[chapter 226] Chizuru's Kiss: Decision to Become Kazuya's Real Girlfriend
■The original Japanese version
■The previous article
[ch225] Ruka's Choice to Maintain the Status Quo
Hi, I'm Korakuone. Are you enjoying Kanokari?
First, an announcement. On my Twitter account (@korakuone_shu), I have a space for discussion of the latest chapters (オフじゃなくもない会) every Wednesday around 9pm. In the past, we just talked and that was it, but since 3 weeks ago, we have been trying to keep an archive. So you can listen to the recorded talks (30 days from the date of recording). If you speak Japanese well, please come and listen.
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◆Chizuru kisses Kazuya (226)
Now let's talk about Chapter 226. Haha. It was so sudden that the grass grew ("grass grows" is Japanese internet slang for laughing). I thought it was going to take a little more time, but it went all at once. My fists in triumph.
That's one small kiss for rental girlfriend, one giant leap for Chizuru and Kazuya. (Neil A Armstrong)
Finally, Chizuru's lips landed on Kazuya's lips. Lol.
This is no joke, this kiss means so much more than that! It is truly a first step for Chizuru to become Kazuya's girlfriend.
As usual, I will make sure to sort out the flow of Chizuru's feelings!!!
To Be His Real Girlfriend
After realizing that she was in love with Kazuya (Chapter 86), Chizuru has long hoped to one day become Kazuya's lover. She was worried that she was just a rental girlfriend to him, but still believed in their future together. Despite her uncertainty, she realizes their dream of making a movie together.
When Sayuri passed away, Chizuru pretended to be fine, and she was filled with such great sadness and loneliness that she almost died. She really wanted to rely on Kazuya. "MY PERFECT GIRLFRIEND, SHE IS..." Kazuya accepts her sadness with the best words he can as a client (Chapter 164). At that time, Chizuru must have understood where is the place that can accept her weakness and who she wants to be by her side (Chapter 166).
Finally, Chizuru learns Kazuya's true feelings. He too, like Chizuru, wished to change the lie into the truth. Chizuru, face down on the bed, blushing red, was happy and embarrassed to know that the person she truly loved loved her (Chapter 174).
After that, however, Chizuru was unable to reveal her true feelings to Kazuya. I heard your confession. I've always been in love with you, too. I want to be your lover. She couldn't tell Kazuya so. All this time, she had been acting in the relationship between a rental girlfriend and a client, and she had been behaving as if she hadn't any interest, but she couldn't suddenly say that she loved him. Chizuru, who is not good at showing her true feelings, can't say the one word, "I love you, too".
(For more on why Chizuru can't say she loves him, see here -> ([ch 190] I Love Kazuya, So I Can't Be His Lover)
◆Chizuru tries to stop his confession. (213)
So Chizuru had no choice but to run away from Kazuya's confession. I am sure she knew that ,in a corner of her mind, one day she would have to face his confession and make the decision to become his lover. Still, she couldn't bring herself to tell him how she felt.
Finally, the time comes for Chizuru to make the decision to face Kazuya and become his true lover.
◆SHE LEFT THIS WORLD BELIEVING... HER DEAREST GRANDDAUGHTER HAD FINALLY MANAGED TO INTRODUCE HER BOYFRIEND TO HER. (223)
Chizuru's relationship with Kazuya is exposed as a lie, and Grandma Nagomi blames her for lying to Sayuri.
Grandma Nagomi is truly right. Grandma Sayuri never thought that Chizuru was lying, and she believed her all the time. When Chizuru fell in love with Kazuya and was unsure if she should believe in this love, Grandma told her that there exists no one who is better suited to her than him. She told her that she needs Kazuya-kun and pushed her to believe in her own love (Chapter 112). Sayuri had always wished for Chizuru's happiness. And she is still watching over her in heaven.
◆Chizuru has been running away from Kazuya's confession for a long time. (223)
But Chizuru is unable to reveal her true feelings to Kazuya, and continues to betray Grandma Sayuri's wishes. She's been turning away from her desire for her to be happy.
And because of that, she has betrayed the feelings of her loved ones and hurt the person she loves the most in the world.
◆Chizuru clenches her fists in regret. (223)
I wonder why I'm doing this...
My grandma believed in me.
She wanted me to be happy.
I even betrayed Grandma Nagomi and his parents.
I hurt the person I love.
I really wonder... why I'm doing this...
