[just a warning: not spoiler-free]
I'm so confused, because I can't tell if the author is intentionally writing Hananoi as creepy, or if they actually mean for this to be a romance manga with a desirable main male lead?
He's giving off those "something's definitely wrong here" vibes. I mean: searching for her hair pin for hours in absolutely freezing weather, saying he'd literally sacrifice his own well-being to see her smile when they've barely known each other for a few days, waiting an entire two hours for her before school, pulling an all-nighter to create a big stack of notes for her to study from? That's obsessive, and I don't know how Hotaru hasn't run the other way yet; I couldn't get through a chapter without feeling seriously, seriously uncomfortable with everything he said and did for her. I know there are people who go above and beyond for their partners, but oof, this ain't it, chief. (Don't even get me started on the whole scene where she comes to his house, and they're in his room alone; his behavior there is pretty much harassment, sick or not. And the fact that she saw his covered-up bookshelf and he said, "That's your area, don't look at it if you're not prepared" set off the alarms in my head.)
(Also, he's pretty manipulative telling her he won't stick around as her friend if she doesn't like him romantically after their trial period ends. I mean, it's okay to not want to talk to someone as often after they reject you, especially if you feel hurt, but he should know by now that he's pretty important to her, and the chances of her agreeing to be his girlfriend just so she can keep him beside her are fairly high.)
It's just that I've seen shoujo mangas where the guy is outrageously thoughtful, but here, it definitely does not come across as consideration. More like: unhealthy obsession.
I mean? I get it if it's supposed to be written like this, and the author's goal is to create an unsettling, obsessive male protagonist. That's interesting in its own way, I guess. But if that's the case, the manga should really be clearly labelled as such. A lot of young people could read this and not pick up on how abnormal Hananoi's actions are; they could walk away thinking this is how an ideal partner should be. A younger me would have definitely thought that way :/
And if it's just supposed to be a shoujo manga...oh no.