[Ultraviolet X]

Originally Posted by nosaer

Spoiler for Vol 12 Ch 10:

“As expected, Katsuto-kun has much higher tolerance than Hirofumi-kun.”

Hirofumi referred to the oldest son of the Itsuwa Family, “Itsuwa Hirofumi”. The Itsuwa Family wished for Mayumi to marry Hirofumi. Koichi had intended to compare Hirofumi with Katsuto, but fortunately such words never reached Mayumi’s ears.

He's clearly praising Katsuto here. I don't see how praising an aspect of an individual means that said person is ranked 2nd. It also clearly says that the Itsuwa family wants Mayumi to marry Hirofumi, not the other way around. I think its more reasonable to believe that to koichi, Katsuto and Hirofumi are equal, and Katsuto's latest actions have given him a boost above the competition.

Koichi prefers Hirofumi over Katsuto because Hirofumi is much easier to manipulate. Both suitors (Katsuto&Hirofumi) are both from the 10 master clans and there next clan heads, so Koichi's clan benefits from an alliance with either clan, but since Hirofumi is much easier to bend to his will, he'd be higher on the list. Katsuto has clashed with Koichi during the double seven arc as well.