I do like the side characters but this manga is at its best when the focus is on Poemu and Tougo. I usually hate the "just kidding!" almost confession but in this case, it actually felt realistic and true to both of their characters. As he said, Tougo's never been close to a girl and seems like he's never even had a crush before, it makes total sense that he would be confused in the moment. Just Tougo realizing that he fucked up shows a lot of character development. I'm sure they're gonna split off from the group and see the bell next chapter, just sucks that we have to wait a month to see it.