Thanks to everyone for the encouraging comments, and especially to those who take the time to write constructive feedback.
To address some of the commonly asked questions:
1. I mentioned this before, but the 40 day period is subject to change (and will almost certainly be extended).
2. You don't have to win a fight to progress through the game, as each one of the three routes (battle/affection/submission) is valid, and will unlock a different ending.
3. Fulfilling the conditions for each route individually will be fairly easy, so don't sweat it if you haven't been able to unlock everything so far. However, fulfilling the conditions for ALL three will reward the player with a fourth special ending, but will require some amount of time management (and in some cases, even prior knowledge of the game mechanics). Needless to say, it's not meant for a first playthrough (unless you're willing to rely on a walkthrough).
Here's an example:
View attachment 1790356
At first glance, there doesn't seem to be any right or wrong answers here, apologizing will reward the player will submission points, trying to get to know Leah better will give affection points instead.
If you're going for one route or the other, the choice is pretty much a no brainer.
But, if you're going for all three at once... it's different.
The first choice only gives 1 submission point, but the second gives five affection points.
For the sake of optimization, you'll pretty much have to go with the second choice as it will save in-game time on the long run.
4. As for the walkthrough, I kind of wanted it to be a collaborative effort between all the players. (It's an aspect I liked about other games I've played, having to go on the forums and ask how to unlock certain scenes).
5. Finally, some people have told me that they choose to keep two save files, one where they focus on Leah only, and another where they explore side content.
I'll just make it clear right now:
side quests WILL be worth your time, if you see them through to the end, as they'll reward you with items or skills that can help make fights much easier and ultimately save many in-game days' worth of grinding (it's actually more recommended to go with this approach).
I hope this was enough to shed some light on the questions you might have had.
Cheers!