Okay i may be sounding weird and make no sense but i think people are being too harsh on Miketsukami Soushi As A Character (we can talk about the authors intentions all you want but im talking about people bashing the character)
I can understand why people say 'he's a pedo' and that was my kneejerk reaction when i read through it as an adult (as opposed to my reading when i was about ririchiyos age)
You see, they do have a 6? 7? Year age gap? He's 22 she's 16. She looks much younger, hiwever given the case i feel like this is an issue to have with the author and not Miketsukami as a chraracter.
Miketsukami wasn't only sheltered as a kid, he was despised, forced into sexual slavery to gain a sliver of freedom. And were talking when he was even younger than Ririchiyo, i think maybe around 12? As he was sold off to Kagerou at around 16? Possibly younger.
Which, as everyone remembers is a sadistic dumbass with a penchant for controlling denigrating, dehumanizing and humiliating everyone around him, specially people he has some control over. And Soushi was effectively his slave.
So to this point we have a traumatized 16 yo, that has been used, abused and raped to gain even the smallest form of freedom (while still being a slave mind you)
And in this process he is asked to write letters to his masters fiancée. Whom he has never seen.
He makes up a character, because he believes himself to be unlovable and starts genuinely writing with this person. Everyday. For Years.
After a long long time she pays a visit to her fiancée kagerou, albeit very short, blaming it on her health.
At this point Soushi isnt sure if shes actually writing her own letters. As her way of writing, her pain and maturity didnt match her physical appearance.
Her writing is later confirmed to him by Kagerou and soon enough she asks him the first question about his own experiences. Maybe The First Time Hes Ever Been Asked. He answers truthfully, and he notices, really notices him as a person.
At this point i font think we can blame the person that has been abused this much from falling in love with the only other human in the world that seems to have shown genuine care for him. Whatever the age gap. Specially since he wasnt aware of it when he started catching feelings and it isnt even that big, its barely a year over most countries romeo and juliet laws, and he wasnt really expecting to pursue her in any way when he got close to her.
He only wanted to be close to protect and serve her as he always had done, he wanted to pick his own master, one that he cared about, and maybe could care about him.
Either way, thanks for coming to my ted talk. Yes ive been rereading the manga why are you asking?