Responses
Well said
I agree with everything you said. Though I just want to point out, to be fair to Irie, he developed romatic feelings under a misunderstanding, and it's hard to take that emotional step back. Also every time he tried to end the relationship, since he couldn't do friends, it was Kousuke who wouldn't let him.
But I think your point about the nature of why Kousuke is getting into this relationship is why I'm not really enjoying this manga.
I rather have Irie tolerate the pain of being friends (having a non-romantic relationship) with someone you like than establishing a romantic relationship where you, as a lover, expect romantic stuff.
I don't think this is not just a question of Kousuke's lack of experience in the field of romance, it's more of a question of whether Kousuke actually hold romantic feelings towards Irie. So far, it seems to me that the reason he doesn't want to let go of Irie is that he is afraid of losing a friend.
oh, I know, this would most likely end with Kousuke actually liking Irie and the two living happily ever after. But what I want to raise as a point is that, establishing a relationship under such circumstances feels more painful than being a non-romantic partner aka friend where you know that you don't have any right, nor privilege (just wishful thinking) to expect some romantic progress.
But we still have yet to see from Kousuke's point of view, so let's not disregard some possibilities that may suddenly unveil as the story progresses.
God, so many second-hand pain and feels for this one :(