the character writing is extraordinary... it's just that it completely botches its own potential when its obviously consciously trying to avoid the hard yuri path. i mean if we got a confession this chapter, it would've been in the top 5 yuri confession chapters of all time, the setup was perfect
i know the author's said they don't want to do hard yuri but that feels like the story is betraying its own self at this point. there comes a point when a writer realizes two characters cant stay in a platonic relationship, and when they try to go against that natural conclusion, a story cannot reach its ultimate potential. it stops a 8/10 manga from becoming a 9/10, basically. i still think this is a great manga, its just a shame it fails to live up to its destiny, so to speak