Crimson_starz

There is a genre of jokes on Japanese literature that are meant to be taken with a grain of salt. This is clear in Junichirou and Naomi's relationship, and it is also clear in Mori's character

Elise is very clearly meant to represent Elise from The Dancing Girl

Their relationship, like the Tanizakis, are a heavy reference to Vita Sexualis, in which an older Japanese boy falls in love with a younger German girl. Although the age gap is not illegal, it's still odd and was heavily critiqued because the (semi-self insert) Main Character was written in an asexual lighting

The character used in the Japanese version is the one used for Side Kick and seen as disrespectful to many Japanese women, meaning Asagiri would not use it to mean literally that Mori considers Elise his wife. He considers her his sidekick, because she is literally his sidekick

Their relationship is not meant to be viewed through Western and European contexts, the Japanese side of the fandom does not see the character as a pedophile

Multiple characters in the show would have already killed him if he were serious about that. An example that comes to mind is Kouyou.

Yes, Kouyou was joking about sewing his mouth shut. She would have killed him by now if he actually showed interest in young girls.

No, his statement that he loves Yosano's strong will was not actual interest. His character revolves around strong will, he is a strong willed character. He likely said that as a "finally someone else is like me"

Whoever thinks he liked Dazai sexually or romantically is wrong because not only was their entire relationship a clear "trying something different because I messed up earlier", they'd still be wrong if he was written the way they see him because he meets Dazai after he's 12

Dazai reminds him of himself. This line is often seen as an recognized thing that Dazai is in an Abuse Cycle/Web (which debatably doesn't exist), but is actually PROBABLY a chance to maybe look at how Mori hires his people and surrounds himself with characters most likely to easily kill him

He canonically (BEAST is canonical) feels guilty for Yosano's abuse. His feelings in Main are the same as BEAST

This is the Put Emotions Away It's Logical Standpoint Only Character. Realistically he's not going to "give into his desires" by taking in a kid to molest them. All of the kids he's with are either literally himself (Elise is his Ability) or kids with dangerous or overwhelmingly useful Abilities (Q, Dazai, Chuuya, Yosano) for his cause (keeping Yokohama safe)

The takeaway people get CAN be a genuine takeaway, but it's factual and easily disproven and incorrect in source material and also by pure association with the country it comes from. Japan has entire genres of characters acting pedophilic despite NOT BEING PEDOPHILES.