I can't get past Himarin being such a bitch to him when they first met, whereas Kanai has never treated him poorly. Disappointed the teacher wasn't the one to suggest Kanai confess immediately rather than wait.
I too hope the author proves us wrong, but the way he's written the characters more or less limits our sympathy for Kanai. If the character won't pull her finger out, then her likely suffering will be self-inflicted.
I'm veeeery slowly having to accept that while I don't want Himarin to win, the MC can't lose because they're both out of his league.