awww

Possibly it's a translation thing? It's a fairly common plot in manga for people to say, "I like you," and the person who was told it spends some time worrying about what they mean. It's because 'suki' means both 'like' and 'love', the listener is supposed to figure it out by context.

With the uke being so down on himself like that and describing himself as "one friend among many" (with whom it would be totally normal for the seme to use the word 'suki' with), it doesn't surprise me that the seme would go into details to get his point across.

I agree it's frustrating, but in this specific case I'm willing to let it pass. It's kinda adorable.

I think the OP is not talking about the like/love thing, just that it would have been easier for the seme to be straightforward (since it was clear that he's always liked the uke) instead of doing all these things, especially when he knows how little confidence the uke has.

yes exactly haha I get the whole like/love confusion with the word "suki" in Japanese because I actually have a bit of comprehension of the langage but here the seme should have been more straightforward that's what I meant ^^

Ah. My apologies, then, I misunderstood your question. I tend to just put that sort of thing down language AND culture being lost in translation, and usually give the characters the benefit of the doubt if their body language implies they're not being sneaky on purpose. I have no non-manga understanding of cultural norms in Japan, so I try hard not to judge the characters from my own cultural standpoint. I had no knowledge of your age, comprehension, or familiarity with the tropes, so thought to offer an alternate veiwpoint.

In this case, then, I totally agree with you. If he's already going that far for his friend, he should get to the point sooner. I don't like seeing that precious cinnamon roll of a friend suffering. He's like a sad puppy, and it makes me want to cuddle him and coo that thing's will be better soon.