Chizuru clenched her fists tightly.
If Chizuru had been able to confide in Kazuya that she loved him, none of this would have happened. Because of her own unworthiness, she had betrayed the precious feelings of the people she cared about. Chizuru strongly blames herself for not being able to tell Kazuya that she loves him.
(For more on Chizuru's regret and determination, click here -> [chapter 223] Chizuru's Regret and Determination).
◆THAT'S WHO CHIZURU MIZUHARA IS TO ME! AND THAT'S WHY I LOVE HER! (224)
WE'RE ACTUALLY... SEEING EACH OTHER FOR REAL!
At that time, Kazuya piled on the lie that that they are really dating to protect her. He tried to get back all the false lover relationship that Chizuru should have lost, and all the gratitude, respect, and trust that she had shown to the Kinoshita family. He is still trying to protect her even after she rejected him. He still tells her that he loves her.
◆THEN KISS HER. GO ON. KISS HER. (224)
◆I NEVER SAW YOU AS A LIAR. WAS I WRONG? (226)
Mami tells Kazuya to prove their relationship with a kiss (Chapter 224). Kibe further presses Kazuya to reveal the truth. Ruka and Kuribayashi's help was of little consequence (chapters 225 and 226). Kazuya can't say anything with tears in his eyes from guilt. If he does not, the lie Kazuya has told for her will be exposed.
Regret goes around Chizuru's body.
Chizuru, who realized what to do now, had no intention of making Kazuya's lie be a "lie". She walks up to Kazuya and takes the first step. In order not to betray the thoughts and feelings of the people she cares about any more. To change the future. To make the lie come true.
◆Chizuru kisses Kazuya. (226)
This kiss is not just a kiss or simply a kiss to hide Kazuya's lie. Chizuru sees a future beyond that in which she turns the lie into the truth. She wants the Kinoshita family and Kibe-kun and others to believe Kazuya's lie (that they are really dating), and later she will become his real girlfriend and intends to make that lie the truth.
Of course, I don't think Chizuru can easily turn the lie into the truth now, because she probably doesn't have the determination to confess yet, and Ruka and Mami may try to prevent her from doing so. All the facts will be revealed and she may lose the false lover relationship again. Nevertheless, the ship has turned the rudder far in the direction of becoming Kazuya's real girlfriend. It is truly a watershed.
When Chizuru's regret was depicted in chapter 223, I was really happy. The moment I had been waiting for for so long had arrived. At that time, I did not know whether the first step to becoming his lover would be a kiss or something else, but I believed that she would put this regret into "action" to change the future ([chapter 223] Chizuru's Regret and Determination). And in Chapter 226, Chizuru changed her behavior. She took a step toward turning the lie into the truth. Chizuru, well made up your mind! I want to hug Chizuru and pat her on the head lol.
Mami Has No Choice but to Admit Defeat
◆Mami surprised that Chizuru kissed Kazuya (226)
Mami thought that Kazuya could never kiss his rental girlfriend Chizuru. However, beyond her expectations, Chizuru kissed Kazuya. I don't know if people around her would believe Kazuya's lie 100% because of that, but it definitely put Mami in a very unfavorable situation.
There is no way that Chizuru, as a rental girlfriend, could report to the office that she kissed a customer, and it is something that would never have happened. Nevertheless, Chizuru kissed him. Even if it is not enough to make everyone completely believe Kazuya's lie, it would be at least enough to make them believe that Chizuru and Kazuya love each other now and are in a real lover's relationship.
Mami came here to Hawaiians to end the "playing lovers" between Chizuru Mizuhara and Kazuya and to reveal her wrongdoings. However, things did not go as she had planned. Unable to achieve her goal, she is forced to decide whether to admit defeat or cut more cards.
The only card left for Mami is that Ruka is his real girlfriend. If she plays this card, she can claim that Kazuya's real girlfriend is Ruka and that Chizuru's kiss was to cover up their lie.
However, this card is too risky. This is because Ruka has taken the side of Kazuya and Chizuru to cover for them (Chapter 225).
◆IF I DID WHAT WOULD YOU DO？ (200)
It is highly possible that Mami had put Ruka in her plan as a card to end up their relationship. When she spoke to Ruka at the pool, she confided that she thought Chizuru and Kazuya's relationship was wrong and asked her what she would do if Chizuru was revealed as his false girlfriend. She is Kazuya's real girlfriend, but because of Chizuru, neither he nor the Kinoshita family treats her as a girlfriend. Knowing Ruka's anguish, Mami may have assumed that Ruka must be just as dissatisfied with the two of them as she is, and that if Chizuru is exposed as his false girlfriend, she will be on her side ([ch 202] I'm Happy Now... Grandma). But that was Mami's miscalculation.
