Mao Tsukuda

Warabi (Temporary)

**Mao Tsukuda** (Japanese: 佃 真央, *Tsukada Mao*) is a secondary character in *Sayonara Cramer*. She is a first-year student attending Kunogi Academy High School.

## Appearance

Tsukuda is a freckled-faced girl. She has her hair in a braided ponytail.

## Personality

Tsukuda is competitive when it comes to soccer because she is determined to make Kunogi Academy the face of girls' soccer. She can be arrogant which is shown when she gloats her victory to Midori against Warabi in a practice match. Tsukuda is easily agitated by the cool and composed Sumire Suou since Sumire never showed emotion around her. As a young school girl, Tsukuda is a romantic as she has a crush on a boy from another school. Her behavior changes whenever she's around the boy, reciting poetry about their one-sided love.

## Background

Tsukuda was in the same soccer club as Ito and Kutani in middle school. She was classmates with a boy called Oshio Kohei which began her infatuation with him and it continued into high school. She participated in the U-17 national team at one point. When she was finished with middle school, she took Ito with her to Kunogi afterwards.

## Plot

Tsukuda serves as the Kunogi Girls Soccer Team's left fullback.

She participated in the practice match against the Warabi Girls Soccer Team.

After soccer practice, Tsukuda took Haruna with her to watch her crush Oshio Kohei play outside of the Sugiyama Soccer shop which was hosting a futsal tournament. In response to the Warabis' request to team up temporarily for the tournament, she tells Sumire to get on her knees and beg for it. She spits her drink out when Sumire plays a recording of her reciting poetry about her crush Oshio. She begs Sumire to let her join the team. Now the team is formed, they prepare for the tournament.

## Relationships

### Kunogi Girls Soccer Team

* Haruna Ito: Ito is Tsukuda's close friend. They were in the same soccer club.
* Mizuki Kaji: Tsukuda respects Kaji as a captain. Tsukuda fears her temper if she gets in trouble such as when she was caught eating food on the way to the practice match with Warabi.

### Warabi Girls Soccer Team

* Midori Soshizaki: Tsukuda met Soshizaki at the national soccer championships.
* Sumire Suou: At first, Tsukuda thought Sumire was chill. She had no negative feelings toward Sumire until she made her fall and stood over her during the practice match. Tsukuda saw that as a challenge and began to dislike her. Now, she sees Sumire as a nuisance and tries to humiliate her from time to time as an attempt to break Sumire's cool composure.

### Rei Kutani

They were in the same soccer club in middle school. She doesn't like Rei.

## Etymology

* The name **Mao** means "real, genuine" (真) (**ma**) and "center" (央) (**o**).
* Mao's surname **Tsukuda** means "cultivated rice field" (佃).

## Quotes

* *" Kunogi Academy has a duty to be remain the best in Japan. We'll be the ones at the forefront of girls' soccer.* (To Sumire Suou, Episode 3)
* *"Ito and I will soon make our sensational high school debuts. If you want to get revenge on us, you'd better chase after us as fast as you can. You've only got three years to do it."* (To Nozomi Onda, Episode 7)