Horikita

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Horikita Suzune
Original surname	堀北
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Advanced Nurturing High School; First-Year Class D 14 29 156
Occupation/Role	Student; one of Class D's leaders; designated leader for the Deserted Island Exam 29 48
Family	Horikita Manabu — older brother and Student Council President 110 152
Goal	Lead Class D to Class A and prove herself to her brother 91
First Appearance	School-bus scene 1

Appearance

• Hair: Long, straight black hair 2 22.
• Face: Oval face; described as an ice-cold beauty when silent 22.
• Christmas Eve outing: Wears her school uniform to lunch and a movie with Ayanokoji, Kaede, and Hiyori 159.

Personality

Horikita initially keeps to herself and dismisses attempts at friendship. She repeatedly rejects Kushida's invitations, sees no point in surrendering her bus seat, and reacts angrily when Kaede challenges her competence. Her early arrogance extends to asking him for information without first learning his name 1 2 8 14 15.

Her ambition is tied to achievement rather than an easy change of class. She rejects Ryuen's recruitment offer because she wants to raise Class D through her own efforts and Ayanokoji's assistance, proving herself to Manabu rather than accepting a shortcut 91.

As she takes responsibility for classmates, she becomes more patient and willing to acknowledge her limitations. She calmly explains why individual performance affects the whole class, recognizes her poor teamwork during the island exam, and eventually asks Ayanokoji directly for help. By winter break, she handles Kaede's teasing with composure and rejects Sudo's confession sincerely rather than dismissively 22 58 124 159.

She remains guarded about emotional vulnerability. After the rooftop assault, she privately insists that being knocked down once must not make her fragile. When Ayanokoji explains that their outing was intended to ease her distress, she thanks him while protesting that she is not as weak as he imagines 158 161.

Abilities & Skills

Academics and Tutoring

Horikita is an honor student with excellent academic ability 98.

• Tutors classmates during Class D's exam preparations 22 29.
• Gives Sudo a notebook she personally compiled 22.
• Distributes past exam questions entrusted to her through Ayanokoji's arrangements, strengthening her standing in the class 26.

Analysis and Observation

Her analytical ability is one of her principal strengths, though she does not consistently uncover the plans of more experienced manipulators 61 98.

• Understands that her island-exam withdrawal enabled Class D to replace its exposed leader 61.
• Suspects Ayanokoji of secretly swapping the pool-incident memory card, then confronts him and Matsushita 114 115.
• Later deduces that Ayanokoji and Kaede jointly orchestrated the rooftop incident; Ayanokoji is impressed by how much she has inferred 183.
• Under severe stress, her observation deteriorates: she fails to notice a poorly concealed camera at Ryuen's rooftop meeting 153.

Leadership and Negotiation

Horikita develops from an isolated high achiever into a recognized Class D leader 29.

• Gains the approval of most boys and acknowledgment from the girls through tutoring, exam preparation, and neutrality during the class's gender conflict 29.
• Coordinates with Hirata and relies on Ayanokoji's behind-the-scenes support 29 59.
• Tries to negotiate with Ryuen by offering Class D's cooperation in the third semester, although his actual target is Ayanokoji 153.
• Exposes Maezono's effort to organize criticism votes against Sakura during a later exam 190.

Physical Ability and Coordination

Horikita possesses a degree of physical prowess, but individual ability does not automatically translate into effective teamwork 98 121.

• Struggles to match Matsushita's pace and maintain balance in the three-legged race 121.
• Performs more naturally with Ayanokoji, who helps steady her and reduce her tension 122.
• Finishes last with Matsushita in the girls' race, then improves markedly when paired with Ayanokoji in the mixed-gender event 126.
• Exchanges brief remarks in English with Albert before the rooftop confrontation 152.

Background / History

Enrollment and the Hidden Rules

Horikita first encounters Kaede and Ayanokoji on the school bus and confronts them at the gate about looking at her. Kaede later calls her a “defective product” suited to Class D, prompting her to pursue what he knows about the school's classification system 1 2 8.

Kushida brings her to a café meeting using Kaede's “Classmate 70” message. Horikita apologizes for failing to exchange names before discussing the school's hidden rules. After Ayanokoji persuades her to share the information, she warns Class D that its classroom behavior could reduce the next month's point allocation; many classmates have already spent most of their initial funds 14 15 16.

Emergence as a Class Leader

During midterm preparations, Horikita handles a dispute without her usual sarcasm and supplies Sudo with study notes. Her tutoring and distribution of past exam questions help build a faction supported by much of Class D's male student body, with Ayanokoji quietly connecting its members 22 26 29.

Hirata nominates her to use the Lord Card in the Tian Shu Sha exam. In the final match, Ryuen repeatedly confuses her about his allegiance. She eliminates him during the second round of Soul Return, avoiding the relevant Lord-kills-loyalist penalty, before Ayanokoji eliminates her and wins as the Traitor. Her defeated Lord result awards 5 class points and 50,000 private points 29 33 34.

Deserted Island Exam

Class D elects Horikita as its designated leader. She performs stronghold check-ins while concealing an illness worsened by the island's conditions. Ayanokoji confronts her about her health and secures her agreement to follow his requests for the following day 48 51 54.

Ayanokoji and Hirata arrange a hot shower and rest for her. After Katsuragi reveals that Class A knows her leader identity, Horikita recognizes that her inability to collaborate is a legitimate reason for her Class D placement. She nevertheless refuses Class A's proposed non-aggression contract, choosing to continue trusting Ayanokoji's plan 55 58 59.

Ayanokoji knocks her unconscious to secure her withdrawal. On the cruise ship, she recovers under school medical care and works out how replacing the exposed leader produced Class D's victory, although she remains annoyed about his method 61.

