I like this. They aren't really pushing a romance angle which is great since the situation would make it feel forced or exploitative. He is ignoring her wishes seemingly out of respect for her intelligence and memory rather than her appearance. Is it wrong to give someone you feel is talented a push if they seem to lack the confidence to move forward themselves?
Also, I like that Matsurika seemed to miss the subtext of what verses she was being asked to recite. She doesn't even begin to consider why he would ask for those particular lines against all the others in the collection.
Really looking forward to seeing where they take this.