Mai (舞; Mai) is a thief and one of the conspirators responsible for the Adachi massacre. She is a former servant of Clan Adachi and a secret lover of Masako Adachi.
Biography[]
Three years before the Invasion of Tsushima by the Mongol Empire, Mai was a servant of Clan Adachi who fell in love and began a secret affair with Masako Adachi. Her work came to an end when Masako's husband, Harunobu Adachi, caught her stealing and wanted her flogged as punishment. Although she loved Mai, Masako chose to stick to her responsibilities as the Lady of Clan Adachi and banished Mai to avoid her being flogged, leaving her a golden comb with pearl inlays as a gift. Though saved from physical punishment, Mai was so distraught from the banishment that she considered it a betrayal.
Despite still loving Masako, Mai wasn't able to get over her banishment. One day, she received an anonymous note from Lady Hana, who led a group of conspirators to wipe out Clan Adachi. Hana, aware of Mai's connections with Masako, offered her a chance for revenge, which she accepted. Mai did not participate in the massacre directly, and her role came into effect after the clan was slaughtered. After the attack, Mai looted Clan Adachi's estate and stole valuable heirlooms, intending to sell them at the right time. However, Hana learned of this and sent a small group of Straw Hats to approach Mai, as she wanted the heirlooms for herself. Confronted by the Straw Hats, Mai attempted to bargain with the golden comb, but failed to convince them and was forced to led them to where she stashed the heirlooms.
To pass the time, Mai told them stories about a girl who was rejected by a monk and took revenge on him, meant to be similar to her own stories. Unbeknownst to the group, however, Masako had survived the slaughter of her family and recruited Samurai Jin Sakai to help her exact revenge on her family's killers. She and Jin had followed Mai and dispatched the Straw Hats, and after only Mai was left alive, Jin gave Masako some space to her. Mai admitted that she felt betrayed when Masako banished her, and when Masako brought up the fact she saved Mai from a flogging, Mai insisted that Masako should have just left with her.
When Masako asked who Mai served, she admitted that the conspirator leader never revealed their identity to her, but agreed to take Masako and Jin to the stash of her family's things. While Jin retrieved the belongings, Mai admitted she was aware that Masako survived and wanted to give the heirlooms back to her, but didn't know how. Masako spared Mai's life for her cooperation and allowed her to keep the comb as a memory of her. Mai then departed, intending to return home.