Characters/Kirin Kanda

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Kirin Kanda
Personal Information
Surname Name Kanda Kirin
Birthday (Age) February 27th (n/a)
Type of Character Main
Additional Information
Hair Color Brown
Eye Color Green
Height 5′ 2′′ (158cm)
Job(s) unknown
Hobby(s)
  • Soccer
  • Reading
Like(s)
  • Disrupting the peace
  • Excitement
Dislike(s)
  • Large crowds
  • Commitment
  • Emotional vulnerability
  • Her family
Family
  • Karin Kanda (Big Sister)
  • Unnamed Mother
  • Unnamed Father
Affiliation
  • Soccer Club (Chap. 1-2)
  • Archery Club (Chap. 3)
First Appearance
Notes unknown
Kirin is a member of the soccer team alongside Miku and her older sister, Karin. Extremely observant of everyone around her, Kirin has a mischievous streak and enjoys putting people off-balance with words or actions they don't expect.
— Official Lessons in Love website


Kirin Kanda is part of the Main Cast of in Lessons In Love. Kirin is the 15th girl to join Sensei's class, doing so in v0.14.0. She lives in Room 10 with Noriko Nakayama.

Background

Kirin is the younger sister of Karin Kanda, and the youngest daughter of two unnamed parents. The two girls presumably grew up in Kumon-mi their whole lives. Due to being close in age, Karin and Kirin have done almost everything together, joining the same clubs, making the same group of friends and sharing the same room. Karin's natural friendliness and talent resulted in Kirin living in her sister's shadow, often being ignored by their parents and friends.

Originally, she was one of Wakana’s students, but was transferred into class C early on, probably because Wakana didn’t wanting to deal with her attitude. She initially became aware of Sensei through Miku, who had begun talking about him constantly, a fact which surprised Kirin as Miku hadn't ever shown interest in guys before.

After spending some time with him outside of school, her interest grew and she decided to join his class. While she claims that she intentionally annoyed her teacher until they kicked her out and forced her to transfer into the only class left, I.e Sensei’s, she let it slip that she actually asked for a transfer on the same day she told him the news in There's Always a Chance. She officially joined his class in What Could Have Been, though her introduction was quickly surpassed by Noriko’s heart-felt reunion with Sensei and her immediate transfer to his class.

She's part of the soccer club, along with Miku and Karin.

Characteristics

Being constantly compared to her older sister has left Kirin with an easily jealous and somewhat bitter personality. She easily forms and holds grudges, even for situations that were years ago. While cheery and normal on the outside, her inner self is scheming and easily bored, always trying to disrupt the status quo through unexpected words and actions. It's this cunning and seedy personality that allows her to easily get along with Sensei while putting her at odds with the straight-laced Karin.

In addition, Kirin is extremely dishonest, both with others and herself. She'll habitually lie or, since she enjoys creating excitement, purposefully phrase sentences to push people's buttons. This often backfires on her, getting hurt when people get understandably offended or annoyed with her, firing back with passive-aggression or abrupt mood changes. Even in private, she struggles to admit her true feelings or even how hurt she is by the class' or Sensei's sarcastic comments.

While she usually doesn’t care about other people and how they feel, she still shows some empathy and understanding to those she deems worthy of it. She’s shown to care deeply about Miku's well-being and is especially sensitive about her family situation. She displays a similar level of care towards Noriko during her emotional outburst on Halloween and after Sensei bails on their beach date and continues to support her, even through her many complaints. She was also the only one who helped Sensei when he was feeling down after what happened with Molly, even acknowledging that her behavior from before went too far.

Relationships

Sensei

Kirin becomes interested in Sensei through Miku, surprised that she's talking about a boy at all. After introducing herself during counseling hours, the two become 'partners in crime', with Kirin usually tagging along to big class-wide events for the sole purpose of hanging out with him. Kirin works hard to keep Sensei at arm's length, wanting to enjoy a relationship free of obligation or commitment, a sentiment that grows stronger once she and Noriko make a deal too. Fittingly, she struggles to commit to this deal, and Sensei becomes one of the few people Kirin can confide in.

Karin

Karin is Kirin's big sister, and the two have a complicated relationship. While Karin adores and cares deeply for her little sister, Kirin is deeply bitter and resentful towards her big sister for all the talent and praise that's been laid upon her. The exact impetus for this grudge isn't explained, but it has stuck with Kirin for most of her life, causing her to do or say a variety of awful things. Despite this, Kirin is always quick to apologize, and Karin happily accepts each time.

Miku

One of Kirin's best friends, Miku is one of the few people who Kirin feels treats her human. The exact source and length of their friendship is never stated, but the bond they share is one of the few genuine friendships Kirin has. This doesn't exempt Miku from getting wrapped up in Kirin's schemes, though.

Noriko

Kirin’s roommate. Both met for the first time during their transfer in What Could Have Been, but they basically became friends instantly due to similarities in their personalities and interests. She spends most of her time with her and even sees her as her best friend, mostly because she feels like Noriko is the more likely candidate to indulge her fantasies than Miku, who most likely wouldn’t indulge them even if she manages to catch up with everyone. She also realizes that Noriko’s mental wounds are as deep as Miku’s and is worried about her well-being.

Ayane

Kirin has known Ayane since they were young, and the two were only casual acquaintances before the start of the game. Unbeknownst to all, Kirin harbors a grudge against Ayane for inadvertently thwarting a plan to impress her parents, as well as hiding lingering heartbreak from an old crush. The exact specifics of their relationship depend on certain events, ranging from being friends, or being at odds.

Io

Kirin sees Io as an interesting girl and tried a few times to become her friend, though do to Io’s open disdain of other girls, especially those like Kirin that are very close with Sensei, she rejects her offers. During Walking on Eggshells, she even tried to calm her down when she had a nervous breakdown, though it wasn’t very successful.

Memorable Quotes

  • "You two should probably make sure no one else is in the room before you start doing things like this."
  • "Be whoever you want to be outside of this room, but show me the real you."

Trivia

  • During the event Politics! Pleasure! Ponies!, the player may choose the option "I am a proud brony". In addition to cutting the scene short, it's also a fact Kirin, and later Noriko, will tease Sensei about.
  • Despite the ongoing space war, Kirin's father seems to still be around, suggesting he is exempt from serving for one reason or another.
  • Kirin is a unique character in terms of her meta-identification. Originally a side character, she was promoted to part of the main cast as part of the $5k Patreon stretch goal. She's the only main cast member to do so.
  • Kirin, as of v0.28.0, has the 2nd most signatures on her dorm whiteboard, having 19.