"What is she, your wife?"
Hoping the answer to that becomes "yes" down the line.
The author definitely knows about scene sequencing, and the fact that the scene where that question is asked is immediately followed by the scene of Toda cooking for Tanaka at home is pretty much the author saying to the readers, that yes, she is.
I'm guessing the girl at the end is Toda's sister, and going by her reaction I'm guessing that Toda ran away from home.
Got the same impression.
On a side note, has anyone else noticed that Toda has been a bit more talkative these last few chapters?
Yes, but I think it's only when she is with Tanaka? From personal experience, when you are living with a person with a disability, you start unconsciously adapting to efficiently communicate with them, which helps them open up more, and so on in a positive feedback loop.