Rent-A-Girlfriend

"Whenever I see two people in love, I feel the urge to destroy it." Asami had always followed the path laid out for her by her strict father. Even her high school romance was abruptly ended by her father. Alone, Asami calmly reflects on her past. Then she confronts Chizuru, who is continuing her false relationship with Kazuya, and urges her to tell Kazuya the truth.

"I got dumped..." In a daze, Kazuya receives a call from Ruka and heads to the pool. He meets up with Kibe and the others and tries to act cheerful, telling himself that he's just going back to life without Chizuru. Then Chizuru arrives late. As always, Chizuru is playing the role of "him," but she has kept her interactions with Mami a secret from Kazuya.

Asami drops her smartphone, revealing Chizuru's "rent-a-girlfriend" page. In front of Kazu and other family and friends, the secret is finally revealed...! Everyone freezes in shock. To make matters worse, Kazuo confesses that he had witnessed Kazuya and Chizuru exchanging money in the past, and the situation takes a turn for the worse. "I tried to stop them so many times!!" Asami begins to plead tearfully. Kazuya is speechless, and Chizuru is cornered. Meanwhile, Kazu remembers a happy conversation he once had with Sayuri.

"No, Mizuhara isn't that kind of girl," Kazuya pleaded to everyone tearfully. Kazuya was putting on one last show of bravado, acting like a knight. Kibe grabbed Kazuya by the collar and demanded to know the truth, but Kazuya's feelings remained unshaken. Just then, Mami demanded that Kazuya and Chizuru kiss. With all eyes on him, Kazuya was flustered. Meanwhile, Ruka recalled her past conversation with Mami and was forced to decide how she should act. Should she remain silent and observe how things unfold, or...?

Responding to Mami's demands, Chizuru kisses Kazuya in front of everyone. In front of the stunned group, Chizuru reveals that she is a rental girlfriend and makes a confession. The situation is finally calmed down, but those who know about their relationship cannot hide their unease and frustration... As Ruka is questioning Chizuru, Mami bursts in, creating a tense situation. "Stop making a fool of me!"

Two days have passed since Kazuya returned to Tokyo. His mind is still filled with thoughts of that kiss. He hopes that it's practically a "yes" to his confession, but if he thinks about it calmly, she might have just been saving him out of kindness. Kazuya visits Chizuru's room, desperate to see her, but there is no response. Meanwhile, Mini also visits Chizuru's room. Chizuru begins to talk about how she deeply hurt Ruka. "...These feelings of mine...don't have a 'name' that can convince her..."

Kazuya, who hadn't seen Chizuru since their trip to Fukushima, finally managed to arrange a rental date with her after three months, and was overwhelmed by how cute Chizuru was as always. But Chizuru was smiling as usual...? Kazuya was determined to find out how Chizuru felt during this date, and as the remaining time dwindled, he steeled himself and took a step forward. Chizuru looked at Kazuya, whose voice was trembling, and with an expression that was hard to read, she answered him straight away. "To be honest, what do you think?"

Kazuya continues to giddy alone in his apartment, reminiscing about his date with Chizuru the previous day. Mini joins him, and Kazuya reports the results of his date. While Mini has plenty of things to say to him, she senses that their earnestness is "just like them." --Kazuya has been told by Chizuru that she wants to "investigate" his feelings. ...That night, as Kazuya begins to think about the future, Chizuru comes to his room to visit! "Can we talk for a bit?"

Kazuya, who unexpectedly runs into Chizuru at the laundromat, feels nervous but tries to make conversation as he sees her off. However, immediately afterward, he discovers women's underwear in the washing machine! He panics, wondering if it's something Chizuru left behind. Just then, Chizuru returns! Kazuya starts washing his clothes, ignoring Chizuru, who seems hesitant to talk. Suddenly, Chizuru hands him an envelope. Huh? Didn't she come back because she realized she'd forgotten something? "...Here. These are tickets to the upcoming play." It was an invitation ticket to a play she was appearing in, which she had prepared for Kazuya.

Kazuya agrees to help Chizuru sort through her belongings, and together they visit Ichinose's family home, an old, quaint wooden house. While fantasizing a little about Chizuru at home during their high school days, Kazuya diligently performs the heavy labor. As the work nears completion, Chizuru is opening an album in her room. "I just can't bring myself to throw away this photo..." Chizuru gazes at photos of herself with her grandparents and pictures of her mother, who passed away at a young age. Seeing her lonely expression, Kazuya musters up his courage and reaches out to her shoulder... but what happens next?!

The apartment building is closed off due to the earthquake. Kazuya's room at his parents' house is rented out to a lodger, forcing him to search for a new place to live in extreme poverty. Meanwhile, Chizuru is having dinner alone at her parents' house, feeling overwhelmed with loneliness. Kazuya is called out by Mini, and they meet at an izakaya to catch up. Anxiety and loneliness about leaving the apartment and seeing Chizuru less often, he tearfully confesses his feelings for her. Seeing this, Mini sends Chizuru a photo of Kazuya drunk. The next moment, Mini is surprised to see Chizuru's reply: "Can I come too?"

Chizuru joins them, and the three of them continue their drinking session at the izakaya. When Chizuru admits to feeling lonely without Kazuya, Mini immediately makes a suggestion: "How about we just live together?" Kazuya and the others are taken aback by this unexpected suggestion. However, when Kazuya secretly glances at Chizuru, he sees her cheeks flushed bright red, looking embarrassed... After the drinking session, Mini goes to look for a taxi, thinking about the drunken state of Kazuya. Alone with him, Chizuru peers into the sleeping Kazuya's face...!?