Uta basically fulfilled all of Kaoru’s needs (other than the sexual ones)

when the hell will uta fulfill that need too i need my time skip already

BTW after reading this ch, it's clear to me no matter if Reiichi is cheating or not, or if he was out with Risako or not while Kaoru was shopping, what's CERTAIN is that Risako is pushing Kaoru to break up with Reiichi, by making her ask for a baby, which will, of course, make Reiichi backtrack from the relationship since he doesn't actually love her.

Thing is... that's your headcanon. Can't use that as evidence for further theorizing.
Kaoru already talked about wanting a baby way before all of this shit went down. Reiichi was already aware of that.
You have literally no proof Reiichi would say no to having a kid.
There are even scenes that make it hard to deny that Reiichi does love Kaoru at least to some degree. Whether it's more of a familial love or romantic is even less clear.

Also I agree with some now, that Kaoru does seem to have some massive subconscious crush on Uta. Her feelings and internal dialogue are not those of someone who is just missing her "little sister".

But then again, you have to consider Kaoru is emotionally unstable and direly needs anchors to hold on to. Uta being someone who is always there for her was a big emotional pillar. Just acting like that has to be romantic interest is a leap. I'm not saying that she does not have secret feelings, because I also saw a couple of hints (especially her initial reaction to the confession). but that's just one possibility and might not even be relevant.

But Kaoru seems to become less self-aware about her feelings toward Uta as the story goes on,

Kaoru was never self-aware of such feelings. The first chapters actually prove that more . Her complete obliviousness towards how strange and misleading her actions with Uta were is only more proof that she never saw Uta that way. After Uta confessed she had a strong kneejerk reaction, because she does genuinly love Reiichi (I really don't understand how anyone can question that she at least did initially. Whether she is falling out of love or whatever doesn't really matter).
Let's not forget that Kaoru and Reiichi were already together before Uta moved in with them and she didn't seem to have issues back then.

last edited at Oct 2, 2019 2:14AM

1. Don’t go talk shit to the author what is wrong with you! ( that person who did it) it’s the same that happend to WDTFS .. started telling her that she should be grateful someone is translating her work illegally.. SMH! You should never ever tell the author that their work is bad or to hurry the fuck up. As he/she said in the introductions this is their first long manga? Or maybe the first ever and he/she wanted to make this a good one, and motivation was something he/she wasn’t good at i think. So when people tell them shit like that we won’t get much more in the end. Think of about the consequences.

2. My Opinion is that i think overall this story is going good so far, we can’t get what we want it’s for the author to decide, we can talk this out and make theory’s, but i whatever the author decides is up to them. As long as i get to see the progress i’m happy and i still have something to read i’m good!

3. People who keeps saying i have no hope in this, and dropped it.... why are you making people triggered? If you dropped it you are welcome to comment, but i hope you read it least to come and make hell in the comment section.

4. The author is not slow, good stuff takes time in my opinion, have most of the people here even tried drawing different expressions and positions and so on? It’s fucking difficult! I know this all to well. Not only do you have to think about story, but placements and where to put the writing. Then it’s needless negative people who’s sending feedback about not liking it and don’t like how it progressed and so on.. and the can feel down about such feedbacks, and lose all motivation! Like i said at first.. think about the consequences.....

last edited at Oct 2, 2019 2:47AM

Kaoru was never self-aware of such feelings. The first chapters actually prove that more . Her complete obliviousness towards how strange and misleading her actions with Uta were is only more proof that she never saw Uta that way. After Uta confessed she had a strong kneejerk reaction, because she does genuinly love Reiichi (I really don't understand how anyone can question that she at least did initially. Whether she is falling out of love or whatever doesn't really matter).
Let's not forget that Kaoru and Reiichi were already together before Uta moved in with them and she didn't seem to have issues back then.

