Kushida Kikyo

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Kushida Kikyo (櫛田桔梗)
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Class 1-D, Advanced Nurturing High School
Occupation/Role	Student; Class D social organizer and information gatherer
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Background / History

Kushida cultivates an outwardly cheerful, considerate “little angel” persona. She actively befriends classmates, performs favors, and collects their private concerns and secrets. Her interest in being trusted is tied to a desire to know what others hide. 8 39

Before entering Advanced Nurturing High School, she attended the same middle school and grade as Horikita Suzune, though they were not classmates. In her third year, Kushida spread classmates’ secrets and shameful acts online after becoming overwhelmed by the negative emotions they confided in her. The resulting fallout destroyed the class and left students unwilling to attend school. 39 56

Kushida suspects that Horikita knows about this past and initially approaches her under the guise of friendship while intending to have her expelled. She also seeks to determine whether Chihaya Rei knows her secret after he questions whether her high voice is natural. 8 10 56

At the Artificial Lake, Kushida privately vents with profanity about Horikita and numerous Class D students before restoring her pleasant expression. Chihaya records the outburst, catches her attempting to frame him through unwanted contact, and gains decisive leverage over her. 38 39

After Chihaya confronts her with his knowledge of her middle-school actions, Kushida admits that she sought attention, trust, and access to others’ secrets. He argues that becoming everyone’s emotional outlet was the price of the persona she deliberately created. 39

Appearance

Kushida presents herself as a sweet, approachable girl whose appearance and mannerisms reinforce her carefully maintained public image. 8 10

• Flaxen-colored hair. 38
• Pink eyes. 10 57
• Fair, delicate arms. 10
• Usually wears a pure or angelic smile. 8 10
• Uses a soft, conspicuously high-pitched voice in public; her natural voice is colder and harsher when she drops the act. 8 38

Personality

Publicly, Kushida is friendly, polite, energetic, and eager to connect with everyone. She frames herself as dependable and compassionate, mediates disputes, organizes study efforts, and makes herself useful to classmates. 20 36

Privately, she is resentful, highly image-conscious, manipulative, and prone to intense verbal outbursts. She despises being rejected or having her social standing threatened, and she is particularly hostile toward Horikita. 8 38 56

Kushida is resourceful under pressure. Even while fearing Chihaya’s evidence, she looks for secrets that could be used against him and repeatedly tries to regain leverage. 38 40 57

Abilities & Skills

Social Networking

Kushida maintains a broad social circle and can quickly acquire information or contact details through it.

• Obtains the contact information of Katsuragi Kohei, Ichinose Honami, and Ryuen Kakeru for Chihaya. 10
• Organizes or supports Class D study sessions. 20 36
• Uses favors and friendly conversation to encourage others to confide in her. 39

Persona Management

Kushida can rapidly switch between an innocent public demeanor and her hostile private self.

• Maintains a sweet smile and affected voice even when angry or anxious. 8 10
• Restores her “beloved little Kikyo” persona immediately after privately venting at the lake. 38
• Uses embarrassment, flirtation, and apparent vulnerability to influence Chihaya. 10 38 57

Information Gathering and Manipulation

Kushida seeks personal secrets and attempts to use them as leverage.

• Her middle-school persona was designed to gain trust and access to classmates’ private information. 39
• Attempts to blackmail Chihaya after he witnesses her outburst by trying to manufacture grounds for an accusation against him. 38
• Plans to uncover Chihaya’s secrets after he obtains evidence against her. 40

Relationships

• Chihaya Rei — Initially approaches him to investigate what he knows and use him to reach Horikita. He records her true behavior and holds evidence that leaves her fearful, resentful, and unable to openly oppose him. 8 10 38 39 40 57
• Horikita Suzune — Former middle-school peer and primary target of Kushida’s hostility. Kushida initially seeks to become her friend in order to arrange her expulsion; after being confronted, she agrees to stop targeting Horikita in exchange for secrecy. 8 10 56 57
• Sakayanagi Arisu — Sakayanagi gives Kushida midterm answers for Class D. Kushida accepts them and quickly announces the contribution in the class group chat to secure credit for herself. 36 37
• Class D — Kushida maintains popularity through friendliness, favors, mediation, and information gathering, despite privately resenting several classmates. 20 38 39

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early Class D Socialization

Kushida approaches Horikita and Chihaya for their contact information. Horikita rejects her, while Chihaya accepts but deliberately questions Kushida’s unnatural-sounding voice, unsettling her. 8

She later trades her networking ability to Chihaya, supplying three cross-class contacts in exchange for his help obtaining Horikita’s contact information. 10

Midterm Answer Incident

As one of Class D’s study-session organizers, Kushida recognizes the value of Sakayanagi’s offered exam answers. She accepts the files and announces them to Class D before others can take credit. 36 37

Exposure at the Artificial Lake

Kushida vents her hatred toward Horikita and Class D by the lake, unaware that Chihaya is filming. When discovered, she attempts to silence him through a false accusation, but Chihaya records that attempt as well. 38

Chihaya blackmails Kushida into recounting her middle-school past, then forces her to acknowledge her responsibility for creating the circumstances that led to her class’s collapse. 39

Confrontation with Horikita

Chihaya shows the lake video to Horikita, revealing Kushida’s real nature and her intent to expel her. 56

Horikita confronts Kushida on the rooftop and offers to keep her past secret if she stops targeting her and assists the class. Kushida accepts the arrangement cautiously, but Chihaya refuses to promise secrecy or surrender his leverage. 57

Trivia

• Chihaya’s early hints about Kushida’s affected voice alone raise her torture progress to 33%. 9
• After confronting her past, Kushida’s recorded torture progress reaches 75%. 39
• Kushida privately dislikes being treated as an emotional dumping ground, despite having deliberately made herself the person classmates trusted with their secrets. 39