You may hate me for this, but Chizuru's rejection in Rent-A-Girlfriend chapter 380 is justified

With the release of Rent-A-Girlfriend chapter 380, the manga finally concluded the long-awaited date between Kazuya Kinoshita and Chizuru Ichinose. While fans wanted to see the two finally get together, the manga ultimately showed Chizuru rejecting Kazuya.

As expected, fans did not like this development, and after all Kazuya had done for her, they believed Chizuru was wrong to reject the protagonist. While one could feel that way after analyzing their relationship from a third-party perspective, there is good reason to believe that Chizuru's rejection of Kazuya in Rent-A-Girlfriend chapter 380 was justified.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Rent-A-Girlfriend manga and reflects the author's opinion.

Chizuru Ichinose's rejection of Kazuya in Rent-A-Girlfriend chapter 380 was justified

Chizuru Ichinose as seen in Rent-A-Girlfriend (Image via Kodansha)

As soon as Rent-A-Girlfriend chapter 380 was released, fans worldwide took to the internet to criticize the manga for its latest development. They believed the "endgame relationship" of the series was taking too long to come to fruition, and consequently, felt that Chizuru was wrong to reject Kazuya.

Up to this point, Kazuya had helped Chizuru in many different ways. When Chizuru's grandmother was nearing her death, he helped her produce a movie to fulfill her lifelong dream of showing her grandmother a film in which she starred. In addition to that, he not only paid for her rent and food but was also emotionally available for her during tough times.

Kazuya Kinoshita as seen in Rent-A-Girlfriend chapter 380 (Image via Kodansha)

Given such acts of kindness, many fans believed Chizuru should have accepted Kazuya's proposal and begun dating him. However, that's not what happened. While fans are indeed furious with Chizuru for rejecting Kazuya, her refusal seems quite justified. Although many fans criticized the series, they notably got several facts wrong.

In Rent-A-Girlfriend chapter 380, Chizuru expressed not only her love for Kazuya but also for Nagomi, Harumi, and Kazuo. Several fans thought that Nagomi, Harumi, and Kazuo were other men Chizuru liked and criticized her, when in reality, the three individuals were none other than Kazuya's grandmother, mother, and father.

Chizuru Ichinose as seen in Rent-A-Girlfriend chapter 380 (Image via Kodansha)

Aside from that, the manga depicted it very well that Chizuru had feelings for Kazuya. As fans may recall, Kazuya's family had once entrusted Harumi's ring to Chizuru on the pretext that she could either wear it and become part of their family or sell it to make ends meet. During this time, Chizuru needed money on several occasions but chose not to sell the ring; instead, she pondered whether she deserved to wear it.

Moreover, she had no regrets about kissing Kazuya in Hawaii. In fact, she doubled down, stating that she would kiss him again no matter how many times they ended up in the same situation. With such statements, Chizuru made it very clear that she loved Kazuya.

However, given her lifestyle, work, and other commitments, she did not feel she could jump into a relationship "right now." Thus, the manga effectively portrayed that Chizuru did not explicitly reject Kazuya but simply could not date him at this time, and frankly, it feels justified.

Kazuya Kinoshita and Chizuru Ichinose as seen in Rent-A-Girlfriend chapter 380 (Image via Kodansha)

Unlike Kazuya Kinoshita, who was effectively just a college student with a part-time job and liberty to squander away his family's hard-earned money, Chizuru Ichinose had a lot on her plate. Kazuya was bound to inherit his family's liquor store regardless of his academic performance.

In contrast, with no parents or guardians to look after her, Chizuru had to begin supporting herself even before graduating from college. This meant she needed to buckle down and pursue a career as an actress as soon as possible, not to fulfill her dream, but to make ends meet.

Amidst this, she was also having doubts about her feelings for Kazuya and his family. While she loved them, she suspected that other factors influenced her emotions more than her own feelings. Furthermore, she did not feel worthy enough to wear the ring that Kazuya's family had entrusted to her.

If that's not all, as fans must remember, Chizuru was also a rental girlfriend. Although she could always leave that profession, the time it could take to become an actress might compel her to continue relying on being a rental girlfriend.

Considering that, if she were to date Kazuya, she would not only violate her agreement as a rental girlfriend, but she would also be disrespecting Kazuya. Therefore, no matter how fans perceive it, Chizuru's rejection of Kazuya seems justified.