he does actually not really believe in love or relationships! it gets touched on in a chapter that hasn’t been translated yet, so i won’t elaborate, but he’s genuinely pretty uninterested in the idea of love even if he recognises that things like how they interact are often linked to dating. but yeah, his main concern really is just his prioritising their platonic relationship over the idea of a romantic one!! it really is that like… to him, kyuho being His Person (platonic intended) is the most important thing above all else and that approaching their relationship from any other angle would rock the boat and potentially shatter that, without realising that by drawing this line without looking into it or his feelings any further he’s putting their platonic relationship at further risk. well-put post!
Agreed
The ML isnt denying relationships or labels or his feelings. He clearly recognizes them(noting how attached they are), how much he cares for Kyuho, and how these things usually evolve into dating(thats why he finally brought it up in this last chapter). But note the passing bus comment.
His overriding concern is that if they ever break up, their relationship will sour until they're completely cut off from one another. At this point, he'd rather stay platonic than potentially lose Kyuho. BUT what the ML is completely overlooking, is that he could lose Kyuho anyways as friends. Even platonic relationships could go bad, and someone else could come along and become a much bigger part of Kyuho's life.