I'm very confused. What's ml's end goal here? Is he still just conducting the whole name m...

I'm very confused. What's ml's end goal here? Is he still just conducting the whole name mate experiment or does he actually like mc? Or both? Does he even want mc in a romantic way? Is he waiting for mc to come to him begging to accept him back? Would ml accept him as an equal partner or would he just keep mc on a leash (figuratively) for his own amusement? Is ml ever even planning to reveal the fact that mc is a namer?

I hope mc stays strong and clear headed. Would be cool to finally read a story where ml's schemes fail since mc is not a pushover.