I'm actually the type who values friendship over romantic relationships so I kinda understand Eri. That doesn't mean neglecting a relationship you've decided to get into though.
I don't really like the idea of separating the two. The person you get into a romantic relationship with should be someone you'd be able to see as a friend as well. Both types of relationships are equally important to me. I think separating the two and the inability to see someone being able to be both a friend and a romantic partner is the whole reason why there's this issue in this story in the first place lol.
Ohhh I agree. I should've clarified. I don't mean to separate the two completely as it's important to see your partner as your friend for sure. I just meant that in Eri's case she's valuing her existing friendships a bit more as it's something with a stronger foundation for her, at least emotionally. She doesn't really seem to have strong feelings about being in a relationship either which is why it makes sense to me that she prefers her existing friendships. And that's okay at the start of relationships, because you are still in the process of setting things up. So it's good to acknowledge that at this stage but she's decided to pursue the relationship, so I said it's important not to neglect it since they need to kindle that connection/friendship into something stronger.
Where I, personally, might draw a separation is because I lean towards the aromantic side so it's easier for me to form a stronger bond with friends rather than someone I'm dating, even if I do consider them a friend. It's being in that space of a relationship that restricts it for me. Of course, I'm not saying Eri is aromantic. But, she does remind me of the wishy-washy behavior I tend towards when I'm not sure I even want to be in a certain relationship. We can say that's maybe because she doesn't have any strong feelings towards anyone except Fuyuki(for now at least). Whether that's romantic or platonic remains to be seen but I'm gonna wear my yuri goggles until proven otherwise.