Kushida Kikyo

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Kushida Kikyo (櫛田桔梗)
Alias(es)	“Little Angel”; Class D’s “angel” and “savior”
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School; Class D
Occupation/Role	Class D student; nominal Class D leader by Chapter 315
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background / History

Kikyo first meets Shikime Natsu on the bus to school. After she asks another passenger to yield a seat to an elderly woman and the situation turns contentious, Natsu gives up his own seat. Kikyo warmly thanks him and introduces herself, establishing her approachable public image 1.

She quickly exchanges contact information with Natsu and probes his connection to Horikita Suzune. Although she presents her pursuit of Horikita as a desire for friendship, she repeatedly tries to arrange meetings despite Horikita’s direct refusals 12 24 34.

Kikyo and Horikita attended the same middle school. Kikyo believes Horikita knows of her past, making Horikita both a threat to her carefully maintained reputation and the focus of her hostility 39 40.

In middle school, Kikyo cultivated an “angelic” popularity while collecting her classmates’ secrets. She vented her resentment through an anonymous blog, but classmates discovered it, causing their relationships to collapse 39.

Appearance

Kikyo is a notably attractive girl with short beige hair, violet-red eyes, and a curvy build. Her clothing and presentation generally reinforce her cute, friendly image 1 38 59 143.

• Wears the school uniform on campus 1.
• Chooses a cream-colored, puff-sleeved dress with lace trim while shopping with Wang Meiyu and Natsu 59.
• Strongly dislikes the prospect of growing her hair long because she associates the style with Horikita 113.

Personality

Public Persona

Kikyo presents herself as kind, gentle, sociable, and eager to help others. She is regarded by many students as an angelic listener who gives advice, rarely shows anger, and proactively assists classmates 89 143.

Her social approach is highly deliberate. She uses soft speech, concern, and carefully calibrated expressions to lower others’ guard, gather information, or guide conversations toward her objectives 12 34 60.

Hidden Nature

In private, Kikyo is intensely resentful, competitive, and manipulative. Maintaining her public facade places considerable pressure on her, leading her to seek isolated places to vent her anger 38 128.

Her hatred of Horikita is particularly severe, driven by their shared middle-school history, fear that her past may be exposed, and jealousy of the attention Horikita receives without cultivating the same public image 38 40 94. She enjoys seeing Horikita humiliated and seeks opportunities to undermine her 96.

Kikyo wants influence over Class D and is frustrated by classmates she considers uncontrollable or abnormal. Although she publicly insists that Class D is full of good students, she privately wishes she were in Class B, whose members she sees as easier to manage 188 190.

Abilities & Skills

Social Influence and Information Gathering

Kikyo has exceptional interpersonal reach within Class D and can obtain information or secure cooperation that less socially skilled classmates cannot.

• Builds connections quickly, including her friendship with the shy Wang Meiyu 58.
• Uses popularity and a harmless public image to approach upperclassmen and assist with acquiring past exam papers 91.
• Her handling of the past-exam-paper crisis earns her substantial goodwill and raises her standing in Class D 128 157.
• Her influence is inconsistent against difficult students; she and Hirata can speak up in class but cannot unify Class D’s opinions 92 157.

Deception and Emotional Manipulation

Kikyo maintains a convincing “little angel” persona even while pursuing private grudges and strategic goals.

• Alters her demeanor rapidly to conceal anger, hostility, or disgust 38 93 94.
• Tries to use insinuations and social pressure against Natsu while remaining outwardly innocent 186.
• Uses concern for classmates and class management as a socially acceptable cover for pursuing status and control 187 190.
• Her disguise is vulnerable when she vents privately or reacts strongly to Horikita 38 128.

Class D Problem-Solving

Kikyo is capable of making herself useful during class crises, particularly when doing so also improves her standing.

• Volunteers to help Horikita obtain past exam papers through upperclassmen 91.
• Seeks tutoring methods so Class D can pass exams without relying on past papers 96.
• Resolves an issue involving second-year students, earning admiration from Class D 128.
• Learns that tangible benefits are necessary to secure support within a class, though she recognizes that Class D’s disruptive members remain a major obstacle 188 190.

Relationships

• Shikime Natsu — Initially a friendly acquaintance, then the sole witness to her hidden side. After he records her outburst and learns her past, he coerces her into working for him; Kikyo alternates between resentment, guarded cooperation, and attempts to regain leverage over him 38 40 58 93 113.
• Horikita Suzune — Former middle-school schoolmate and bitter rival. Kikyo fears Horikita may know her past, envies her attention and influence, and repeatedly attempts to control or discredit her while outwardly trying to befriend her 34 39 94 96.
• Wang Meiyu — Friend whom Kikyo originally approached first. Wang is more reserved but accompanies Kikyo during outings and shopping trips 58 59.
• Ichinose Honami — A student Kikyo consults about class management. Kikyo envies Ichinose’s cohesive Class B environment and tries to use Ichinose’s interest in Natsu for her own purposes 185 191.
• Hirata Yosuke — Fellow Class D student with comparable social reach; neither can fully unite the class behind a single position 92.
• Yamauchi Haruki, Ike Kanji, and Sudo Ken — Class D students Kikyo privately considers disruptive obstacles to her plans for controlling the class 188 190.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Attempting to Approach Horikita

Kikyo uses Natsu as an intermediary to contact Horikita and arrange a café meeting. Her efforts fail because Horikita recognizes that Kikyo had been watching for her arrival and rejects the attempted friendship outright 24 34.

Exposure at the Artificial Lake

Natsu follows Kikyo to the artificial lake and witnesses her violent private outburst against Horikita. When confronted, Kikyo threatens to falsely accuse him of assault and tries to manufacture physical evidence, but Natsu’s ability to avoid leaving fingerprints defeats the scheme 38 39.

Blackmail and Forced Cooperation

After revealing her middle-school past, Kikyo becomes vulnerable to Natsu’s leverage. He demands that she work for him and later pressures her to assist with matters involving Horikita, despite Kikyo’s refusal to support her rival willingly 39 40.

Class D’s Exam Crisis

Kikyo assists Horikita in obtaining past exam papers and later seeks Natsu’s help with the midterms. She accepts his demand that she grow her hair long in exchange for a solution that allows Class D to continue using the papers 91 113.

Rising Influence in Class D

Kikyo’s involvement in resolving the exam-paper and second-year issues increases her popularity, leading classmates to view her as Class D’s angel and savior. Her influence remains limited by Class D’s internal disorder and students she cannot reliably control 128 157 174.

Seeking Control of the Class

Kikyo asks Ichinose and Natsu for advice on class management. She realizes that gaining authority requires delivering concrete benefits, but privately concludes that Class D’s troublesome students make genuine control difficult 187 190.

Trivia

• Kikyo’s public image is so convincing that even students from other classes have heard rumors of her being exceptionally cheerful, helpful, and kind 143.
• She has a strong aversion to sharing Horikita’s long-haired look, regarding it as intolerable 113 191.
• Despite claiming to care about Class D, she privately fantasizes about transferring to Class B and leading it herself 189.