Shiki Nanaya (七夜詩希, Nanaya Shiki?) is a major character in Hana no Miyako. She is Miyako Arima's closest friend and classmate. She has a split personality named SHIKI Nanaya (七夜死忌, Nanaya Shiki?).
Profile
Background
Aside of the fact that Shiki grew up in Misaki Town and is younger mentally than she is physically due to her dissociative identity disorder, nothing much is known about Shiki's history.
SHIKI is stated by one character to be one-and-the-same as Miyako's mentor, Shiki Nanaya, somehow transplanted into Shiki's mind, but other things, such as the way they spell their name, indicate they may in fact be separate entities.
Certain visual symbolism implies that she may have a third personality.
Appearance
Shiki looks a fairly normal person at first brush, aside of her somewhat unusual orange hair, which is more typical of delinquents than someone like her.
Personality
Shiki is bubbly and cheerful most of the time, although it can also be surprisingly easy to upset her. She is a loyal friend, and can be relied upon to make sacrifices for her friends' sake.
She is somewhat cowardly and has little in the way of effective combat skills despite practising Aikido, so she tends to be quick to capitulate when threatened or in an otherwise scary situation.
She is quick to deny having any attraction to Miyako, although few, if any, believe her.
She is mentioned to be somewhat scatterbrained and easy to not notice.
Shiki enjoys making tea, and it is her main method of calming her nerves.
Shiki is completely unaware of the existence of her second personality.
SHIKI is a silent guardian who only takes control when Shiki is in danger, or thinks she is. As soon as SHIKI is active, the first things she does is attack whoever or whatever is threatening Shiki, only rarely giving them a chance to stop first. As soon as the danger is gone, SHIKI falls dormant once more.
Role
Hana no Miyako
Shiki is one of the manga's two protagonists, alongside Miyako. The plot starts with Shiki needing to recruit members for the Aikido Club, lest it be shut down, and setting her sights on Miyako, who refuses repeatedly. Shiki goes to great lengths to convince Miyako to join, but is refused each time. Eventually she apologizes for her pushiness, and asks to "begin with being friends." Though Miyako wants to be friends with Shiki, she refuses that too, feeling that Shiki is throwing away her normal life in someone abnormal like her. Eventually, Miyako does end up joining the Aikido Club, if only to evade Ami Kuzuki, and from there Shiki and Miyako become genuine friends.
After a misunderstanding with Minoru Mitsuzuri, from which she is saved by Miyako, Shiki comes into possession of one of Asagami's highly sought-after golden badges, which mark the bearer as one of the school's top ten martial artists. She is quite desperate to get rid of it without letting anyone know she has it, but Mitsuzuri refuses to take it back, since people have already noticed he lost it, and Miyako refuses to claim ownership of it, since she wants to be as normal as possible, leaving Shiki with no recourse.
SHIKI appears briefly at various intervals when Shiki feels endangered, but Shiki is always saved by the intervention of someone else - usually Miyako - before SHIKI can do anything.
Abilities
Shiki displays no notable ability of any kind, although she does appear to sense that something is off about Kureha Kishima, who is presumably a demon-hybrid.
SHIKI displays superhuman agility, but is never awake long enough to show the true extent of her abilities.