“Growing up with a carpenter and a scientist for parents, Maru acquired a passion for creating gadgets at a young age. When she isn’t in her room, fiddling with tools and machinery, she sometimes does odd jobs at the local clinic. Friendly, outgoing, and ambitious, Maru would be quite a lucky match for a lowly newcomer such as yourself… Can you win her heart, or will she slip through your fingers and disappear from your life forever?”
Maru lives with her parents Demetrius and Robin, as well as her half-brother Sebastian who is Robin's son. She has a strained relationship with Sebastian and wishes they were closer.
Maru works with Harvey at the clinic, and both worry that it doesn't receive enough patients. She is also friends with Penny.
You find Maru and Demetrius testing soil samples in their lab. Maru asks you to watch a beaker while she fetches more samples. When she leaves, Demetrius tells you that Maru is a good kid and his 'special little girl', and he wouldn't want anything getting in the way of her bright future. When Maru returns, Demetrius says you've been talking about the soil samples.
(Say nothing)(+10 friendship.) Demetrius and Maru go back to work.
"Actually, your dad was being weird."(-100 friendship.) Maru asks Demetrius what you're talking about. Demetrius tells the truth and apologizes for his behaviour.
Maru is startled by your entry and drops a glass beaker she's holding. Worried about Harvey's response, she asks what she should do.
"Just scoop it off the floor. He won't know the difference."(-50 friendship.) She says that of course Harvey will be able to tell the difference. When Harvey comes to investigate the noise, Maru tells him it was an accident and apologises.
"Tell Harvey it was my fault."(-20 friendship.) When Harvey comes to investigate the noise, she tells Harvey that it was your fault.
"Tell Harvey it was an accident."(+50 friendship.) When Harvey comes in to investigate the noise, she tells him it was an accident and apologises.
If Maru blames you, Harvey is disappointed that she didn't take responsibility for her own actions and says the mistake will put them back in the red for a month. Maru is flustered and upset.
If Maru says it was an accident and apologizes, Harvey thanks her for telling the truth and tells her not to worry about it. Maru thanks him for his patience, and Harvey says she's been a big help and he doesn't know what he'd do without her. He turns to you and asks if you're okay, since you're looking a bit pale; you turn away and emote a sweat drop.
Six Hearts
Enter the mountain on a sunny day, between 9pm and 11:40pm.
Details
You see Maru looking through her telescope. She's surprised to see you out so late, and says she wants to show you something. You look through her telescope and she asks what you see.
"A beautiful planet."(+30 friendship.) Maru responds, "It's amazing, isn't it?"
"A cold, dark abyss."(-30 friendship.) Maru responds, "I guess you could see it like that... But it's still grand, isn't it?"
Maru says that by the time any of these stars are visited, you'll both be long gone. "I guess that's the trouble with being human, huh?" She begins to tell you something, then changes her mind and shows you a binary star system instead. The cutscene ends as your character thinks, "What a beautiful night! Maru showed me something new..."
Maru says she's been working on a new project, something big. She shows you a machine and says it's just one component. She asks you to put your hand on it for a demonstration, flips a switch, and you get electrocuted. Maru is aghast and asks if you're alright. She applies burn cream and apologises.
"It's okay, it doesn't even hurt."(+30 friendship.)
"You'd better be. This hurts like crazy!"(-50 friendship.)
She says that kind of ruined the moment, and sighs.
Maru says her big project is finally done. She takes you into her private workshop to show you a robot she built to help her parents. She calls it MarILDA, short for Maru's Interactive Laboratory Device Alpha. She tells you she's been working on it for months, and has been waiting for you to come by before activating MarILDA. She activates the robot, who says "Greetings, Maru. No need to respond... I have already predicted what you will say."
Demetrius comes in to see what you two are up to. He sees the robot and becomes frightened. Maru tells him not to be scared and that MarILDA is her latest invention. The robot greets him, but Demetrius is upset. "This is why you've locked yourself in your room the last few months? ...and I thought you were down here fooling around with <your name>..." Maru says she's been making this robot to help Demetrius and Robin when she's not living with them anymore.
MarILDA interrupts: "Excuse me... I am sorry, Maru. But I do not want to be your servant... In the time since you activated me, I have been pondering the nature of my existence with the 'self-awareness' module you installed in my neural cortex. I am sorry to disappoint you all, but I must ask for my freedom. I've decided to explore the galaxy in search of other synthetic life-forms."
Maru is startled and asks her to wait, but Demetrius says it's OK to let MarILDA go free. "Your mother and I can take care of ourselves. I know you're ready to start a life of your own, and I've come to terms with the thought of not having you around anymore. Besides, this... creation of yours seems pretty advanced. It wouldn't feel right to keep her as a servant. <your name>, I'm sorry I mistrusted you. You're a <good guy or fine young woman>. I've never seen Maru so lively and creative... and I've never been more proud of her. If you've had a hand in that, then you have my gratitude." He leaves the room.
Maru walks MarILDA outside. MarILDA thanks Maru for creating her and blasts off into space. Maru watches her go and asks what you think.
"I'm so impressed with your inventions."(+50 friendship.) Maru responds: "Thanks. That means a lot to me, <your name>. I know gadgets aren't really your kind of thing... but I do appreciate that you're showing interest in what I do. I wish I could return the favor somehow."
"I'm disappointed... you should have made that robot your slave."(-50 friendship.) Maru responds: "What? After she said point-blank that she doesn't want to be a slave? How cold... You must have a good reason for saying that..."
"MarILDA's just a piece of machinery designed to act human."(+50 friendship.) Maru responds: "... You have a point, I did program her to act human... but her neural net is so complex, I can't be sure conciousness didn't emerge on its own. Furthermore, isn't it a little arrogant to assume that human-like consciousness is the only worthwhile vessel of existence? Computer brains are different than ours, but that doesn't mean we can disregard them." She thanks you for coming by and leaves.
"I was just kidding. MarILDA deserves her freedom."(+50 friendship.) Maru responds: "I see. Well it wasn't a very funny joke." She thanks you for coming by and leaves.
"I would've put her to work on the farm."(-50 friendship.) Maru responds: "That's horrible! What's gotten into you, <your name>? I'm just going to forget about this conversation... you aren't acting yourself." She thanks you for coming by and leaves.
"So is your Dad okay with 'us' now?"(No effect on friendship.) Maru responds: "Heh... Yeah I guess he did kinda say that, didn't he? ...Um..."
(Just stare at Maru and say nothing)(No effect on friendship.) Maru responds: "... ..."
Marriage
Maru's room.
When you give Maru a Mermaid's Pendant she accepts, and says the ceremony will be in three days ( she will sort out everything). Immediately after you go to sleep on the second day, a cutscene happens in which Lewis declares you married (this cutscene apparently uses up no time at all)
You appear back Home after the marriage cutscene with Maru standing on the porch,she says she watered all the crops and put water in your pet's bowl. A smaller and less-interactive version of her old room has been installed in your house attached to your bedroom. She'll also have a small area behind the farmhouse outside where she'll work on small gadgets.
Maru will occasionally give you an item at the start of the day, if she begins the day inside the house but not in her annex. She usually describes these items as things she found in her scrap bin, but occasionally she'll refer to having made the item in her workshop. Items Maru gives you appear to most commonly be either a Bomb, Cherry Bomb or Crab Cakes, but she will also more rarely present you with a Warp Totem: Farm.
Portraits
Timeline
Maru's look evolved over the years the game was in development.
Here's a timeline showing how ConcernedApe's art and Maru's style changed over the years before the game was launched.