[chapter 225] Ruka Sarashina's Choice to Maintain the Status Quo
Hi, I'm Korakuone. Are you enjoying Kanokari?
◆SINCE THE TWO OF THEM SAY THAY'RE DATING... WHY NOT JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT? (225)
E-EVERYONE, PLEASE... THE LOOKS ON YOUR FACES ARE SCARING ME...
SINCE THE TWO OF THEM SAY THAY'RE DATING... WHY NOT JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT?
I'm not enjoying it. Chapter 225 turned out to be the most disappointing one after entering the Paradise Arc.
It is not like Ruka.
That's all I have to say. Ruka, who has been portrayed as a reckless girl, stopped herself from ending Kazuya and Chizuru's relationship in this situation! I am not convinced.
Today, I would like to take a moment to sort out what kind of girl Ruka Sarashina has been portrayed as. I would like you to understand why Ruka's choice this time does not add up.
After that, I will put my complaints aside and try to sort out the flow of Ruka's feelings and the current situation. This is going to be another long fucking story.
Reckless Girl, Ruka Sarashina
Depending on how you look at it, the heroine Ruka Sarashina is a very annoying, troublesome, and selfish girl. But she behaves in such a way because she loves Kazuya (it would be more accurate to say that she is "in love" with him rather than "loving" him).
I want to be with Kazuya more. I want to get closer to him. I want him to be kind to me. These feelings get out of control and she ends up being selfish. This recklessness is both a pain in the ass (weakness) and a cute (strength) part of her.
◆私 更科瑠夏は宣誓します！ (I, Ruka Sarashina, do solemnly swear!) (25)
When Ruka meets Kazuya and is able to get her heart pounding for the first time, she barges into his apartment and confesses her feelings for him (asking him to make her his girlfriend). She even blackmails Chizuru and Kazuya to get her to be his girlfriend. No, no, no, no one would do such a thing. No one would confess their feelings for someone they just met, no matter how much they love him. The general idea is to first get to know the person, deepen the friendship, and then confess. It's really out of the ordinary. Naturally, Kazuya didn't know why Ruka fell in love with him and panicked. But that's how much Ruka Sarashina loves Kazuya, and she is a girl who acts honestly with her feelings.
◆彼女です (I'm his girlfriend.) (34)
At New Year's, she declares herself his girlfriend, even though she had promised Kazuya and Chizuru that she would not tell them about the rental relationship. She is not convinced that they think Chizuru is his girlfriend in front of the family, even though she is his real girlfriend. Those feelings run wild and she 100% disregards the promise she made to Kazuya and Chizuru and their thoughts.
◆良い お誕生日を (Have a great birthday!) (84)
She interrupts Kazuya and Chizuru's joint birthday without permission. If they think I'm a weird girl with a tendency to lie, they won't believe me when I say that Chizuru is a false girlfriend. I don't want to be thought of as a strange girl. I want them to understand that Kazuya actually has a much nicer girlfriend than Chizuru. With this in mind, she makes an all-out appeal to be liked by the Kinoshita family. She doesn't listen to Kazuya at all.
◆KISS (87)
And when she realizes that she can't compete with Chizuru after all, she can't bear the reality that she is losing and forcefully kisses Kazuya as if to confirm that she is his real girlfriend.
◆LISTEN TO ME. CHIZURU-SAN... IS A RENTAL GIRLFRIEND. (185)
When she learns that Kazuya is considering confessing to Chizuru, she insists that she does not want to break up with him, even though she is in the position of having been given a trial girlfriend (a position she would have to accept if he asked her to break up with him). She pushes Kazuya away and has no intention of discussing the matter (Chapter 180). Furthermore, she stays at Kazuya's house and begins to keep an eye on him. She tries to prevent him from confessing to her, rationalizing how stupid it would be to do so (chapter 185).
Ruka Sarashina is a girl who would do anything to be Kazuya's girlfriend anyway. She is the kind of girl who will do everything in her power to be with Kazuya. Ruka herself knows that just forcing love on Kazuya won't work (Chapter 46), and she is usually a very understanding girl. However, in order to get Kazuya, she is the kind of girl who will not listen to his words at all and will go forward even if she has to throw everything away. That's how much she loves Kazuya.
I talked about all the situations in which she causes trouble for Kazuya, but however, her recklessness and her ability to act honestly on her own feelings of "wanting to be with Kazuya" is what makes Ruka Sarashina so cute.
