From my understanding, he isn't in love with Yuki, but he kinda "worship" him and really admire him. I think Hiragi thought the way Yuki and Mafuyu's love is so special, so he often see them from far away and admired it.
DISCLAIMER: this is just my opinion and imterpretation
it’s more like he’s so fixated with his admiration for yuki that he failed to see his love for shizu. hiiragi kind of like glorified(?) yuki and mafu’s relationship and he misunderstood it as his love for yuki because his attention was all on him and how he (yuki) treated mafu. his realization hit with the dreaming thing, that every time he dreams, it’s always shizu who’s there not yuki. idk that’s how i interpreted it.
I guess he just idolized Yuki that much to the point that shizu would assume that its romance.
That's what I thought too, seems accurate tho
Thank you guys so much I understand it better now. It is strange the way he worship yuki like the obsessed tipe while the other boy watched in pain. I remember a chapter where he's like mafuyus must hate him cause it's like the story is repeating its self and it's true he needs to go he's own way and stop trying to be in mafuyus life like he was in his and yuki's if it where me I'd hate to see him
Was he in love with yuki or not.