Sakura Kiyashiki is a young girl that Nagisa meets when Class 3-E help out at Wakaba Park's nursery after students in 3E caused the principle to break his leg.
Appearance
Sakura has short pink hair cut above her shoulders and pointed dark blue eyes rimmed with notable eyelashes.
Personality
At first, Sakura is very hostile towards Class 3-E and attempts to bully them. However, she eventually warms up to them (particularly to Nagisa).
History
Sakura was bullied at school until she stopped going to classes. After that, she stuck to studying at the cram school where the other kids feared her.
Plot
Mistake and Nursery Time
After most of Class 3-E crashed into an old man while freerunning against Karasuma's instructions, the entire class were told to take care of the cram school the old man (named Matsukata) ran. Upon their arrival, the children of the cram school swarmed them but Sakura remained unimpressed. Intending to test their "guts", she ran at Nagisa with a broom only to fall through broken floorboards. Later on, Nagisa attempted to tutor her but she grew impatient as he tried to figure out a way to explain it to her. He then asked her why she didn't attend school and Sakura explained she was bullied, comparing her situation to a cat that had gotten stuck in a tree. Nagisa responded by telling her to think of the ground as the cram school and the top of the tree as her school (meanwhile the cat is rescued by other Class 3-E students). He explained to her that they get their strength from the ground and are looked down on by others even higher but it's after learning the fearfulness of heights that they are able to move around so freely. He then cautioned that they could still forget about the fear of heights and end up falling to the ground again. Sakura looked up at him in amazement and Nagisa offered her the chance to learn at the cram school and set up a "strategy".
During the following two weeks, she studied under Nagisa's tutelage. When Matsukata returned, Sakura arrived and revealed she came second in her class. She followed the strategy Nagisa gave her: to go to school just for the arithmetic test and then make a break for home. Nagisa then instructed her to continue with the "hit and run" tactic to "build her arsenal" for "battles at school". Sakura shyly asked if he'd come back to teach her again to which he agreed, much to her joy.
Later appearances
Sakura has made periodic appearances since. She returns in Chapter 116 along with the rest of the cram school. They visit Class 3-E's restaurant and reveals she asked Nagisa to be her private tutor. When Nagisa mentioned it being a "difficult battle", Sakura noted that they had a "mysterious power" so not to worry.
During Nagisa's final term, he was tutoring Sakura. At the time he was undecided on what his future career should be. Sakura suggested that he become a teacher much like how he was currently tutoring her. If that failed she blushingly added that she could be always be his girlfriend. In another tutoring session Sakura was practicing for a test. Noticing that her concentration was breaking up as she thought of all the bullying she endured, Nagisa helped to calm her down. This effectively confirmed Nagisa's choice to become a teacher like Korosensei.
Later she took the final test in Chapter 163 so she can return as a Sixth grader in Elementary School. Despite her trauma, Nagisa manage to calm her down when she was struggling to keep her mind on the exam while fearing she will be bullied again.
Abilities
Arithmetic: Sakura has a decent understanding of arithmetic, scoring 2nd in her class after receiving some early tutelage from Nagisa
Relationships
Nagisa Shiota
- Main article: Nagisa Shiota
Upon meeting Nagisa, Sakura tried to attack him with a broom only to fall through the broken floorboards. Nevertheless, Nagisa still tried to tutor her and advised her on how to deal with her bullies. He regularly tutors her and Sakura seems to have developed a crush on him. She's also seen to have a great effect on Nagisa and his self esteem. She was the driving force behind Nagisa's growing confidence in becoming a teacher.
Matsukata
- Main article: Matsukata
Matsukata is the principal of the nursery/cram school Sakura attends. They seem to have a good relationship with her being eager to show him her high test score.
Quotes
Trivia
- The name "Sakura" means "cherry blossom".
- Sakura is regularly tutored by Nagisa.
- She helped him realize his wish to be a teacher, saying he'd make a good teacher.
- She scored 95 on her arithmetic exam and was No. 2 of her class.
- Sakura is the oldest student of the cram school and has been going for 5 years.
- She has a crush on Nagisa, she even said that when Nagisa doesn't want to be a teacher he could always be her boyfriend.