Kushida

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Kushida Kikyo (櫛田桔梗)
Alias(es)	Kikyo
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Advanced Nurturing High School; Class D
Occupation/Role	Student
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background / History

Kushida knew Shiomiya Yo before entering Advanced Nurturing High School. On their bus ride to the school, she immediately recognizes one of his emotional episodes and helps an elderly passenger obtain a seat after confronting Koenji Rokusuke over his refusal to yield it 1.

At the academy, she rapidly establishes herself among Class D, exchanging contact details with most classmates and declaring that she wants to be friends with everyone and make happy memories 2 3. Behind this public persona, however, she regards Shiomiya's knowledge of her as a threat. She lures him to the camera-free rooftop and repeatedly urges him to leave the school 3.

When persuasion fails, Kushida escalates to attempting to frame Shiomiya for molestation by placing his hand against her chest and threatening to report him. Shiomiya records her threat, refusing to withdraw and warning that another person may also target her 4. He later records her in his diary as the subject of the “Two-Faced Person Observation Diary” 6.

Kushida becomes increasingly preoccupied with Horikita Suzune after learning they attended the same middle school. Her attempts to become Horikita's friend are rejected, deepening her suspicions toward both Horikita and Shiomiya 11 13.

Following Shiomiya's breakdown after a piano performance, Kushida initially comforts him and takes him to his dormitory. Once she recognizes his vulnerability, she attempts to extract his secrets and searches unsuccessfully for his diary 14 15. After Shiomiya falls asleep while restraining her, Kushida devises a false sexual-assault scenario using staged photographs and surrounding evidence to make him believe he harmed her 16 17.

Kushida uses the resulting guilt to demand Shiomiya's obedience while preserving a normal public relationship. She begins spreading claims that his gifts and attention constitute harassment, allowing her to portray him publicly as an unwanted admirer while privately treating him as her servant 17 18. Shiomiya later recognizes inconsistencies in her manufactured evidence, including the absence of injuries and signs that she had washed her skirt, but chooses to continue playing along with her control dynamic 28.

Her fear of Horikita is rooted in their shared middle-school history, the details of which remain largely undisclosed. Kushida believes that anyone aware of her past must be removed from her life; Shiomiya indicates that the related incident caused severe injuries and nearly claimed lives 32 37. When Shiomiya and Horikita force her to choose between continuing to target Horikita and risking exposure herself, Kushida ultimately agrees to stop provoking Horikita, though she remains resentful and keeps the video involving Horikita Manabu as leverage 37.

Appearance

Kushida presents herself as an approachable, feminine student whose expressions and body language are central to her social persona.

• Gives a gentle, warm smile that Shiomiya compares to sunlight 1.
• Uses close physical proximity and deliberate eye contact as a habitual persuasive tactic 3.
• Previously had long hair; Shiomiya notes that her current hairstyle is shorter 4.
• Her natural voice is more mature than the high-pitched, cutesy voice she uses publicly 3 4.
• Usually wears her school uniform with a headband, but dresses more fashionably for private outings and dates 53 54.
• Can appear visibly embarrassed or flustered when her carefully managed image is disrupted, despite her usual composure 24 52 53.

Personality

Kushida is highly sociable and cultivates an image of kindness, openness, and universal friendliness. She quickly blends into Class D's social groups and actively collects contact information, while avoiding conduct that could damage her popularity—such as being publicly associated with a boyfriend 2 3 11. She earns classmates' trust by undertaking errands, cleaning, tutoring, and other unwanted tasks, even though doing so is personally draining 39.

Privately, she is calculating, invasive, and intensely concerned with controlling information about herself. She treats secrets as leverage and derives pleasure from uncovering them, repeatedly interrogating or surveilling Shiomiya when she suspects he is concealing something 3 13 15. Her fear of exposure drives her to seek Shiomiya's expulsion, manufacture evidence against him, and contemplate blackmailing Horikita into leaving the school 3 4 17 32.

Kushida is capable of coercion beyond simple charm. She leverages Shiomiya's perceived guilt to impose demands, punishes him when he disobeys, and uses rumors or public sympathy to preserve her authority and image 18 24 41. Her public kindness can also become moral pressure, as she often makes refusal socially uncomfortable through persistent invitations, vulnerability, or overwhelming enthusiasm 20 44.

Despite her manipulation, Kushida can show genuine concern in moments when Shiomiya is visibly unwell. She helps him regulate his breathing during episodes and takes responsibility for getting him back to his dorm after his emotional collapse 1 4 14 15. Her feelings toward Shiomiya gradually become conflicted: she resents his past actions and attempts to control him, yet chooses not to sacrifice him during the Horikita confrontation and later struggles to deny her growing attachment to him 37 38.

