u/Ill-Host960

What I'm about to say is based on my own experience with Horikita's development. I think she has the best character writing, but her development has been progressing at a snail's pace since year 3. She managed to figure out that Ayanokoji's maneuver was a bluff, that's a huge step forward, but I feel like we should have seen that as early as year 2. I'm not talking about rushing his progression, but rather developing it more effectively, like with Ryueen.

For half of the second year, she was absent, and it was more focused on others, and in addition, Even when she appeared and performed notable feats, people focused solely on the duel between Ryueen and Sakayanagi and the development of Ichinose. And if we have to add the fact that he lost 7-0 only for Ayanokoji to come and save the day once again with a crushing victory, it's terrible. Ichinose was a monster in terms of sociability, but he couldn't have given Suzune one or two wins instead of that stupid zero which the fans mocked, AGAIN !

Looking at the entire light novel, Her brother's departure was more of a step than a real emotional blow because yes, Suzune had evolved strategically, mentally, a little psychologically but not emotionally. Deep down, she's still the same girl with low self-esteem who still doubts her abilities. She's stopped feeling sorry for herself, but she hasn't stopped judging herself. Year 2 and the beginning of year 3 already give us some information about her physical and mental state. She was already giving her all to the class : study groups, supervising students during exams, strategic meetings and even now she has to juggle her own studies and the affairs of the student union.The fact that her average grade has dropped, that she has dark circles under her eyes and appears tired at times is quite alarming regarding her condition. And to all that, we had to add the fact that Kiyotaka was changing classes on the first day of school! At a time when no one expected it, Just when she thought they would win together, this guy took off.

If you only knew how much I praised her emotional control at that precise moment, having confronted him directly while he openly snubbed her in front of everyone and still leaving with her head held high. In the end, she waited until she was alone to cry and express her feelings a little. She tried to find him later, but she couldn't. She only returned the day before the exam, leaving her classmates to manage everything themselves. For me, her discussion with Kei did not relieve her, she just minimized everything and compartmentalized her feelings, describing them as lesser than Kei's. For now, we haven't discussed feelings anymore because she's focusing exclusively on class and accepting the situation, which is partly a good thing. But this proves once again that she puts her goals and her class aside. And besides, with the island's results, She will have to deal with Ike's case, and even though Ayanokoji says she should blame him for it, she still thinks she should have prevented Shinohara's case.

There's only one year left and we still don't have a proper development arc for her. The only way I see for the author to complete Suzune's development would be to dedicate it to her out of reach of others, and especially Kiyotaka. What is needed is not a special examination of a single volume, but a parallel underlying problem in which she would be the main subject. With everything that's going on between her research on Kiyotaka, the growing presence of Ishigami around her, and Nanase's involvement in searching for a key to Ayanokoji, there's plenty to explore. It's perfectly reasonable to assume that year 3 won't focus solely on Kiyotaka and his development with Hiyori, but also an arc where Suzune would finally be developed in terms of exams and the plot.

We could focus on the early years who are still around, because apart from a few updates we have nothing else on them. And Horikita could finally use her position as student union president, because honestly, she was given this title but so far we haven't seen her use it except in interesting matters and important. I felt that unlike Manabu or Nagumo, it was more of a decoration than a power with her 😑. Given how things are going, this is one of the best ways to develop the Ishigami/Nanase storyline, especially since Nanase is close to Horikita on the student council. This is just a hypothesis, but given Nanase's suspicions about Ishigami, it's possible he might try something against her. She could, in a way, supervise the first-year exams, since I had heard from Nagumo at one point that the student union also deals with that, vaguely. I'm not going to elaborate on this because it would be too long and I'm not one to predict what will happen next.

All I can assume and hope is that she's directly involved without Kiyotaka also participating. I would prefer that he be vaguely aware through Amasawa who is observing everything, and that it is really Horikita who is involved. It would be interesting if he acted on his own without knowing that Horikita was also involved in the case. It's a bit like Koenji saying that if he leaves the class, he won't be able to look after Horikita, and this situation is proving true. En parallèle, elle devra gérer la classe, le BDE, ses études et les examens avec cette possible affaire. This could lead to a moment of emotional exhaustion, and since she tends to internalize everything, We might see her friends and family notice her and try to help and advise her; this could strengthen their bond. But since she's the type to want to solve her own problems, she wouldn't want to worry them.

She needs to learn to express things externally, understand her own emotions and stop judging herself. Her separation from Kiyotaka and the fact that she has to fend for herself is important for her development but that she also moves forward without forgetting herself. The real lesson he needed to teach her was to learn how to express her emotions in front of others, but The problem is that there are so many communication problems between the two that he didn't realize he was the only person to whom she could express her anxieties and her uncertainty.

God only knows what will happen between them in the next volumes. Will the author finally give her the development and attention she deserves ? Will he develop the storylines surrounding her, Nanase, and Ishigami ? Will her relationship with Kiyotaka develop despite the distance, stagnate, or remain the same until graduation ?

There is still much to say and repeat, but I will stop here. This is just my opinion and speculation.

Ever since Suzune's character was introduced, I've always felt that she and her brother possessed a different kind of refinement than the others. Not like the students whose belonging to a wealthy family, such as Sakayanagi or Nagumo, or even Koenji, can be guessed.

She and Manabu had a certain sense of refinement, in addition to having strong moral and ethical values such as honor and pride. They both had something that made them so unattainable, yet with a certain presence. My intuition developed after the two were revealed as the student union presidents. To have such charisma, You need to have at least an education in ethics.

That's why I think the Horikita family could be both linked to the political sphere and also be a clan. The Horikita clan…

Suzune has even been called the Ice Princess, I had already noted that its appearance is one of the simplest in Ln, but it still remains just as majestic. It's often noticeable that her style perfectly matches Japanese aesthetics, more so than other girls. I've lost count of how many times she's looked stunning in a kimono.

So it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that she comes from a family with a prestigious history.

One of the things I love most about COTE is that Horikita is the only one with natural black hair. All the other major girls always have flashy, gradient shades. (Yes, I even consider dark blue to be a gradient)

I think it highlights how naturally beautiful and simple she is.

PS: I put Ibuki because I wanted Suzune to be in the center 🤭. You can download the image and reuse it as you wish. I made the collage myself.