◆こうしてるだけで 私 涙が出るほど幸せで… (Because I'm so happy just being here that I could burst into tears.) (65)
◆”彼女”です (I'm his girlfriend!) (75)
◆ASUGUST 26TH IS MY BIRTHDAY. PROMISE ME YOU'LL DO ANYTHIG I WANT. (139)
◆TOUCH MY BODY. I WANT YOU TO TOUCH ME. (139)
◆I'M A GIRL, SO... I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A PRINCESS. EVEN IFJUST FOR MY BIRTHDAY. (141)
He may think I'm annoying. But I love him so much, I can't help but be selfish. That is Ruka's expression of "I love you," and it is her weapon, her personality, her symbol. It is what makes Ruka Sarashina what she is. People in the West may not call it "love," but you have to understand that for Ruka, it is a form of love.
If you ask me if Ruka is childish and selfish, the answer is no. She has common sense and understands people's feelings. If she actually lived in real life, she would be a good girl. However, when it comes to Kazuya, she can't stop herself from "loving" him, and she prioritizes that feeling above all else.
When Sayuri collapses, she says it's a "truce" and cares for Chizuru. Ruka is a normal girl who understands the feelings of others. She is not selfish. However, that concern is conditional on her not being worried that Kazuya will be stolen away by another girl. Just at that time, Kazuya tried to tell her that he was going to break up with Chizuru (chaptert 90), so she was quite relieved. So she could afford to care about Chizuru. If she had been worried that Chizuru would take Kazuya away from her, she would not have afforded to care about Chizuru (in fact, when she sees Chizuru coming into Kazuya's room, she gets angry and accuses them both [chapter 110]).
Incidentally, the fact that she acted selfishly because of jealousy stands out, but this is probably because she was depicted only in situations where she had to be hostile to Chizuru. Inevitably, she acted selfishly more frequently. Normally, she would have been a very understanding girl. If you imagine her on a date with Kazuya, even if she was a little selfish, she would not have annoyed him or forced him into anything. Ruka would have made an effort to be cute, and help Kazuya if he had any problems in order to make him like her.
Kazuya knows that Ruka is not a bad girl (in fact, she is a good girl), and he knows that he is at fault for tying her up in a half-hearted relationship as a trial girlfriend, but he is troubled by such pushy behavior from Ruka. Ruka's heart does not have enough room in it to listen to what Kazuya really wants. If you look at Ruka's words and actions from Kazuya's point of view rather than that of the reader, you will see this clearly.
While it is "cute selfishness," it is also true that Kazuya is annoyed by her selfishness. Ruka fans in Japan may blindly want to think that Ruka is a good girl. However, I ask you not to turn your eyes away from the bad part of Ruka, who does not consider Kazuya's feelings and does not even have a proper discussion with him. Please do not make Ruka a perfect "good girl". I hope you will understand her bad parts, forgive her, and love her.
I might say that I "love" or "support" Ruka Sarashina. I like Ruka, including her recklessness and selfishness. Because she is like that, she has shown us so many cute ways of a girl in love. Even when she annoys Kazuya and Chizuru, I forgive her because she is that kind of girl. I want to support Ruka in her fight to be herself. That's why I'm sad that she loses that recklessness (being honest about her feelings) in chapter 225. I am simply disappointed that Ruka is not being Ruka. I didn't want to see Ruka standing still, suppressing her feelings of love for Kazuya.
If Ruka had kept quiet like that, it doesn't mean she is doing anything wrong. It doesn't mean she is cheating. It's not like he broke his promise to Kazuya and Chizuru. She just watched as the truth that needed to be revealed was revealed. It was Chizuru and Kazuya's fault for continuing to lie. Rather, from a common perspective, it should be worse to cooperate with Kazuya who repeated the lie. Ruka made the choice to hide the lie, not because she could not sin, but because she could not betray Kazuya's feelings and did not want to make Nagomi sad. There may come a time when Ruka will regret this choice. She may blame herself for not fighting, saying that she should have been honest about her feelings. That is why I cannot rejoice by saying, "Ruka-chan, you are a good girl".
If I am honest, I feel that the character of Ruka Sarashina has become blurred. the Ruka of chapter 225 is far removed from the character image that has been portrayed until then. Even if Ruka's self-sacrificing behavior is seen by readers as a "good girl" or praised with the word "growth," I do not want that. That is not like Ruka. I wanted Ruka to put her own feelings first and move forward. That would have been the way for Ruka to prove how much she loves Kazuya.
