I think it's nice to just talk to someone as a friend, to bond on every layer before you get to the intimate bits. Think of it like cooking. Skipping steps can get you the chicken tendies faster, sure. But put those tendies in a marinade overnight and fry them just right so to give the batter a flaky texture and it's an almost religious experience.
... That said, this manga isn't doing that. The best friend isn't even drawn with a face, let alone having a character. It's like marinating the chicken tendies in tapwater. So it's hard to blame anyone for dropping this.
At least the briefly teased yuri route had two people with faces.