This manga really is something special.
Early on I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking Izumi was yet another bland self-insert protagonist made to do nothing but reflect our own reactions to Shikimori, but after sticking around for a while you'll see he's just as adorable and sometimes as cool as the heroine. Now the mangaka has added a character that's EVEN MORE like the average boring romcom protagonist (seriously, he's straight up the guy from Hitomi-chan or Ooki Kouhai) and then made him an actual character.