Ichiji Nijika

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ichiji Nijika (伊地知虹夏) 4
Alias(es)	“Archangel of Starlight” 126
Gender	Female 4
Affiliation	Kessoku Band; Starlight Livehouse 133 163
Occupation/Role	Drummer and captain of Kessoku Band; part-time Starlight staff member 5 11 192 849
Education	Second-year student at Shimokitazawa High School; Yamada Ryo’s classmate 163
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Background

Nijika is Ichiji Hoshika’s younger sister. Hoshika manages Starlight, where Nijika and her band regularly rehearse, perform, and work part-time. 133

Following their mother’s death, Nijika became the more dependable member of the Ijichi household. She handles much of the cooking, cleaning, and other domestic work that Hoshika struggles to perform, while also supporting her sister at Starlight. 34 326 676 677

Before the band was complete, Nijika and Yamada Ryo struggled to find committed members; the available recruits they encountered were generally only interested in playing casually. 10 She met Sakurakoji Talent through Ryo at Starlight and was immediately impressed by both his appearance and broad musical ability. 4 5

Appearance

Nijika has blonde hair, red eyes, and a prominent ahoge. She is commonly seen with her hair in a side ponytail and carries a yellow backpack after school. 10 119 133 236

• Her hairstyle was changed from a side ponytail to a high ponytail during Talent’s styling session. 236
• She sometimes wears a cute beret when going out with the band. 343
• Her hair and ahoge visibly resemble Hoshika’s. 192

Personality

Nijika is warm, cheerful, and openly enthusiastic, especially when discussing her band or meeting new people. She readily welcomes others, introduces herself as Kessoku Band’s captain, and actively raises the group’s spirits during meetings. 163 192

She is also responsible and protective of her friends. When Ryo feared losing her bass as loan collateral, Nijika immediately offered to take responsibility despite misunderstanding what Talent meant. 46 She consistently encourages Gotou Hitori through her social anxiety and defends her potential as a performer. 133 204

Despite her confidence as a captain, Nijika can become flustered around Talent. While training under him, she struggled with unfamiliar cooking work and became increasingly uncertain about her feelings for him. 34 She remains practical about her limits, openly explaining that school, household work, Starlight duties, and looking after Ryo leave her little time for extreme practice schedules. 225

Nijika is highly attentive to the needs of the people around her. She has helped Kanau learn to read and respond to messages, supports Yui through her personal difficulties, and continues accommodating Ryo’s dependence on her despite the inconvenience it causes. 677 756

Although normally trusting and polite, Nijika can become surprisingly forceful when she suspects someone is deceiving her. At RiNG, she immediately confronted Ogura Asahi because of Asahi’s near-identical resemblance to Talent. 490

Abilities & Skills

Drumming

Nijika is Kessoku Band’s drummer and works consistently to improve her technique. 5 225

• Performed with Talent and Ryo in an impromptu live performance. 21
• Accepted Talent’s technical coaching and continued practicing despite demanding assignments. 225 351
• Received praise from Talent for her progress after further training. 352
• Continues performing with Kessoku Band at Starlight, on the street, and at RiNG, where the band has gradually improved through repeated performances and practice. 677
• Reached a near semi-professional level alongside the other developing members of Kessoku Band. 756
• Owns a drum set, which she considers important enough to offer when trying to protect Ryo. 46

Band Leadership

As Kessoku Band’s captain, Nijika manages recruitment, rehearsals, and the group’s morale. 133 163

• Invited Kanau to join the band during its early recruitment period. 23
• Welcomed Gotou Hitori as the group’s guitarist and organized her first performance with the existing members. 126 127
• Accepted Kita Ikuyo after consulting Ryo and Kanau, then launched the band’s first full member meeting. 163
• Handles practical concerns such as livehouse performance quotas and ticket sales. 133
• Sought outside help to develop Hitori’s ability to perform confidently onstage. 204
• Guides Kanau’s everyday communication and has taught her to read and reply to messages. 677
• Takes responsibility for the band’s progress and remains focused on Kessoku Band’s long-term path toward debut. 677 756

Starlight Service Work

Nijika works at Starlight and has experience serving customers in a maid outfit. 11

• Helped Talent clean up after service alongside Ryo. 11
• Was trained as a potential substitute for Talent during his absences. 34
• Can prepare simpler drinks by following instructions. 34
• Initially struggled with cooking and operating some of the establishment’s equipment. 34
• Has difficulty communicating with foreign customers when a language barrier is involved. 16
• Helps supervise the other staff and band members during Starlight’s busy workdays. 849

Domestic Skills

Nijika is the most capable member of her household in practical daily-life matters. 34 326

• Handles cooking, cleaning, and household organization for herself and Hoshika. 34 676
• Regularly tolerates and manages Ryo’s belongings, which occupy most of her room. 677
• Her household competence is important enough that Hoshika’s ability to live independently without her is openly questioned. 676

Equipment / Items

• Drum set — Nijika’s primary instrument. 46
• Yellow backpack — commonly carried after school. 119
• Beret — worn during outings with the band. 343

