his body is physically and genetically male while his lower half is female. Mashiro claims to identify himself as a man, however, he is constantly doubting himself. He tries to act as he believes "men" commonly would. He is sometimes a member of the kendo club, quitting and rejoining a couple of times over the series, in part in frustration at his inability to defeat Sou in about. When Kureha professes her love for him after learning of his secret, Mashiro begins to date her, even while remaining obsessed with Sou. Dream Self: In the dream world, Mashiro appears as himself in either a male or female school uniform, depending on his self-image at the moment. After finally embracing his identity and feelings, he appears fully as one gender. Occasionally, Mashiro creates two feather-shaped swords, a longer one representing his male side and a shorter one on his female side. The two swords are connected, preventing him from discarding the short sword symbolizing that he cannot get rid of the female aspects of himself, much like he can't get rid of the short sword. The strength of the blades is determined by Mashiro's ability to essentially will them into sharpness. Later on, when his two selves meet and fight, each holds one sword. Twice when Mashiro's belly is cut open while dreaming, a flock of blackbirds flies out, overwhelming his attacker. She is cheery and bright but has a strong dislike of men. Since Mashiro is very protective of her (and is not entirely male), Kureha soon falls for him. Kureha is very distrustful of Sou, and will take any opportunity to separate Mashiro and Sou. It is revealed in Chapter 2 (Mashiro's second dream in the class) that her distrust of men stems from a brutal rape done to her during a walk home from kindergarten, plus the harsh words she overheard her father say to her mother afterward. However, as the story progresses, she and Sou team up and become friends, which is part of her plan to get revenge on Mashiro for their break-up. Dream Self: In the dream world, Kureha appears dressed as she was after she was attacked, wearing a ragged raincoat and dripping with rain, her face and eyes concealed by the coat's hood because of shame and rage. She is very vengeful and quick to attack. Later in the sixth book she becomes