Did you manage to tell your grandma the truth about us?
I couldn't.
I tried to, but she said she was fine either way.
When she said that, I just couldn't bring myself to tell her.
I don't regret it, though.
I mean it.
That dilemma helped me consider what I was doing for her,
and what was for myself,
right until the very end.
And I'm thankful that you presented it to me.
But also, it's made it harder to come clean...
If we tell Granny Nagomi the truth now,
she'll despise us for lying to my grandma until her last breath.
I won't let that happen.
I swear I'll protect you from the blame!
How, exactly?
I thought I was good at going it alone
Would you prefer to go together?
Place your finger here
Rent-a-Girlfriend
"Climax and Girlfriend"
Sayuri-san believed in you—
that her dear granddaughter introduced a boyfriend to her for the first time.
And I'm sure she believed it to her dying breath.
If what Mami-dono says is true,
then I can overlook anything but the fact that you lied to my late friend.
I would like to believe that this is all a mistake.
Is there anything you can say in your defense?
There's nothing we can say! Because we did lie!
No! Mizuhara was torn up over it!
She just barely missed her chance to tell the truth, is all!
But whatever we say now, after lying for a year and a half,
it'll only sound like an excuse.
It's not fair!
I mean, Sayuri-san isn't here to stand up for her.
There's nothing we can do anymore.
I see.
Never mind.
We're done.
I'm tired now.
No...
You've got it all wrong, guys.
If you had to pick the worst declaration of love in human history,
it'd have to be this moment here.
Before I knew it, that outpouring of emotion had escaped my lips.
It was like charging into a gunfight with nothing but a matchstick.
Mizuhara's not that kind of person.
I'm telling you, you've got it all wrong...
Gran... everyone...
It was a last-ditch effort that was desperately uncool.
This pathetic white knight's final lie began to unfold.
I mean... we really are together.
Mami-chan doesn't know,
but a week or so before Granny Sayuri passed away,
we started dating for real.
So it was more like Chizuru had no reason to tell her.
I mean, it would've been weird to tell her
that we lied, but only until a week before.
So yeah, ultimately, Chizuru didn't lie to Sayuri-san.
Okay?
Have you thought this through?
I hope you realize what you're trying to do.
Lie here, and you're done for.
It's curtains!
Sorry... I'm sorry, Kibe!
I get it.
I've seen how much you care about me!
You've made it clear as day!
I told you, Mizuhara's not that kind of person.
But I can't! I just can't!
She deceived you all?
You've gotta be kidding me.
You know there's nothing else I could do!
She's a lovely girl through and through.
She's always sincere and lives life with her head held high.
I don't care if I look pathetic,
or if you all end up thinking I'm a total piece of trash.
And she loved Sayuri-san from the bottom of her heart.
I just can't handle anyone thinking badly of her!
I was obviously at fault for everything.
That's the one thing I can't deal with!
She's a gentle soul.
She kept this all a secret for my sake.
I can just say we broke up once we get back to Tokyo!
If anyone has to lie, let it be me!
Even as all this is happening, I feel so bad for putting her in this position.
She'll despise us...
After all, I swore to protect her from the blame!
And I'm gonna see it through!
She's always pretty,
kind, and the coolest person alive.
That's the Mizuhara Chizuru I've come to love!
Kiss, then.
Prove it by kissing.
Huh?
Rent-a-Girlfriend
Cursed Mansion
Hey, Ruka.
You were out already, huh? Wasn't that thrilling?
Yep, my heart was racing! It was so good!
Right? Yumi even froze up in the middle there.
Can you blame me? I was so startled.
To say it was 24/7/365 would be a bit overboard,
That was too scary.
but I'd say I spent 24/7/364 searching for it.
No matter when or where, it always occupied a corner of my mind.
Because I felt like the universe was telling me I was defective.
May my illness be cured soon - Sarashina Ruka, Class 2-3
I only ever made one wish on Tanabata...
So when I found you, you really felt like a knight in shining armor.
She may be a rental, but Mizuhara is...
the best girlfriend anyone could ask for!
I truly thought you'd be the prince to bring color into my life.
But you were in love with someone.
Someone very beautiful,
and very mature.
There was never a moment when I thought I had the upper hand.
That's why I'd get so anxious every now and then.
Congrats on our eight-month, ten-day anniversary!
Shouldn't we be more selective?
Hey, it's also our 250th day as a couple!
Even that doesn't feel too significant
Maritozzi taste so good when you're with your beloved!
Yo, check her out.
She's so cute!
She's so slender and fair!
We're just getting started.
Today, we're hitting the cinema, the Ferris wheel,
and so many other things I've been looking forward to!
But seriously, what are you planning to do?
Huh?
You can't tell your family a rental girlfriend is your partner forever.
I mean, your grandma wants a successor, doesn't she?
I get not wanting to make her sad, but it has to end someday.
Oh, but I'm not saying this to be territorial or anything.
I'm just worried about the two of you.
I'm just worried about the two of you...
I promise I'll do the right thing.
Huh?
For you and for Mizuhara.
I'll find a way to end it in a way that doesn't make anyone unhappy.
You'd better call your grandma right away, then.
Huh? Where'd that come from?
What are you saying?
You have the cutest li'l girlfriend right here!
Okay, but that's a different matter.
I was worried things would stay like this forever.
Because I really, really love him.
Prove it by kissing.
Wh-What are you saying, Mami-chan?
Kiss? In front of everyone?
We're in public, too. There's no way we could kiss.
What is all this? What is going on?
The secret's out?
His grandma and everyone else knows Chizuru-san's a rental girlfriend?
