Kushida

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Kushida Kikyo (櫛田)
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Class 1-D, Advanced Nurturing High School 1 2
Occupation/Role	Student; Yuto Hayashi's information-broker partner 9 10
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Appearance

Kushida is a blonde girl whose carefully maintained, cheerful presentation makes her the center of attention among her classmates. 1

• Long golden-blonde hair, commonly tied in a ponytail. 1 3
• Wears a high ponytail and pale-blue dress during the Keyaki Mall outing. 7
• Publicly recognized for her radiant smile, pleasant voice, and lively manner. 1 2

Personality

Kushida projects the image of a warm, universally friendly classmate. She greets nearly everyone, remembers names, keeps conversations moving, and makes people feel included. Her popularity is already firmly established on the first day of school. 1 6 7

Behind that persona, she is exhausted by the constant performance and privately vents resentment toward her classmates. When Yuto discovers this side of her, she quickly shifts from panic to calculated composure, assessing the threat and securing leverage before agreeing to work with him. 9

Her relationship with Yuto allows her to act more naturally than she can around others. Though she begins to trust him, she remains cautious and does not completely lower her guard. 9 10

Abilities & Skills

Social Networking and Image Management

Kushida is highly skilled at building and maintaining a favorable social image.

• Greets classmates and passing students with ease, often remembering their names. 1 6
• Draws Yuto into group outings and introduces his cake-shop work to her friends. 4 6 7
• Guides group conversations so that no participant is ignored or dominates for too long. 7
• Works alongside Hirata Yosuke's reputation to reinforce her standing and class-wide social influence. 7
• Maintaining this persona causes her considerable emotional strain. 9

Information Gathering

Kushida habitually observes social dynamics while appearing casually friendly.

• Watches classmates while conversing and memorizes names, relationships, and apparent traits. 2
• Probes Yuto's background, interests, club plans, and availability through seemingly ordinary conversation. 3 5 7
• Identifies Arisu Sakayanagi, Honami Ichinose, and Kakeru Ryuuen as the effective leaders of Classes A, B, and C. 10

Strategic Manipulation

Kushida can rapidly create leverage and turn vulnerable situations to her advantage.

• After Yuto learns her secret, she makes him leave a handprint on her chest and threatens to accuse him of groping her if he exposes her. 9
• Accepts a mutual-leverage arrangement rather than relying solely on Yuto's promise of silence. 9
• Proposes using a disposable anonymous account, avoiding the records created by real-name registration. 10
• Sends the information-broker messages directly to the leaders of the other three classes. 10

Equipment / Items

• Disposable anonymous account — Purchased and used to contact the leaders of Classes A, B, and C without exposing the partnership's source. 10
• Handprint leverage — Evidence Kushida intends to use as protection against Yuto revealing her true personality. 9

Relationships

• Yuto Hayashi — Classmate, confidant, and information-broker partner. After he discovers her hidden nature, they form an alliance built on mutual leverage; she handles social access and anonymous messaging while he supplies information. 9 10
• Hirata Yosuke — Social ally whose good reputation supports Kushida's standing; Kushida's networking ability, in turn, helps Hirata maintain harmony around the class. 6 7
• Matsushita Chiaki — Friend and frequent companion during Kushida's visits to the cake shop and the Keyaki Mall outing. 6 7
• Arisu Sakayanagi — Class A leader contacted anonymously regarding the class-points information; she requests further details. 10
• Honami Ichinose — Class B leader contacted anonymously regarding the information; she asks for the price. 10
• Kakeru Ryuuen — Class C leader contacted anonymously regarding the information; he questions whether the offer is a joke. 10

Story Role

• Kushida enters Class 1-D as a highly popular, outwardly sunny student whose influence is immediately visible. 1
• She repeatedly approaches Yuto through meals, invitations, and group activities, using these interactions to assess his background and willingness to join her social circle. 3 5 6 7
• Yuto overhears her private breakdown in an alley and learns that her public friendliness is a facade. Rather than expose her, he proposes an information-selling partnership. 9
• She accepts the alliance after securing her own leverage over Yuto, then agrees to monitor students interested in the school's points system. 9
• Kushida advances the partnership by proposing an anonymous account, selecting the three class leaders to contact, sending the messages, and reporting their replies to Yuto. 10

Notable Quotes

“...I'm so tired. Having to pretend to be like that every day.” 9

“You have my secret, and I have your handprint. Now it's fair.” 9

“I’ll handle the account. I’ll buy it after school today. You write the message, and I’ll send it.” 10