I mean what do you expect? He's a middle school kid who's probably never fallen in love before. This kind of stuff comes with the territory of the whole "set in a school" trope in manga imo...
Hell, compared to other romance MC's he feels more realistically portrayed, as he actually admits to liking her, as opposed to the whole dumb "I don't deserve to be in love with someone like her" bullshit most others do. I mean, he's still a wuss don't get me wrong, but it comes off more genuine in this case, and the art really helps reflect that. Showing him legitimately trying to ask her out, but his anxiety getting the better of him works, as opposed to feeling contrived.
I do hope his progression furthers more in the future though, as well as her's. I think the manga's doing a pretty good job so far. It being super fluffy definitely helps.