Chizuru Ichinose/Relationships

## Family

### Sayuri Ichinose

Chizuru and her grandmother are very close to each other, due to the fact that she did not ever get to interact with her parents during her childhood. As a child, Chizuru did not have any major aspirations for life until she saw glimpses of her grandmothers' acting performances from when she was younger. She was incredibly moved by this, and as a result, wanted to be just like her. Sayuri saw her granddaughters' potential and with the support of her husband, Katsuhito, wanted to help her in making her dream come to life. However, after the untimely death of Katsuhito, Sayuri and Chizuru were left to look after themselves.

Though Chizuru occasionally doubts her late grandfathers' words, as they never seem to be getting her anywhere, Sayuri still continues pushing her to be optimistic instead of pessimistic. Once Chizuru found out about her grandmothers' illness, she lost hope and wanted to abandon her dream, but with the help of her customer, Kazuya Kinoshita, she doesn't waver and manages to produce a short film.

Ultimately, Sayuri succumbs to her illness just as production of the film wraps up. During her final moments, Sayuri holds Chizuru close and reminds her just how much she loves her. Chizuru is devastated by her grandmother's death.

### Katsuhito Ichinose

Katsuhito was Chizuru's grandfather, and the one responsible for educating Chizuru on how to follow her dreams. At first, Chizuru did not find any merit in her grandfather's words, but slowly began to realize her own potential as an actress after having discovered Sayuri's old films in a DVD shop. Chizuru was greatly saddened when Katsuhito passed away due to a traffic accident. Into her adulthood, she continues to live by her grandfather's words and promises herself to become an actress in Kasuhito's honor.

## Friends

### Kazuya Kinoshita

Chizuru first met Kazuya after he scheduled a rental date with her. At first, she only ever saw him as a customer and gave him the same treatment as all her other customers, researching what to do pertaining to a given scenario. Things went as usual when she was acting like a normal girlfriend for him until he suddenly exuded a public tantrum. She dragged Kazuya to a secluded area and gave him a sermon about how their relationship is purely superficial and gives him the choice if he wants to continue with it or not. After having to follow him to the hospital where his ill grandmother resides, she found out that her own grandmother was there too; making them have to lie about being in a relationship, due to seeing them in a precarious situation.

Despite declaring numerous times that they would inform their grandmothers of their "break up", the two continue to find themselves in situations that require them to continue "dating". At first, Chizuru is greatly annoyed by Kazuya's cowardice, stubbornness and unwillingness to tell his grandmother of their fake relationship. She tries several times to cut contact with him, though the two continuously bump into each other out of pure circumstance. She demands that if Kazuya is to keep renting her, that he not talk to her at all outside of their "dates", and that he avoid all contact with her in general.

Her feelings for Kazuya begin to change during the beach trip. Having found herself stuck playing Kazuya's girlfriend in front of his friends once again, she is shocked when Kazuya announces that he and her are breaking up, finally taking a step towards ending the fake relationship. After Kazuya and his friend, Kibe, get into a fist-fight over the decision, Chizuru later commends Kazuya for stepping up and being brave. Later, Chizuru has a conversation with Kibe. Still unaware that she is only a rental, Kibe tells Chizuru old stories about Kazuya in an effort to get the two back together, and that when Kazuya is passionate about something, he will nurture it and give his upmost effort. After, Chizuru goes on a ferry ride with Kazuya. Stressed, exhausted, and suffering from sea sickness, Chizuru falls overboard and almost drowns until Kazuya dives off the ferry and saves her. After washing up on shore, Chizuru gives an unconscious Kazuya CPR and revives him, and is visibly elated. Genuinely touched by Kazuya's effort to save her life, Chizuru decides to continue being his rental girlfriend for as long as he needs.

They continue to "date" for some time, with Chizuru gradually becoming more tolerant and less irritated by Kazuya. Eventually, Chizuru trusts Kazuya to the point of asking him to help train her friend Sumi, another rental girlfriend. At one point, she bluntly asked Kazuya if he liked her, something he nervously denied.

This goes on until Chizuru finds out that her grandmother does not have much longer to live, and falls into despair until Kazuya offers to help in any way he can; wanting to support her in any means possible. When he approaches her with the idea of making a movie for her grandmother, she is overjoyed and touched by his efforts, changing her sad demeanor around other people to a happier one. When Kazuya expresses doubts about being baggage for her, she tells him she has not ever regretted meeting him.

