it was time for a change. though she disagreed with mafu's reasonings as to why the tenryou commission was being so stubborn, there was simply no way nothing would get solved if she was to be bound to a life in the shrine. and so, with her permission and blessing, mafu took on a job at the bantan sango detective agency. though this career path was not one mafu would've expected to walk in, it did quite definitely suit her. she found out that she had a real knack for solving those cases, regardless of how complicated it may be. and she most definitely enjoyed the thrill of it; connecting the dots throughout all the evidence and letting the scene unfold - and the final touch of narrowing down the culprit; it was a rush of adrenaline for her. of course, it also came with the added benefit of mora, as well as a good excuse to travel around inazuma more often. even so, they never strayed away from their ultimate goal of finding the culprit behind her mother's untimely death. since the trail has now run cold, it wasn't as easy as solving the other cases that were assigned to them; but, she wasn't ready to give up just yet. she'll find the culprit, no matter what it costs.
VISION
the moment she recieved her vision was a blur to her. she wasn't doing much in particular, only helping out around the shrine just as usual as she awaited her mother's return from her expedition. however, in reality, her vision was one granted to her by her mother's dying wish. as she laid there, with only enough strength to pass uneven breaths, she could only hope - pray that the archons were listening. she knew that there was no tomorrow for her, not even a few hours time to see her daughter, and wish her farewell. and so, she wished. she wished that her daughter may have some hope - some strength in themselves to continue forward, even if it meant that they would now be alone.
EXTRA
it wouldn't be like the guuji yae to leave such a case unattended. be it out of worry (which, definitely wasn't the case), or because she was curious to learn as to what happened herself, she chose to investigate further – starting from the tenryou commission itself. quite simply, her means and methods must've left quite an impact on the officers. because with little to no persuasion, she managed to catch wind of what had gone down in the sacred araumi planes. though she is uncertain of the personnel, she was able to find out that mafu's mother had been an eye witness to a dealing between a few sogunate samurai and the fatui. with her very little combat experience, the women knew she stood no chance against them. and so, she met her ultimate demise. yae miko knew not to mention this to mafu, worried that her impulsive actions will not only get her in trouble, but also put the name of the grand narukami shrine in a bad light. however, perhaps this information could have saved mafu from forming her own ties to the fatui, to whom she turned to when no one else was willing to help her search for the answers she needed.
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