Kiyoko

"Just a wandering spirt? You... do you know how painful it is for wandering spirits who aren't reborn or become demons?"

- Kiyoko

Kiyoko (清子) is a wandering spirit that occasionally revisits Karasumori Middle School to play pranks on people and she is considered one the 77 wonders of Karasumori Academy.

Appearance
Kiyoko is a small girl with jet black hair and ruby red lips.

She wears a white, trailing kimono and always goes barefoot.

Personality
Kiyoko is an arrogant, mischievous spirit that loves to travel the world and play pranks. Despite her childish appearance, she is very old and possesses some knowledge of Kekkaishi and Shinyuuchi. Shigemori apparently has some experience with her: he assures Yoshimori that she would never hurt anyone, and suggests that she might reward someone who treats her kindly. Kiyoko gets very annoyed with Yoshimori when he tries to stop her pranks. She has a wary respect for Karasumori, and decides to leave Yoshimori alone because she can sense its interest in him. She gains a grudging respect for Yoshimori because he stands up to her, and before she leaves, she warns him that Karasumori will awaken one day.

History
According to Hiromu's rumors, Kiyoko has been around for many years, and each time she appears at Karasumori Academy, a great disaster occurs at the school (though he is clearly exaggerating for dramatic impact). Virtually everyone in the middle school knows about her, despite no one ever having seen her. Kiyoko herself reveals to Yoshimori that she originally died soon after she was born, and implies that she is indeed quite old (she thinks of Yoshimori as a brat and herself as an old granny) and has visited Karasumori many times.

The Mysterious Kiyoko
Students at Karasumori Middle School suddenly began discussing the appearance of Kiyoko, an infamous wandering spirit. Yoshimori gets a description of Kiyoko from Hiromu Tabata, and learns from Yurina Kanda that Kiyoko only appears to tell the truth. At first, Yoshimori isn't concerned, until he notices that everyone he comes across has mysteriously parted their hair to one side. Shortly after that, everyone is drinking coffee milk, and they find Yoshimori's not conforming to this peculiar behavior very strange. Yoshimori suddenly recalls that while he was napping, a strange girl came to him and whispered that everyone would part their hair that day. He quickly realizes that Kiyoko isn't telling the truth, but making her truths reality. By the time he leaves school that day, people have also started wearing scarves twisted multiple times in the front (in addition to the parted hair and coffee milk).

The next day, everyone is still behaving as they did the previous day, only now they are ending their sentences with "gowasu" and adding a wink and finger sign as well. Since Tokine didn't mention anything odd, Yoshimori assumes that only the middle school half of the school is being controlled by Kiyoko. Kiyoko visits him again while he's trying to nap, and Yoshimori demands that she stop. Kiyoko refuses, revealing that spirits who don't become Ayakashi or aren't reborn live long, painful existences, and that pranks are her main source of amusement. Because she is so old, Yoshimori offers not to take action against her if she tells him the truth behind Karasumori. Kiyoko says she doesn't know anything about it, but on the other hand, is knowledgeable about Kekkaishi and Shinyuuchi, and warns Yoshimori not to tamper with Karasumori, as even the gods have trouble controlling the power of the sacred lands sometimes. She runs away, leading Yoshimori in a chase across the school, during which Yoshimari accidentally snatches the toupee off of Kino Motoharo, a kind-hearted teacher. Yoshimori manages to catch Kiyoko with a Nenshi and demands that she stop, upset that he embarrassed such a good man. At home, Shigemori advises Yoshimori to treat Kiyoko kindly, as her pranks are ultimately harmless, and because she travels a lot, she'll leave eventually. The following day, the middle school returns to normal, and Kiyoko again visits Yoshimori while he's napping. She whispers that Karasumori will soon awaken, then leaves, somewhat impressed that Yoshimori managed to stand up to her.

Powers & Abilities
Truth Manifestation: Kiyoko is rumored to only tell the truth, but in actuality, her power is to make her truths reality. Each time she chooses an odd behavior, all students and teachers within Karasumori Middle School (except Kekkaishi) mimic it. This becomes increasingly frustrating for Yoshimori, because instead of the latest new behavior replacing an older one, they are compounded into a doubly strange behavior. In addition, Kiyoko's victims find anyone not conforming to their odd behavior to be very strange or unappealing. High Agility & Evasion Skills: Kiyoko moves with surprising speed, usually appearing by suddenly dropping out of mid-air around Yoshimori and landing lightly on her bare feet. She is able to evade him for some time before finally being caught. In addition, as a spirit, Kyoko has no evil aura that can be sensed, and it is some time before Yoshimori even spots her.

Etymology

 * The name Kiyoko means "clear, pure, clean" (清) (kiyo) and "child" (子) (ko).

Trivia

 * Because Kiyoko is shrouded in rumors, the truth about her tends to be largely distorted. Although Hiromu Tabata's physical description is rather accurate (especially considering that only spiritually aware people can see her), he likens her to a natural disaster, and one student even suggests that someone died the last time Kiyoko appeared. Yoshimori Sumimura himself nicknames her "Abominable Kiyoko-chan" after experiencing a couple of hours of her compounded pranks.