Ruka Sarashina

The greatest harm Kazuya has inflicted on Ruka is his lack of sincerity and his cowardly prolonging of a false relationship. By not being honest about his true feelings for Chizuru, he has given Ruka false hope and constant emotional agony.

The harm Kazuya does to Ruka:

Lack of firmness: Kazuya has not had the courage to end the trial relationship definitively, keeping her in constant limbo for fear of making her cry or facing the situation.

Hiding the truth: On numerous occasions, Kazuya has hidden or lied about his closeness and the intimate moments he's shared with Chizuru. Learning the truth is often devastating for Ruka.

One-sided emotional dependence: Despite Ruka's genuine efforts to be a real girlfriend (due to her heart condition, Kazuya is the only person who evokes intense emotions in her), Kazuya hasn't tried hard enough to love her. Instead, he has prioritized his own desires and his obsessive love for Chizuru.

Moments of confusion: Occasionally, Kazuya has given in to Ruka's impulses and demands for affection or has had ambiguous interactions that only serve to make her cling to him even more.

Mini Yaemori: At first, Ruka was annoyed because she saw Yaemori as another rival for Kazuya's affections. However, she calmed down when she realized that Yaemori simply admired Kazuya's lifestyle, though this still made her a little uncomfortable.

Sumi: They share the same social circle through Kazuya Kinoshita and Chizuru Mizuhara, but they barely interact directly. They are distant acquaintances linked only by the unrequited love they both feel for Kazuya, handling it in completely opposite ways.

Ruka's Wardrobe: School uniform: She wears a light-colored knitted vest over a white shirt, a uniform skirt, dark tights, and school shoes. Her signature accessory is always her large blue bow. Casual clothes: Outside of school, she usually wears turtleneck sweaters, often in light colors like white or pink, combined with skirts or pants, always keeping her bow in her hair. Swimsuit: In the series she has also been seen wearing different swimsuits, highlighting colorful designs that accentuate her figure.

Chizuru Ichinose: The relationship between Ruka and Chizuru could be described as that of "frenemies." Ruka initially distrusted her relationship with Kazuya and confirmed this after he confessed to her. However, ironically, it was Chizuru who brought them together in a trial relationship. Since then, Ruka has been constantly possessive of Kazuya, scolding them both for continuing their rental relationship and going out of her way to show him affection, which elicits various reactions from Chizuru.

Nagomi Kinoshita: Ruka met Kazuya's grandmother, Nagomi, during the New Year's trip to the shrine. Ruka bluntly told her she was Kazuya's girlfriend, causing him to panic and explain that she was Chizuru's friend and a compulsive liar, much to Ruka's dismay. However, Nagomi has stated that she cares for Ruka and considers her like her Tokyo grandmother, which Ruka appreciates.

Mami Nanami: Ruka encountered Mami during her investigation into Kazuya's life at his workplace. Ruka deduced that Mami was Kazuya's ex-girlfriend and confronted her for following him after their breakup. Ruka declared that Kazuya belonged to her and scolded Mami for her apparent jealousy. Mami left, feigning sadness in front of Kazuya, but she was actually annoyed by Ruka's harsh behavior. Mami attempts to manipulate Ruka's feelings to come between Kazuya and Chizuru.

At first, Chizuru told Kazuya to try and win Ruka over as his girlfriend. Unfortunately for Kazuya, Ruka ended up considering him her boyfriend for real. Despite being declared a "temporary" girlfriend, Ruka brazenly continued to get closer to Kazuya and did everything she could to make him hers, not Chizuru's, since Ruka sensed that Chizuru secretly had feelings for him. To gain an advantage, she introduced herself as his girlfriend to his family, though she was disappointed by his description of her. Later, she started working at the same job to be closer to him, much to his dismay. At one point, she decided to take a chance and kissed Kazuya twice, while he, surprised, stopped her.

