You think Kiso will flounder from this? No way, that girl is a master of skirting past any sort of romantic progress!
There's always Kiso busting out her rigging/explosion ending, and everyone gets temporary concussion amnesia so they forget the events around this point.
That said, this artist isn't so married to Status Quo Is God as most. Even if it's just Flanderization, all the 6th DesDiv girls shifted in personality fairly quickly. (Inazuma starts out as a clumsy good girl trying to hold Depend-o-Meter Ikazuchi back, and it winds up Ikazuchi's the most normal one, with Muscle Fetish!Inazuma meekly trying to get close to Admiral, and Hibiki goes from childishly lewd to epitome of masochism in the span of a few dozen strips. Akatsuki starts off as slightly mature, goes into "The True Lady", then into something of a Crouching Moron, Hidden Baddass.) Kiso HAS changed over the course of this story. She's gone from purely "spout out something 'majestic' to cover her embarrassment" so that Admiral never gets a hint of her femininity to showing it off frequently at this point with things like sewing sweaters; it's just not going far enough for Kuma's tastes or to drive it through Admiral's skull that she likes him.
It's entirely possible Ha Akabouzu feels they're out of ways to keep the plot in neutral without it stalling out completely, so this is heading towards a real turning point.
No way...
but I...Uuugh...That you love him!Even when your feelings are too fragile to put into words -kuma?If you would feel any regret about this, then say it now -kuma!Ehhh?!Well, Kuma has the strongest feelings for the Admiral -kuma.
