this is the shit i live for. that was a nice expression on page 6.
it's really good to know that he does have a soft side instead of being either sadistic or nonchalant. that's what sets other isekai mc-kuns apart from each other. the fact that she is his childhood friend never really played any part since she just seemed to be more like a kouhai character than someone he really cared about. i'm very glad to be wrong even though this kind of feels a bit retconed. it's an improvemnet either way.