Machi Kuragi

is a fictional character and the school treasurer of Kaibara High School in the manga entitled Fruits Basket. Machi is a quiet and shy character, and appears to be sensitive and rather isolated. She only appears in the Fruits Basket manga and drama CDs, where she's voiced by Yuki Kaida.

Role in the story

Machi makes her first appearance in Chapter 49 (Volume 9) of the Fruits Basket manga. When Yuki Sohma attends his first meeting as the school president of Kaibara High, he enters the school president's office only to find it trashed horribly, with a young girl sitting miserably on the floor in the middle of the mess. Yuki struggles to approach her, but she suddenly violently stands up and apologises somewhat coldly, stating that she will clean the mess up immediately. Yuki, not knowing what to say, is then abruptly "introduced" to Kakeru Manabe, the new school vice president. After saying a few things about himself, Manabe then introduces the previously mysterious girl to Yuki. Her name is Machi Kuragi and she is the new student treasurer.

Machi is a very quiet character, though she later begins to show her more stubborn side. She also appears to be quite humble towards Yuki and the other council members, often doing whatever they say and rarely speaking up for her own wishes-that is, if she has any. Despite all such things, however, Machi is a deeply kind and caring girl on the inside, as shown by her heartwarming reaction to when Yuki gives her a momiji leaf as a gift after he returns from his class trip to Kyoto. It seems that after that, she may most likely become an important character in the future. In chapter 94 Yuki asks if Machi likes the color red, because she showed great interest in the maple leaf then he says his question was finally answered, while Machi blushes. Later in the end of the chapter, Manabe remarks that "She likes red, huh?" with a double meaning, indicating that she likes the color and that she likes Yuki (since Yuki, as the Student Council President, has been assigned the color red by Manabe).

When for incomprehensible reasons of his own (which we later can infer are that Kakeru thinks Yuki may be able to get through to his sister), Kakeru drags Yuki to Machi's apartment, it is revealed that she is scared of perfection, which is why she trashes the student council room. She feels threatened by perfection. When Kakeru Manabe and Machi were younger, their mothers fought over who should be their father's heir. Her mother pushed Machi to be absolutely perfect, always complaining, threatening, and reprimanding her for so long that Machi became emotionally traumatized but still tried her hardest. However when her younger brother was born and the matter of inheritance was resolved, her mother claimed to her friend "to be honest, Machi's a little, how do I say this . . . I mean look at her . . . she's got no personality at all . . . quite the boring child . . . sure, she does fairly well on her grades but its never anything outstanding . . . it's useless if one only knows how to study." Machi asks what has she done wrong and Machi's mother says not to put the blame on her and that maybe there is something wrong with the way she brought Machi up. When Machi arrives home, reflecting on what her mother said, she snaps and trashes her room. The reason why Machi currently lives on her own is that she got kicked out since her parents chose to believe that she tried to strangle her brother. The truth is that she thought he was cold so she tried to cover her little brother with the blanket; her intention was not to hurt him. As she put it "My actions were already decided by them. I couldn't make them understand."

She tells Yuki even a sheet of fresh snow bothers her, and she feels driven to ruin it by making footprints; he responds that the next time it snows, they'll make footprints together, and for the first time, she wishes it to snow. Yuki proves that he cares about her and her fear the next day when they are sitting together at a school council meeting. A box of new chalk is placed between them, but before Machi has the chance to push it off the table, Yuki snaps one of the pieces in half so the box is no longer perfect.

When visiting Ayame's shop, Ayame and Mine insist on putting dresses on Machi. Meanwhile, she seems to take great interest in the large Mogeta charm which Ayame scribbled on. As an apology for the embarrassing visit, Yuki gives her a Mogeta paperweight which is much smaller. Manabe is unsure of whether Machi likes it or not, but Yuki is sure she enjoys it when he sees her carry it around even with her normal expression. Machi says to herself that the gift is something to be treasured. Hoping to give Yuki a return gift, she asks him what he wants, to which he replies, "Fertilizer?" as he is unaware of Machi's intentions. Taking this literally, she does give him fertilizer when buying a present for Tohru, a bubble bath set (which she asked Yuki to deliver as it would be awkward since they've never met and never do meet). This is when Tohru is hospitalized after the incident with Akito.

In one of the last chapters, Yuki resolves to admit his true feelings for Machi and goes to find her.

Relationships
Relationship with Kakeru
Machi is the half-sister of Kakeru Manabe. Manabe is very protective of her and can often be seen ordering her around, more out of brotherly love than sibling superiority. Before Yuki realized they were siblings he seemed to have noticed a strange aura between them; though not as a romantic relationship. Since he is aware of her extreme dislike of perfection, he helps her clean up the Student Council Room after she has trashed it and keeps Yuki and everyone else from asking Machi too many questions as to why she did it. Kakeru realized very early on in the history of Yuki/Machi's relationship that they'd make a good pair; and that Machi was starting to like Yuki.

Relationship with Yuki
It has also been hinted from her reaction to Yuki's gift to her from the class trip, that she may not only feel humble to Yuki, but is starting to really like him. In Chapter 125, Machi is able to tell Yuki of her feelings and they are walking away holding hands.

In an earlier chapter where Yuki and Machi's relationship is beginning to develop, Machi throws a paper flower at Yuki (which he comments is deformed), which is an omen because after traditional Japanese weddings, you usually throw flowers at the bride and groom.

In a later chapter, Yuki had to tell Machi something, and asked her if she had free time to meet him. Shortly before she arrives, he is freed from his curse and is able to hug her for the first time, much to Machi's surprise. It is speculated that Yuki was going to tell Machi about the curse. At the same time Machi asks Yuki if she can call him by his first name (which he responds yes to).

In Chapter 131, Yuki kisses her. They start a relationship with each other, while Kyo starts one with Tohru. In the last chapter of the manga (136), Yuki is shown giving Machi a key to his apartment, telling her not to worry about him being unfaithful. Machi tells him she'll try to catch up to him; to which he responds he'll wait for her. This is the last we see of Machi in Fruits Basket.

It is not revealed how their lives actually turn out, however, people think (based on an image of Kyo and Tohru's son with his wife in chapter 136, and the fact that Tohru and Kyo's grand-daughter is shown with a rat plush and a cat plush) that Yuki and Machi's daughter may have married Kyo and Tohru's son.

Kuragi, Machi

es:Machi Kuragi

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