I agree with this. I just think people want to see something gay happening and start grabbing on straws. Of course it's not impossible for it to happen because that's a story and author can bend and stretch it however they like, but so far Kaoru has shown a very straight type of feelings for Uta. She loves her yes, but sexually or romantically? I don't see that at all.
And if they end up together, I'll think she did it out of desperation, considering she lost Reiichi first. She just is that type of person. She even is willing to keep getting cheated in order to keep Reiichi, so why not be with someone who she loves as a family, as long as she gets to not be alone.

Having just re-read this, the pace strikes me as not slow at all - the side character stories took up about a volume, but the main story pretty much goes from one thing to another. It just seems slow because we're reading it as it comes out.

Also, I honestly find Kaoru more sympathetic on a second read through. She's got good reason to be fucked up, really, almost anyone would be. I think she's reacting to it really badly (really? you want a kid? REALLY?) but at the same time she kinda lost her timing on every point it seems. It's clear she was going to ask what happened with Reiichi and Risako before and that she hasn't forgotten at all. But the thing with Uta came up as well, and not Uta is gone so she doesn't have the support she would need to go forward on the cheating thing... She's lost her moorings, really. I think probably her work (handcrafted items) is the closest to a stable thing there, and who knows how much she's actually making only that she spends all her time on it.

We still don't have the full story in a lot of ways. The relationship of the parents, the apparent botched medical work (?), the divorce that hasn't happened yet between Uta's parents, and of course the cheating angle. Risako and Kaoru were very close friends too.

It's a fine mess. I think Uta at least has a clear way out, but Kaoru does not.

1. Don’t go talk shit to the author what is wrong with you! ( that person who did it) it’s the same that happend to WDTFS .. started telling her that she should be grateful someone is translating her work illegally.. SMH! You should never ever tell the author that their work is bad or to hurry the fuck up. As he/she said in the introductions this is their first long manga? Or maybe the first ever and he/she wanted to make this a good one, and motivation was something he/she wasn’t good at i think. So when people tell them shit like that we won’t get much more in the end. Think of about the consequences.

2. My Opinion is that i think overall this story is going good so far, we can’t get what we want it’s for the author to decide, we can talk this out and make theory’s, but i whatever the author decides is up to them. As long as i get to see the progress i’m happy and i still have something to read i’m good!

3. People who keeps saying i have no hope in this, and dropped it.... why are you making people triggered? If you dropped it you are welcome to comment, but i hope you read it least to come and make hell in the comment section.

4. The author is not slow, good stuff takes time in my opinion, have most of the people here even tried drawing different expressions and positions and so on? It’s fucking difficult! I know this all to well. Not only do you have to think about story, but placements and where to put the writing. Then it’s needless negative people who’s sending feedback about not liking it and don’t like how it progressed and so on.. and the can feel down about such feedbacks, and lose all motivation! Like i said at first.. think about the consequences.....

Lol

What is important to understand about kaoru's psychology is that it does not control these real emotions in any way. Most of the time she does the opposite of what she really feels, she doesn't really know what love is.
She does things automatically because that's how society works, for her.
Having a family, a husband, a sister-in-law is all she misses in life because of her family tragedies. She imposes them on herself by denying certain feelings such as jealousy, trust or frankness.
All this to keep a semblance of pseudo family security....
Everything collapses in a very short time and we don't have the necessary hindsight to see if an electroshock will take place, kaoru feels that it's no longer going well, that she's lying to herself and to others, that her feelings towards reichii are no longer the same with the departure of uta...

Contrary to others I doubt that risako wishes by a simple phone call that kaoru is a child and that it would suit her, on the contrary, she probably has real feelings towards reicchi which are even stronger than in high school because she remains single whereas she could very easily find another man... moreover she wants to see her personally what has not happened for a very long time as by chance when she leaves uta.
We know that reicchi suspected a special relationship between uta and kaoru and surely that reicchi often confessed to risako...she is a perfect liar like for example when she meets uta and makes the one who didn't know she was going to live with her mother...and of course risako and reicchi talk to each other, we didn't have access then conversations but of course risako knows exactly what she thinks reicchi towards kaoru.

In my opinion the author has made a huge puzzle which is missing some pieces but I feel that it will happen very soon.