As her relationship with Shiomiya develops, the division between her angelic facade and cruel private self becomes less absolute. She remains jealous, possessive, and quick-tempered, particularly regarding other girls' interest in him, but increasingly engages with him through honest arguments, teasing, competition, and mutual concern 51 54 57 72.

Abilities & Skills

Social Manipulation

Kushida uses charm, vulnerability, intimacy, and shifts in tone to influence others and probe for information.

• Effortlessly integrates into unfamiliar groups and attracts attention from classmates 2.
• Invades personal space, holds hands, and adopts an innocent demeanor to pressure targets 3 13.
• Changes between an affectionate public voice and a cold, natural voice depending on her objective 3 4 16.
• Attempts to exploit Shiomiya's emotional instability to obtain the location of his diary 15.
• Uses public displays of reluctance and concern to spread the impression that Shiomiya is harassing her while presenting herself as unwilling to hurt him 18.
• Cultivates popularity by consistently performing inconvenient favors for classmates, strengthening her position as a trusted Class D member 39.
• Employs emotional pressure and persistent friendliness to make others reluctant to refuse her requests 20 44.

Acting and Deception

Kushida can perform convincing emotional roles, particularly helplessness and distress, to direct how others interpret a situation.

• Maintains her friendly persona even while secretly surveilling and interrogating Shiomiya 13.
• Feigns fear and grief after waking beside Shiomiya, then immediately drops the act when alone 16.
• Plans her deception in stages: appearing as a wronged victim before revealing hostility and demands 17.
• Stages photographs and arranges physical evidence to support her false accusation against Shiomiya 17.
• Publicly behaves amicably toward Horikita even while privately expressing intense hatred and continuing to fear exposure through their shared past 41 43.
• Can convincingly feign tears, remorse, and vulnerability to steer confrontations in her favor 20 32 36.

Information Gathering

Kushida actively tracks people she considers potential threats or sources of useful knowledge.

• Presses Shiomiya over his connection to Horikita and Sakayanagi Arisu 11 13.
• Follows Shiomiya and Sakayanagi at a café after becoming suspicious of their meeting 13.
• Searches Shiomiya while he is mentally compromised in an attempt to find his diary 15.
• Exploits Ichinose Honami's trust to confirm the secret concerning Shiranami Chihiro, then privately recognizes its potential as leverage 51 52.
• Continues trying to uncover the methods behind Shiomiya's deductions, divination claims, and magic tricks rather than accepting unexplained answers 52 70.

Physical Restraint and Self-Defense

Although she is not portrayed as a specialist combatant, Kushida is willing to use physical force in private and develops practical restraint techniques.

• Uses slaps, punches, stomps, and other physical punishment when Shiomiya defies or frustrates her 20 25 41.
• Can throw Shiomiya, choke him, and apply holds when he provokes her during their date 54.
• Learns self-defense techniques from Yae Ogami and successfully applies joint locks and scissor holds against Shiomiya 52.
• Shows enough decisiveness to discuss confronting Ibuki Mio when she suspects Ibuki is spying on Shiomiya 72.

Relationships

• Shiomiya Yo — A prior acquaintance who knows too much about her; their relationship begins in mutual manipulation and hostility. Kushida initially tries to force him out of school, then controls him through a fabricated assault scenario and public rumors 3 4 17 18. Shiomiya later deduces that her evidence was staged but continues to indulge the arrangement 28. Their bond becomes increasingly intimate and emotionally complicated: Kushida chooses not to endanger him in her conflict with Horikita, struggles with feelings for him, and privately spends significant time with him despite continuing to deny or obscure their relationship publicly 37 38 53 55 57 69.
• Horikita Suzune — Kushida seeks to become her friend after realizing they attended the same middle school, but Horikita rejects her; Kushida becomes increasingly suspicious of her 11 13. Kushida later admits that she hates Horikita and considers blackmailing her into dropping out because of the danger posed by their shared past 32 33. Following their confrontation, Kushida agrees to stop actively provoking Horikita, but their relationship remains tense and competitive 37 42.
• Ayanokoji Kiyotaka — After Ayanokoji overhears Kushida venting her true feelings by the artificial lake, Kushida and Shiomiya pressure him to keep quiet by exploiting his own secrets 43. Kushida also works with him to distribute old test papers before the midterm, using her popularity to rally Class D 41.
• Koenji Rokusuke — She argues with him on the bus when he refuses to surrender a priority seat to an elderly woman 1. Koenji later teases Shiomiya over Kushida's influence on his spending and behavior 28.
• Sakayanagi Arisu — Kushida notices and investigates Shiomiya's meeting with Sakayanagi, silently marking her as someone to watch 13.
• Ichinose Honami — Kushida forms a friendly connection with Ichinose, who seeks her advice on a sensitive confession. Kushida manipulates the conversation to learn Ichinose's secret concerning Shiranami, which she agrees to keep while privately treating it as valuable information 51 52.
• Sakura Airi — Kushida attempts to draw the socially anxious Sakura into group activities and later helps her after her camera is damaged. Though Kushida is patient and outwardly kind, Sakura remains hesitant to trust her completely 44 45 46.
• Ibuki Mio — Kushida grows jealous when Shiomiya pays attention to Ibuki and becomes willing to consider confronting her after concluding that Ibuki may be spying on him 70 72.
• Class D students — Kushida publicly aims to befriend everyone in the class and rapidly forms social connections 2 3. She reinforces her popularity by assisting classmates with burdens they would rather avoid and by distributing useful test papers before the midterm 39 41.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Bus Encounter and Academy Enrollment