So far I had never complained about the story or the actions of the characters. I don't want to impose my own desires or justice on the characters. I understand what is important to the characters and their situations, and I attend to their emotions. That was my policy and my way of reading. So I never felt dissatisfied with a character even if they acted foolishly, were not honest, or sinned. Even when Ruka bluffed Chizuru, I cheered her on in that fight. I even approved of Mami's righteousness. But that is assuming that the characters are consistent in their actions and thoughts. This time around, Ruka Sarashina seems to be thinking and acting differently than she has been portrayed in the past. I'm not convinced about that.
Now, let me change my mind and try to sort out the flow of Ruka's feelings.
Change in Her Relationship with Kazuya
For Ruka, Kazuya is her destiny.
◆MAYBE SAYING 24/7/365... IS AN EXAGGERATION. BUT I WAS SEARCHING FOR IT... 24 HOURS A DAY, 364 DAYS A YEAR. (225)
MAYBE SAYING 24/7/365... IS AN EXAGGERATION. BUT I WAS SEARCHING FOR IT... 24 HOURS A DAY, 364 DAYS A YEAR.
ALWAYS NAGGING... AT THE BACK OF MY MIND.
IT FELT LIKE SOMEONE TOLD ME... I WAS A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT.
I'D ALWAYS WISH FOR THE SAME THING... ON THE STRIPS OF PAPER FOR TANABATA.
Ruka has suffered from a disease that has prevented her from feeling heart pounding since she was a child. No matter what she did, she could not feel the pounding. She was always looking for something to make her heart pound.
If I fall in love, I might be able to feel a pounding heart. With this thought in mind, Ruka started working as a rental girlfriend. However, the "boyfriends (customers)" she met were all frivolous people who did not care about Ruka.
Just when Ruka was about to give up on the world of pounding heart, she meets Kazuya. She thought that everyone who rents a rental girlfriend is a frivolous person who does not care about his girlfriend. But Kazuya was different. He takes it upon himself to protect Ruka when she slips on the steps of a pedestrian bridge. He also does his best to protect his mere rental girlfriend and asks her to keep quiet about Chizuru being his rental girlfriend.
At that moment, for the first time in her life, Ruka's heart beats faster.
◆YOU'RE THE PRINCE WHO PULLED ME OUT... FROM THIS MONOCHROME WORLD (225)
THAT'S WHY, WHEN YOU SHOWED UP, I REALLY BELIEVED IT, YOU KNOW?
THAT YOU'RE MY KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR.
YOU'RE THE PRINCE WHO PULLED ME OUT... FROM THIS MONOCHROME WORLD
It was the "true love" that Ruka was looking for. Even though it was only 1%, Kazuya shined his light and warmly illuminated a part of Ruka's life that had been deeply closed off and had never been illuminated. He made the world, which had been monochrome, brightly colored.
For Ruka, Kazuya is a benefactor who taught her that she is a normal girl who can feel heart pounding. He is a precious person who gives her the happiness of heart pounding.
(For "Kanojo, Okarishimasu" from Ruka's point of view, please see here → Ruka Sarashina’s Love Story Chapter1: Ruka Sarashina's Love Story Chapter2)
◆BUT YOU'RE ALREADY... IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE... (225)
BUT YOU'RE ALREADY... IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE...
AND THAT PERSON WAS SO BEAUTIFUL, SO MATURE...
I NEVER THOUGHT EVEN ONCE THAT I STOOD A CHANCE...
SOMETIMES, ID GET SO ANXIOUS...
However, it did not turn out as Ruka had dreamed. Kazuya already had someone he was in love with. He was beautiful, mature, and so nice that Ruka was jealous. Even when they were on a date, he was somewhat absent-minded, always looking for Chizuru. His true love was not for Ruka, but for Chizuru.
◆年甲斐もなく 一人の少女に恋でもしてるようじゃな (I feel as if I'm in love with a girl in spite of my age.) (36)
On New Year's Day, Ruka learns that what Kazuya and Nagomi want is not a "girlfriend" but Chizuru. It is easy to expose their lies. It is the two of them who are cheating. But not just any girl will do. When she reveals that Chizuru-san is his false girlfriend, it only clears a seat for Kazuya's girlfriend. She can't be Kazuya's girlfriend.
◆だって 本当に 好きになって欲しいからっ (Because I want you to really love me.) (46)
From then on, Ruka begins to think that she must make Kazuya and the Kinoshita family like her.
However, reality is harsh.
