Really? You think at this point it's just sisterly love?
I just think that it needs more than just a hand holding from Kaoru to outnumber all the chapters the author took to convince us Kaoru can't see Uta this way. And yes, it can be sisterly love too, because Uta is the only one Kaoru has left and she's desperate af for someone to support her.
But kudos to the author, this is literally the first time in a story I root for them to not get together, despite leaving some crumbs which can even work in yuribait stories for the shipping side.
I agree that no clear sign of romantic feelings from Kaoru, but I'm not sure about "can't see Uta this way" precedent, she has never explicitly rejected it, it has always just been about not being available. It is progress that we now have a clear sign that knowing Uta's feelings hasn't made Kaoru at all uncomfortable being close to her, or changed her feelings of trust and comfort about her.
Kaoru/Uta romance wise I feel like the net effect is about neutral, but with a bias to future change, since it is clear Uta is taking a more active and deliberate approach (for the first time she has explicitly encouraged Kaoru to seek help from others - for her own good), and Kaoru has finally talked about her anxieties, and promised to talk about it to Reiichi which should trigger a change in her marital situation, one way or another.
I was off with my predictions, should have known better! (though I guess Uta did take action, which did lead Kaoru to talk). Telling Kaoru to take better care of herself and ask for help sooner is quite mature (letting go of her "special comforter" role, but not her concern about Kaoru's wellbeing), and makes more sense than confronting Reiichi since as far as Uta knows Reiichi has no clue how bad things are (she knows Kaoru tends to hide it, and hasn't seen most times Reiichi has brushed off Kaoru's appeals for company).
