Nanoka Kiba

## Name

**Nanoka Kiba** (黄葉 菜花, *Kiba Nanoka*) is the narrator and heroine of the story *MAO*.

## Biography

### History

8 years ago, September 1st 2011 at noon, during her first year in elementary school, she and her parents were caught in a sinking accident when they passed by a shutter street named Five Line Shopping Street (五行商店街) by car. Mysteriously she was pulled into the Taisho Era and was faced to face with Byouki after Mao saved her, she then was dragged back into the Reiwa Era, Her parents died and she was found covered in blood and not breathing, yet for some reason she still lives.

### Plot

As she begins her third year in middle school, Nanoka passes the Five Line Shopping Street on her shortcut to school and mysteriously ends up in a strange village full of ghost-like beings in the Taisho Era, 1923. There, a disguised giant Mantis attacks her nearly on sight because it believes her to be human. As she runs from it, she spots someone who's not see-through: Mao and his young assistant Otoya. Having just arrived on the scene, the pair watch as Nanoka begs for Mao's help. Believing her to be a stronger than her attacker, Mao responds by saying she can deal with it herself. When the Mantis injures her, severing her hand, Nanoka's blood splashes onto it and makes it melt. Seeing this, Mao destroys it with his sword so as to not let it get away.

Later, Nanoka awakens from a fainting spell to see that she's received treatment from Mao, who tells her that she's an ayakashi. Believing him to be talking nonsense, Nanoka returns to the Shopping Street gate and exits back to her own world.

The next day, she displays some unusual powers and feels unwell enough to avoid school. Resolved to learn more about what happened to her, she manages to return to the Taisho era the same way as she did the previous day, intent to ask Mao her questions. With the help of Otoya, she catches up to Mao who reveals himself to be an Onmyouji and that he was cursed by someone using a byōki. This information reminds her of having seen a town on fire and a monster when she was a little girl at the cave-in accident.

She follows Mao and Otoya to another town where they find a Spider Demon using a dead viscount to carry out a slew of beheadings, and much to Mao's surprise, not only does she survive being strangled by the spiderwebs, she's also able to use his sword to kill the demon. She learns from Mao that being covered by the byōki's blood resulted in him being cursed, and that only he could use the sword because it was bathed in the same blood. Because of this, she deduces that the blood she was covered in 8 years ago was possibly that of the byōki.

## Appearance

She's a third-year junior high school girl with brown short hair and light brown eyes.

## Personality

Outspoken, determined and brave, Nanoka is extremely curious about the circumstances of her and Mao's curse, leading her to research history with her classmate, Shiraha, when she returns home from the Taisho era. Despite her being a natural fighter, Nanoka is afraid to engage in conflict. She believes herself to be too weak to win against most opponents, but with her excursions with Mao, is growing more confident in her abilities.

## Relationships

Unnamed Grandfather
Her Grandfather, was in terrible condition in the hospital and because her parents were already dead. Byōki expanded her Grandfather's life so he could raise Nanoka so she can grow up as a good vessel for him.

Mao
The person cursed in the same way she was eight years prior. Nanoka used to view Mao as unreliable and unkind. That changed when Mao did small gestures, and saved her many times she has also saved him too, it's hinted that Nanoka may have feelings for Mao.

Otoya
A dependable aid to Nanoka. Often makes note of her modern language usage. Nanoka often thinks about him, that's shown when she compared Shiraha and Otoya.

Uozumi
The Kiba housemaid who has provided protection to Nanoka through terrible-tasting smoothies since shortly after the cave-in accident. Unbeknownst to Nanoka, Uozumi has always been Mao's shikigami. She has saved Nanoka from Byōki.

Shiraha
Nanoka's classmate in junior high school. As a result of his admiration of her, he eagerly helps with whatever research she's pursuing after returning from the Taisho era. He doesn't appear to be aware of the real reason for her curiosity. She often goes to him when she wants to find out more of the Era she visits. In the manga, she is shown to be flattered at his small gestures.

## Trivia

* Her name **Nanoka** means "green flower" (菜花). Her surname **Kiba** means "yellow leaf/yellow leaves" (黄葉).
* Nanoka has some characteristics that are similar to Takahashi's previous deuteragonists:
	+ Her hairstyle is similar of Akane Tendo from *Ranma ½*.
	+ She travels through time like Kagome Higurashi from *Inuyasha*.
	+ She was dragged into a different world when she was younger, which made her get strange abilities like Sakura Mamiya from *Kyoukai no Rinne*.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 1
2. ↑ Chapter 2
3. ↑ Chapter 3-6