I like his response too. Dude grew up. And his pause about Hanako told a lot.Maybe a hot take here, but I'm not mad about Saotome's response. It's clear he's recognizing his feelings now and is trying hard to fully understand them before making any decisions. Plus I've seen way worse responses in other series.
I mean to be fair, the only two girls that kind of confessed to him were Ushigome and Takae, and we all know he's much more cautious around Takae due to how she blackmailed him.I did like his response but then of course he had to ruin it by saying no other girl likes him... This guy has the biggest blackhole in that his cranium that I've ever seen. Do you think by chapter 400 will he realize the truth because I sure as hell don't have faith in him. Ushigome did her best & won't be disheartened on the result of their conversation. Thanks for the translations.