Since we're apparently debating ships now, I'm going to add my two cents no one asked for.
Eiko and Kamu are cute, sure. I can see why people like them. They're also typical Kirara fare–chaste, harmless and 100% never going anywhere. At least that's the feeling I get from them, feel free to disagree. People who have read enough Kirara series know what to expect from them yuri-wise: one-sided crushes, occasionally more serious subtext that gets played for laughs or forgotten, but with the odd exception like Sakura Trick or shorter manga, Kirara yuri rarely becomes canon.
Once in a while though, a series comes along that does things differently, and I like monitoring them. Slow Start is one of those. Eiko and Enami's relationship is wildly inappropriate and obviously Enami's behavior can be off-putting, but when you look at where they started there is a clear sense of progress. The first-name basis (when they're alone), the teasing, the touching. For once I get the impression that it's actually going somewhere. I don't feel like I'm being treated like some thirsty yuri-obsessed fan who will be happy with scraps and fanservice.
Now I'm not expecting them to actually get together. But I'll be legitimately surprised (and disappointed) if they don't get a scene before the end where they have a serious and honest discussion about their relationship. It's come to the point where I think it's something we can reasonably hope for. I believe that at some point, a long-running Kirara series will have its obvious subtext turn into actual romance. I just don't know which one it will be. Slow Start has surprised me before, so who knows?
