Responses
True I've been reading this since 2010 and it is indeed way too long, but not in the story timeline, it hasn't been that long. And Souichi has made so much progress since chapter 1. For me the timeline here and events were more realistic than those with suddenly being openly gay or accepting that they're gay even if just for their partner. Especially for Souichi, it's been established how he hated gays, and had trauma.. it would have been hard suddenly accepting that and just coming out especially how they've started.
True that!
Souichiro is a prude. He will never be outright affectionate, nor would he admit their relationship in front of others. That's his personality. What you need to see is his action. How he is always supportive of Morinaga, even willing to take him into his family.
Those who keep saying there is no progress in this manga, what you wanted isn't progress, but personality change. It's like asking an introvert to be an extrovert after they fall in love. That's unrealistic. Being a prude is who Souichiro is. He isn't going to change the very core of his personality, and Morinaga falls for him for who he is, with all his flaws, because deep down Souichiro will always have Morinaga's back, and Morinaga knows that.