@chonkury YESSS! I’m so happy I caught this response! You’re the first/only person I’ve seen to comment something about that. Since I’ve started translating this, I have had that exact thought a couple dozen times: Akikazu seems to have some degree of Aspergers. Same as you, although I can definitely understand why people find him insensitive and rude (because by “normal” social standards, he kind of is), I also empathize with him...
In Ch. 2, he comments to Hanakawa saying that the mini-mini fan situation was something he could learn from. Then, in Ch. 3, he does try to apologize for his reaction to her fan. However, it comes across as rude because he explains his reasons for reacting that way, rather than simply going for a direct apology. Hanakawa also mentions how he seems very particular about his stuff. In Ch. 5, he actually just sits off by himself to birdwatch/doesn’t really socialize, and he thanks Hanakawa after he realizes he wasn’t doing good perspective-taking. He doesn’t seem to understand that what he said to Hanakawa at the end of Ch. 6 influenced why she was acting differently the next day, but he’s capable of recognizing something has changed and does feel concerned about it.
The way he speaks in general seems pretty short (but, of course, I’m certainly not a fluent Japanese speaker and might be missing some nuance). Interestingly though, he almost always uses the “polite” form of Japanese when he speaks, which isn’t really conveyed well in English.
Anyway, I could go on but won’t for now lol... The bottom line is that yea I agree 100% that he seems slightly autistic and it makes me feel much more forgiving toward him.