Rumi Tsurumi is a lonely primary school student who is openly despised by her peers. The service club along with some volunteers from class 2F met her and her classmates during summer vacation in Chiba village camp.
Appearance
Rumi Tsurumi is seen as a mini Yukino during her past, both in personality and the treatment she received from her peers, and she does resemble Yukino at some degree. She has long dark hair and black eyes.
Hachiman noticed her to be dressed trendy indicating her fashion sense.
Personality
She looked mature compared to others of same age and is quiet and calm. Many feels (including Hachiman), that Rumi has a similar character to Yukino of the past. She often do things on her own without relaying on anyone. She seems to concentrate on her work without paying any attention around her.
Hayama, Yumiko and Komachi thought Rumi to be a cold person.But Rumi has a kind personality, as she saved her peers who bullied and scape goated her.
It was shown in the Christmas collaboration event that her personality is more likely to be Tsundere, this can be seen when she apathetically told Hachiman that she can do it alone, but was shocked when Hachiman was about to leave.
Abilities
Rumi staring the Christmas collaboration event's play.
Rumi's intelligence and presence of mind can be seen throughout episode 7 and Episode 8. One such example is her idea of using the flash of the camera to distract Hayama's clique when they were cornered.
Rumi also has a great ability of acting performance on stage which is shown in Episode 10 of season 2, Hachiman feels that Rumi has the talent of being a celebrity. In light novel everyone showed their praise for Rumi's performance.
Rumi also seems to be the representative of her school which is likely to be a student council of the elementary school. Rumi was also shown to make the Christmas decoration for the event alone.
History
Plot
Chiba village
Rumi being alone while holding her digital camera.
In the Chiba village, Rumi & her peers were spotted by Yukino, during the treasure hunt event for the elementary school students. The former was openly outcast-ed by the four girls, who are Yokko, Mori, Hitomi, and Yuka. She is always two steps behind them. Rumi was mostly seen following the group of four girls, Yokko, Mori, Hitomi, and Yuka. Rumi was always looking in a different direction from the others.Every once in a while,the other four girls looking over their shoulders and stifling soft snickers amongst each other probably a gossip conversation about Rumi.
Hayato's attempt to help Rumi.
Hayato at first tried to resolve the situation through talking to her in front of her classmates, with hope of making her popular which instead attracted more hateful and jealous attention towards her. She finds her way to Hachiman and Yukino whom she consider to be same as her. But she refuse to accept Yui as one of them and that Yui belongs to the social side (Hayato's gang). They talk about making friends but Rumi dismisses it by saying she'll just wait until middle school to make friends since people from other areas would be there. But Yukino explains the flaws in her wish,that Rumi is now "negative" and this brand would be carried to her middle school. Rumi's past would be treated as an in-joke and in the end she'll become a conversation topic, who'll forge friendship with her misery and this will follow her to high school.
Rumi with the Service Club.
After accepting her flaw, Rumi explained her misery that she was going through, the person who became her friend turned into a bully the next day. Her secrets became a conversational topic and joke for others, she continues by saying that a person who talked to her a lot was bullied before and lament that she didn't do any thing wrong to deserve this. According to Hachiman, they didn't need a reason, they just want to have fun at the expense of others.
Hachiman explaining friendship to Rumi
The next day she finds Hachiman and gang at the river bank and joins in, after a while she states that everyone left her behind after finishing breakfast .She asks Hachiman, if he had friends back when he was in grade school, to which he replies negatively and says that goes for most people. Even so, Rumi clutches her camera and says that it's not an acceptable explanation for her mum, who bought the camera for Rumi so that she can make friends during the summer vacation. Rumi say that she doesn't want to be friends with them anymore, but feels pathetic being left-out. Hachiman hinted his plan to her before leaving.
At the discussion, Hayama's suggestion was rejected as Hachiman felt it won't work, it might help for now but things will revert back to the original after the event was over. Hachiman explains to the company that the only way out is to destroy the trust between her peers, through having Hayato and Kakeru acting as bullies threatening Rumi's group-mates during test of courage event and exposing their selfish nature to each other, thus preventing further organized acts of teasing on Rumi. Thus Hachiman earns a bad reputation from his school mates, however Hayama convince every one to go along with Hachiman's the plan and bet that Rumi's group will deal with it together.
Hayama's group started bullying Rumi's group.
Komachi let Rumi group last into the forest.They were lead in a completely different direction. Hayama and the gang didn't wear any monster costume to make Rumi group to relax, which they falls for then Hayama group started bullying them. Hayama asked them to leave any three people behind and the remaining will be freed. Rumi was selected as a default sacrifice, then the rest started quarreling about the remaining two members.Hayama and the gang intensified the tension in the air.
Rumi use her digital camera's flash to save her peers.
During the precise moment of threatening her peers,Rumi saves them by using her digital camera's flash to blind Hayama's group at the dark forest and escaped with her peers. Hachiman was impressed by her action and hoped for a better future. At the campfire the kids of Rumi's group still hasn't recovered from the shock and keeps looking at each other while Rumi keeps peeking at Hachiman's direction, after that she averts her gaze and never even looked at him again.
The aftermath and effect on Rumi and her peers was never revealed, but it was hinted that due to Hachiman's actions, nothing changed for the better, only stopped the bullying.
Christmas collaboration event
Rumi asked the Sobu High on what will they do.
Rumi makes her appearance again in Season 2 Episode 7 where it is revealed that she is one of the representatives of her elementary school, which also participate in the Christmas collaboration event along with Sobu High & Kaihin Sougou High School.
Initially they were asked to decorate the tree, following the suggestion of Hachiman, since nothing was set on stone. As Tamanawa welcomed them without any instruction.
Later after both schools divided their responsibility, Hachiman asked Rumi to star the Sobu High's Christmas play. Thus making her popular and star of the show. It was mentioned in light novel that Rumi was praised by all the audience and peers for her performance including Hayama's clique. Rumi was mentioned to smile throughout the event after it's success and she was no longer lonely.
Addressed / Nick names
RumiRumi By Hachiman Hikigaya
Quotes
- (To Hachiman): "I am asking you, What your name is. I figured that much was obvious."
Trivia
- Rumi's given name is also present in her family name. Four other characters share this characteristic: Yui, Yukino, Saki and Meguri.
- Hachiman's plan to break off the relationships between Rumi's mean peers was the first social suicide done by Hachiman since joining the service club. This incident was even mentioned as something not unlike the rooftop incident by Tobe at the end of the cultural festival.