Kushida Kikyo

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Kushida Kikyo (栉田桔梗)
Alias(es)	“Little Angel”; Class D’s social butterfly 22 33
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Class 1-D; Student Council 19 267
Occupation/Role	Student; Student Council officer; information gatherer
First Appearance	Chapter 19

Background

During middle school, Kushida gained popularity by listening to classmates’ confidences and accumulating their secrets. Unable to confide in anyone herself, she anonymously posted those secrets on a blog. When the blog was discovered and the class condemned her, she retaliated by exposing further secrets, redirecting classmates’ resentment toward one another and triggering a class-wide breakdown severe enough for the school to suspend classes collectively. 235

Kushida and Horikita Suzune attended the same middle school. Believing Horikita might know of her past, Kushida entered Advanced Nurturing High School determined to prevent that information from spreading. 186 235

At her introduction, she presents herself as an open, friendly Class 1-D student whose dream is “to become friends with everyone.” 19 Behind that persona, she views friendship as a means to collect personal information and protect her own position. 22 235

Appearance

Kushida is a short-haired girl with chestnut-colored hair and violet-red eyes. Her public presentation is carefully maintained through a gentle smile, a polished manner, and a burgundy school uniform. 33 61 146 356

• Usually wears her hair short and neatly styled. 22 356
• Maintains an “angelic” expression around classmates, even when concealing hostility. 33 51
• Has a notably different private style, favoring more conspicuous casual outfits when alone with Hashiba. 146 329
• Before becoming close to Hashiba, she deliberately kept physical distance from male students despite her broad social circle. 61 108

Personality

Kushida is highly sociable, observant, and skilled at adjusting her behavior to match the people around her. Her wish to be liked by everyone is inseparable from her need to gather information: she cultivates trust, learns what people hide, and uses that knowledge to maintain control. 22 119 235

Her public warmth conceals a distrustful and controlling private side. When threatened—particularly over her middle-school past or Horikita’s proximity to Hashiba—she can become cold, hostile, and aggressively confrontational. 44 52 70 She is also capable of rapidly switching back to her gentle persona when circumstances demand it. 48

Kushida becomes intensely jealous and possessive in her relationship with Hashiba Hikaru, especially where Horikita is concerned. However, she is also emotionally vulnerable: Hashiba’s acceptance of her past and promises of protection become central to her sense of security. 214 229 235 431

Abilities & Skills

Social Manipulation and Information Gathering

Kushida’s greatest strength is building rapport quickly and making others comfortable enough to reveal personal details.

• Introduces herself confidently even to unfamiliar students and frames her goal as befriending everyone. 19
• Uses a helpful, class-focused image to strengthen her standing among classmates. 33 41
• Organizes her social circle actively, including arranging for roommates to give her privacy when necessary. 119
• Notices subtle evidence and inconsistencies, such as clues concerning Hashiba’s herbal medicine and Horikita’s condition. 102
• Reads others’ intentions rather than relying solely on what they say openly. 285

Persona Management

Kushida can convincingly maintain a pleasant public façade while suppressing her real emotions.

• Avoids dating publicly because she believes romance could damage her image as the person everyone can confide in. 22
• Can shift from an icy, threatening demeanor to a soft and friendly one almost instantly. 44 48
• Continues to preserve her “little angel” persona because it keeps her useful as an information source. 430 431

Academics and Athletics

Kushida has solid academic and physical ability.

• Her academic ability is assessed as B. 430
• She is particularly confident in English and has consistently scored above 90 points in the subject. 235
• Her mock-exam accuracy reaches roughly 80%, with room to improve through focused study. 235
• She assists Hashiba in a race and keeps pace with him hand-in-hand, contributing to the Red Team’s victory. 171

Student Council Work

Kushida adapts quickly to formal administrative responsibilities.

• Became a Student Council officer after winning an election against Katsuragi Kohei, aided by Asahina Nazuna’s covert support. 267
• Demonstrated composed participation in Student Council discussion, questioning, and voting despite being new to such proceedings. 284
• Expands her influence through council work and seeks to learn accounting in order to work more closely with Hashiba. 264 426

Relationships

• Hashiba Hikaru — Initially an uneasy information-sharing partner: he investigates Horikita while Kushida provides class intelligence. Their cooperation develops into a romantic and intimate relationship after Kushida admits her feelings. He later accepts her middle-school past and promises to protect her. 71 133 198 235 431
• Horikita Suzune — Former middle-school peer and long-standing adversary. Kushida initially tries to befriend, monitor, and potentially expel Horikita to prevent her past from being revealed. After losing their Special Exam wager, Kushida agrees to stop targeting her, though their rivalry and mutual dislike remain. 39 186 252 280
• Ichinose Honami — Initially interacts with Kushida as a fellow student and mutual acquaintance of Hashiba. Their relationship becomes strained when Ichinose discovers Kushida’s intimacy with him, but Ichinose later forgives Kushida following a private conversation. 22 329 331
• Sakura Airi — Kushida attempts to recruit Sakura into a partnership intended to increase their time with Hashiba, but Sakura rejects the proposal. 229 230
• Asahina Nazuna — Secretly supports Kushida’s Student Council candidacy, helping secure her election victory. 267

Story Role / Major Arcs

Horikita’s Secret and the Class “Angel” Persona

Kushida establishes herself as a universally friendly student while privately treating Horikita as a threat because of their shared middle-school history. She organizes study sessions and a subject-assessment plan under the guise of helping the class, but her underlying goal is to determine what Horikita knows and prevent her from forming relationships that could spread Kushida’s secret. 39 41

When Hashiba discovers her venting violently in private, Kushida threatens him to protect her façade. His decision to keep her secret earns her trust and begins their private connection. 44

Information Alliance with Hashiba

After confronting Hashiba over his contact with Horikita, Kushida agrees to a mutually beneficial arrangement: Hashiba will gather information about Horikita, while Kushida will provide information useful to him. 70 71 The alliance remains tense because Kushida fears both betrayal and Hashiba growing too close to Horikita. 77 79

Romance and the Horikita Wager

Kushida’s anxiety shifts from protecting her secret to securing Hashiba’s commitment. She reveals her feelings, asks him to stay by her side, and initiates their first kiss. 133 134

Horikita later confronts Kushida over leaked information, forcing Kushida to admit that her hostility originated in fear of her past being exposed. The two agree to a wager: if Horikita wins the next Special Exam, Kushida must stop targeting her; if Horikita loses, she will leave school. 186 Horikita wins, and Kushida accepts the condition, though she continues to treat Horikita as a rival. 252 280

Student Council Ambition

With Hashiba’s backing, Kushida enters the Student Council and wins a contested officer election. Her social ability allows her to integrate smoothly into the organization, and she seeks further influence by learning accounting and pursuing work closer to Hashiba. 264 267 426

Fear of Exposure

The arrival of new students revives Kushida’s fear that someone from her middle school may expose her history. Unlike at the beginning of the story, she now fears losing the information network and public image that make her useful to Hashiba. He reassures her that he will protect her from anyone who threatens her with the past. 430 431

Notable Quotes

“My dream is to become friends with everyone, so I look forward to getting to know you all in Class B.” 19

“If it gets out, no one will ever confide in me again. How am I supposed to keep gathering information for Hikaru in Class D?” 431

“Even if she doesn't leak my past, I still won't ever be friends with her.” 229