Hi! I'm looking for Shoujo manga with romance like Chihiro and Shinobu from Suki Desu Suzuki-kun!!. If you've never read it, I'm pretty much looking for Shoujo manga with an emotionally strong (but still cute) heroine and a popular/player male lead who's protective and caring towards the heroine. Bonus points if the male lead falls for the heroine first! I know it's really specific >.< but it would be greatly appreciated if you guys could recommend something similar to that. Thank you!

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Try Henyoku no Labyrinth. The characters don't exactly match those of sdsk, but the romance is similar in a way. The main girl isn't exactly emotionally strong, but throughout the course of the manga she does get some very nice character development. The guy reminds me of Shinobu in that he's willing to wait for the girl and protect her at all costs. Scanlations haven't gotten very far, but translations up to ch.27 are out there.

I haven't read Suki Desu Suzuki-kun, but give these a try:

Cheese in the Trap
Kamisama Hajimemashita
Skip Beat!
Kaichou wa Maid-sama

They all have emotially strong female leads with popular and protective guys, and the guy falling in love first (Though in kamisama it seems like the girl falls in love first in the beginning ).