Kushida

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Kushida Kikyo (櫛田)
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Class D, Advanced Nurturing High School
Occupation/Role	Student; socially prominent Class D member
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Appearance

Kushida is an orange-haired girl with red lips and large eyes. She is noted for her attractive, carefully maintained “sweet and wholesome” image, though her expression becomes markedly colder when she drops the façade. 1 82

• Orange hair and a slender build. 1 36
• Large eyes, long eyelashes, and vivid red lips. 17 82
• Often presents herself with a warm smile and gentle manner. 11 31
• Her private demeanor is described as sharp, dangerous, and thorn-like. 82

Personality

Kushida publicly presents herself as friendly, energetic, and devoted to making friends. During her self-introduction, she says that the kikyo flower signifies “eternal love” and expresses hope that her friendships will never change. She readily comforts nervous classmates, such as Inokashira Kokoro, and is usually quick to offer assistance in emergencies. 11 51

Behind that persona, Kushida is highly conscious of popularity and resents being overshadowed. Uchiha repeatedly drawing attention away from her aggravates her, and she internally views classmates such as Yamauchi, Horikita, Ike, and Uchiha with intense hostility. 8 30 82

She is also calculating in social situations. Kushida recruits Ayanokoji to arrange a meeting with Uchiha, lies to persuade Horikita to attend, and attempts to control what others know after Uchiha witnesses her railing-kicking outburst. 31 33 82 83

Skills

Social Influence

Kushida easily draws people in through warmth, charm, and an approachable image.

• Comforted Inokashira during her anxious self-introduction, allowing her to finish speaking. 11
• Organizes social outings and attempts to bring isolated classmates, including Horikita and Uchiha, into her circle. 31 33
• Can pressure or persuade others while maintaining an innocent outward demeanor. 31 33
• Her popularity makes her sensitive to losing attention to Uchiha’s performances. 8 30 74

Athletic Ability

Kushida is a capable runner and has trained regularly to surpass Horikita.

• Takes an early lead during the race and finishes third among the girls in the 1000-meter run. 36 37
• Trains by running at night and is determined to defeat Horikita. 36

Jiaxin Imitation

After initial reluctance, Kushida successfully performs the exaggerated “Jiaxin” behavior taught by Uchiha.

• Learns and delivers a Jiaxin-style performance before Class D. 74
• Her performance is received well enough to preserve and improve her popularity. 74

Relationships

• Uchiha Jiahao — Classmate. She initially offers him shelter from the rain but considers his behavior childish and bizarre. Later, she seeks to become friends with him, becomes annoyed by his popularity, and forces him into a secret after he discovers her hidden nature. 1 2 31 82 83
• Ayanokoji Kiyotaka — Uses him as an intermediary to contact Uchiha and takes his front-row seat so she can listen to Uchiha’s stories. 31
• Horikita Suzune — Attempts to befriend her, including arranging a café meeting through deception; Horikita remains suspicious of Kushida’s motives. 33
• Inokashira Kokoro — Supports her through stage fright during the class self-introduction. 11
• Ichinose Honami — Interacts playfully with her during Uchiha’s race, teasing her about having to confess to Uchiha. 44
• Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike — Their persistent attention is a major source of her private resentment. 73 82

Story Role / Major Arcs

First Encounter with Uchiha

Kushida first encounters Uchiha in the rain and warns him that he will catch a cold. His strange claims and flirtatious remarks leave her bewildered, and she suspects that he is trying to attract her attention. 1 2

On the bus, she initially doubts that Uchiha genuinely intends to give his seat to an elderly woman. His eventual act surprises her and establishes her recurring pattern of misjudging his motives. 3

Class D Social Life

Kushida takes a leading role in Class D’s self-introductions, helping Inokashira recover from ridicule before introducing herself as someone who loves making friends. 11

As Uchiha becomes the center of attention through his Jiahao-behavior discussions, Kushida grows frustrated at being pushed out of the spotlight. She nevertheless pursues contact with him, even asking Ayanokoji to arrange a meeting. 30 31

Café Meeting

Kushida invites Horikita and Uchiha to the Pallet café in an attempt to become friends with both of them. Horikita identifies several signs that Kushida deliberately arranged the setting and directly questions her motives. 33

After Horikita leaves, Kushida tells Ayanokoji that being able to become friends with Uchiha is enough for her, though Uchiha immediately misinterprets her statement as romantic interest. 34

Race and Clinic Incident

Kushida competes against Horikita in a school race, secretly determined to beat her after training nightly. 36

When Sakura collapses from anemia, Kushida correctly recognizes the urgency, directs Uchiha to the clinic, and accompanies him as he carries Sakura there. 51

Jiaxin Rankings

Kushida is pressured to perform Jiaxin-like behavior during Uchiha’s classroom presentation. Although she initially refuses, she accepts Uchiha’s coaching and completes the performance successfully. 73 74

Riverbank Secret

Kushida secretly vents her resentment by kicking the riverbank railings and cursing several classmates, including Uchiha. When he returns and witnesses the outburst, she realizes that he has seen her true personality. 82

After Uchiha uses Thunder Judgment on her, Kushida threatens him into keeping the incident secret. She creates false “evidence” of improper contact and frames their arrangement as a secret shared only between them. 83

Notable Quotes

“I especially love making friends, so feel free to come hang out with me anytime~” 11

“If you dare betray me, I’ll make your life worse than death.” 83

Trivia

• Kushida’s given name, Kikyo, is associated by her with the flower language of “eternal love.” 11
• Her railing-kicking is linked to the school’s rumor of a screaming riverside railing. 73 82
• She repeatedly assumes Uchiha is acting with ulterior motives, only to discover that his actions are often genuine or motivated by unrelated system goals. 1 3 51