I apologize for the wall of text and over-analysis of characters I'm a fan of. Is this the feeling some nerds describe as "yuri hell"?
Thank you for this wonderful post, such a detailed and precise analysis. I wish there were more posts like that!
It's interesting how both lost their family members (in that or the other way) and were thus able to form such a heart-warming family bond between each other. But it's true that it appears to be very one-sided romantically. And I wonder if Keiko will ever change in that respect.
I somehow expect a lot of tension between the two. Ran seems to be getting more and more desperate to get Keiko's romantic attention, while Keiko's doing her best to stay away from it. I think I already mentioned earlier, that Ran will likely turn back to alcohol because of that. Of course it won't happen in an instant, and will likely be presented in a very soft, gradual, and subtext manner. Meanwhile, the theme for the next volume might be at all focused on Keiko's relationship with her parents. We hardly know she's in conflict with her mum, and that needs a resolution. We know nothing at all about her dad.
As for the endings... Depending on the moment the manga will be decided to get cancelled, we might get a yuri or a non-yuri end. And only assuming Akili has a chance to finish it without any forced cancellations, I'd expect 60% yuri vs 40% non-yuri end, as of today. Non-yuri doesn't necessarily mean het - the girls could simply grow out of their current relationship and stay friends. But I expect it to stay in the cloudy (yuri-wise) subtext way as long as the series goes. It's in fact what brings value to the series and makes it different from others.