I personally thought that "I like you whichever way regardless" was pretty much the entire theme of the first chapter, even moreso than in most BL, where, often, any statement of "I love you regardless of what gender you are" feels almost obligatory to some extent—like it was an aesthetic choice or just necessary for the plot instead of being a well-thought-out sentiment. Although there are several absolutely lovely exceptions to that, of course.
Whereas here—what's the point of this plot, if not to say just that?