I remember 15 years ago when people were desperate to get 'forced' content - because everything else would have meant being stuck in a game. Making these games got a LOT easier since then and so we are lucky to have more elaborate games that have multiple paths or can actually be called games.
But that doesn't mean every game out there has to give you (general you) every option in the world. Something more story-driven should tell a story, and a good story is somewhat limited if there are no fixed plot points.
This makes tags and descriptions pretty important though, so everyone knows what they get into. Nothing worse than unwanted content, directions, or changes in development popping up out of nowhere. Especially for people supporting a dev based on what was promised/foreshadowed at the beginning.
I can't understand people going into threads that have 'text-based' in the title, downvoting, and complaining because of the lack of images though ...
Here it was clear from the beginning Nea would play a large role. Luxee agreed to add an option to remove her because of all the complaints - but it's not like she wasn't going to be a thing and then BOOM she was there and everyone was forced to endure her.
You can ignore games that have stuff in them you don't like. If you play them, the content isn't forced, you accept there are certain things that will be part of your experience. For most people, life is a compromise.
Yes, there can be stuff that feels like it's forced on you, but in general, that is kink-based stuff not being communicated in a good way ahead of time. These days this term is used way too broadly for anything and everything though. Following that logic, every book and TV show is forcing stuff on you - and I'm not talking about Disney.
I hoped for there to be a friendship route myself - but I followed the game from the very beginning although this option wasn't confirmed for quite some time. Luxee removing that option an update later was kind of annoying - but it all got mixed up in all the complaints and Luxee being harassed because of Nea.
So right now I'm back on square one, where I'm hoping there will be a friendship route and well knowing what I'm getting into, and potentially ignoring the game at some point, because I neither have an interest in a romance with Nea, nor in killing her off and not having her story being told.