Summary
- Sayuri's passing and her final words to Chizuru add a tragic and melancholic undertone to the narrative of Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 3, Episode 9.
- Chizuru's guilt and remorse over lying to her grandmother resurfaces, but Sayuri's reassuring words provide her with relief and allow her to let go of her regrets.
- Chizuru displays a facade of resilience after Sayuri's death, leaving no room for vulnerability, but it is clear that deep down, her heart aches for the loss, and it is likely she will open up to Kazuya in future episodes.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 3, Episode 9, "Parting and Girlfriend," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
With a light-hearted harem narrative at its core, Rent-a-Girlfriend usual premise revolves around Kazuya’s debacles with his covey of beguiling babes. However, Episode 9 of Season 3 takes on a rather unorthodox route, as it turns the narrative blue with its gut-wrenching undertones. With the passing of Sayuri Ichinose, Chizuru has lost the only family she had left.
While Sayuri’s passing had already been hinted at by the diagnosis of her chronic illness, fans could have never anticipated such a tragic scene. If her passing wasn’t depressing enough on its own, her final words to Chizuru add on to the already-melancholic scene of witnessing the demise of such an endearing character.
A Final Glimpse At Chizuru’s Ambitions
Sayuri’s demise had already been cemented, meaning it was only a matter of time before she passed on to the other side. Since Kazuya knew that Chizuru would forever regret her grandmother departing without witnessing her movie, he rushed to make things right one last time. In a surprising turn of events, Kazuya retrieves the edited version of the movie and sets it up on a projector in Sayuri’s hospital room.
Despite the movie playing, Sayuri initially remains unconscious and unaware of the events taking place. With a stroke of luck, however, she suddenly regains consciousness and catches a glimpse of the hard work and meticulous efforts of Chizuru and Kazuya. After the movie concludes, Sayuri is shown to be unconscious once more, and Chizuru notes that she only watched the first ten minutes of the movie.
For Chizuru, even those ten minutes were enough as she knew that her grandmother had finally witnessed her dreams reaching fruition. She was able to be by her grandmother’s side in her dying moments, along with giving her a glimpse of her success. While she should have felt a sense of relief over this fact, the feeling of guilt and remorse still kept on creeping on her, and she was aware of the exact reason why.
Remorse Over Lies
Kazuya’s impromptu movie-screening negated Chizuru’s regret over Sayuri not being able to witness her movie. However, her prior conversation with Kazuya over the lies they fed her started creeping up on her, forcing her to mull over the thought of coming clean. She fought an inner battle, debating over whether she should break her grandmother’s heart on her very deathbed.
While Chizuru was in the midst of her own inner turmoil, Sayuri regained consciousness once more and swept away her granddaughter’s tears with a frail arm. Sayuri said exactly what Chizuru needed to hear, as she reassured her that no one knows the right answers to every predicament, and she will accept whatever Chizuru decides. Sayuri implied that she doesn’t need to know the truth, for as long as Chizuru did it for the right cause, there is no reason to fret.
These words quelled Chizuru’s remorse and guilt over lying to her grandmother for months on end. Before Chizuru could say anything, however, Sayuri exhaled her last breath and passed on to the other side with a smile on her face. Her final words indicated that she was truly content with her life, though the scene itself was nothing less than a somber sight.
A Facade of Resilience
Despite mere moments passing after Sayuri’s death, Chizuru leaves the hospital room in a composed state, even putting on a gleeful smile at Kazuya’s concerns. She started preparing for the wake, and took on the responsibilities all on her own as the last family member left. Throughout the entire ordeal, Chizuru stood strong and faced the tragic event with resilience. From taking care of the wake to preparing for the burial, Chizuru has proven her fortitude in the face of adversity.
With no room left for vulnerability, Kazuya can’t seem to find a way to fit in the equation. Considering everything the two have been through, it’s only natural for him to want to stay by Chizuru’s side. However, her brave front leaves no room for Kazuya to involve himself in the matter. Despite the clear sign that Chizuru requires no support in the matter, Kazuya is reminded by both his own grandmother and Yaemori that he has to be there for Chizuru.
Yaemori’s words that “no woman is an island” indicate that Chizuru is only putting up a brave front, and deep down, her heart aches for the loss. While Chizuru has shown no signs of budging, it's likely that she might open up to Kazuya in future episodes, thereby strengthening their relationship. For now, however, the entirety of Rent-a-Girlfriend’s character roster mourns for the loss of Sayuri, and the scene of her tragic passing has left the series with a tinge of gloom.