View source for Kozue Otomune

{{Warning}}{{Infobox character
|Name={{PAGENAME}}
|Color = #F5A8B6
|Year=2nd Year (103rd)<br />3rd Year (104th)<br />Graduated (105th)
|Birthday=June 15
|Gender=Female
|Height=167cm
|Zodiac Sign=Gemini
|Seiyuu Romaji=Nina Hanamiya
|Special Skill=Classical ballet<br />Strength training
|Favorite Food= Black Tea<br />Boiled Tofu
|Image=<tabber>
|-|103rd = [[File:Kozue Otomune 103.png|250px]]
|-|104th = [[File:Kozue Otomune 104.png|250px]]
</tabber>
|Japanese Name=乙宗梢
|Favorite Subject = Art<br />World history
|Romanized Name=Otomune Kozue
|Seiyuu Kanji=花宮初奈
|Icon=[[File:Kozue Icon.png|50px]]
|Signature=
}}
'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a main character in '''[[Link! Like! Love Live!]]'''. She was a third-year student at [[Hasunosora Girls' High School]] who enrolled with the 102nd class. She is also a member of [[Cerise Bouquet]], a unit under the [[Hasunosora Girls' High School Idol Club]] where she was club president. Her image color is Mermaid Green.
<br /><br />
She graduated in the 105th term.
== Background ==
Kozue was born into a wealthy and deeply traditional family rooted in classical music, which gave her extensive knowledge of various musical instruments and styles. As a child, she saw school idol performance and instantly fell in love, dreaming of becoming a school idol herself. Her family strongly opposed the idea, dismissing school idols as a frivolous and lesser art form. After much negotiation and with several conditions, Kozue was eventually allowed to enroll at Hasunosora due to its long-standing traditions and history with school idols.

Her primary goal was to win Love Live!, believing that everything she had sacrificed would be meaningless otherwise, and that only victory would allow her to truly accept herself. As a first-year student, she was once rigid, strict, and close-minded, often clashing with her fellow first-years, [[Megumi Fujishima]] and [[Tsuzuri Yugiri]] (collectively known as the ''Hasu Trio''), due to their equally strong personalities. However, following Megumi’s accident and her own personal growth, Kozue gradually softened. As the leader of Cerise Bouquet, she mentored her new junior with newfound warmth and maturity.

== Personality ==
Kozue is a graceful and elegant honor student, excelling in both academics and sports. Though highly admired at Hasunosora, she remains humble and never boastful. She is diligent and puts her full effort into everything she does. While she struggles with technology, she insists she’s working on turning it into a strength.

As a perfectionist, Kozue sets high and precise standards for herself, often pushing her limits in pursuit of excellence. She's especially hard on herself and has a history of neglecting her own well-being to meet expectations, which has negatively impacted her health during key moments. She also used to conceal her true feelings and pretend everything was fine, but she’s now more open to honest communication and accepting constructive feedback.

Kozue conducts herself with formality and grace, always speaking politely and addressing others with honorifics, except in the case of Tsuzuri Yugiri, Megumi Fujishima, and (later) [[Kaho Hinoshita]]. Tsuzuri once mentioned that she and Kozue frequently had shouting matches, revealing a temper beneath Kozue’s polished, reserved exterior.

Her favorite phrase is "Stand like a peony, sit like a peony, walk like a lily."

== Appearance ==
Kozue is tall girl, who is often described as being very beautiful. Her soft purple hair is tied into a bun over a ponytail on her right, with an extra strand resting on top. This is held together with a red flower clip with green leaves above and a lighter green tassel hanging off it. Her gentle eyes are bright green.
<br /><br />
When she was a 1st year, she used to wear her hair in a simple, low ponytail.

==Etymology==
* The name Kozue (梢) means "treetop, twig"
* Kozue's surname, '''Otomune''' means "quaint, stylish, unique" (乙) (Oto) and "family, ancestry, tradition" (宗) (Mune).

== Trivia ==
*Kozue is not particularly skilled at drawing. Her unique illustrations of her fellow club members have nonetheless been featured in merchandise, free wallpapers, and even made an appearance in her solo cover MV, "Welcome."
**Her art style has shown slight improvement over time.
*Due to her struggle with technology, early With×MEETS livestreams featured Kozue fumbling with how to properly end the stream, often unable to figure it out on her own.
*Kozue can play a wide range of instruments, including the piano, violin, trumpet, flute, saxophone, and acoustic guitar. She uses these skills to help compose songs for both Cerise Bouquet and the School Idol Club as a whole.
*Kozue’s voice actress, Nina Hanamiya, auditioned for Love Live! three times. Kozue was the role she landed on her third attempt.
*It is implied that [[Eli Ayase]] was the school idol Kozue saw as a child—the one who inspired her to pursue being a school idol herself.
**Kozue once told Kaho that her favorite school idol saved her school from closing, much like what [[μ's]] accomplished.
**After performing [[DEEPNESS]] at the Nadeshiko Festival, during a With×MEETS, Kozue shared that she styled her hair in a high ponytail, the same way her favorite school idol used to wear it. This is the only time Kozue has been shown with that hairstyle. Eli is notably the only member of μ's to consistently wear a high ponytail.