Gggggod, this manga killed me. The epilogue was a nice and comforting bonus, but the meat of the story was really well done. I think it really had a lot to say about different kinds of affection and how unrequited or unresolved feelings can leave you in a rut, and how things left unsaid will make you miserable, even if saying them will hurt. Miyabi and Kuro's relationship had rough edges and awkward communication too, but the core difference between them and Reiichi and Kaoru is that they're in agreement and harmony about what they each want out of the relationship. While Reiichi may have been there out of genuine care for Kaoru, but not out of the same affection she wants from him, and instead more out of guilty obligation. And that's not Kaoru's fault, nor has it ever been despite the guilt *she* feels on learning this, but the disconnect hurts her, and his half-heartedness hurts her. It was really brave of Kaoru to be able to move through it and cut it off, to say the things that were left unsaid... just as Uta did, even though the unbreacheable disconnect she herself suffered from while living with Reiichi and Kaoru had no solution in sight.
God, what a ride. I don't want to point to particular chapters and pages, but it really had so many important things to say about expectations and communication and the validity of even unrequired feelings.