VIP Exam

Assigned to the Dragon Group with Hirata and Kushida, Horikita initially seeks cooperation with Class B. Ryuen's message identifying Class D's three VIPs instead forces her to convene an emergency meeting with Hirata and Ayanokoji 74 79.

She helps manage Class D's response to possible counterattacks against its alliance with Class C. During the exam, she firmly refuses Ryuen's invitation to transfer into his class 90 91.

When Ryuen and Kaede's former Class C reaches Class A, Horikita feels both envy and admiration. She acknowledges that she lacks their all-around competence, then redirects Class D's attention toward reviewing its own performance 98.

Pool Incident and Sports Festival

Following the pool peeping incident, Horikita pieces together Ayanokoji's likely involvement in concealing evidence. Her confrontation with him and Matsushita also reveals that the two have formed a separate cooperative relationship, leaving her with an unexpected sense of loss 114 115.

Sports Festival practice exposes her difficulty with paired events. Although she improves alongside Ayanokoji, her poor coordination with Matsushita persists. With Class D's position under threat, she asks Ayanokoji to compete seriously and accepts his condition of a future favor. She later recommends him as the relay anchor, gaining the class's agreement 121 122 124 126 127.

Paper Shuffle

Horikita accepts Ayanokoji's difficult exam questions and his proposal to target Ichinose's Class C rather than Ryuen's Class A. After the results leave Class D at 420 points, she encourages her disappointed classmates and focuses on the remaining opportunity to overtake Class C 141 143.

Rooftop Confrontation

Ryuen uses Karuizawa's past to pressure Class D and summon Horikita and Ayanokoji to a secluded rooftop. Horikita tries to negotiate, assuming he wants an unequal contract, but discovers that his real purpose is to confront Ayanokoji 150 152 153.

When she intervenes, Ryuen kicks her in the abdomen and orders Ishizaki to restrain her with an iron rod. She watches Ayanokoji defeat Albert, Ryuen, and Ishizaki before he rescues her. Her injuries are minor, and Chabashira takes her into care, but she initially avoids meeting Ayanokoji's eyes afterward 154 155 156.

Winter Break and Later Leadership

Sudo's confession is the first Horikita has ever received. She gently rejects him, and they agree to preserve their existing relationship. On Christmas Eve, she joins Ayanokoji, Kaede, and Hiyori for lunch and a movie, questioning them about Ryuen's resignation and Class A's vacant leadership 159 160.

Afterward, she recognizes that Ayanokoji arranged the outing to help clear her mind. His acknowledgment of feelings for her marks a romantic shift, although he also frames her as a “Love Textbook” valuable to his own development 161.

Later, Horikita identifies Kaede's probable role in the rooftop setup. During another exam, she exposes Maezono's campaign against Sakura and reveals that Sakura, like Kushida, had received an invitation to transfer to Class A 183 190.

Contracts & Items

Contract / Item	Details
Information-purchase contract with Kaede	Agrees to pay 30,000 private points per month for 12 months. The purchased rules address the importance of teamwork in class placement 35 58.
Financial burden	By July, she has paid Kaede 120,000 points, exceeding the 117,000 points distributed to each Class D student over the first four months. She regrets the agreement and relies on help from Hirata, Ayanokoji, and others to get by 37.
Study notebook	Personally compiled notes given to Sudo during exam preparation 22.
Leader keycard	Carries Class D's island-exam keycard on her person; temporarily leaves it with her clothing while Ayanokoji guards the shower area 55.

Relationships

• Ayanokoji Kiyotaka — Classmate, strategic partner, and developing romantic interest. Her reliance on him grows alongside her efforts to understand his concealed abilities and motives 54 115 141 161 183.
• Horikita Manabu — Older brother. Their relationship is notably dysfunctional, but proving herself to him motivates her Class A ambition. He privately entrusts her future care to Ayanokoji 91 103 156.
• Tennoji Kaede — Rival, information seller, and provocative influence on her growth. She begins by resenting him but later admires his accomplishments and suspects his involvement in the rooftop incident 8 22 37 98 183.
• Kushida Kikyo — Initially a hostile classmate whose friendship overtures Horikita rejects. Kushida's apparent eagerness to connect with her conceals enjoyment of her humiliation; she later transfers to Class A 14 119.
• Hirata Yousuke — Fellow Class D leader. Supports her Lord Card nomination, attends strategic meetings, and helps ensure she rests during the island exam 29 55 59.
• Sudo Ken — Classmate and tutoring recipient. Develops feelings for her, follows her Sports Festival instructions, and accepts her eventual rejection without demanding a change in their relationship 22 123 159.
• Ryuen Kakeru — Rival leader, would-be recruiter, and rooftop assailant. Their earlier competition and cooperation culminate in his attack on her while pursuing Ayanokoji 34 91 120 154.
• Matsushita Chiaki — Classmate and three-legged-race partner. Her independent cooperation with Ayanokoji unsettles Horikita 115 121 125.
• Shiina Hiyori — Rival-class acquaintance. Their Christmas Eve discussion reveals compatibility and mutual respect 160.
• Sakura Airi — Classmate whose hidden contributions Horikita publicly defends against Maezono's criticism-vote campaign 190.

Notable Quotes

“I refuse to sign with Class A. Even if it means we both go down together, I don't want to agree to their terms.” 59

“There is no point in dwelling on the success of others.” 98

Trivia

• The Haigoku System identifies her as a “Kuroya 99-Point Masterpiece.” Its causal-mark rewards increase Kaede's attributes; they are not documented power advancements for Horikita 2.
• In the separate IF-route extra, a class reunion reports that Horikita is pursuing Ayanokoji 197.