In chapters 18-19 of Aoi Hana, it is revealed that the third-year Yasuko Sugimoto is moving to England with Ayako Kawasaki, her co-star in Fujigaya's production of Wuthering Heights. The discussion surrounding this revelation gives a romantic undertone to this relationship — a newspaper headline is shown with "Catherine Heathcliff Honeymoon in England." It is unclear whether this should be taken any more seriously than straight teenage girls who proclaim to be "married to" or "engaged to" or "dating" their close female friends. (I personally assumed that there was potential for a relationship, but that it probably would not develop in that direction.)
Later, during Akira and Fumi's second year, Sugimoto visits Japan and has a conversation with Kyouko Ikumi in ch. 32, in which Kawasaki is mentioned:
Ikumi: … And do you have any plans with Kawasaki-sempai?
Sugimoto: Huh? I see her all the time over there. I'm not going to go out of my way to see her here.
Ikumi: So that's how things are between you? How nice. I like that sort of relationship.
Sugimoto: Well, we're taking it slow over there … Letting our love blossom.
Sugimoto's final comment suggested to me that there is indeed something between her and Kawasaki. However, in ch. 52, which depicts the events around Ikumi's wedding, we are told that Kawasaki is in the hospital with appendicitis. We also learn from Ryouko Ueda that:
Right now, her boyfriend and her roommate are looking after her [Kawasaki].
The panel also shows a character who clearly is not Sugimoto and who is probably male.
With this in mind, was Sugimoto ever romantically involved with Kawasaki, and if so, do we know anything about what happened to their relationship or why Kawasaki now has a boyfriend? Alternatively, am I misinterpreting something in the exchange with Ikumi?