And "kiss," she says?!
She knows they can't do it.
Did she drop her phone on purpose?
Granny Nagomi's trying to air it all out, too.
Rental Girlfriend
Right here and now.
But let's say I do snitch. What will you do then?
What do I do now?
That's obvious! I just have to do nothing!
As long as I keep quiet and watch, their fake relationship will end.
I have no reason to help Kazuya-kun and Chizuru-san here!
He's the one I've been looking for all my life!
I need him far more than Chizuru-san does!
It's their fault to begin with.
They kept dragging it out and putting it off!
I'll find a way to end it in a way that doesn't make anyone unhappy.
Listen, Kazuya-kun.
You and I are meant to be.
We are each other's one and only soulmate in the whole wide world.
Is it mean of me to think you should just "break it off" with Chizuru-san?
Is it so bad to wish that you be mine and mine alone?
I'll give you my all!
I'll do everything I can to make you fall in love with me for real!
So forgive me, Kazuya-kun.
I'm sorry.
Let me ask you just one more thing.
Why did you invite me along on this trip?
I think I'm being a huge bother, honestly.
I mean, I'm a pathological liar, and I'm always following those two around.
I'm sure you'd rather be talking to Chizuru.
Even if I am her friend, there was no need to invite me.
If it was me, I wouldn't have.
Oh, is that all? The answer's a simple one.
Because I like you too, Ruka-dono.
I love your spirited voice and your beaming smile.
Just spending time with you makes me feel younger.
And I've grown awfully fond of you, as well.
Your tendency to lie seems to have died down a little lately, too.
O-Oh, well...
Excuse me. We ask that you not cause a scene and bother the other guests.
Our apologies to the staff.
But please give us just a moment.
We only need a few seconds.
Do it, Kazuya.
W-Wait, everyone. You look scary.
They said they're dating, so what's the problem?
They say they're really together now, so what's the big deal?
Ruka-chan!
Yeah, exactly.
We're getting cold again.
We just got out of the hot bath, too
November is November
How about we get changed and settle down first?
Kuri!
What are you saying, Shun-kun?
This isn't the time.
I-I get it. I do, okay?
B-But nobody's thinking straight right now.
And, like, who'd kiss out here?
Anyone would find that off-putting.
Let's forget all this and hit up the arcade!
I want some sticker pics
I wanna play some token games!
Good idea! Like that one with the dinosaur spitting out tokens!
Wait, that's a thing?!
Ruka-chan... Kuri...
You guys... You guys!
Let's try to hit the jackpot!
I'm super good at crane games, too!
Wow, get me something!
Sheesh.
Isn't this your third rejection?
How are you still crying that much?
I mean, she used to say it was great how I didn't give up on her!
Within limits, yeah, sure.
Don't you get that she's out of your league, you moron?!
This is one you should give up on.
Give up after one try
Really?
Everyone comes up with BS to say quick between your message and theirs.
They act like life is a game in which they score points by making people happy
Girls use the heart emoji like we think of the star emoji
You know that's how it works.
We all try not to be hated, not to take things at face value,
not to suck up too much, and not to leave awkward pauses.
It's a neverending cycle of trivial lies. That's the basis of human relationships.
I'm not letting her sell me a bridge or whatever, okay?
I wanted to believe in her because I like her.
I'm saying there's a limit realistically to how much you can trust a person.
Anyway, cheer up. I'll treat you to a beef bowl or whatever.
Wow, you're a god.
Watching you does make me feel like I want to be friends with believers.
Kibe...
Order a salad too, and our friendship is over.
So I'm on thin ice?
A-Achoo. Yikes, I might've caught a cold out here.
That's not good! Let's hit the locker rooms right away!
Kuri, Sarashina-san.
Please shut up for a second.
This might be crude of me, but I don't want to be tricked any more.
There's a limit to how much one person can trust another.
After lying to me for a year and a half,
if you're still out here trying to keep up the lie...
then you're no longer the Kinoshita Kazuya I called my best friend.
I'm not saying I like suspecting Chizuru-san,
but Nagomi-san wants you to be happy more than anyone else,
and I think she should be just as important to you.
Look, Kazuya. For fifteen years,
I've thought you were a moron countless times,
but I've never once thought of you as a liar.
And you're not, are you?
I want to die.
I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!
This is all my fault.
If only I hadn't tried to act cool back then...
If only I hadn't said she was my girlfriend...
If only I hadn't rented Mizuhara out for that...
If only I hadn't let Ruka-chan talk me into trying out dating her...
If only I hadn't gotten carried away and booked a double date with Kuri...
If only I'd told Dad the truth...
If only I'd told Mom that it was all lies...
I'm really sorry.
I'm really, really sorry for everything!
In that moment,
so many thoughts crossed my mind.
"I'm truly sorry, Mizuhara."
"How did Mami-chan react?"
"I told Gran a massive lie again."
"Kibe, you'll always be my best friend, no matter what."
"Kuri, can you believe this?"
"Ruka-chan must be fuming."
But...
The main one was "Then, now, and forever...
My world always revolves around you."
That realization hit me.
Rent-a-Girlfriend
Whoa, I'm blushing hard!
Huh? Did we just kiss?!
Am I dreaming?
That's right, Kazu-chin. It was all a dream.
Kibe...
Wait, there's no way.
Just think about it. A fool like you?
Get a lovely girlfriend like Chizuru-san? Not a chance.
N-No...
So everything up until now was a dream?
So, next time on Rent-a-Girlfriend:
"Legitimate Girlfriend"
"Legitimate...
...Girlfriend."