Ahhh this half of the chapter was a lot of fun, and much more interesting than the first half
Week 3 (ch1 pt 2) 感想
クラスでも影の薄い存在の俺と、中心的人物の朝凪さん──彼氏彼女といった、そういう仲になくても、それは、他のクラスメイトたちにとっては関係のない話だ。格好の話のネタとして消費されるに違い
So they’re keeping the friendship secret by mutual agreement, bc other ppl will make a big deal out of their gender & social hierarchy gap, and/or they don’t want ppl spreading rumors or something? I guess I can see where that would generate unwanted or negative attention for either/both… I don’t particularly like it, but I can accept it for the moment… But like what’s the long term plan here? Are you gonna hide your friendship forever? Gradually come out at some point down the future? Seems like a ticking time bomb, as class goes
The author did a great job of portraying the video games without specifically describing what was going on. 朝凪 gets surprisingly competitive/sore loser (I have trouble with that myself at times)
The flirting tickling was cute, and reminds me of my high school days… Also their ツッコミ is hilarious
I like that 朝凪 doesn’t feel like an object (as commonly happens in this genre). She’s a normal (ok slightly 変わってる) person. We’re not getting constant reminders that she’s the 2nd cutest girl, or like descriptions of her beautiful qualities or w/e… 前原 isn’t putting her on a pedestal, and despite his self-isolation complex, he’s not all timid and in awe of her. He’s not getting all flustered at every little thing. They’re just normal friends.
「はいはい。は～、今日も楽しかった。まだ一緒に遊び始めて二、三回だけど、まさかここまで仲良くなるとは思わなかったな～」
「それはまあ……いくら趣味が合うとはいえ、俺に声かけるなんて、朝凪さんも結構変わってるよな」
「いや～、初っ端自分の家に女の子を連れ込む前原クンには負けますよ」
They’ve both sorta got a point… But also you can’t really call him weird if you just went along with this, and didn’t propose anything else… he clearly needs to get out of the house a bit more tho
「それ。……外って、もしかしなくても家の外ってことだよね？」
What the hell else could it mean? 
That whole exchange was pretty hilarious (it’s not like I can relate to “leaving the house” being a foreign concept)… But also that seems kinda risky for supposedly trying to keep your friendship secret
Again, I appreciate that this didn’t turn into a comedic panic moment. He’s surprisingly cool-headed
「ああ、なるほど。前原は私との放課後デートに緊張していると」
Ahh yes デート…
「私がいいって言ってるんだからいーの。ま、バレたらその時は潔く交際宣言でもすればいいんじゃん？ 『（僕たち）（私たち）、（（付き合ってます））！』って」
girl, wut?! she’s quite the flirt in this whole exchange
I love how much his mom sasses him - but then also is like totally supportive, and gives him a reasonable amount. Boy hasn’t quite learned to budget yet… he’s like 75% there, but doesn’t get that you need to have extra money on hand, in case. Otoh he’s probably trying to be considerate of his mother and their household economics - which is rather commendable of him.
I totally get his instinct to hide that his friend’s a girl from his mother… but like, maternal instincts, I can’t imagine that’s gonna work out for too long
談笑しながら、朝凪さんが俺に向けて小さくピースサインを作った。
And there’s our cover photo
俺に話しかけた時といい、距離の詰め方といい、朝凪さんの度胸は素直に尊敬する。
私も、私も… she’s surprisingly risk taky… I guess she’s enjoying this whole secret friends thing tho
I appreciate that he’s thinking about how he can be a better friend already / knows that she can’t be the only one putting in effort
This 告白 scenario at the end is kinda interesting… I guess it might complicate or limit their friendship if she starts dating someone… So maybe he’s feeling some concern over possible abandonment?
Also oof with Nina not even realizing who he is - guess his self intro didn’t leave that much of an impression 
. At least 天海 recognizes him & is polite/considerate
. In any case apples to 