◆Ruka is alone out of the loop. (87)
No matter how hard Ruka tries, it is always Chizuru who is in Kazuya's mind.The Kinoshita family is also crazy about Chizuru-san. At Kazuya and Chizuru's joint birthday, Ruka struggles with the reality that she is no match for Chizuru-san (Ruka Sarashina's Love Story Chapter2).
◆受け取れない… (I can't accept it...) (89)
Still, a light of hope is lit in Ruka's heart. At the birthday party, Kazuya tried to tell them that he and Chizuru "broke up (Chapter 89). In the end, it was left unanswered, but Ruka was still happy.
◆これは前進でしか ありません！ (This is nothing but progress!) (92)
私は好きな人とキスできて 2人の関係も一歩進んだんだから
これは前進でしか ありません！
(I got to kiss the person I love, and we've taken our relationship one step further. This is nothing but progress!)
Kazuya will surely tell them that he "broke up" with Chizuru someday. That would be a big step toward officially becoming his girlfriend.
◆I WON'T DO WRONG BY YOU. NOT YOU... AND NOT MIZUHARA... I'LL END IT THE RIGHT WAY... SO NEITHER OF YOU GETS HURT. (225)
I WON'T DO WRONG BY YOU. NOT YOU... AND NOT MIZUHARA...
I'LL END IT THE RIGHT WAY... SO NEITHER OF YOU GETS HURT.
Kazuya then tells her that he is willing to end his relationship with Chizuru (the 250th anniversary is around early July, so this conversation takes place after Kazuya and Chizuru's joint birthday). Kazuya has no intention of running away from his false lover relationship with Chizuru or his trial relationship with Ruka.
◆ABOUT WHAT TO DO IF THINGS WENT ON THIS WAY FOREVER... BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. I REALLY, REALLY DO. (225)
ABOUT WHAT TO DO IF THINGS WENT ON THIS WAY FOREVER...
BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. I REALLY, REALLY DO.
Ruka is worried if she and Kazuya continue to have a trial relationship. She really loves Kazuya, but he loves Chizuru, and he avoids or prods her not to deepen the relationship with her. If Ruka couldn't have him fall in love with her and couldn't be his girlfriend, he will make a real girlfriend and then she may lose even the trial relationship. Kazuya will become someone else's, and even her right to be by his side may be taken away.
With such great anxiety, Ruka believes in a future where Kazuya will end his relationship with Chizuru and turn to her.
Ruka Sarashina's conflict
Then, at the Hawaiians, Mami revealed that Chizuru was a rental girlfriend. To those around her, Chizuru Mizuhara, his wonderful girlfriend, is a fictional character that Chizuru has been playing. Having played that character for her work, Chizuru can't help but be thought of as a bad girl who has cheated on the Kinoshita family and her own grandmother. Not wanting to make Chizuru out to be a liar, Kazuya tries to pretend that he and Chizuru are really dating by piling on the lies. However, Mami demands that he kiss her. There is no way he can kiss his rental girlfriend, and if he doesn't, it will be known that what Kazuya said was a lie.
Ruka sees Kazuya piling on the lies and knows he is trying to protect this lie. He wants to defend the lie that Chizuru and he are in a relationship. That is Kazuya's will.
Ruka heard from Kazuya that he would not make her unhappy and that he would end the false lovers relationship one day. He has promised to face this lie seriously. If she believes this, she should admonish those around her to believe what Kazuya has said.
On the other hand, however, Ruka has been dissatisfied with their false lover relationship. Like Mami, she has repeatedly told them that what they are doing is wrong (Chapter 34). The two of them are the ones who are cheating.
◆I... I... WHAT WILL I DO? WHAT ELSE? (225)
I... I... WHAT WILL I DO? WHAT ELSE? I DON'T NEED TO DO A THING!
IF I JUST SET BACK AND WATCH, THEIR SHAM RELATIONSHIP WILL SIMPLY END!
THERE'S NO NEED FOR ME TO HELP KAZUYA-KUN AND CHIZURU-SAN!
Kazuya has been keeping up a false lover's relationship with Chizuru because of Grandma Nagomi's fondness for her. Due to this, Ruka has always remained a trial girlfriend, and in front of the Kinoshita family, she is treated as a friend of Chizuru's. She had to pretend that she was Chizuru-san's friend even though she was actually his girlfriend, and Chizuru-san was the one who was cherished by the Kinoshita family. Chizuru-san says that she's not in love with Kazuya-kun with her mouth, but she keeps accepting requests for a rental girlfriend, and she cooperates with Kazuya-kun to hide their lie. Even though it is wrong. It is absolutely wrong for you to keep saying that your rental girlfriend is your real girlfriend, and for you to cooperate with such a client as a rental girlfriend, but they have continued their lying relationship.
