Rent-A-Girlfriend follows Kazuya Kinoshita's life as he rents a girlfriend on a phone app after his girlfriend of one month dumps him. The app is what leads him to meet Chizuru Ichinose (also known as Chizuru Mizuhara) when he rents her for a day. However, following their date together, Kazuya gives Chizuru a one-star rating because he feels that she was not being genuine or sincere during their date. This prompts an angry response from Chizuru the next time they meet, and Kazuya finally sees the real Chizuru behind the mask of perfection.
Before they are about to part, Kazuya discovers that his grandmother has fainted and has been taken to the hospital. When Kazuya, along with Chizuru, visits her, his grandmother is shocked and relieved that he finally has a girlfriend, especially one so beautiful. Seeing how enamored his grandmother is with Chizuru, Kazuya continues to hire her to pretend to be his girlfriend to avoid getting bullied by his family. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning, and things begin to spiral out of control.
8 Kazuya Supports Chizuru's Career
After discovering that Chizuru's career goal is to be an actress, Kazuya ensures that Chizuru knows he is supporting her. This support goes beyond her choice to become a famous actress. Chizuru believes that pretending to be someone's girlfriend will make her a better actress. It will also fund it.
While many guys would feel insecure and jealous watching the girl they like 'date' others, Kazuya assures himself that he supports Chizuru because it's important for her acting career. Additionally, he decides to rent and pay Chizuru to support her financially.
7 Chizuru Can Be Herself Around Kazuya
As part of her job as a rental girlfriend and her overall pursuit of acting, Chizuru is excellent at maintaining a facade. Her false persona is perfect, sweet, and innocent. But this is fake and unrealistic. However, as Chizuru becomes more comfortable around Kazuya, her true self begins to shine through.
This personality immediately intrigued Kazuya after Chizuru blew up on him after he gave her a low rating. Though Chizuru's passion is acting, it's clear that she does not want to abolish her individuality. In other words, she can be herself with Kazuya.
6 Kazuya Loves Chizuru For Who She Is
As mentioned, Kazuya genuinely felt intrigued by Chizuru after she showed her true self during one of their early meetings. Kazuya did not necessarily care about Chizuru when she maintained the facade for her job because she wasn't being authentic (though this is certainly no fault of her own, seeing as it is her job).
The first time he went on a fake date with Chizuru was exciting because she was kind and beautiful, but it was not enough and certainly wasn't real. Kazuya longed for something authentic, and after experiencing Chizuru's wrath, excitement, vulnerability, and sensitivity, Kazuya knew Chizuru was the perfect one for him.
5 Chizuru Stands Up For Kazuya
Kazuya Kinoshita is quite unassertive. In contrast, Chizuru is a strong-willed young woman who stands up for her beliefs and those who bully her and Kazuya. A pivotal example occurs during Season 1 of Rent-A-Girlfriend when Kazuya brings Chizuru to a restaurant, where the latter meets his friends and ex-girlfriend Mami.
Feeling progressively more frustrated and angry at Mami's bullying of Kazuya, Chizuru bites back in defense of Kazuya. This leaves him in shock and awe and surprises Mami, who doesn't expect anyone to speak up in his defense.
4 Kazuya Does Not Want Anyone Else
Despite somehow attracting other girls, Kazuya only has eyes for Chizuru. Even though Ruka has repeatedly confessed to Kazuya, she has been unable to gain his affection. Kazuya admits at one point that Ruka is perfect, beautiful, and kind. However, she's not Chizuru, and unfortunately for Ruka, Kazuya will not settle for anyone else.
Similarly, Kazuya was heartbroken when Mami broke up with him, and he desperately wanted her back. However, after getting to know Chizuru, Kazuya doesn't think about Mami, and at this point, he doesn't want her back, either. This is fortunate news because Mami does not particularly like Kazuya but enjoys being the center of attention.
3 Chizuru Continues To Help Kazuya As His Rental Girlfriend
Even though Kazuya is paying Chizuru for her time and effort of being his rental girlfriend, it says a lot about Chizuru that she is choosing to continue playing this role. Chizuru could deny Kazuya her business if she wanted to, seeing as there are a plethora of other guys lining up to hire her (based on her high reviews). However, she continues helping him. Perhaps this is because she genuinely cares about him, despite denying her feelings frequently.
2 Kazuya's Grandmother Loves Chizuru
Upon discovering that Kazuya has a girlfriend, Nagomi, Kazuya's grandmother, is thrilled at the news. Kazuya did not want to disappoint his grandmother, who truly believed that he would remain single for the rest of his life. Nagomi is so excited about her grandson's relationship that she demands they visit her frequently. This leads the fake couple to maintain their web of lies.
1 Chizuru's Grandmother Loves Kazuya
Chizuru's grandmother, Sayuri, also happens to be Nagomi's dear friend. They had met at the hospital, which is also where they found out about Kazuya and Chizuru. When Nagomi tells Sayuri that their grandkids are in a relationship, Sayuri is ecstatic.
In fact, Nagomi and Sayuri do their best to support Kazuya and Chizuru's relationship because the two elderly ladies only want their grandchildren to be happy.