Shirayuki Mikoto

is a major character in the Tensei Pandemic manga series.
==Appearance==
Mikoto is a girl of average build. She has fair skin and silver hair, styled with two hanging braids at either side with small ribbons tied at the ends, as well as one large ribbon on the left side of her head.
==Personality==
As an introvert, Mikoto rarely interacts with others on her own initiative and preferred to spend her time with books. She is also shown to be deeply curious, accepting a gender-changing injection without question and thoroughly exploring every bit of her changes. In life, she too preferred to be an outside observer, and found herself immensely excited observing the story of Hinata and Aki unfold. However, over time, she finds herself longing for more, but at the same time struggles with a sense of inferiority, believing herself to be merely a "side character" in life.
==Plot==
Three months before Hinata received his injection of the Tensei Virus, Mikoto became the first test subject of Suzugami Miya. Her desire to turn into the opposite gender originally stemmed from reading a novel, and she agreed to take the injection purely out of curiosity. After her transformation into a boy, she was initially eager to explore her body during her own time. However, the excitement wore off after several uneventful months.
On the day of Hinata's transformation, Mikoto passes by the infirmary by chance and overhears conversations between Hinata and Aki, and learns about their transformations. Preferring to be an "outsider," this discovery fills Mikoto with immense interest, and she proceeds to silently observe the "fairy tale" of the two classmates unfold over the following days.
Mikoto's first interaction with Hinata comes when he visits the school library to read up on virology in hopes to better understand the Tensei Virus. Volunteering as a librarian, Mikoto is approached by Hinata first, who greets her and attempts to make small talk by asking what kind of books she reads, but Mikoto remains silent, simply processing his book checkout without a word. However, when Hinata returns the next day to try his luck with more books, Mikoto, taking note in his interest in virology, recommends him a book which she thought was easy to understand. Later, as Mikoto is shelving books, Hinata offers to help. However, in his eagerness, he trips and falls, knocking Mikoto down with him. Hinata's towel comes loose in the progress, and he hastily finds an excuse to run off.
After finishing the recommended book, Hinata returns to the library and finds himself alone with Mikoto, feeling slightly awkward after the events of yesterday. He thanks Mikoto for the book she recommended, mentioning that he was able to fully understand it. Mikoto, though still shy, quietly responds that she's glad to hear it. Reflecting silently, Hinata finds Mikoto to be a kind girl and hopes to befriend her. However, he is startled when the president suddenly appears behind a bookshelf. Assuming they're alone, Aki begins flirting with Hinata, but is abruptly interrupted as Mikoto stumbles upon them. Upon witnessing the scene, Mikoto flees the scene, and Hinata hurries after her, attempting to clarify the misunderstanding. However, when he stands facing Mikoto, he suddenly feels a strange bulge underneath Mikoto's skirt.
Unable to hide it any longer, Mikoto reveals her secret to Hinata and Aki. Aki initially suspects that Hinata had kissed her to cause the change, but Mikoto clarifies that she too received the injection out of curiosity. She too admits that she has been aware of Hinata and Aki's transformations and has been observing them as an outsider. She apologizes to Hinata for her previous avoidance, but Hinata expresses understanding in response, recognizing Mikoto as a kindhearted individual. He suggests that they become friends, seeing value in having someone who shares a similar experience. Mikoto acknowledges that while friendship would mean she's no longer just an observer of their "fairy tale," it would allow her to watch it unfold from an even closer perspective, so she agrees to the friendship.
Some time later, the school festival arrives, where Hinata's class plan to perform a gender-swapped version of Snow White. The cast is decided by a raffle, and Mikoto lands the role of a tree. Mikoto is thrilled with her role. Her excitement is palpable during the rehearsal; she injects so much energy into her performance that she needs to be reminded to move less. Despite Mikoto's enthusiasm, people's attention inevitably focuses on the two leads, Yurina and Akira. After rehearsal, Mikoto returns home and sees a TV interview featuring an actor who has just landed their first leading role. The actor's words resonate with Mikoto, making her reflect on her own position in the play.
The following day, Mikoto does not show up for practice. Noticing her absence, Kyousuke becomes concerned and decides to look for her. He eventually finds her in his storage room, trying on his unfinished Snow White costume. After her initial embarrassment, she opens up to Kyousuke. She confesses that she had always seen herself as a bystander in life, but her friendships with Hinata and the others have stirred a desire in her to no longer just watch from the sidelines. She admits to Kyousuke that she yearns to shine just as her friends do.
Hinata, overhearing the conversation from outside, misunderstands Mikoto's desire to "shine" as a literal request. Wanting to help, he brings Christmas ornaments for Mikoto to decorate her tree costume, hoping to make her "sparkle." He enthusiastically places a star on Mikoto's tree, while Kyousuke watches with a sigh. However, Mikoto suddenly makes a personal request to Hinata. She asks him to address her with the "chan" suffix, just as he does with Yurina. Happy to oblige, Hinata compliments "Mikoto-chan," remarking that the star looks great on her.
On the day of the play, Hinata is unexpectedly dragged into a crossdressing contest by some first-year students, causing him to be late for his role as the witch. With the backstage in panic as the witch's part coming up, Mikoto volunteers to fill in, saying she remembers the script word by word. However, since the witch's costume is with Hinata, they improvise, resulting in Mikoto going on stage in a magical girl outfit. Despite the initial surprise, Mikoto, feeling an unexpected excitement to be in the spotlight, delivers a passionate performance.
