Suzugami Miya

, nicknamed , is a major character in the Tensei Pandemic manga series.
==Appearance==
As a boy, Miya appeared gentle, delicate, and elegant, with light pink, medium-length hair, his described by Youka as "stunningly beautiful." After his transformation into a girl, the Myaako personality would style her hair with a distinct pair of tufts, resembling cat ears.
==Personality==
The Myaako personality presents herself as an energetic and playful individual. She is bold, confident, and unafraid to embrace her femininity, despite knowing that she was once a boy. Her affectionate and supportive nature is evident in her interactions with others, such as Yurina and Hinata, whom she encourages to be more confident. Myaako also has a mischievous side, often teasing her friends. She enjoys seeing those around her happier and embraces her identity with pride. Notably, she has a quirky habit of "nya"-ifying words in her speech.
Raised under a strict environment, Miya is a mild-mannered and somewhat withdrawn boy. He possesses high intelligence, able to assist his father with medical research at a young age. However, his struggles with the identity forced upon him by his father manifested in his eventual rebellion and his plot to change the world via the Tensei Virus. While brilliant and methodical, Miya's actions are driven by pain, as he battles feelings of inadequacy, to a point where he sought to disappear, believing Myaako deserves the freedom and life he was denied. Behind his "villainous" actions is his longing for acceptance, understanding, and freedom, for not just himself, but the countless individuals facing the same struggles.
==Plot==
While Miya's mother was pregnant, Miya was originally going to be born as a girl. However, when Miya's father received news from the doctor that she was ill and was only able to bear a single child, in order to preserve the patrilineal traditions of his lineage, he made a drastic decision — to administer the Tensei Virus, which he was researching at the time, to the unborn child, transforming the fetus into a boy. He would raise Miya under strict expectations, forcing him to act manly, and keeping what he did a secret to him.
Growing up, there is a place that Miya would come to whenever he wants to be alone — a garden at the back of his estate with a forest around it, where he would quietly enjoy some tea. One such time, he encounters an eight-year-old Youka, who wanders into the garden by chance. When he shares that he has no friends because his father forbids him from going out or interacting with other children often, Youka offers to be his friend, then quickly stands up to leave, not wanting to get the boy in trouble. After becoming friends, they would often hang out, playing hide-and-seek and confiding in each other about their troubles. Miya appeared to be a normal and cheerful kid, but in hindsight, Youka remembers the occasional sadness that would cloud his face, becoming more frequent as time went on. Eventually, as Youka became busier with school, their meetings dwindled until they stopped altogether.
While Miya is middle school-aged, instead of attending school, he would assist his father with his research daily. However, resistance towards his father's ways would grow inside him, and he comes up with a plan to change the world, via one of the subjects of their research, the Tensei Virus. Returning to his garden for one last time, he mixes the Tensei Virus into his tea. At this point, Youka also wanders back into Miya's garden by chance. Reminiscing, Miya shares with Youka how his name never appeared on any of his father's publications despite his help. Sensing that Youka, too, is troubled, Miya invites her to share her worries, just like in the old times. Youka opens up about her conflicted feelings regarding her relationship with Aki. She admits that she hates the part of herself that lacks the courage to continue their somewhat unusual relationship, even though she loves Aki deeply. After listening, Miya remarks that he believes everyone desires change and that few are truly satisfied with themselves. He then reveals his plan to leave home the next day, intending to "change" after finishing this final cup of tea, and to find a new world for himself. Youka, unaware of the virus, also pours herself a cup from Miya's teapot, declaring her own desire to change. They both down their tea, and Miya vows that they'll not only change themselves, but the entire world.
Soon after that day, Miya would transform into a girl. However, in the process, he also awakens to a new personality — "Myaako." Myaako's memories start with her waking up in an unfamiliar room with no recollection of who she was, though she somehow knew she had once been a boy. She felt refreshed, as if she had been reborn. As he shared a body with this new personality, Miya would maintain his identity as a boy. Over time, Miya grows quite fond of Myaako, believing that she has a bright future ahead of her, and gradually coming to see her as a sister. In order to give Myaako a place to belong, Miya purchases a building where a maid cafe is opened. Myaako would go on to attend school like a normal teenager, and enjoy her part-time work at the cafe, not knowing that she shared a body with someone else.
