I am confused as to why Araragi didn't start dating Cat before Hitagi Crab arc

I am confused as to why Araragi didn't start dating Cat before Hitagi Crab arc.
It was confirmed that he felt sexual attraction towards Cat. It was also confirmed that he saw her as a friend.
Now as far as teenage romances go this is enough to start one, especially if its the first for both parties involved. Did I misunderstand the LN wrong?

>misunderstand the LN wrong
I need to go to sleep

>I am confused as to why Araragi didn't start dating Cat before Hitagi Crab arc.

Because all he felt for a cat-eared high school girls in panties is lust.

the entire point of her arc was that she wasn't open with her feelings at all and was preoccupied with being 'perfect'

He's not able to love someone that he couldn't see as his equal.

Also lets be real here, Araragi is unable to devote himself to one woman. Hanekawa won't settle for anything less than Araragi being devoted solely to her.

Araragi is beta. He wouldn't even have dated crab by himself.

Thats the thing, most relationship start out with both parties involved feeling lust towards eachother and gradually starting to enjoy eachothers company for other reasons. But assume that this is wrong.
It would still be very likely for a teenage boy to want to start dating a beautiful girl, that has shown interest in him, who is his only friend at that time, if only to loose his virginity.

He friendzoned himself.

Because Araragi was so downtrodden that he couldn't believe he had a chance with Hanekawa and Hanekawa herself was too shy and had too much baggage to ask him out.

>she wasn't open with her feelings at all and was preoccupied with being 'perfect'
nani sore, are you referring to Neko Shiro or Neko Kuro?
>He's not able to love someone that he couldn't see as his equal.
Im making a point that a teenage boy would either not see the difference between love and lost OR not want to see the difference in order to get sexed.
>Hanekawa won't settle for anything less than Araragi being devoted solely to her.
Now this is actually a fair point, after Hitagi Crab that is. Before Crab the only person who Ragi even interacted was Cat (no, shinobu refused to speak to him and that sleazy old man is NOT a harem candidate).

>Araragi is beta. He wouldn't even have dated crab by himself.
Assume for one second that you were in araragis shoes back in the storage room during Kizu, also assume that you were your teen-something self. You would have wrecked that pussy wouldn't you? You slut.

nice trips

damn son

>Because Araragi was so downtrodden that he couldn't believe he had a chance with Hanekawa and Hanekawa herself was too shy and had too much baggage to ask him out.
Ughh, I cannot possibly imagine myself being like that. But I guess I should not self insert as Ragiko too much.

He could be argued to be beta
>He wouldn't even have dated crab by himself.
That's not a reason for this though. Crab's the one who fell for him, not the other way around. He wasn't obligated to date her, he enjoys her company though so after giving it some thought he goes through with it because why not.

Also the story makes it clear that if it wasn't Crab who asked him out, someone else eventually would've.

Araragi is a coward with inferiority complex.
He'll be ready for Hanekawa in some 50 years tho.

Isn't it because he hates himself and thought Hanekawa would never fall for someone as worthless as he is?

Because the de facto start of bake is Hitagi Crab, and it's first come first serve.

He felt cat was too good for him. Which is true. Cat is too good for everyone, which is a tragedy.

I think it's because he respects and is indebted to Hanekawa too much, perhaps to the point he worships her.

>I am confused as to why Araragi didn't start dating Cat before Hitagi Crab arc.
I can see you're confused about the entire story. Next time pay attention.

>It was confirmed that he felt sexual attraction towards Cat. It was also confirmed that he saw her as a friend.
Araragi considers Hanekawa a goddess, something he cannot reach, something that's too much for a piece of shit like him. He lies about the sexual attraction, he would probably shoot his dick if he had "bad" thoughts about her because in his mind the concept of Hanekawa liking him doesn't exist.
Even if he "knows" that she's not perfect he still discards that.
The guy is a fucking fanatic.

>Now as far as teenage romances go this is enough to start one, especially if its the first for both parties involved. Did I misunderstand the LN wrong?
Yes you didn't understand Araragi's personality and the fact that he's borderline insane in some things.

This, as far as Araragi is concerned, Hanekawa is a literal saint and the only way he can repay his debt to her is dying for her sake.

Like any real guy with some backbone would pass this up.

Because Nisio are a piece of shit.

Yes,i expect a ending like that.

It's such a shame because Araragi x Cat would have made a far better couple that his with Crab. Their conversations are much more interesting and they don't feel superficial or sometimes even forced like in the case of Crab, which is truly sad considering i liked her a lot at the start.

Them not being in a relationship despite everything it what makes it good and it's also typical Nisio.

>nani sore, are you referring to Neko Shiro or Neko Kuro?
faggot ass weeb

>they don't feel superficial
Why is being able to have dumb, fun conversations a bad thing? The way Hanekawa needs a solid topic to avoid dropping spaghetti is a minus instead of a plus because that means they're not able to relax around each other.

Because Cat is worst girl. Literally prove wrong.

can't handle a cat

After Tsubasa family he was so utterly disgusted by her way of handling her life and family situation that he completely discards her as a posible romantic partner, that was kind of the point

She is pure, kind, considerate and even goes trough the trouble of repressing her own stress just so she doesn't hurt anyone arround her.
She is smart and dedicated, and also responsible.
Her oddity is fairly the best because it's the only fuckable oddity. And the most powerful, according to Oshino the Memer.
She also looks very good because muh tits, and is the character who deserves to be waifu'd the most, after all she has to go trough all that emotional suffering due to her family background.

There, I did it.

>most powerful
>more powerful than a vampire
>lost out to a kinda human kinda vampire person
The only reason Oshino lost out to Black Hanekawa was because she knowledge comparable to a specialist like Oshino. And therefore could counteract his techniques.

>muh perfect yet tragic heroine
Fucking wormfags.