Iko Koishikawa/Synopsis

## History

Years before the main events which take place at Himawari Land, Iko's house caught fire and her parents stayed behind so she and her brother could be saved first. Unfortunately, they died and Iko had to take care of her brother from then on, but she started hating herself, thinking it was her fault they passed away.

## Synopsis

### Volume 1

By the time Shy became the new Japan's Hero, Iko was with her brother in Himawari Land to see the Hero Heartman concert. After Shy's performance, the two went on the roller coaster that ended up stopping in the middle of the loop, forcing the Japanese Hero to act. Even with fear, she told Shy to save everyone else first, but when she was going to be saved, the cart started moving again, but backwards. Shy desperately tries to save her by putting herself in front of the cart and succeeds, but Iko doesn't get away unscathed. Shy is blamed and highly socially criticized due to this event.

About a month later, Iko transfers to Tanpopo Middle School as it is close to her home, making it easier for her to go. Introducing herself to her new class and exchanging greetings with Teru, the class passes and she answers some questions from two classmates until she is called to the staff room and leaves. Sometime later, she is found trying to bear the pain in her leg by Teru, who despite Iko telling her she was fine, takes her to the infirmary.

Iko is scolded by the nurse who gives her some painkillers since she left hers at home, recommending that she rest. Iko apologizes to Teru for making her take her there, then compares her to Shy and tells her about her experience in Himawari Land. Teru asked if she was mad at Shy, to which she replied no, since she did her best to save her. Teru gets emotional and cries, leaving to wash her face and leaving Iko alone.

When Teru leaves, however, her leg hurts again and as she tries to put up with it, she is hugged from behind by a mysterious boy who regrets her suffering, putting a ring on her finger. When Teru returns, she encounters a monster-looking Iko.

She tries to ask her what happened but even Iko herself doesn't seem to know. The boy appears confronting Teru, whom he knows is Shy, and breaks Iko's crystals, inflicting pain, and she falls to the ground with the other trying to help her. Iko, however, asks her to stay away, attacking her, but hitting the bed instead. She reminisces about the fact that her parents had to die to save her and her brother to Teru, pointing a claw at her neck in an attempt to kill herself, even saying goodbye to the girl. Shy stops her, causing her to ask for help. Even though she doesn't want to say it, she reluctantly asks the heroine for help.

Iko attacks Shy, but is quickly taken to another environment by Shy as they pass through a portal. When she notices that Shy has figured out that she should take off her ring, Iko covers it with crystals much to the Hero's surprise. She starts accusing Shy for not being there when her parents died and even shocked, Shy refuses not to listen to her, claiming it's her duty to do so, telling Iko to gather all her hate and throw it at her. Iko does.

Iko is alone in the darkness, until her parents show up, and she relives the memories of the day they died, blaming herself again for the tragedy. The atmosphere brightens, however, with both of them telling him not to blame himself for anything. Once again Iko is saved by Shy. Iko apologizes to Shy for everything she had done to which she, despite being injured, says that everything is fine, but they quickly notice the boy's disappearance.

Iko, when apologizing again to Shy, ends up seeing her parents as the Hero responds, agreeing and then thanking her for having saved her again.

A few days after the incident, Iko invites Teru to spend time together, in her words to make up for what she has done before. Incredibly, her leg had completely healed and there was nothing wrong with it. So the two spend time together, until Iko notices that Teru is too tired for being the indoor type, suggesting they get some rest. At a coffee shop, Iko apologizes for not realizing that Teru was tired, to which she tries to change the subject by citing the excuse they made to the nurse for the destruction. This, however, makes her smile nervously because she was the one responsible for such destruction.

Iko then says that she admires Teru for having done such amazing things at her age, then asks if anyone else knew about her identity as Shy, getting excited to learn that she is the Hero's only friend. Soon the two go back to walking around the mall and Iko lets Teru choose where they would go, but their attention is called by the cry of a boy who was lost from his parents. Iko soon takes matters into her own hands, calming him down and assuring him that they will be found. She apologizes to Teru for having to deviate from the initial route and goes in search of the boy's parents with her.

The trio go down the stairs and quickly find the boy's parents and he remembers to thank her. She tells him to show the same kindness to others, which he agrees with. Iko turns to Teru, excited to have said something Shy would say. Teru takes up the coffee shop subject again, saying that he also admired her. Soon, the two go back to walking.

They both pass by the Hero Stardust poster and Iko explains to Teru what she knows about him, saying that she only read about it in a book. She comments that he must be a selfless person and Teru agrees, then gets a |call from Spirits. Iko is surprised that she has also been summoned to space, watching Teru curiously as she continues on the call. Shy and Iko meet up with Spirits on a terrace, and with introductions done (Iko excited to meet the Russian Hero), the trio head to the Heroes Hideout. Iko is impressed that they are in space and is guided by Spirits through the corridors, until they enter a room where woman, introducing herself as Uni-Lord was making borscht.

They sit at the table to enjoy the soup, but Iko enthusiastically asks Uni-Lord for permission to take a picture with the two heroines. Apparently she was going to scold the girl, Uni-Lord just suggests they use the photo booth and Iko gets a picture of her with Spirits and Shy. Iko is excited to show this to her brother, Shy noticing how much she likes Heroes. Iko is embarrassed, as is Shy, and the first trips over her feet trying to clear up the misunderstandings. She just doesn't fall because Stardust arrives at the same moment and picks her up.