Relationships

• Ichiji Hoshika — Her older sister and Starlight’s manager. Hoshika is protective of Nijika, particularly regarding Nijika’s growing feelings for Talent. Although Hoshika relies heavily on Nijika’s domestic skills, the sisters remain close and supportive of one another. 34 133 676
• Yamada Ryo — Her classmate, bassist, and closest friend. Nijika regularly supports Ryo, including helping with her financial and daily-life problems. Ryo’s possessions occupy most of Nijika’s room, reflecting Nijika’s extraordinary tolerance of her friend’s dependence. 4 46 225 677
• Sakurakoji Talent — Friend, Starlight coworker, musical mentor, and later Kessoku Band’s manager. Nijika admires his abilities and develops confused romantic feelings toward him, which deepen through his support, cooking, encouragement, and preparation of her birthday celebration. 5 34 225 353 677
• Gotou Hitori — Kessoku Band’s guitarist. Nijika recruits, encourages, and defends Hitori while helping her adjust to the band. She is pleased by Hitori’s gradual increase in confidence during the band’s performances. 126 133 204 677
• Kita Ikuyo — Kessoku Band’s vocalist. Nijika accepts Kita into the group and appreciates her energy during the band’s first full meeting. 163
• Kanau — A guitarist associated with Kessoku Band. Nijika recruited her early, often tries to draw her into group conversations, and later teaches her how to read and reply to messages. 23 163 164 677
• Rakuna — A free-spirited bandmate whose attendance is unreliable, requiring Nijika and Ryo to accommodate her schedule. 133 163
• Ogura Asahi — Talent’s purported younger sister, whom Nijika encounters at RiNG. Nijika is initially suspicious because Asahi looks almost identical to Talent, then continues questioning Talent about Asahi’s name, school, and exceptional academic reputation. 490 508 509
• Yukinoshita Yukino — A friend and supporter of Kessoku Band whose serious demeanor Nijika sometimes finds unusual. Nijika respects Yukino’s efforts to help others and joins her in supporting Yui. 660 756
• Yuigahama Yui — A friend whom Nijika helped support through a personal problem, contributing to Yui’s greater self-understanding and maturity. 660

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early Recruitment

Nijika initially forms a two-person band with Ryo, playing drums while Ryo handles bass. She considers recruiting Talent after learning that he can play every type of instrument onstage, but he declines membership. 5

She later joins Talent and Ryo in an impromptu performance, treating the opportunity as a rare chance to play with others. 21 During this period, she also attempts to recruit Kanau, though Kanau is hesitant about joining without Talent. 23

As the new school term begins, Nijika continues searching for members with Ryo by placing recruitment posters on the school bulletin board. 119

Training at Starlight

When Talent anticipates future absences from Starlight, he chooses Nijika as the most viable substitute to train in café operations. Nijika struggles with cooking, machinery, and the closeness of working beside him. 34

After Talent’s short absence, Nijika helps cover his duties, though Kanau bluntly notes that Nijika’s food does not match Talent’s cooking. 76

Completing Kessoku Band

Nijika introduces Gotou Hitori to the band and gives her an opportunity to demonstrate her guitar ability. 126 127 She later explains the realities of livehouse performances—including ticket quotas and operating costs—and encourages Hitori to work part-time with the group. 133

When Kita asks to join, Nijika cautiously consults the existing members before accepting her. She then formally begins the band’s first full meeting as captain. 163

Musical Improvement and Management

Nijika asks Talent to evaluate Ryo’s original song and later seeks his direct coaching for the band’s technical shortcomings. 60 225 She persists through intensive drum training and takes initiative in developing the band’s visual identity by asking Talent to help create performance outfits. 351 352

Talent ultimately agrees to become Kessoku Band’s manager, formalizing his role in supporting Nijika’s group. 353

Expanding Kessoku Band’s Activities

Under Talent’s guidance and through the members’ own persistent practice, Nijika leads Kessoku Band through performances at Starlight, on the street, and at RiNG. She reports that the group is steadily improving, particularly Hitori’s confidence onstage. 677

By the time the band joins Yukino and Talent to shop for Yui’s birthday, its members have become close to semi-professional level and have begun attracting fans through their frequent live performances. Nijika nevertheless recognizes that the path toward an official debut remains difficult. 756

Encounter with Ogura Asahi

When Kessoku Band visits RiNG, Nijika is alarmed by Ogura Asahi’s resemblance to Talent and personally examines Asahi in an attempt to determine whether she is actually Talent in disguise. Asahi’s altered voice, clothes, mannerisms, and claim to be Talent’s younger sister temporarily convince the group otherwise. 490

Nijika remains curious about Asahi afterward. She shows Yukino photographs from the encounter and directly questions Talent about Asahi’s school, surname, and national first-place academic standing, prompting Talent to avoid answering whether he possesses comparable academic ability. 508 509

Birthday Celebration

Talent prepares a homemade dinner and cake for Nijika’s birthday at the Ijichi sisters’ home. Nijika is deeply touched by the effort, particularly because Talent personally takes responsibility for the celebration. 676 677

During the celebration, Nijika receives gifts from her bandmates and friends, including Kita, Rakuna, Yukino, Yui, Hitori, and Ryo. Ryo’s gift of protein powder jokingly references Nijika’s habit of carrying Hitori and her increasing strength. 677

Trivia

• Nijika is dissatisfied with the “Kessoku Band” name because of its association with zip ties and wants to change it. 127 163
• Her sister once tied her hair with a ribbon from a gift box; Nijika continues to treasure that ribbon. 235
• Talent privately compares Nijika’s caretaking role for Starlight, Hoshika, Ryo, and several band members to that of a mother figure. 119 326
• More than eighty percent of Nijika’s room is occupied by Ryo’s possessions. 677
• Ryo gave Nijika protein powder for her birthday because she believed Nijika was building muscle from carrying Hitori in a suitcase. 677