I'm glad he's not your typical bumbling beta male protag but at the same time you'd expect a healthy 16yo boy to have SOME kind of reaction to swimming in gorgeous women. it's almost like he has no emotions at all
just look at that he does so that he can help his 31 yo cousin to get the recognition he thinks she deserved as a gravure idol. Yeah, it's not only that is it?
I think he really loves her, tbh, like super wholesome puppy love. He probably doesn't realize it himself.
He sacrifices so much of his free time and energy for her, at some point i'm guessing the question "why do you go so far for someone like Sumire?" comes up, and it'll get harder and harder to keep giving the same old answer.
from what i can gather from the raws, it seems this dilemma is slowly building up as the work keeps getting harder to balance with his private and student life