As the host of his body, Miya would let Myaako take the front and live a normal life most of the time while he silently observes. However, Miya would still occasionally take over to carry out his plans to change the world. He would start by administering the Tensei Virus to test subjects and observe the changes in their lives, the first of whom being Shirayuki Mikoto. Getting an injection of the virus entirely out of curiosity, she was excited to explore her new body for the first few months, but the novelty eventually wore off. Because of her introverted nature, she would rarely connect with others, resulting in the infection not manifesting as strongly as he hoped. However, Miya's second test subject, — Imamura Hinata, would prove to be totally different. Driven by his insecurities to take the injection, which as Miya advertised, would grant "rebirth" for those unsatisfied with their bodies, Hinata transforms into a girl and manages to spread the infection to two others, Sawashiro Aki and Minami Yuuri, in his chaotic life that followed. Though initially insistent on finding a way to change back, his true feelings deep down prevents an reversal of his transformation which is normally possible when the virus reacts to a strong desire to change back. Throughout his journey, Hinata gradually discovers his true feelings and gains acceptance for his current life, which also solidified his transformation, due to the virus's design to cause the infected's sex to become fixed again upon full acceptance. The observation of Hinata's journey would provide Miya with immensely valuable data and experience throughout his experiment.
While unaware of Miya's experiment, Myaako, attending the same school as Hinata as a third-year, first meets Hinata at a "become an idol in five seconds" event at the sea. Hinata, as well as his crush, Yurina, are both entered into the event by a talent scout who found them on the beach, with Hinata assuming the identity of "Hinako" to avoid being recognized by Yurina. As the show progresses, Yurina is questioned by the host whether she has a boyfriend. She hesitates, her cheeks reddening as she thinks of Hinata. Despite this, she would deny having anyone that she likes. Returning to the back of the stage, Myaako questions her answer, seeing right through her lie. Yurina confesses that she feels like even if she admits her feelings, it would only annoy the person she likes. Myaako reassures her that it's okay, as long as she has someone kind to trust and share her problems with. Hinata was sitting besides them for their entire conversation, trying his best to cover his ears. When he looks up as their conversation ended, he feels as though Yurina is now happier. He asks Myaako what she did to her, but she says that she didn't do much, and she's simply happier now that Yurina is happy. She changes the subject, asking if Hinako also lacks confidence. She says that girls should be more confident, and much to Hinata's surprise, confesses that she used to be a boy and is now happier than ever as a girl. She encourages Hinako to should show off her cuteness more, believing it would make both her and those around her happier.
Myaako's mention that she used to be a boy catches Hinata's attention. As she leaves the show, Hinata catches up to her. Believing that Myaako is telling the truth, Hinata asks her to tell him more about how the transformation happened. However, she simply says that she woke up one day and became a girl, an answer much simpler than Hinata was expecting. Before he can press her further, Myaako says that she has to go and bids Hinata farewell, leaving him confused and frustrated.
Several days later, Hinata, along with Akira, finds Myaako again at school. Hinata is initially concerned that Myaako wouldn't recognize him when he is dressed in a boy's uniform, but she identifies himsolely by his scent. Akira interrupts the reunion and asks Myaako to disclose the full story of her gender change. However, besides the fact that she "woke up one morning and became a girl," Myaako does not have any other recollections of how it happened. Myaako changes the topic, presenting Hinata with a poster advertising a job at the maid cafe. Adding fuel to the fire, Akira too pushes Hina to accept the job before leaving, gaining the cafe one more part-time maid. During their time working together, Myaako becomes an important friend and mentor to Hinata.
When Hinata attends a summer festival with his friends, Miya, wearing a fox mask, finds Hinata and proclaims to be "Yako." Miya reveals that that they've been observing Hinata ever since the gender change, as Hinata is a very important sample for his research. Hinata asks to be changed back to a boy as soon as possible, believing there must be a cure to revert the effects of the virus. Miya, however, dashes his hopes by stating that once the virus has entered the body, it cannot be eradicated, and that even though there is a possibility of reversing the change, it is not applicable to him. Miya urges Hinata to accept his new identity, explaining that full acceptance would solidify the transformation, making it irreversible. Miya rises and walks towards the sky lit by festival's fireworks, annoucing that once the experiment proves their theory, his virus will spread like the fireworks, starting a "Tensei Pandemic."
Even though Hinata insists on finding a way to change back, Miya questions whether it is truly his wish to do so, and despite his affirmative response, Miya insists that Hinata will lead a happier life as a girl. They present the observation that that before the transformation, Hinata's lack of masculinity had left him with low self-esteem, but since becoming a girl, he has gained popularity and made new friends. Miya argues that everyone welcomed Hinata as a girl, and that it is best for him to remain this way. When Hinata counters that Yurina wants him to be a man, Miya simply challenges him, "Are you sure?" They add that returning to his original gender would also mean returning to his former, miserable life, and now having experienced life as a girl, he would suffer even more than before. Miya asserts that his past life is not the one he's meant to live, and asks a final time whether he still wants to turn back. This time however, Hinata finds himself unable to respond. Bursting into laughter at Hinata's hesitation, Miya tells Hinata that it is only a matter of time until he accepts himself as a girl, then bids him farewell.
