I'm female, and I've been reading this series since the beginning. My first thought was this whole break-up could have been avoided if Yuki had just slept in a better-fitting kimono.
But seriously, I have to say my reaction to Yuki's request was to put my head in my hands and groan. I really couldn't believe she would seriously say such a thing. Speaking
purely theoretically, her thinking has a twisted logic to it, but it defies all basic common sense and decency. She basically told Utsumi that she spent their entire date thinking about her former lover; it doesn't matter how she phrases it, that is the essence of what she said, and it was a slap in the face to a true prince of a boyfriend. Then she says it is too painful for her to watch him force himself on her account; this statement was a breathtaking blend of self-pity, faux martyrdom, and pseudo-compassion. But it was telling because she said the words "it's too painful for
me." The real truth is that the break-up was not an act of caring for Utsumi - who is quite happy to have her as his girlfriend - but is purely to make herself feel better. This way, instead of working out these issues together with her boyfriend, she can tell herself she set him free for his own good, and he will be so much happier without her. Right. Need help climbing down from that Cross, Yuki?
Her actions were not only
selfish and overly dramatic, but they were detrimental to her supposed goal: forgetting Tohru. By taking Utsumi to the places she shared with Tohru, she was basically taking a commemorative "Pilgrimage of Pain" - because, of course, her pain is so great and unprecedented (in her mind) that it requires a special ritual all its own to overcome. But the usual purpose of commemorating a past event is to remember it, which is precisely what Yuki should
not be doing. To use a stupid example, it's like that old saying, if somebody tells you not to think of bananas, you will immediately think of nothing but bananas. Yuki lets her pain define all of her actions and decisions, and as long as she does this, she will never move past it. And, underneath it all, I don't believe she really wants to; she prefers to brood over the past and wallow in self-pity to actually facing the realities of the present.
Yuki's actions lately have been so cowardly and irrational, I find it hard to believe this is the same intelligent, perceptive girl from the start of the series. Yuki is clearly not ready to date anyone right now, so in the short term, it's probably appropriate that they break up. But she owes Utsumi a huge apology if/when she wakes up and wants him back, and even then, he would be completely justified in rejecting her and moving on...if he hasn't already done so.