TV-Series
Description
Ruka Sarashina is a 17-year-old standing 160 cm (approximately 5'3") tall, born on August 26. She has an irregular heartbeat requiring careful management to prevent overexcitement, a condition established in childhood scenes showing hospital visits, gym class injuries, and parental restrictions like confiscating her game console. This medical history leads her to use a heart rate monitor, specifically targeting 90 beats per minute, to quantify emotional experiences like romantic feelings.
Her heart condition motivates her decision to become a rental girlfriend, seeking experiences that accelerate her heartbeat and fulfill her longing for genuine love, observed among peers during her teenage years. She first meets Kazuya Kinoshita while rented by his friend Shun Kuribayashi. After Kazuya prevents her from falling down stairs, she develops feelings confirmed when physical contact, such as hugging, pushes her heart rate past her target. Discovering Kazuya's fake relationship with Chizuru, Ruka blackmails him into a trial relationship, declaring herself his real girlfriend despite his reluctance.
Throughout their relationship, Ruka exhibits persistence and possessiveness. She introduces herself to Kazuya's grandmother, Nagomi Kinoshita, as his girlfriend, causing initial confusion but eventually earning Nagomi's fondness. To stay close to Kazuya, she takes a part-time job at his workplace, a karaoke bar, and later quits her rental girlfriend position entirely. Her advances include initiating kisses and proposing a visit to a love hotel, though she later retreats, acknowledging she moved too quickly. Kazuya often treats her as an obligation, prioritizing his feelings for Chizuru, which fuels Ruka's competitive behavior and tantrums over perceived physical inadequacies compared to Chizuru.
Ruka's interactions with others highlight her complexities. Her relationship with Chizuru Mizuhara is adversarial, marked by suspicion and berating over the continued rental facade, though they occasionally cooperate during crises or share genuine camaraderie. She confronts Kazuya's ex-girlfriend, Mami Nanami, declaring ownership of Kazuya and criticizing Mami's lingering interference, leading to later manipulation attempts by Mami. She initially perceives Mini Yaemori as a rival but softens upon realizing Mini's supportive, non-romantic role.
Her storyline evolves with increased emotional investment in Kazuya, though narrative developments suggest an inevitable rejection due to his unwavering focus on Chizuru. Her actions, driven by a belief in limited time due to her health, emphasize a desire to experience love fully, adding urgency to her character arc.
Her heart condition motivates her decision to become a rental girlfriend, seeking experiences that accelerate her heartbeat and fulfill her longing for genuine love, observed among peers during her teenage years. She first meets Kazuya Kinoshita while rented by his friend Shun Kuribayashi. After Kazuya prevents her from falling down stairs, she develops feelings confirmed when physical contact, such as hugging, pushes her heart rate past her target. Discovering Kazuya's fake relationship with Chizuru, Ruka blackmails him into a trial relationship, declaring herself his real girlfriend despite his reluctance.
Throughout their relationship, Ruka exhibits persistence and possessiveness. She introduces herself to Kazuya's grandmother, Nagomi Kinoshita, as his girlfriend, causing initial confusion but eventually earning Nagomi's fondness. To stay close to Kazuya, she takes a part-time job at his workplace, a karaoke bar, and later quits her rental girlfriend position entirely. Her advances include initiating kisses and proposing a visit to a love hotel, though she later retreats, acknowledging she moved too quickly. Kazuya often treats her as an obligation, prioritizing his feelings for Chizuru, which fuels Ruka's competitive behavior and tantrums over perceived physical inadequacies compared to Chizuru.
Ruka's interactions with others highlight her complexities. Her relationship with Chizuru Mizuhara is adversarial, marked by suspicion and berating over the continued rental facade, though they occasionally cooperate during crises or share genuine camaraderie. She confronts Kazuya's ex-girlfriend, Mami Nanami, declaring ownership of Kazuya and criticizing Mami's lingering interference, leading to later manipulation attempts by Mami. She initially perceives Mini Yaemori as a rival but softens upon realizing Mini's supportive, non-romantic role.
Her storyline evolves with increased emotional investment in Kazuya, though narrative developments suggest an inevitable rejection due to his unwavering focus on Chizuru. Her actions, driven by a belief in limited time due to her health, emphasize a desire to experience love fully, adding urgency to her character arc.