I agree that it shouldn’t be seen as sinister but, unfortunately, most people associate “falling in love” with romance or desire.
The line might also just be a translation error.
Love is complicated
I'm thinking in a lost in translation too, Japanese have more words for love than English, and their use Is extremely weird
whatever it's as long as they didn't have sexual intercourse
"A man falling in love with a child" is the same as when a mother falls in love with her child. The warmth, the energy, and the feeling of having a little one around you while you're working your soul out, they become one's solace. If you see that pure love as pedophilic, you may be the pedo.