"Bleak" is putting it mildly. DPC seems to be creating a lot of no-win scenarios and it's fucking depressing stuff for an adult VN.
Exactly. Episode 5, for being relatively short, felt like it provided a lot of breathing room to relax after the packed events of the previous 4 episodes, but this was practically claustrophobic with so much going on and lots of new dramas being piled on to the ones that were already still happening and largely unresolved.
It's actually ironic that this is called "Damage Control" because it actually causes more damage than it resolves.
This actually seems like an inconsistency and poor story writing because if Mona has a scholarship then she doesn't need free tuition, so why would she say that's her motivation for joining the HOTs?