Asako Kusakabe

Asako Kusakabe raised Yuuji after his parents died, teaching him through a series of complex and often contradictory lessons. Her approach to his upbringing blended strict discipline with affection, which helped develop Yuuji's social skills but left him with a lasting fear of large women. A bookworm who preferred quiet, rainy days with coffee and cigarettes, she was just as skilled at imparting values as she was incompetent in the kitchen; she famously could not master even basic fried rice.