Sakaki met Maya on Iriomote when he was a kitten during a class trip to Okinawa, and he was the first cat to ever let Sakaki pet it. After his mother was killed by a car, he followed Sakaki home to Tokyo.
Sakaki encountered Maya on Iriomote while on a school trip to Okinawa as a kitten. He was the first feline to permit Sakaki to pet him. Following his mother's demise from a car accident, Sakaki journeyed with Sakaki to Tokyo.