Troublesome panel work aside, intent for distinction possesses a vague quality enough to not be taken as a confession.
Think of it like a phrasing of interest, or demonstration of purpose. Her barrage of questions (in his fatalistic self-admonishment, mind) are funneled in on the idea of prying out the difference between the pursuit of deeper relation, be it romantic or platonic.
Stretch beyond measure for the character given her earlier chapter interactions (plus the gymnastics required to make this not be seen as a confession), but it would've been interesting to see play out had the author committed. Airhead girls provoking dialogue about this are convenient little excuses to etch out dialect about the deeper meaning of love and what that means to whatever character facing it.