Miki is a young man just entering a very difficult and confusing age. To him, Anthy was beautiful and mysterious, quite and sweet, and just the sort of girl a shy boy like would want. The feelings he had for her were more or less those of a schoolboy crush-distant, idolizing, and adoring. She was a beautiful girl in the roses, which invoked memories of his beloved garden. Still, he knew little about her or her situation. Even though he did object to her mistreatment by Saionji at the very beginning, his concern was no greater than that of Juri or Touga.

He is a sweet boy and therefore he does little kind things for her like correcting her math paper or helping her with those awful girls. The subtlety of his feelings appear lost on Anthy (though this isn't exactly true since she is using them to hold Miki) but not on other people. Juri picks up on them right away, though she doesn't know at first who the crush is on. Still, this little crush isn't enough to make him duel for Anthy.

While tutoring her and Utena in math, Anthy wanders away and sits down at a piano and begins to play his song. (This is clever, though rather unsubtle set up.) He hears it and is transported back to that sunny garden of his youth. She is his shining thing and he fancies himself in love with her. He comes to understand what it means to be the Rose Bride-she is under the command of whoever owns her, and he can do nothing to free her. At best, he can win her in a duel.

Of course he is in love with an illusion, as much as he was in the garden of his youth. He believes that Anthy needs him and wants him to set her free. He believes he must win her in a duel like some prize animal so that he can allow the beautiful music she possesses to be expressed. He believes she will be his shining thing. Like Utena, he assumes Anthy wants what he wants, and believes what he wants to believe.

It was no different in the garden. He wanted to believe that his sister was the source of all of the beauty; that the garden was some sacred place, and together they made something special. He believed that his sister wanted that beauty as well, never really trying to discover what it was that she really wanted. Part of that was simply innocence and modesty, perhaps even a bit of youth. It was an illusion, a trick, pulled on him by his sister that keeps him trapped, trying to go back to that time. Now his feelings for Anthy are manipulated to force him to duel and help bring about the revolution.

He fights Utena, believing what he wants-that he will set Anthy free. By believing in Anthy (or his version of her) he vicariously believes in himself, but at the last moment Anthy shatters his illusion by expression her own desire-she cheers for Utena. Miki is shocked with confusion and Utena is able to win. Still Anthy gives him hope again that she might still be his shining thing, which is both very cruel and very kind.

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