Is it just me? Or is there some kind of difference between the serialized and pre-serial version. I loved the pre-serial vesion. But I definitely feeling what the complaints are saying.
We do have like a bit of a small sample size, but I feel like despite the same characters, premise, and basically everything. I'm pretty sure the difference is the serialized version that "back-and-forth" is currently missing. It was a lot more cuter when the Kouhai is using a CD as a masking pretext to act as a girlfriend then offers to act like one anyways when he refuses. There is a playfulness that this one just misses the mark. Too much seriousness in conversation. Kouhai is not balancing that "Mask" and semi-subtle admissions in this chapter.
Hopefully future chapters captures more of what I loved in the pre-serial version. The author is doing fine with his Assertive Student series. And (while a different author), Shogi Sempai converted just find to serialization.