more like she surrounds herself with pain-in-the-ass women... keeping Mizuki as a gf, keeping her relationship with Sui... only the recently-named-Chitose can she kind of not be blamed for, since she keeps running into her by chance.
I doubt this was a chance encounter. I'm sure customers are able to see the faces of the rentals before requesting dates. I recall Sui mentioning she picked Ren because she looked similar to her crush at some point.
Aw man, Ren regressing into her "girlfriend for rent" persona whenever she's with Mitsuki really hurts. Her job has taught her how to get what she wants by saying the right words. "I don't want you messing around in my kitchen" turns into "I don't want you to get hurt" or "I want to keep an eye on you." I just wish Ren could just relax into herself when she's dating someone.
I'm sure the job is part of it, but I got the impression from the flashbacks to her past that she's been navigating people this way her whole life. If you grow up with people who despise you, you learn to be whoever you need to be to keep them placated. She's probably never felt safe being 100% herself before, and it's also probably why she's unusually tolerant of Mizuki's controlling behavior.
last edited at Sep 4, 2026 4:15AM
