Volume 8 Chapter 11

Just a reminder that this chapter exists. Yes Senpai is very standoffish but in this chapter and the ones before and after it he makes it clear that other than the first time it's always been a choice. He is the one that initiates things in this chapter. He also says that he has trouble expressing things and at one point he gets frustrated that he can't explain his feelings in a way that he thinks is understandable. The manga has made it pretty clear that Senpai has basically no relationship experience. He reminds me a lot of Sherlock in his single minded pursuit of knowledge. Things like sexual desire and romantic interests are second to his great passion for research. Senpai objects but gives in and you eventually realize that he becomes horribly embarrassed when it comes to sex and romantic things.

When it comes down to him truly angering or possibly losing Morinaga though he drops his tsundere wall because Morinaga means that much to him. We as fans have spent over a decade reading their story but in their timeline it's been barely a year since their relationship has changed. For someone like Senpai it's a lot for him to accept loving a man and having a sexual relationship with one. Yes this is fiction and there are a lot of yaoi tropes but in some very minor ways there are things that follow a more realistic view. Obviously the violence and anger would not be healthy in a real life relationship but setting that aside the confusion, self hate, and lashing out are pretty common when someone is dealing with the idea that they are or might be queer after always believing they were straight. Senpai's internalized homophobia is made worse by the assault he was the victim of. I would like to see more progress and less violence from Senpai but I can be patient as long as our dear mangaka continues to give us chapters.