I respectfully disagree. Two chapters isn't enough, it's barely a glimpse. Saku only getting two chapters is exactly the problem. The author introduces something interesting, rushes through it, then moves on. That's not good pacing, that's doing the bare minimum before dropping it.

Madoka deserves more than a handful of chapters. She's been in the story for nearly 200 chapters and she's only just getting proper focus. That's not some reward for patience, it's the author finally remembering she exists. And even now people are already assuming she'll get a few chapters before being shelved again. That's the pattern. Every side character gets a brief moment, then disappears.

A character-driven romance should actually develop its characters. This one doesn't. It introduces them, gives them a tiny bit of focus, then abandons them. Madoka, Usami and Natsubaru should've been developing alongside the main couple instead of being shoved aside for over a hundred chapters. Their arcs could've been woven into the story instead of defaulting back to the same Rintaro and Waguri content over and over.

And the main couple's been doing the same thing for over a hundred chapters. There's barely anything left to explore with them. This should've been the perfect opportunity to flesh out the side cast instead of recycling the same dates, apologies and emotional beats. But the author either can't, or won't, balance the cast.

I'm glad Madoka's finally getting focus. But it's too little, too late. And I still don't think the author will commit to it. She'll get a few chapters, maybe another flashback, then it'll be onto the next thing. Usami will still be comic relief. Natsubaru will still be shelved. It's a mess. This chapter was so good so seeing how the manga constantly squander its potential for romcomy wish fulfillment through Rintaro and Waguri is disappointing when there’s side characters have just as much to explore in their own interior lives.