Actually feels like this isn't the first time they've said this, but it's how it happened the first time.

I kept waiting for a twist and it never materialized

My interpretation was that the dad died but that's very likely my own biases

My physical copy of the book arrived today, can't read a word but happy to support the artist!

I think what makes this refreshing is the characters display an atypical level of social and self awareness, especially for manga characters. They also communicate really well, the plot doesn't rely on one or more characters being especially dense. Though you could count Shinjou listening to an authority figure at the wrong time as denseness I guess.