@SuperOniichan Except there's nothing *symbolic* about it. The stereotypical akogare no sempai sentiment is more or less hero-worship at some distance; nothing of which is applicable here when we're talking about people of the same age who're together pretty much 24/7 (that morning roll-call...
@SuperOniichan Only it's her class- and roommate and well predates the change to more "boyish" looks which happened exactly last chapter.
Also GL with that "explicitly expressing" in the context of a culture and language as well-nigh actively hostile to cutting the crap as Japanese in general...
@SuperOniichan I'm well aware. Those two are pretty much joined at the hip, though, and you'd be hard pressed to argue Nawashiro isn't acting like a textbook "teenager with raging crush" in this chapter.