omg! like a legitimate reason for hurting love interests, or at least the sentiment is deep enough. she just- she still doesn't want to invest it all, and she doesn't want to ruin the "fated relationships" which includes her current friendships, I often think daydreaming is tied to escapism. she's prioritizing what she has now because she was traumatized by previous events, romance can take the backseat
MC isn't being dense, more like she doesn't WANT to believe it at all. you get desensitized to all the "hints" after a while too
I know this is romance, but set your status to aromantic girl. "friends forever" is its own kind of romance