Even you said it before, this really wasn't that great. Between all the time spent on the absolute millstone of the big sister, the nonexistent stakes (if a whole ass tengu can go to show, you can find a way to hide your ears), the incredibly slow build up, and the actual romance being kind of shallow, it was impressive it made it as far as it did. Compare to something like LOVE BULLET, a series that originally floundered by was successfully revived by the EN community, and you see why the people were more receptive to making that live. Originality, clean action, clear progression, not having a terrible antagonist. We are in a clear anime/manga bubble, but it is clear there are ways even smaller series can rise to the top.
Doesn't help he got completely mogged by Ogami's Not-So Everyday Life...
All that said, damn this was cute. Hope the author comes back swinging on his next project.