All they really managed by the end is to save the furniture, thanks to their sincere desire to be together and some compromise, while pushing the inherent problem—Sakuma's s*xual orientation—into the future. Ushio is suffering because she desires her beloved Sakuma in a carnal way, but Sakuma's own sexuality and his personal disdain for s*xual acts prevent him from feeling carnal desires toward Ushio's body. This frustration was so painfully eating away at her that she had to break up the couple she had been dreaming of for a very long time, even though their hearts couldn't be closer. The short epilogue scene two or so years later, when they are living together in Tokyo, didn't delve into the problems; A kiss from Sakuma's own discretion would have been a very meaningful action at this moment; I really would have liked that to happen but it simply ended with the realization that they can hug and that Sakuma can sincerely appreciate this physical proximity. So maybe they did overcome? Nobody can tell, not even the author, as they stated in the afterword that this story from now on belongs to the characters. It's their life, and no matter what happens, it will be at their own discretion. They simply shared with us an important memory, and now we have to step away. Because of that, part of me has mixed feelings toward Sakuma, if not negative thoughts, as I think he is still making her suffer. However, there is no denying that he saved Ushio's heart many times; he was always there when she needed salvation the most, be it in the past, present, and certainly in the future too. So while I'm very sad that Ushio has to live through this torture of knowing that her own lover, the very first person who should accept her wholly, feels revulsion not only toward s*xual activity with her but also just toward kissing, there is another part of me that can't accept seeing Ushio with someone else. Her feelings for him are just that special and beautiful. Well, we're talking about a guy who pretty much eloped to the extreme opposite of an unfamiliar, huge region with his beloved transgender girl during a school trip while everyone was asleep, poor oblivious Ushio included, before he woke her, fully aware of the worries and problems he would cause for everyone in an attempt to save their relationship the very next day after they broke up. So, I will throw him a bone for his guts; really, I wasn't prepared for the twists in volume 5.