In my opinion the author has made a huge puzzle which is missing some pieces but I feel that it will happen very soon.

I’ve been feeling that since the first chapter, but “very soon” keeps receding into the distance.

BTW after reading this ch, it's clear to me no matter if Reiichi is cheating or not, or if he was out with Risako or not while Kaoru was shopping, what's CERTAIN is that Risako is pushing Kaoru to break up with Reiichi, by making her ask for a baby, which will, of course, make Reiichi backtrack from the relationship since he doesn't actually love her.

Thing is... that's your headcanon. Can't use that as evidence for further theorizing.
Kaoru already talked about wanting a baby way before all of this shit went down. Reiichi was already aware of that.
You have literally no proof Reiichi would say no to having a kid.

He likes Risako, and I don’t quite remember but he didn’t seem into the idea of having a baby with Kaoru. Besides, babies are usually the nail in the coffin for a guy who feels stuck in a relationship. If you have one, you are truly stuck. That’s why Risako is pushing for that angle. Typical mistress tactic.

There are even scenes that make it hard to deny that Reiichi does love Kaoru at least to some degree. Whether it's more of a familial love or romantic is even less clear.

He loves her but he is not in love at all.

er she is falling out of love or whatever doesn't really matter).

Let's not forget that Kaoru and Reiichi were already together before Uta moved in with them and she didn't seem to have issues back then.

He likes Risako, and I don’t quite remember but he didn’t seem into the idea of having a baby with Kaoru. Besides, babies are usually the nail in the coffin for a guy who feels stuck in a relationship. If you have one, you are truly stuck. That’s why Risako is pushing for that angle. Typical mistress tactic.

Maybe.
You don't remember, because he never said that.
Did you really think he went into this marriage thinking he would not eventually have children? He already committed, he knew what he was getting into. Whether he does it out of pity or not, it's ridiculous to think that the baby would be the reason to break it off.

Usually mistresses have no direct influence on the wife, so... no. Not a typical mistress trick.

There are even scenes that make it hard to deny that Reiichi does love Kaoru at least to some degree. Whether it's more of a familial love or romantic is even less clear.

He loves her but he is not in love at all.

er she is falling out of love or whatever doesn't really matter).

Let's not forget that Kaoru and Reiichi were already together before Uta moved in with them and she didn't seem to have issues back then.

I am not quite sure what's going on in this part of the reply. Kinda looks like a stroke...

last edited at Oct 2, 2019 8:06AM

He likes Risako, and I don’t quite remember but he didn’t seem into the idea of having a baby with Kaoru. Besides, babies are usually the nail in the coffin for a guy who feels stuck in a relationship. If you have one, you are truly stuck. That’s why Risako is pushing for that angle. Typical mistress tactic.

Maybe.
You don't remember, because he never said that.
Did you really think he went into this marriage thinking he would not eventually have children? He already committed, he knew what he was getting into. Whether he does it out of pity or not, it's ridiculous to think that the baby would be the reason to break it off.

Usually mistresses have no direct influence on the wife, so... no. Not a typical mistress trick.

There are even scenes that make it hard to deny that Reiichi does love Kaoru at least to some degree. Whether it's more of a familial love or romantic is even less clear.

He loves her but he is not in love at all.

er she is falling out of love or whatever doesn't really matter).

Let's not forget that Kaoru and Reiichi were already together before Uta moved in with them and she didn't seem to have issues back then.

I am not quite sure what's going on in this part of the reply. Kinda looks like a stroke...

Frankly we do that supposing but reicchi shows so little enthusiasm for playing husband, that he prefers to play video game rather than go out with her on his day off, that he doesn't even see that his own wife is uncomfortable and that she lies to him, that he regularly sees risako and therefore the inevitable favorite I doubt he is willing to have a baby.
We know that he is a man who avoids any kind of conflict through spin and that it does not stress him any more than that, which shows an incredible nonchalance.
So maybe he'll say yes to get rid of it, but I think it'll make him think, because he knows he's going to go to some kind of "prison" .
In fact, not only did uta serve as an emotional substitute for kaoru but also for his brother to occupy kaoru...