Some time after Miya's disappearance, his father manages to locate him. He sends his staff to find Myaako in a forceful attempt bring him back home, but this was unsuccessful. Around this time, Aki also learns about the story of Miya from Youka. Based on the fact that Youka underwent her transformation only a few days after sharing her last cup of tea with Miya, Aki concludes that the virus was in the tea, and Myaako is the new identity of Miya who is responsible for everyone's transformations.
The following day, after school, Myaako finds Hinata at the lockers and invites her to walk home together. As they're about to leave, Akira suddenly intercepts them, urgently warning Hinata to stay away from Myaako. Addressing her by her full name, Suzugami Miya, Akira questions why questions why she's hanging around after school when she didn't attend class today. Akira accuses Miya of hiding something, and when she tries to play dumb, he reveals that he knows about her past, thanks to his conversation with Youka. Myaako is genuinely confused and unaware of the actions of her host, but Miya soon takes over. He feigns a headache and asks to leave for the infirmary in an attempt to escape the confrontation. However, Ms. Katsurako arrives at this moment with Mikoto and Yuuri, declaring that she'll take care of Miya right here instead of at the infirmary. Yuuri and Mikoto, too, demand an explanation from her for Akira's accusations.
Despite Hinata's attempt to defend Myaako as her friend, Miya would admits that he was the one who created the virus. He agrees to explain everything, but requests to do it in front of all the students of this school in order to warn them of the danger he's put them in. However, after the students have gathered outside the school building, they realize that Miya has escaped from their watch. Moments later, she appears at the top of the building, looking down at everyone below. He announces to the school that she has created a virus, which reacts to the desires of those infected, specifically those who wish to transform into the opposite sex. He reveals the process of his experiments and his observations of the test subjects, Mikoto and Hinata.
Unable to stand her villainous speech, Akira interrupts Miya, declaring that all his so-called "valuable data" will amount to nothing because they've discovered how to reverse the virus's effects. He adds that they've also realized the virus can't spread on a large scale, asserting that Miya is finished now that he's cornered. However, Miya is unfazed and instead agrees with Akira. With a small container in hand, she announces that it is time to escalate to the next level. Admitting that the current version of the virus, transmitted only through mucous membrane contact, was not designed for mass infection, she introduces the sample in her hand as something completely different. Realizing the urgency of the situation, Aki, Hinata, and Mikoto run upstairs, trying to catch Miya. At the same time, Miya's father also arrives in a helicopter. However, no one is able to stop Miya as she pops open the container, releasing the virus into the air like falling snow. Within moments, all the students and staff are infected, their bodies transforming into the opposite sex. Watching the ensuing chaos, Miya is satisfied with the results, deeming it to be the beginning of a new world.
When Hinata's group and Miya's father arrive on the rooftop, Miya has already disappeared. However, he would later allow Myaako to take over, as she wishes to see Hinata one more time. Myaako finds Hinata wandering the streets, looking for her. Facing her, Hinata asks if she is Myaako-senpai. With a sad smile, she replies that for now, she is, and tells Hinata that she is here to say goodbye. Hinata asks her what she means, but Myaako tries to brush it off with her usual playful demeanor, but Hinata asks her to drop the act. Realizing Hinata knows the truth, Myaako admits that another person, Miya-kun, resides within her. She quickly corrects herself, explaining that it's actually her who resides within him.
Myaako explains that she didn't even realize someone else shared her body until recently, when Miya spoke to her in her mind. Miya is the "host," and it's his decision which personality takes control. He knows everything Myaako has experienced and is likely listening to their conversation at this very moment.
She goes on to explains Miya's strict upbringing, where he was rarely allowed him to leave the house to make friends, and heavily pressured him to act like a man. However, Miya has always felt uncomfortable about it, and eventually, he couldn't take it anymore. That was when Miya took the virus and ran away from home.
When questioned if she really had no idea about any of this until now, Myaako recounts the very beginning of her memory: Waking up in an unfamiliar room with no recollection of who she was, though she somehow knew she had once been a boy. She felt refreshed, as if she had been reborn. Looking back, she now believes that was the first day after Miya switched genders, and it was too the day Myaako was born.
She tells Hinata that because she didn't want to worry her friends, she never told them that she has trouble remembering things, which made her feel uneasy at times. However, she still felt content with the life that she has lived, able to shop for things she wanted, go to school, and most importantly, make many friends.
She then steps closer and observes Hinata, commenting that she can tell Hinata has been taking better care of her skin and hair. However, her compliments do not soften the sadness in Hinata's expression. Tearing up, Hinata says that she feels as if Myaako could disappear at any moment. Myaako assures her that she's not going anywhere, because she never existed in the first place, as she's merely a personality born from a fragment of Miya's mind. Despite her words, Myaako starts tearing up too, questioning how she's able to talk to Hinata if what she said was true.
