Absolutely adorable development. And of course, "she's so pretty" ends up being one of Koguma's thoughts about Hino.
On another note, though, the way the mangaka draws hair and clothing, especially in close-ups, is just so nice. One of my favorite artistic touches in the manga. Hino's hair, for instance, looks fantastic. You can almost tell the texture and thickness and the way it would shine, were there color and light.