Reicchi plays super friend and not kaoru lover, kisses he keeps them for risako.

last edited at Oct 2, 2019 8:30AM

In my opinion the author has made a huge puzzle which is missing some pieces but I feel that it will happen very soon.

I’ve been feeling that since the first chapter, but “very soon” keeps receding into the distance.

I still have the impression that things are finally accelerating, 2 chapters for 2 days really lived with the departure and farewell of uta, and the next day kaoru notices that uta was really his accomplice and that reiicchi doesn't care about her.
She says it herself, the atmosphere with him is strange, and despite the comfort of her bartender friend, she thinks it won't get better.
She understood that risako and reicchi were cheating on her, and once again when everything seemed clear, she did the opposite of what to do by asking for a baby to reicchi.
But if the next chapter shows us either that kaoru is trying in a roundabout way to know if reicchi really cares about her and sees a future for their marriage or that kaoru is serious and this one refuses or accepts for real, we will have I believe in 3 chapters the fastest progress since the beginning of history ^^

Reicchi just doesn't play the super friend anymore but not the kaoru lover very far from there, the kisses he keeps them for

Yet another example of how difficult it is for readers to separate out:

• ThIngs that we can definitely infer from the text

• Things it is reasonable to infer from the text

• Things it is possible to hypothesize from the text

• Things that are definitely supported by unequivocal specific evidence from the text itself

NOT included in the last category: that Reiichi is having a sexual affair with Risako

Frankly we do that supposing but reicchi shows so little enthusiasm for playing husband, that he prefers to play video game rather than go out with her on his day off, that he doesn't even see that his own wife is uncomfortable and that she lies to him, that he regularly sees risako and therefore the inevitable favorite I doubt he is willing to have a baby.
We know that he is a man who avoids any kind of conflict through spin and that it does not stress him any more than that, which shows an incredible nonchalance.
So maybe he'll say yes to get rid of it, but I think it'll make him think, because he knows he's going to go to some kind of "prison" .
In fact, not only did uta serve as an emotional substitute for kaoru but also for his brother to occupy kaoru...

Reicchi plays super friend and not kaoru lover, kisses he keeps them for risako.

He had a good reason. After an exhausting day of helping with the move he is too tired to go on a date.
He does often notice that both Uta or Kaoru are uncomfortable, but whenever he asks they brush him off. Is he letting himself get pushed aside too easily? Sure. But it's not that he is entirely unperceptive.

Prove to me that he sees Risako "regularly". We don't even have evidence for that yet. Pretty much everyone here argues entirely on guesses.

If he is scared of being tied down, it's far too late. This marriage is already a prison. A baby would make Kaoru "happy" and distract her from her bad feelings, so it's actually a good solution for Reiichi.

Funny, because there were several chapters where he kissed Kaoru.

last edited at Oct 2, 2019 8:39AM

Frankly we do that supposing but reicchi shows so little enthusiasm for playing husband, that he prefers to play video game rather than go out with her on his day off, that he doesn't even see that his own wife is uncomfortable and that she lies to him, that he regularly sees risako and therefore the inevitable favorite I doubt he is willing to have a baby.
We know that he is a man who avoids any kind of conflict through spin and that it does not stress him any more than that, which shows an incredible nonchalance.
So maybe he'll say yes to get rid of it, but I think it'll make him think, because he knows he's going to go to some kind of "prison" .
In fact, not only did uta serve as an emotional substitute for kaoru but also for his brother to occupy kaoru...

Reicchi plays super friend and not kaoru lover, kisses he keeps them for risako.

He had a good reason. After an exhausting day of helping with the move he is too tired to go on a date.
He does often notice that both Uta or Kaoru are uncomfortable, but whenever he asks they brush him off. Is he letting himself get pushed aside too easily? Sure. But it's not that he is entirely unperceptive.

