I like how everyone treats them as being a couple already. As I said in a previous chapter, it's true. They just don't realise it yet.
Non-doormat behaviour is always appreciated. Unless you're a weak shoe.
Confessing is the inevitable conclusion, so while that's something to look forward to, it's still more or less a given outcome. MMC getting a male friend, on the other hand, is relatively rare.
But yeah, turning him down to become a friend just because of a girl he likes is reasonable, and him even being appreciative of being turned down marks him as a good guy, worthy of being a real friend.