Spirits complains about his tardiness and Uni-Lord calls everyone to gather at the table. The Heroes discuss about the rings, with Stardust saying that Iko was lucky to still have her finger with her, since he had to rip off his friend's to get the ring. Spirits soon come to the defense of the two girls as Stardust is scaring them. He is surprised that she worries about Shy being scared, questioning Uni-Lord as to why he was called there. Uni-Lord asks Stardust to fight Shy. Spirits is immediately against it, and Iko is worried, but Shy assures her that she would be fine.

### Volume 2

Everyone is taken to a multipurpose room and, before the battle starts, Iko asks Shy not to try so hard. She reluctantly watches the Japanese Hero being completely overpowered by Stardust, wondering why Shy can't hit him, with Uni-Lord explaining basically how his unique ability given by his bracelets works. When Shy is already hurt and tired, Iko begs her to give up, but she clenches her fist in a sign of determination, standing up again. Iko continues to watch the two fight helplessly and, as soon as Shy untransforms, goes with Spirits, worried about Teru.

Iko ends up crying until she passes out, worried about Teru. She is later carried back to Japan by her. Iko apologizes for making her carry her there, and the two then walk towards their homes. Iko attempts to leave, but is stopped by Teru, who apologizes to her for worrying her, promising that she would become stronger. Iko compares her shyness and flushed face to the flame of her passion, her power, and they both laugh.

A while after the Stardust incident, Iko approaches Teru at school, finally wearing her school uniform. She notices that her friend looked troubled and asks if there was something bothering her, to which she denies. Soon two other students start talking to her. Throughout the day, Iko observes Teru being extremely distracted, and at the end of classes, asks if she will still be at school. With Teru saying that she still had something to do, Iko leaves first.

### Volume 3

Iko eventually learned of Shy's dangerous mission in the Arctic, and offered Uni-Lord to help the Heroes with her confused memories of the time she had been controlled by Stigma's rigns, because she wanted to help Shy in some way. After telling the Heroes what she knew, Shy sent her home.

### Volume 4

Following Shy's final battle with Tzveta Kooriskaya, she fells ill while they are walking together to school so, after confirming her sickness, Iko takes her home and buys some things to her.

Teru falls asleep while she was away and asks her to ride on her back again, which makes Iko happy. Teru clarifies that Iko is very similar to her late sister, and Iko replies that she feels comfortable around Teru as she had noticed that Heroes are humans much like herself, and that she respects Teru for being able to fight. After that, she stands up and decides to leave, but asks Teru to call her by her first name next time they meet. When she recovers and does just that, Iko is very happy.

As Iko and Teru are going out, the latter worries about a purse snatcher, but the former tells her that the police is responsible for catching the criminal. They are about to leave, but a girl accidentally knocks off some products from a shelf, so Teru goes out of her way to help her. Since they're going the same way, the girl accompanies them and introduces herself as Ai Tennoji. Iko thinks Ai is some sort of rich girl as she doesn't seem to have any kind of common knowledge like karaoke and department stores, but they take her for sightseeing.

After going through some fun places, Iko questions if Ai's parents wouldn't get worried if she didn't arrive home on time, but as she is about to answer, the purse snatcher has just robbed an old lady. Teru would act, but Ai acts first and attacks the snatcher with a sword. The police is called and the duo of friends are worried with Ai, seemingly fatigued, however, she rejects Iko's suggestion to go to a hospital and reveals that she is actually running away from her family.

### Volume 5

Ai Tennoji says that she is being followed by someone, and as her parents nor the police believed her, she ran away from home. She accompanies them a while longer, and when she tells them that she is a shinobi, Iko and Teru are skeptical about this. They cannot think further, as a boy comes from the sky, but Ai fends him off with a sword technique. They run to a nearby temple and Ai slowly recovers, telling them that that boy was the one following her, and that they should be going so he won't find her again.

She falls down the stairs, however, but is fortunately save by that same boy, who introduces himself as Tokimaru, and that he came to take Ai back to their village. Iko observes Ai and Tokimaru arguing, and listens as Ai explains her background, motives to be there and her unique sword. She is surprised by how she discovers that Teru is a Hero, as well as her exquisite scar on her chest, and how she just says she'll be staying in Teru's house for the time being. Iko has to leave, however, to make dinner for her brother.

She comes back a while later with the pretex of having a sleepover with Teru and Ai, whom she already considers her friend. They play for a bit, and before going to sleep, Ai is truly honest with them and says that the person following her is "her other her", an Amarariruku. Teru immediately reports it to Unilord, and they go to sleep. In the next morning, Teru is the last one to wake up. Iko accompanies them in a isolated area, where both Teru and Ai transform.

Ai suggests a game of rock skipping to them. At first, Iko seems excited about it, but is immediately surprised by how Ai could throw the rocks across the river at the tree by the other side. Much like Shy, she struggles to discover how Ai could do it. Ai momentarily leaves to find and talk to Tokimaru, and when she returns, they still didn't discover her trick. She tells them it was no trick, however, and with her advice, Shy is able to throw the rock at the tree.

But Shy couldn't throw more than one rock at a time in the end, so she rests for a while. Iko offers tea to Ai, and asks her how was she able to arrive there. Ai says that she learned how to use the train, but had to switch them many times and got lost in Tokyo. She tells them she prefers a calming nature, however. Purity then says something to Ai, and Shy is contacted by N. Villio, which proceeds to tell them that the down part of Tokyo has been covered by a mysterious dark void.

Shy is immediately called to the Heroes' Hideout to discuss on what to do. As Ai wanted to offer her assistance, Iko helps her infiltrate the hideout. After Shy recruits Ai, Spirit, Mian Long and Lady Black to the Infiltration Team. Before they go, Iko encourages Shy.