Prove to me that he sees Risako "regularly". We don't even have evidence for that yet. Pretty much everyone here argues entirely on guesses.

If he is scared of being tied down, it's far too late. This marriage is already a prison. A baby would make Kaoru "happy" and distract her from her bad feelings, so it's actually a good solution for Reiichi.

Funny, because there were several chapters where he kissed Kaoru.

Be careful I only assume, I don't impose anything but there is a chapter where at some point he wants to ask uta what are his feelings towards kaoru and finally changes his mind.
Then his long trips either to his family or to work with last-minute additions, a woman not as naive as kaoru would find her strange... he always has excuses to do the minimum with kaoru it can not be love, his made a year that they are married and we have the impression to have to do with a couple of 40 years of marriage.
Finally risako who only lies and that we have not seen intermittency either in flashbacks or in background situations, finally will become a very important character, these small harmless scenes when we look at them today shows us the mask of this woman... I am sure that one moment or another we will have flashbacks of this secret relationship and that it has been a long time that they meet regularly...

For their first wedding anniversary it's limited if he hadn't skipped and at the last minute "releases" himself from his obligations.

Making a baby would not help him at all, on the contrary he will have to be more present, he will have to work harder to earn money to cover the expenses incurred and he will have to take care of the baby too, something that when you know reicchi is hard to imagine... Moreover, being a father it will be even more mentally difficult for him to cheat ,even for risako.
For me it is almost certain that risako knows that reicchi doesn't want a baby that's why she throws it so easily on the phone to kaoru because maybe she wants kaoru to realize that her relationship is based on nothing... a way for a calculating bitch to have a free field without getting her hands dirty...
I feel a "truthful confrontation" between kaoru and risako and this one will tell her everything when kaoru tells her she knows about the cheating.

last edited at Oct 2, 2019 9:23AM

Be careful I only assume

Yep, all of those were assumptions. I don't think there is any evidence to go either way.

Making a baby would not help him at all, on the contrary he will have to be more present, he will have to work harder to earn money to cover the expenses incurred and he will have to take care of the baby too, something that when you know reicchi is hard to imagine... Moreover, being a father it will be even more mentally difficult for him to cheat ,even for risako.

He could comfortably pay for an entire extra person (Uta) and they never seemed to have financial troubles at all, so he won't have to work harder to earn more.
I don't think you understand how this works. Kaoru is a housewife. In these kinds of scenarios the wife takes care of the baby and the husband uses his "I work to bring food to the table" card to avoid having to take care of the baby.

rolls eyes
Again, we dont know if he is cheating or how often he is cheating or if it even cares about Risako that much.

For me it is almost certain that risako knows that reicchi doesn't want a baby that's why she throws it so easily on the phone to kaoru because maybe she wants kaoru to realize that her relationship is based on nothing... a way for a calculating bitch to have a free field without getting her hands dirty...

Uhuh. Except Risako was there when Kaoru's friends brought up babies and Kaoru said she wanted to have one. This is just a callback to that. If it was such an obvious move she would have already pushed Kaoru way more back then and repeatedly after that.

last edited at Oct 2, 2019 9:37AM

Be careful I only assume

Yep, all of those were assumptions. I don't think there is any evidence to go either way.

Making a baby would not help him at all, on the contrary he will have to be more present, he will have to work harder to earn money to cover the expenses incurred and he will have to take care of the baby too, something that when you know reicchi is hard to imagine... Moreover, being a father it will be even more mentally difficult for him to cheat ,even for risako.

He could comfortably pay for an entire extra person (Uta) and they never seemed to have financial troubles at all, so he won't have to work harder to earn more.
I don't think you understand how this works. Kaoru is a housewife. In these kinds of scenarios the wife takes care of the baby and the husband uses his "I work to bring food to the table" card to avoid having to take care of the baby.

rolls eyes
Again, we dont know if he is cheating or how often he is cheating or if it even cares about Risako that much.

For me it is almost certain that risako knows that reicchi doesn't want a baby that's why she throws it so easily on the phone to kaoru because maybe she wants kaoru to realize that her relationship is based on nothing... a way for a calculating bitch to have a free field without getting her hands dirty...

