So, my yuri goggles say the two teachers planning a weekend sleepover are an item. Any disagreement?

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Nice to see Umi is willing to hear her out on keeping their relationship secret as well. It is kind of painful seeing them hide it, but not in an unrealistic way. Just a bit too real, I suppose.

Also Shou suddenly realizing she could be horny in a realistic way is kind of funny.

Honestly, if I were in Mei's shoes (which, sadly, none of us will ever be :P) I'd choose Kaoru in a heartbeat. She and Maria are the only ones who are appealing as long-term partners. Kaoru has her shit together and already has goals and aspirations she's properly pursuing. She's a really strong person, she's fun, isn't shy or timid, and she cares about others.

Also she's very pretty. That certainly doesn't hurt.

I do wonder what the end will be like. It's set up like Mei is the center of a polycule, but I haven't really seen polyamory done "well" in manga. I can think of two examples that actually tried to go for it and neither one stuck the landing.

(In fact, they both fell flat on their faces, then proceeded to fall down several flights of stairs before rolling out the door, straight into the middle of a busy freeway during rush hour, where they were bounced around like pinballs before rocketing straight into the sun.)

I know it's been a couple months, but if you do want a manga with well done polyamory, I'd recommend "An Easy Introduction to Love Triangles (To Pass the Exam!)" Yeah it's a long title, but it actually sticks the landing and has a convincing buildup, with good dynamics between each member of the polycule.

If I were in Mei's shoes, I'd choose Kaoru because she's got a concrete plan for her life and is clearly driven. Also because she's tall and I really want her to bite me (I mean just LOOK at her teeth).

For some reason, the art style feels familiar to me, though I know this is the only manga I've read by Fukaumi Kon. It might be that Takamine looks a bit like Satsuki from Liar Satsuki can see death.
Also that hairpin detail is adorable.

The moment I saw her not eating my heart dropped. I know well enough, especially with the painful reminder from Erio and the Electric Doll (great manga, go read what's out right now), that if someone decides to stop eating, that mean's they're dying soon. We all knew it was coming. I'm not sure Kaori is going to survive the operation, but even if she does, she'll probably only have a few weeks at most left to live anyways.
...
This manga is really good at illustrating what it's like to watch someone die in a hospital.

KAORUSWEEP!!!
I've been rooting for her since she got introduced. You can't just introduce a tall, smart woman with noticeable fangs and an obsession with scent that borders on a kink and expect me to be normal about her. I do hope for poly, but if not I've gotta go with her.