What cheap bait. Reika saying Sajimoto earlier and Mahiro later is just more circumstantial evidence. A fakeout due to Mahiro being anxious, and feeling more comfortable around a supposed (or until just now) more distant friend who tried to cover it up, is evidence the main couple have terrible communication. It's not going to feel satisfying for me even when resolved.
I'm assuming Sajimoto got together with the mangaka from ch 2 in the two years since, not because it's realistic but from how the cast spreads out so far. I want to see more of that.
Agree with calling it cheap bait. 99% of readers clearly know that this is bait but man, if it isn't the most obvious of forced random bullshit. In a 20 chapter yuri? Yeah, sure, right at the start.
Here, after establishing characters and relationships in ~3 chapters and after a multi year timeskip of them living together.. pls for the love of god use some drama that fits.
It also is creepy und uncomfortable how the whole chapter is just a whole asspull setup to enable the drama involving their good friend that helped them get together.
The "hihi my lover gets us these wacky pajamas" into Reika being seen wearing them is also so fucking dogshit bad. Author thought they had a detective conan case going. "Reika always wants to meet Sajimoto.. weird." Yeah no shit. You guys know her for years and are good friends. Author, ffs.