Uhuh. Except Risako was there when Kaoru's friends brought up babies and Kaoru said she wanted to have one. This is just a callback to that. If it was such an obvious move she would have already pushed Kaoru way more back then and repeatedly after that.

Ok so you're looking at the scenario that kaoru continues in his escape, makes a baby knowing that reicchi cheats and continues to be girlfriend with risako knowing that she cheats with her husband? that uta stays with her parents and that the story ends negatively.
It's possible but this manga will have been a complete failure from the beginning to the end of a person without them getting away with it...
I prefer the scenario that the author puts at the lowest kaoru, no uta, end of marriage, no baby, end family ,no security.
May risako as an antagonist and bitch take him back.
And so uta learning all about it because reicchi will forcefully tell her their divorce, will decide to return to kaoru, that's the only reason I see uta who wants to start over from scratch agrees to reconnect with kaoru because she knows her so well that she can't bear to imagine her suffering.
No, but look at the few risako appearances, the few flashbacks, all the evidence that she's a huge bitch, what an idea to tell kaoru after a long time that they didn't see themselves telling her to make a baby... this call and the moment she does it is completely calculated.

We will see well but precisely this manga is well written at this level because it still leaves after 26 chapters several possibilities!

last edited at Oct 2, 2019 9:49AM

Ok so you're looking at the scenario that

I'll stop you right there. I'm not thinking of any scenarios here. I only tried to convey why having a baby is not detrimental or farfetched from Reiichi's perspective. You have to stop looking at it from a meta perspective and what you prefer the narrative to do and just look at it objectively.
Whether the story will actually go in that direction or not is hard to predict. But the possibility absolutely exists and is in character for all involved.

Making Risako some kind of antagonist is taking the easy route to be frank. Even monster mom is not much of a real enemy, she is just a really annoying person.

Be careful I only assume, I don't impose anything but there is a chapter where at some point he wants to ask uta what are his feelings towards kaoru and finally changes his mind.

This is a prime example of what I was talking about: Reiichi was certainly going to ask Uta about something, probably something about Kaoru (he starts by saying, “Ka—“), but we don’t know what he was going to say because he stops and then says, “Ah, forget it. It’s nothing.” That’s it.

The “Uta’s feelings about Kaoru” part is certainly possible, maybe even likely, but it is an assumption.

(By the way, I don’t mean to criticize anyone’s English, but I’ve noticed that you have a habit of using male pronouns when referring to female characters, which can make your posts confusing.)

Be careful I only assume, I don't impose anything but there is a chapter where at some point he wants to ask uta what are his feelings towards kaoru and finally changes his mind.

This is a prime example of what I was talking about: Reiichi was certainly going to ask Uta about something, probably something about Kaoru (he starts by saying, “Ka—“), but we don’t know what he was going to say because he stops and then says, “Ah, forget it. It’s nothing.” That’s it.

The “Uta’s feelings about Kaoru” part is certainly possible, maybe even likely, but it is an assumption.

(By the way, I don’t mean to criticize anyone’s English, but I’ve noticed that you have a habit of using male pronouns when referring to female characters, which can make your posts confusing.)

Sorry and you're right I write a lot and quickly so I make mistakes, besides I'm helped by a translator and proofreader ^^
In fact in this manga there are many small sentences that seem harmless but rather we realize that there are details that confirm or invalidate certain actions, reactions or define a little more the character of certain characters.

(By the way, I don’t mean to criticize anyone’s English, but I’ve noticed that you have a habit of using male pronouns when referring to female characters, which can make your posts confusing.)

Sorry and you're right I write a lot and quickly so I make mistakes, besides I'm helped by a translator and proofreader ^^

No apology necessary—I admire (and am a little jealous of) anyone who can express ideas in a second language.

It’s just good to be aware that the pronoun thing can interfere with what you’re saying.