Kushida confronts Koenji over the priority seat, assists the elderly passenger, and reconnects with Shiomiya under the appearance of a first meeting 1.

Rooftop Confrontation

She draws Shiomiya to a camera-free rooftop, asks him to leave the school because he knows too much about her, then tries coercion after he refuses. Her threat is recorded, leaving her without immediate leverage 3 4.

Horikita Suspicion

Kushida repeatedly attempts to use Shiomiya to access Horikita, believing that Horikita's shared middle-school history may endanger her 11 13.

Dormitory Deception

After caring for Shiomiya during his breakdown, Kushida tries to learn his secrets. Later, she exploits his memory gap and guilt by constructing false evidence that implies he assaulted her, securing his agreement to obey her demands while maintaining a normal public relationship 15 16 17.

Public Control and Private Reversal

Kushida turns Shiomiya's apparent guilt into a means of control, ordering him to perform humiliating tasks and spreading rumors that frame his gifts as harassment 18 24 25. Although Shiomiya eventually identifies the deception, he continues acting as her devoted admirer, making their power dynamic increasingly performative and unstable 28 31.

Horikita Blackmail Standoff

After Kushida reveals that she hates Horikita and intends to use blackmail against her, Shiomiya supplies her with footage of Horikita Manabu being attacked 32 33. Horikita counters by threatening to expose Kushida's past, forcing Kushida to decide whether to continue pursuing Horikita's expulsion. Kushida ultimately stops her campaign against Horikita and chooses to preserve Shiomiya's place in her life, though she vents her anger on him afterward 36 37 38.

Class D Support and Midterm Period

Kushida helps investigate the complaint against Shiomiya and works to support him despite their private hostility 34. She later uses her popularity to distribute old test papers to Class D and maintain a helpful public image, while privately punishing Shiomiya for failing to follow her orders 41. Horikita's role in preventing Sudo's expulsion leaves Kushida feeling overshadowed and renews her resentment toward her 42 43.

Developing Relationship

Kushida becomes increasingly conflicted over her attachment to Shiomiya. After seeking advice from Ichinose, she visits Shiomiya, engages in playful rivalry over his supposed divination, and accepts an awkward date with him 51 52 53. Their date shifts from forced politeness to more candid interaction after Kushida abandons her effort to make everything perfect, and they spend the day shopping, playing arcade games, and returning to the dorm together 54 55.

Cruise Ship and Island Examination

During the cruise trip, Kushida reacts aggressively to Shiomiya's possessiveness and his interactions with other girls, while their relationship becomes an open subject of rumors among classmates 61 63 69. On the uninhabited-island examination, she explores with Shiomiya and Koenji, joins Class D's search for a base, and continues working alongside Shiomiya despite criticizing his recklessness 65. She becomes fascinated by his magic tricks and later joins him in confronting the possibility that Ibuki is spying on him 70 72.

Trivia

• Shiomiya prefers Kushida's natural voice to the cutesy voice she uses as part of her public persona 4 16.
• She does not join a club because she considers club activities too time-consuming and believes they would reduce her time for socializing 13.
• Shiomiya labels her diary record “Two-Faced Person Observation Diary,” later considering changing it to “Suspicious Two-Faced Person” 6 11.
• Kushida is highly curious about tricks and unexplained methods, repeatedly trying to expose the secrets behind Shiomiya's divination and magic 52 70.
• She initially reacts with disbelief when others suggest that Shiomiya might be romantically involved with someone else, despite repeatedly denying the status of her own relationship with him 50 51.