Hinata finally arrives when Yurina, playing the prince, and Aki, playing Snow White, are about to proceed with their kiss scene. However, seeing Hinata, Yurina becomes flustered, leading to an awkward pause in the play. In order to save the play, Mikoto thinks of a plan. She, as the witch, goes on stage again and adds a twist to the story: The princess is actually a doll created with magic, and when the prince kisses the doll, the poison from the apple will spread to him. However, only after announcing her malevolent plot out loud does she realize that the cautious prince has held off from kissing the princess doll. Hinata then enters the stage, announcing himself as the real princess. The witch casts magic to put the real princess to sleep, but she too collapses from using too much magic. In order to break the spell, Yurina picks up Hinata and goes for the kiss. However, just as the play is about to end on a good note, Akira, unable to stand seeing the two kiss, interrupts, insisting that he is the real princess. Though in chaos, the play manages to conclude successfully, impressing the audience with its unexpected twists.
The class goes on a school trip to Kyoto not long after, where Hinata's secret ends up being exposed. However, Mikoto's secret remains safe for now, as Ms. Katsurako, intending to contain the panic and protect her students, holds off from revealing the full truth to the class. After this, Hinata would start attending school as a girl.
Over time, Mikoto finds herself developing feelings for Hinata. However, knowing her relationship with Yurina, Mikoto struggles with a sense of inferiority, and begins to ponder if her friendship with Hinata could have been something more had she stayed as a girl. One night, these emotions manifest as a dream. In this dream, Mikoto runs into Hinata in the school hallway and notices that she is not in her usual sailor suit. When asked, Hinata explains that she sent it to the laundry and asks if it's weird for her to dress as a boy. Mikoto tells her that it doesn't, nearly blurting out, "No matter how you look, I love you." She catches herself just in time, hesitating before finally trying to confess her feelings. However, when she looks at Hinata again, Yurina has appeared next to her. Heartbroken, Mikoto asks if she is inferior. To her dismay, Hinata coldly answers that, of course, she is. Jolting awake from the dream, Mikoto struggles with her emotions, longing to see Hinata again.
The next day, Mikoto calls Hinata and invites her to hang out. Hinata meets Mikoto at their agreed-upon spot, surprised to see Mikoto looking unusually well-dressed, having clearly put effort into her appearance. Mikoto asks if it looks weird, but Hinata says that it's cute and fits her very well. Curious, Hinata asks why Mikoto decided to invite her out today, noting that it's not something she does often. Caught off guard by the question, Mikoto quickly spots a Halloween-themed store nearby and uses Halloween as an excuse. When Hinata asks her where she wants to go, she unexpectedly takes Hinata to a bookstore, where she browses the books that she's been eyeing. While browsing, Hinata comes across the book Mikoto had recommended when they first met, sparking memories of the earlier days. She casually mentions that back then, she would never have imagined that Mikoto would become a boy. The comment nearly prompts Mikoto to voice her lingering thoughts, almost asking if Hinata would have paid more attention to her if she had remained a girl. However, she catches herself, brushing it off as nothing.
Afterwards, they visit a coffee shop for some sweets. A server comes around to hand out Halloween candies, but Hinata, already stuffed, cannot eat another bite. Getting an idea, she asks Mikoto to choose between "trick" or "treat." When Mikoto opts for "treat," Hinata takes the opportunity to feed her the candy as her "treat," causing Mikoto to blush. Walking together, Mikoto continues to dwell on how things might have been different if she had stayed a girl. Hinata suggests it's time to head home, but to her surprise, Mikoto asks her to choose between "trick" or "treat" as well. Noticing the candy in Mikoto's hand, Hinata assumes it's payback for her earlier prank, and chooses "treat." Mikoto tells Hinata to close her eyes. As Hinata complies, Mikoto places the candy back into her pocket. She silently apologizes for what she's about to do, but knowing that Hinata will not choose her, she wishes to indulge herself just for today. Mikoto leans in to kiss Hinata, but their lips never meet. When Hinata opens her eyes again, she finds Mikoto has fainted and collapsed in front of her.
After some rest, Mikoto somewhat recovers and heads into the washroom. Reflecting on the day, she is happy to have had a date with Hinata but frustrated that she collapsed at the critical moment. However, when she sits down on the toilet, she discovers something shocking — she has turned back into a girl. When they return to school, they share the unexpected development with Aki. Aki asks Mikoto if she knows why this happened, sensing that she is hiding something. However, Mikoto admits that she doesn't want to say it. When asked why, she apologizes and runs off.
Later, Akira finds Mikoto on the rooftop. He asks her why she didn't want to tell Hinata, and voices his suspicion that the way to return to one's original gender is actually really simple. At this point, Mikoto finally opens up, admitting that she fell in love with Hinata. She has become jealous of Yurina, wanting Hinata to see her as a cute girl just like how she sees Yurina. The fact that she wanted to be a girl again from the bottom of her heart is the only reason she can think of. Learning Mikoto's feelings, Aki approaches her and declares them rivals. Though Mikoto doubts her chances, Aki admits that he's in the same boat and encourages her not to give up. He adds that if they fail, he'll gladly accept Mikoto as his second choice.
Some time after, Mikoto would become one of the people witnessing the start of the Tensei Pandemic first-hand, as the identity of the culprit is discovered by her friends.
After a three-year time skip, society has adapted to the new reality where people can freely change their gender. Hinata still remains in her relationship with Yurina, and Mikoto finds a new romantic partner in Aki. Though quite proud of the relationship, Mikoto still feels a sense of inferiority, believing that she's always been third to Aki, unable to compare to either Hinata or Youka. However, when she shares these thoughts with Aki, she would acknowledge Mikoto as someone equally special.
==Chapter Appearances==
==Gallery==
===Volume Covers===
==Trivia==
* The originally sparked Mikoto's interest in changing genders is likely by . The book describes the adventures of a poet who changes sex from man to woman and lives for centuries, meeting the key figures of English literary history.
==References==
==Navigation==