Be careful I only assume, I don't impose anything but there is a chapter where at some point he wants to ask uta what are his feelings towards kaoru and finally changes his mind.

This is a prime example of what I was talking about: Reiichi was certainly going to ask Uta about something, probably something about Kaoru (he starts by saying, “Ka—“), but we don’t know what he was going to say because he stops and then says, “Ah, forget it. It’s nothing.” That’s it.

The “Uta’s feelings about Kaoru” part is certainly possible, maybe even likely, but it is an assumption.

(By the way, I don’t mean to criticize anyone’s English, but I’ve noticed that you have a habit of using male pronouns when referring to female characters, which can make your posts confusing.)

When I say antagonist I exaggerate but as I say above I reviewed in detail the apparitions that the author has perfectly dissipated with it.
Risako is often in the background when she is in the class with reicchi she says nothing, she is the only one of the 3 girlfriends to arrive last and as luck would have it in her absence her baby talk, her presence with reicchi in front of kaoru, that she brings the cell phone to the Hospital and gives it a uta,or the little discussion full of tenderness or she says mischievously that she will take care of kaoru ... to finally get to the fall or it will come to light with its real face. Its already starting with the phone shot and its going to continue because risako wants to have an appointment with her.

Risako is often in the background when she is in the class with reicchi she says nothing, she is the only one of the 3 girlfriends to arrive last and as luck would have it in her absence her baby talk, her presence with reicchi in front of kaoru, that she brings the cell phone to the Hospital and gives it a uta,or the little discussion full of tenderness or she says mischievously that she will take care of kaoru ... to finally get to the fall or it will come to light with its real face. Its already starting with the phone shot and its going to continue because risako wants to have an appointment with her.

Once again, all of that suggests (as opposed to proves) that there’s something suspicious about Risako. Taken as a whole, the details (including Reiichi’s behavior) suggest that Risako and Reiichi are (or were) having an affair.

None of that proves for certain what Risako has done in the past or is doing now, or what her motivations might be, or what she plans to do in the future in regard to Kaoru, Reiichi, or the relationship between the two.

I think that Risako and Reiichi had an "affair" ever since high-school. As in, they were and still are sex-friends.

Why Reiichi would cave in and go out and even marry Kaoru (even though I don't think he ever loved her) is still unexplained, but I'm starting to feel that he did it at the instigation of Risako, or at least with her blessing.

Risako is often in the background when she is in the class with reicchi she says nothing, she is the only one of the 3 girlfriends to arrive last and as luck would have it in her absence her baby talk, her presence with reicchi in front of kaoru, that she brings the cell phone to the Hospital and gives it a uta,or the little discussion full of tenderness or she says mischievously that she will take care of kaoru ... to finally get to the fall or it will come to light with its real face. Its already starting with the phone shot and its going to continue because risako wants to have an appointment with her.

Once again, all of that suggests (as opposed to proves) that there’s something suspicious about Risako. Taken as a whole, the details (including Reiichi’s behavior) suggest that Risako and Reiichi are (or were) having an affair.

None of that proves for certain what Risako has done in the past or is doing now, or what her motivations might be, or what she plans to do in the future in regard to Kaoru, Reiichi, or the relationship between the two.

We agree that nothing proves but the author does not have fun giving lots of small clues, to make appear characters in the background who like risako seem to be quite normal.
For example why did risako not give the kaoru laptop to reiichi and want to bring it back itself? it really seems that she wants to talk one way or another a kaoru .. Is she in love with kaoru? I do not think because risako seems to have the character necessary to confess his feelings a kaoru has less than as usual kaoru did the one that did not notice anything as with uta ...
In short yes are assumptions but the goal of the author is to give clues, there is no chance that risako and reiichi do not cheat together or so we reach the 5th dimension.
We can still say certain things without making mistakes, the author clearly shows that kaoru is trying to maintain a couple that is ghostly.
We talk about it in one or two chapters but hey if we can not imagine anything with so many incices and details I think we must stop reading manga ^^

And I don't say anything I suppose, but with what the author gives us, it's still realistic.