◆Mami claps her tongue at Ruka for trying to cover up Kazuya's lie. (225)
Seeing Ruka trying to hide Kazuya's lie, Mami clicks her tongue in frustration. If she reveals here that Kazuya's real girlfriend is not Chizuru but Ruka, Ruka will most likely deny that what Mami is saying is bullshit (that she is not Kazuya's girlfriend). If that were to happen, Mami's intention to make Chizuru a liar would now be exposed, and she might be suspected that what she did was a calculation to make Chizuru look bad. Therefore, I think Mami will not be able to play this card, or at least will have a hard time doing so.
However, it is also true that she has to play some card in order to turn the current situation upside down. It will be interesting to see how Mami will fight back or whether she will admit defeat and withdraw.
Ruka Has to Face the "Truth"
I had thought that since Kazuya had essentially confessed to Chizuru, Ruka would be worried that the two of them would really become lovers ([Chapter 224] Kazuya's Confession that Turned a Lie into Truth). However, when their lie was exposed, Ruka was so worried about whether to stand in the position of protecting the lie or revealing the truth that she did not think that far ahead ([ch225] Ruka's Choice to Maintain the Status Quo).
Ruka did not want to make Grandma Nagomi sad and believed Kazuya's words that he would end his relationship with Chizuru someday, and she chose to tacitly accept the continuation of the false lover relationship in the end (Chapter 225). However, she may have quickly found herself in a situation where she had to regret this choice. At the very least, she will be anxious and worried so much.
◆Ruka is surprised that Chizuru kissed Kazuya (Chapter 226)
I think Ruka is simply frustrated that Chizuru kissed Kazuya, but she should be much more afraid of the fact that Chizuru was able to kiss Kazuya (i.e. Chizuru's feelings for Kazuya) than by such a thing. It is not possible for a rental girlfriend to kiss a customer, but she was able to do it. It is true that she had no choice but to do it to cover up Kazuya's lie, but still, the fact that she was able to do such a thing makes it natural to suspect that Chizuru really wants to be Kazuya's real girlfriend.
When Ruka saw Chizuru say that she would go along with him on his overnight trip, she thought of the worst scenario and bluffed that she had already had sex with Kazuya (since her and Kazuya's relationship had progressed that far, she should meekly give up on him) (Chapter 187). There is no way Ruka is going to keep quiet in this situation where she has to further suspect that Chizuru has feelings for Kazuya. Now Ruka is standing in the position of covering up Kazuya's lie, so I don't think she will say anything to Chizuru here and now, but later on she should blame Chizuru for kissing her boyfriend.
This kiss may be the beginning of Ruka having to face the truth between Chizuru and Kazuya.
So this is how I looked back on Chapter 226. I hope you will look back on Chapter 223 again ([chapter 223] Chizuru's Regret and Determination).
Chizuru has taken the first step toward becoming Kazuya's lover, but it would not be so easy. First of all, she has already promised to break up with Kazuya (Chapter 219), so she has to give a reason and keep the false relationship with him somehow to get him not to tell Kibe and his family that they have broken up. Also, Chizuru has been hiding her true feelings from Ruka and has been deceiving her. She even asked her to be his girlfriend (chapters 27 and 187). Before she can become Kazuya's girlfriend, she must convince Ruka to break up with Kazuya. Furthermore, because she has chosen to pile on the lies this time, she has not been able to show the Kinoshita family what she really is. She may have to get over that as well.
Kazuya, on the other hand, must resist the fact that Chizuru has rejected him and must make up his mind to confess his feelings to her again (he must tell her that he wants to go out with her). I don't know what process that will be, but his feelings must reach the point where he still loves Chizuru and wants to confess to her again. I hope that Chizuru will do her best to keep Kazuya's feelings. I have high hopes for her suki-appeal (the act of telling someone you love them in a roundabout way) lol.
After returning to Tokyo, we will definitely see Chizuru trying her best to become Kazuya's girlfriend. I'm sure that we will see a Chizuru that we have never seen before. Let's hope for the best!
See you in the next post!