Kazuya Kinoshita Their first encounter was not good at all, as he unintentionally glanced at her underwear after they bumped into each other. When they reunited, he was shocked to find her out with Kuri. Ruka revealed she was a rental girlfriend and initially despised him as an irresponsible beast who simply enjoyed dating random girls, like any of his clients, and was angry at him for accidentally groping her chest. Despite this, Kazuya saved Ruka from falling down the stairs, and she nervously thanked him but ran away in embarrassment. Afterward, she was troubled by her newfound feelings for him. However, Kazuya's sincerity won her over, and she confirmed it with a heartbeat counter on her smartphone. Later, they ran into each other at university, surprising him. She forced him to hug her, which he reluctantly did while hiding her from Shun. After she canceled her arrangement with Shun, Kazuya scolded her and chased after his friend, despite Ruka's pleas. They then met outside his and Chizuru's apartment building, where she became angry at his closeness to Chizuru, despite his profession. As a result, she pulled out her phone and recorded herself promising to keep their relationship a secret in exchange for a date, and quickly confessed her feelings to him. Kazuya was speechless and blushed at the idea, even trying to question her. She explained that she wasn't joking and that she had developed feelings for him, asking him out.

Ruka was born with an irregular heartbeat, which causes her to suffer throughout her life from being treated differently than others, as she can faint if she exerts herself physically. This drives her to become a rental girlfriend, longing for someone who can easily raise her heart rate. For a time, none of the people she met had any effect on her, until she met someone truly sincere during a chance encounter: Kazuya Kinoshita.

Kazuya's sincerity won her over, and she gradually resigned from her job as a rental girlfriend. She practically blackmails him into being her "trial boyfriend" on the condition that he doesn't reveal Chizuru's job or their relationship. Unfortunately, this makes her a nuisance to Kazuya. To make matters worse, she now works at the same job as him.

Ruka's favorite color is blue. Ruka's heart condition is, or is similar to, bradycardia (slow heart rate). Ruka creates videos for social media that get a lot of views, although Kazuya Kinoshita suspects that her beauty is the main reason. Her zodiac sign is Virgo and she was born in the Year of the Dragon.

Ruka is a cheerful, determined, and passionate girl. She is direct and sincere with her feelings. However, her traits often make her seem self-centered, insistent, and possessive. This personality developed after discovering her condition and feeling ostracized by her classmates. Because of this, she became obsessed with the idea that having a boyfriend would help raise her heart rate.

Ruka's impulsive personality often causes conflict with Kazuya, and more specifically, with Chizuru. Furthermore, her determination can lead her to be excessively stubborn. This often causes her to make poor decisions to get what she wants, and she tends to throw tantrums or rebel if things don't go her way.

That said, Ruka isn't a bad person at all; beneath her clingy and sometimes unpleasant demeanor, she simply wants Kazuya to be proud of her and to win the affection of his family. In serious situations, Ruka can also be reasonable and try to overcome her flaws. She demonstrates self-control and even cooperates with people she would normally dislike. Kazuya points out that, under different circumstances, the traits perceived as negative in Ruka would be desirable in anyone who wanted her as a girlfriend.

She is a girl whose heart beats slower than that of an average person and is looking for a lover to help her cope with her condition.

Appearance: Ruka's most distinctive features are her short, black hair and blue eyes, tied back with a ribbon, usually blue. Without the ribbon, she sports a short, voluminous bob. She typically wears her school uniform, which consists of a white button-down shirt with a tie, a blue blazer, and a short skirt. For her rental dates, she usually wears a turtleneck sweater with short patterned skirts. Her casual wear usually consists of summer dresses, though she wears long-sleeved tops and leggings for more formal occasions.

Ruka possesses a feminine figure that contrasts with her youthful appearance. While she herself admits that her figure isn't as voluptuous as Chizuru's, she is described as having a generous bust and long, slender legs. Males consider her very attractive, often comparing her to Chizuru, and she tends to attract a lot of attention in public.

Characteristics Date of birth: August 26, 2000 Gender: Female Age: 18 Blood type: B Height: 153 cm Eye color: Blue Hair color: Black

Personal status Relatives: mother and grandmother Occupation: Karaoke staff for high school students (part-time) and rental girlfriend (part-time, ex) Affiliation: Karaoke Village and Maple (formerly) Relationships: Chizuru Ichinose (frenemy) Shun Kuribayashi (client, former client) Nagomi Kinoshita (friend) Kazuya Kinoshita (trial boyfriend)