Kazuya is more than happy to continue to pay for Chizuru and keep her financially stable as she reaches for her dreams, but she'd rather he not dedicate so much time and money to a fake girlfriend when she has other clients and he has Mami...even though Chizuru has no idea how twisted Mami really is...and Ruka...even though Ruka is, well, Ruka
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I mean, it's pretty clear on Kazuya's list of priorities that Chizuru and helping her takes precedence over whatever kind of "girlfriend" Ruka is to him, and he'll use any excuse to be with Chizuru over Ruka. The only thing Ruka's got going for her is that he finds himself tempted by how cute she is, really. Kazuya knows he's in love with Chizuru and Ruka is just kind of someone he's stuck with for one reason or another. I mean, who asks an actual girlfriend to let them date a rental girlfriend? Like, c'mon
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I do appreciate that Kazuya wants to spend less time with Chizuru's "ideal girlfriends" act and more with the real Chizuru, standoffish and cool as she is by comparison. Chizuru doesn't see the point, but he wants get to better know her as herself
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It was nice to see Chizuru invite Kazuya to something when she's off the clock...even if it was to ward off guys hitting on her (because everyone in the universe has to notice and call out how attractive Chizuru is) and because she just needed to kill time before they saw her grandma. But her glee at getting a home run and wanting him to recognize and share in that joy with her was totally genuine. And she doesn't seem him as a stranger or a creep anymore, even if she says they're just "neighbors." Still an improvement though
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Batting cage Chizuru! With the ponytail, coat off, and frilly skirt swaying at all the right angles
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It's nice to see Kazuya has a grandmother in his life who is actually nice and supportive, even if she teases him a lot. But she seems to see something in him that nobody else does and recognizes that he might be exactly the kind of guy Chizuru needs. He may be imperfect, but he's got a big heart
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Chizuru acts so confident and solitary, but it's just that...an act. She's actually really needy and much more emotionally vulnerable than she projects, but only her grandmother knows the "real" Chizuru, and she feels Chizuru needs someone like Kazuya to be there to catch her when the act inevitably drops
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Little girl Chizuru looked absolutely adorable
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The ED is really nice! A soothing, cute, song featuring the girls in scenic locales and various snazzy and cute outfits. Although it was kind of surreal seeing them all as gal pals and hanging out in this ED when that is not at all reflected in the actual content of the show
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Well, "perfect" Chizuru takes a tumble when she doesn't have her key and needs to crash with Kazuya...and then Mami shows up...and Ruka is fully prepared to censor any sexy time
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