To be fair, this artist has made a shotacon manga before so this aetstyle in particular isn't the best example between differentiating kids and petite ukes. Like srsly i saw some panels that gave me flashback to that disgusting manga
Aight fair ig I'll go see what else the mangaka made n judge that then
But he's literally a college student and most people I'm assuming wouldn't read something they're grossed out by and then look for more manga by that artist, he's really just supposed to be a femboy/petite twink and they do exist irl whether or not they want to :') but yeah, as op said, they're just a common thing in yaoi and they aren't supposed to be seen as kids
Ok, so I went and read a few chapters what I presume is the "shotacon" manga and I'll be honest I don't think that one counts either? While the Seme is definitely a working adult, maybe around early 20s (?) the Uke in that one comes off moreso as ambiguous in age with best bet being that he's a malnourished teen (like Natsuki from DDLC). Imo I don't really that example counts as a "shota" either cause we do see how the mangaka draws children, which are literally just chibis and in context the Uke is placed in a class with students that all appear to be well into their teens. The age gap relationship in that was IS sus and not exactly good to be fair but calling that example a shota is kinda wrong since a Shota is by definition prepubescent boy. It's kinda like how non-otaku would call a character like Hatsune Miku a loli just cause she's underaged. Shota n Loli are moreso and art style that focuses on a particular body type with specific proportions (Larger heads, proportional to a softer petite body) and the Uke in this manga and the other one kinda don't fit the bill that well. I'm not saying Shota or Loli art is good nor bad since it's such a damn divisive topic that has plagued the anime sphere for decades now. My main point is that this particular example doesn't fit the arguement of him being a child which combined with the context of him being a college student really doesn't make a case that this is a shota character. I think the mangaka just like femboy Ukes judging by their past works.
Even if I'm outright calling you wrong, I'm not trying to invalidate you either if you're not comfortable with the way this mangaka or any mangaka for that matter, goes about in drawing petite Ukes. It that's fair and you have the right to not want to consume such media if you don't like it, but calling people who enjoys something similar a pedo doesn't make for a healthy environment that fosters discussions. Just move on and read something you like and prefer. At the end of the day we're all talking about fictional gay men fucking. It's not something to get in arms about.
Everyone says they look like children but they always fail to recognize them for what they are. They're femboy built is what they are. Jkjk. Regardless overly stylized cutesy petite ukes have been a staple of yaoi for generations and they're pretty different from actual shota designs. It just takes a while for some people to develop an eye to differentiate the 2. So while those that call such character children aren't exactly right it's not exactly fair to just dismiss them. Trying to understand how context and design work together takes a while for some to accept. Nevertheless when it comes to Yaoi, sometimes turning your brain off helps and if even then you're still uncomfortable then you do you. Just don't push your interpretations onto others and call them pedos unless they've displayed legitimate traits. Take time and develop your media literacy and have fun.