I thought the New Year's episode did a great job of undoing all the shipping-fodder (some would say "yuri-baiting") of the earlier episodes and showing us how Teko and Pikari really relate to each other. They care about each other, even love each other, but that "love" is not romantic in nature.
Teko is an introvert. It's New Year's Eve, and when left to her own devices, she's perfectly happy staying home by herself and looking at her photos. When Pikari invites her over, she assumes it's just going to be the two of them and Grandma. When other people show up, she gets anxious and admits that she feels alone when she's in a big group.
Introverts don't form many relationships, but when they do, it's deep and intense. You can mistake it for something romantic, but that's not necessarily the case. With some people, it's more likely
not to be romantic.
Pikari, on the other hand, is an extrovert. She draws her energy from being in a group. Having Teko over for New Year's Eve is fun, but having more people over is more fun. That's not to say she's shallow or that she doesn't really care about Teko. Certainly she loves Teko, and maybe cares more for Teko than for anyone else, but it doesn't have the kind of exclusivity you'd find in a romance.
And actually, it's probably good for Teko that Pikari likes being around so many other people. She'd get exhausted otherwise.