◆KAZUYA-KUN, WE'RE BOUND BY FATE, YOU KNOW? (225)
BECAUSE I'VE BEEN SEARCHING... I ALWAYS HAVE!
LONGER THAN CHIZURU-SAN ! WAY, WAY LONGER!
IT'S THOSE TWO THAT ARE IN THE WRONG!
ALWAYS PUTTING IT OFF! ALWAYS AVOIDING IT!
KAZUYA-KUN, WE'RE BOUND BY FATE, YOU KNOW?
I love you more than anyone else in the world. It's wrong for you and Chizuru-san to continue the false lover relationship. There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep someone special to yourself. I will work harder and harder from now on so that one day you can properly tell me you love me.
◆I'M SORRY, KAZUYA-KUN... I'M SORRY...! (225)
Ruka tells herself this, fighting the guilt of betraying Kazuya, and stops desperately. Ruka was supposed to remain silent and watch their false relationship come to an end.
◆Ruka staring at Nagomi (225)
But then, what caught Ruka's eye was Grandma Nagomi.
◆東京のばあさんだと思って いつでも頼ってくれ… (Think of me as your grandma in Tokyo, and you can count on me anytime.) (85)
When Ruka had just become Kazuya's trial girlfriend, Grandma Nagomi must have been "just Kazuya's grandmother" to her. I guess you could say that she was an object of attack to become his girlfriend. However, as she spent time with Nagomi on Kazuya and Chizuru's joint birthday and here in Hawaiians, she was touched by her kindness, and she became a precious person for Ruka as well.
◆RUKA-DONO... I LOVE YOU AS WELL! (225)
I LIKE YOU, TOO, RUKA-DONO! YOUR LIVELY VOICE, YOUR SPIRITED SMILE...
BY JUST BEING AROUND YOU, I START FEELING YOUNG AGAIN.
RUKA-DONO... I LOVE YOU AS WELL!
Grandma Nagomi praises Ruka with these words. Ruka thought that she was considered just a friend of Chizuru's. But it was not so. Grandma Nagomi loved not only Chizuru but also Ruka and cared about her. She invited Ruka to this trip to Hawaiians because she wanted Ruka to be happy.
Ruka knows how important the girl Chizuru Mizuhara is to Grandma Nagomi. She wishes her happiness as if she were her real daughter ([ch 204] Ruka Was Cornered And...!?). How painful it would be to find out that such a precious person had lied and deceived you. That's why Ruka's eyes were moistened when she saw Nagomi pretending to be fine when she found out that Chizuru was his rental girlfriend (Chapter 223).
◆SINCE THE TWO OF THEM SAY THAY'RE DATING... WHY NOT JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT? (225)
E-EVERYONE, PLEASE... THE LOOKS ON YOUR FACES ARE SCARING ME...
SINCE THE TWO OF THEM SAY THAY'RE DATING... WHY NOT JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT?
Ruka could not remain silent and watch the lie being exposed. She could not betray Kazuya's will or make Grandma Nagomi sad. Pushing aside her desire to keep Kazuya to herself and her frustration with the two of them, she urged everyone around her to believe what Kazuya said.
Let me try to organize Ruka's conflict in a simple way. In this conflict, two feelings are clashing.
(1) Kazuya's will is to protect the lie, and as Kazuya is someone she cares about, she does not want to act contrary to his wishes. Kazuya told me that he would end his relationship with Chizuru, and I do not want to betray his wishes. Furthermore, she does not want to make him a liar. (Plus, Ruka doesn't want to make Grandma Nagomi, who is very precious to her, sad.)
(2) She wants him to end the false lover relationship with Chizuru as soon as possible. She wants Kazuya all to herself.
If she keeps quiet and watches (once they finds out that what Kazuya said is a lie), she can end the false lover relationship, but she would be betraying Kazuya. If she gives Kazuya a helping hand, she will not betray Kazuya, but she will not end Kazuya and Chizuru's false lover relationship. So Ruka was not sure which choice to make.
At first, she was going to keep quiet (the feeling of (2) was the stronger of the two). However, her feeling of not wanting to make Nagomi sad grew, and she gave him a helping hand (she made choice (1)). The feeling of not wanting to betray Kazuya ((1)), combined with the feeling of not wanting to make Nagomi sad, outweighed the feeling of wanting to end the relationship between Chizuru and Kazuya ((2)).
