The whole thing with Sumireko's "true form" is baffling to me. The manga is dead set on insisting that there's a huge gap between that and her day-to-day appearance, but the visuals completely contradict it.
Is there supposed to be a big difference? Are we supposed to agree with the MC? Does the author actually think the true form is a drastic improvement over the braids and glasses? Or is it intentional that she looks better normally, with the MC deliberately written to have shit taste? Every indication makes it seem genuine, but when I look at the art I find it hard to believe that's possible.