Yep for sure it's not grooming since she doesn't want anything in return for her affection, and she doesn't want to control him at all.
The story is ass not because of age gap, it's shitty because the pacing and characters are weird af.
But don't get me wrong age gap is very big and while it's not the main bad thing in this title, it's definitely on the list for sure.
He could be a teenager, maybe 17 yrs old or something, or she could be teenager as well, idk how old she rly is but it's clear that she is an adult and he is small child, and I rly can't get behind of an idea that they will end up together in the future.
The whole plot of this story was so overused in other stories already that this one doesn't rly offer anything new.
Kinda waste of time imo
You can think the age gap is ass and that the relationship portrayed in the story is dogshit, but a large age gap like this (even if the MC is raising ML) does not mean it’s grooming. It has similarities, but it is different. Grooming is growing a relationship with the victim to try to get something from them (sex, money, of etc). Grooming is making the victim think the shit they’re being subjected to is normal so they eventually do the stuff the perpetrator want. Stop washing down the term to describe shit that isn’t grooming. I hate the story btw.