If the switch was that immediate I'd either think he was making fun of me, he pities me, or that he wants something from me. I wished that there was a transitional period first wherein he started moving on and looking at her direction; and even then it might feel like he couldn't have the main dish so he went for the appetizer.
yeah i do think this story got axed because it's trope is not really for everyone. i mean it's shoujo and the guy is in love with someone else already = not gonna sell well.
it's a shame cause this story had a potential but most people prefer the ML to be either playboy or nonchalant or yearner to the FL. no in betweens and no other choices between those.

I think it ended too abruptly, like we didn't get to enjoy the love on his side? previously we saw him getting close to FL but it still felt like "a dear friend" rather than a "ILY" kind of closeness. And then the last chapter he jumped from saying he loves his childhood friend still to rejecting her to running after her then to being confused when she asked him if he liked her and then straight to confess he likes her... that was really all over the place (⊙…⊙ )
Maybe the series got axed and the author had to speed run things?