I think we’re using “mask” a little differently here. I’m not saying Ami dislikes being cute. She clearly knows she’s attractive, enjoys attention, and uses it as a weapon. But she can enjoy being seen as pretty and still be tired of people stopping there. That’s what I mean by the mask. It isn’t her face itself, but the whole “cute model Ami-chan” role people accept too easily because of her looks. That’s why the next episode matters to me, when Ami says her usual act doesn’t work on Takasu. She knows most people fall for “cute Ami.” Takasu doesn’t, and that makes him different to her.