What I find disconcerting is that in this scene, Ruka had the presence of mind to guess Kazuya's and Nagomi's feelings. Also, she killed her desire to have Kazuya all to herself. Until then, Ruka had justified and convinced herself and pushed forward to become Kazuya's girlfriend, even if there were obstacles and mental conflicts in front of her, though.
The Choice to Maintain the Status Quo
I had thought that since Kazuya had essentially confessed to Chizuru, Ruka would be afraid that the two of them would really become lovers ([ch 204] Ruka Was Cornered And...!?). However, it seems that Ruka is not thinking that far ahead because she is all worried about whether she will stand in the position of protecting the lie or revealing the truth when their lie is exposed.
Ruka's painful decision is to maintain the status quo. It is not to give up on Kazuya or to admit that Chizuru and Kazuya are true lovers. It means that she has given up the chance to vacate the seat of Kazuya's girlfriend and believed him when he said he would end this lie with his own hands.
If those around them believe Kazuya's lie as Ruka intends, their false lover's relationship will continue after this. Chizuru and Kazuya are false lovers, and Ruka is his real girlfriend, albeit on a trial basis. The existing relationship will be maintained without any breakdown.
Even if Ruka were to keep quiet and Kazuya and Chizuru were to lose their false lover relationship , this does not mean that Ruka can become Kazuya's girlfriend. It just means that Kazuya's girlfriend seat is open. Kazuya would no longer be renting with Chizuru, but it does not mean that he's supposed to fall in love with Ruka and go out with her. There is no guarantee anywhere that Ruka will be able to sit in the seat of his girlfriend. The main reason Ruka chose not to betray Kazuya and not to make Nagomi sad is that ending the false lover relationship would not have given her what she really wanted. If a situation came up where she could really have Kazuya or Chizuru could take him away from her, Ruka would indeed not be able to stop herself.
Ruka's Defiance that Mami Hadn't Expected
A fierce battle is now being waged between the team that wants to reveal the truth and the team that wants to protect the lie. When Mami reveals the truth and tries to make Chizuru the bad guy with her act, Kazuya won't let her do so and piles on the lies. Mami then demands that he prove it by kissing her if that is the case. In response, Ruka admonishes everyone to believe Kazuya. It is just like a battle manga where they counter each other's attacks with attacks.
◆Mami clucks her tongue. (225)
Seeing Ruka take Kazuya's side, Mami clucks her tongue (in the original Japanese version, an onomatopoeic word meaning tongue-lashing is inserted into the panel). Ruka's behavior must have been unexpected. Mami was dissatisfied with Kazuya and Chizuru's relationship. Naturally, she thought that Ruka, who could not be his girlfriend because of Chizuru, was also dissatisfied with their relationship. That is why she approached him at the pool and asked how Ruka was doing (Episode 200) (However, I do not know Mami's purpose at this time. Depending on Ruka's reaction, she may have been planning to take sides.) However, when it was revealed that Chizuru was a rental girlfriend, Ruka took Chizuru and Kazuya's side.
Depending on what Ruka says after this, the threat to prove it by kissing him may be clouded, and people around Kazuya may believe his lies. That would not mean that Chizuru Mizuhara was lying to Sayuri. Mami, who wants Chizuru to pay for lying, will not be satisfied. Mami must want to somehow prove that what Kazuya said was a lie.
Ruka's help just called out to those around her to believe what Kazuya said, but it doesn't mean that she could succeeded to convince them. The situation remains the same: Kazuya and Chizuru need to convince the people around them. It doesn't mean that the necessity of kissing for the sake of proof has gone away. Currently, Mami continues to have the upper hand.
Furthermore, Mami has one more card to play. That is the fact that Ruka is Kazuya's girlfriend. If the Kinoshita family and Kibe are about to believe what Kazuya said, she must stop it somehow. At that time, there is even a possibility that this card will appear. It would not be surprising if Mami said, "Ruka-chan, are you okay with this? You couldn't tell the truth, and you've had to put up with it for so long".
This is how I look back on Chapter 225. Ruka has joined the side of Chizuru and Kazuya, but that does not mean that the game has been decided. Rather, it seems to have incited Mami to fight back. Let's see what Mami will do next, and what Kazuya, Chizuru, and Ruka will do then.
And I am still hoping that it will be Chizuru who decides the match. The preview for the next chapter is "Because I love you," and it may be that Chizuru tells Kazuya that she loves him. Of course, Kazuya would think that Mizuhara doesn't really mean that, but is just cooperating with his own lies, though. Lol.
See you in the next article!