Myaako admits that while she disagrees with Miya's actions, she's able to feel the depth of his pain, and is unable to abandon him. Thanking Hinata for listening, Myaako says goodbye and begins to walk away. Desperate, Hinata runs after her, pleading for her to wait. But this time, it's a stern Miya who responds, telling her he has to go now that the farewells have been said. He declares that from now on, he will be watching the world change from a very special seat.
After this, Miya retreats back to the cafe, in a secret underground room, which is decorated to resemble the garden at his estate using digital screens. There, he watches the virus spread via the screens displayed on the walls, all displaying TV channels covering the ongoing pandemic. Via spying devices that he has planted, he also continues to observe the lives of his test subjects. A week later, Miya would finally learn the truth of his birth, as his father confesses to Hinata's group, deeply regretting his actions. Following Hinata's intuitions, the group manages to locate Miya in his hideout, finding him standing alone in the "garden," silent as tears stream down his cheeks.
Wiping his tears, Miya remarks that he's impressed, as it never crossed his mind that such a possibility existed. He now understands that the birth of the Myaako personality must have been inevitable. But even with this newfound knowledge, he states, it changes nothing.
When Hinata questions if Miya truly intended for Myaako to disappear, Miya responds that it was Myaako's own decision. However, he clarifies that it is actually himself who will vanish. The group reacts with surprise, and Miya goes on to explain that he sees no value in his existence — he is still trapped in the same cage as when he last sipped tea in the garden, having not changed at all.
Miya explains that when he is here, he can hear the hustle and bustle of the maid cafe. He reveals that it is in fact he who owns this building, having acquired it because he wanted a place for Myaako, instead of himself who does not have a place to belong. Calling Myaako her beloved other half, he admits that he eventually came to see her as a sister. He proclaims that Myaako has a bright future ahead, where she can live in a world of her own choosing, without being bound by anyone else.
Hinata simply responds by asking if Miya-kun is okay with this. Miya assures him that everything is proceeding as planned: the virus will become widespread, and he, the mastermind, will disappear from the world. With a triumphant tone, Miya declares his own victory. However, Hinata's next move leaves everyone surprised — he slaps Miya in the face. He then points out that his true motive wasn't just to help Myaako, but to stop the suffering of everyone who was struggling like Miya had. Miya acknowledges this but maintains that this is precisely why everyone should find happiness in the outcome.
Grabbing Miya, Hinata challenges his answer, questioning why he himself isn't happy. She shares that becoming a girl allowed her to see the kindness of those around her, something she hadn't noticed before. This made her willing to accept living as a girl. Yet, when she did so, she started feeling lost. However, she recalled that prior to being infected, she had no choice but to behave like a man. She came to understand that that this "feeling lost" is a possibility, and possibilities are exactly what Miya's virus has given them. However, it is still only a possibility, and for Miya, the virus alone cannot make him happy. Hinata concludes that she will choose to embrace this feeling of being lost, recognizing that with friends by her side, navigating life as either gender isn't so bad.
Miya responds that Hinata's words are odd because she, in particular, doesn't have a choice to turn back. However, he then admits that he envies her for her friendships, but is also glad that Myaako has so many good friends. Though, Aki interrupts, pointing out that Miya and Myaako are one and the same, and so are their friendships. Youka too, offers to talk over a cup of tea like they used to. Miya, finally questioning his own actions, breaks down crying, apologizing to Myaako. However, he too can no longer halt the virus's spread.
At this moment, the sound of rotors come from above — Miya's father has landed on the roof in his helicopter. When they reach the rooftop, Miya's father begs for Miya's forgiveness, admitting his mistakes. Miya tells his father that all he wanted was for him to acknowledge him as a worthy child, whether as a boy or a girl. In response, he assures him that both Miya and Myaako are his children. However, turning to face the group, Miya's father then announces that with the virus beyond containment, someone has to take responsibility. He takes out another container with the Tensei Virus as he speaks, declaring that he alone will shoulder the burden of his sins, and wishing for Miya and Myaako to live freely in the new world. Before anyone can intervene, he releases the virus into the air.
After a three-year time skip, Myaako appears on a TV interview, now leading a team developing a vaccine to neutralize the virus. When asked how long the vaccine will take to develop, Myaako admits she isn't sure yet but promises that she will eventually restore the world to how it was before the pandemic, as such is her responsibility. The interviewer asks Myaako if the pressure of such a critical role is overwhelming for someone as young as her. Myaako answers that she doesn't mind at all, because she receives support from the boy version of herself inside her, as well as all of her friends.
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