@comeonnow
If I had to guess, it's that Ichikawa's genuinely kind and caring about her despite his negative demeanor. When it comes to middle school, where your status is almost entirely based on your looks, that can hold a lot of value. See Chapter 42, when Ichikawa's reading the shoujo manga Yamada recommended. The two have hung out together enough to really see different sides of each other, and as such Yamada's grown a lot more comfortable around him. She likes what she sees, so to speak. Her feelings just gradually developed over time instead of there being one big moment where she falls in love, which I honestly feel is more natural.
If I had to guess, it's that Ichikawa's genuinely kind and caring about her despite his negative demeanor. When it comes to middle school, where your status is almost entirely based on your looks, that can hold a lot of value. See Chapter 42, when Ichikawa's reading the shoujo manga Yamada recommended. The two have hung out together enough to really see different sides of each other, and as such Yamada's grown a lot more comfortable around him. She likes what she sees, so to speak. Her feelings just gradually developed over time instead of there being one big moment where she falls in love, which I honestly feel is more natural.