You know I never thought of it like that, but if there was someone I was interested in or I had a partner and I knew they spent more money dressing up a virtual gacha waifu/husbando then I'd be pretty dejected. Like God. Am I really getting shown up by a 2D virtual character? Enjoying the game is one thing, but yeesh, spending hundreds more on their wardrobe than you do on me? Like imagine how much that'd just utterly taint any special occasion. Like here's this nice present and no matter what I couldn't stop thinking about how they spent more on their virtual gf/bf.
Also for the flashback, it's not the best that the counselor was visibly shocked, but I like that despite him clearly not thinking she was the best student he actually started thinking about how she could possibly pursue higher education. I've seen similar scenes and they'd usually play out with the advisor telling the character to give up or that they should do XYZ instead. He said it'll be difficult, but just straight up started to tell her a plan of getting her grades up and working harder. Not really sure who the "you never taught me how to do my best" is to. You're a high schooler not that far away from graduating. Whoever was supposed to teach you how to work hard is moot. For one that's something you should've learned a long time ago and for two if you weren't lucky enough to have an adult teach you how to work hard, then honestly you still should've figured it out yourself by then (or be trying to, which it's not like she isn't). That flashback in general is kinda odd to me. I guess we're missing information still, but the current implication is that she likes the male lead because he... taught her how to do her best? Encouraged her? But again it's not like the counselor didn't tell her how to achieve her goal or give her first steps and no one seemed particularly discouraging. I was expecting something like him saving her from those guys.