[Help]'99 Civic EM1 mysterious hood problem.

Hi folks, I have a 99 Civic EM1 and the hood was perfect until yesterday when I woke up and went outside and saw it was fucked.

Thursday night I brought it to my buddy's house and we did a valve cover gasket change on the engine and oil change. Hood closed fine and car drove fine.

I left his place as it was getting dark and didn't notice anything amiss while driving home.

Next day I wake up and walk to my car and the hood is horribly fucked...just not sitting right at all. I thought maybe it opened somehow and pulled it open, closed it again hard and it stayed fucked.

Here are some pictures: https://imgur.com/a/Qp7FSDv

The problem is not with the latch as the hood fully engages both latches and stays shut (pressing on it doesn't make it rebound like you see in all the youtube vids of hood latches not working right) but it doesn't sit right and looks wrong.

I thought wtf no way the new valve cover gasket raised the engine cover enough to make the hood not close and confirmed that was not the case.

I can't see anything blocking the hood from closing. It was worse before I decided to loosen the bolts holding the latch mechanism device and lower it a bit. After doing that it looks a bit better but still is wrong.

There are no tool marks anywhere on the hood to suggest someone tried to pry it open and the car had a bunch of tree-pollen on it that night and there was no finger prints or anything to show someone had fucked with the car.

This is baffling me...the hood's hinges look fine too I just don't understand. I'm about to bring this to a mechanic next week but I wonder wtf will they even do it's just so strange. My buddy owns an S2000 and once built an EK9 Type R build by himself...he knows what he is doing. He used the rad support to lift the car and then of course jackstands....would any bending of the lower rad support somehow fuck up the hood?

Posting here in desperation wondering if anyone has any idea.