As time goes on, she seems to have developed genuine romantic feelings for him, as she blushes more in Kazuya's presence and begins to tease him when the two of them meet outside of her work, and is shown to hold jealousy during his interactions with Ruka. Her trust in Kazuya deepens as she even asks to stay at his apartment when she had been locked out of her own. At one point, she even makes him food after noticing Kazuya had been starving himself while working on producing her film. She even begins to hang out with him outside of their rental dates, going to a batting cage together.

Later, it is evident that she has a desire to be closer to Kazuya, privately wishing to legitimately call him by his given name without any honorifics and is confused regarding how to process her feelings. Although she shrugs off Ruka using Kazuya's name repeatedly, once out of sight, Chizuru quietly whispers it. Her fondness for Kazuya is noticed by her grandmother, who realizes that Chizuru might be falling in love with him, although in denial.

Following her grandmother's death, Chizuru and Kazuya did not speak. However he did eventually rent her again. At one point, he invited her to lunch. She got drunk and asked her if he liked her. Before he could say the answer he was being interrupted.

Later she invited him to a party, after which he decided to tell her. Chizuru ultimately kissed Kazuya in front of everyone present in order prove that they're really dating for real even doing so twice to make it clear when Mami make everyone doubt that she was pretending to kiss Kazuya.

### Ruka Sarashina

Chizuru initially talked to her nicely until Ruka openly said that Chizuru is a rental girlfriend right in front of her. After Kazuya informed Chizuru that Ruka was also a rental girlfriend, she was about to report her through the agency she registered but Kazuya stopped her and learned that Ruka had no intention to break the secret of Chizuru and Kazuya.

Unfortunately, Ruka's moment with Kazuya has led her to fall in love with him, confessing to him and declaring herself to be the real girlfriend while Chizuru was left shocked. When seeing Chizuru, Ruka proclaimed Chizuru her rival for Kazuya, irritating the latter. After Kazuya tried to leave, Ruka made an attempt to stop him, despite Chizuru giving a chance to help her with her irregular heartbeat problem.

### Sumi Sakurasawa

Sumi is a friend of Chizuru, as they both work for the same Rental Girlfriend agency. Chizuru seems to genuinely like Sumi and offers advice on how to be a better rental girlfriend. Chizuru even asks Kazuya to go on a trial date with Sumi to help increase her experience. After the date, she calls Sumi to check in and ask how it went.

### Umi

Umi is Chizuru's friend from her acting school. Chizuru seems to enjoy Umi's company and even spent the majority of her Christmas with him, watching a movie and buying gifts. Unbeknownst to Chizuru, Umi slowly developed feelings for her and ended up admitting his love for her while hanging out. Though conflicted, Chizuru ultimately rejects him, as she had already fallen in love with Kazuya. Umi accepted this and blamed himself for confessing too late.

### Mini Yaemori

She was initially wary towards Yaemori because of her unintentionally deed to learn that her relationship towards Kazuya. However, it annoys her more when she becomes the cupid for Kazuya. It is through Yaemori that Chizuru learns of Kazuya's affections for her and starts to slowly acknowledge her own for him. Mini was the person to finally tell Chizuru that Kazuya 'liked her as a woman' and pushed her to like Kazuya as all other attempt of Kazuya expressing his feelings was cut short or put into different context.

## Others

### Mami Nanami

Mami harbors a great hatred towards Chizuru out of jealousy of her and Kazuya's "relationship", despite the fact that Mami had broken up with Kazuya. Chizuru is not aware as to just how much Mami hates her because of Mami's professional facade at hiding her true personality. During one occasion, Mami rents Chizuru for a date, and passive-aggressively demands that she stop "dating" Kazuya, as she is fed up with the act.

During the Hawaii trip, Mami was invited by Kazuya's grandmother.

### Shun Kuribayashi

When they first met, he was very surprised Kazuya had gotten a new girlfriend and was smitten by her beauty. Chizuru only knew of Kuri as a friend to Kazuya and masqueraded as Kazuya's girlfriend and treated him with kindness.

After Ruka dumped him, Chizuru voiced sympathy for Kuribayashi, due to his humiliation. Kuribayashi later rented her because of the set-up from Kazuya. Kuribayashi was surprised by her occupation but enjoyed the date with Chizuru and amended his friendship towards Kazuya. This also led Kuribayashi to not tell the rest of his friends on Kazuya and Chizuru's relationship. It is hinted that Kuribayashi became aware that Chizuru had feelings for Kazuya, while noting on her behavior in talking on him, being surprised such a beauty like her would be interested in his friend.