Just to clarify my point: the balance issue, in my opinion, would not necessarily be that problematic, nor is the complexity, at least for the choices within scenes (the first idea was just to be thorough, but I myself wrote that it would be hard to implement). True, it would always mean a faster going game, but we are talking about reducing the grind, so it would make sense.
Each scene would give one or two stat points, depending on the player's choices (and, sometimes, three points). First, it would have a basic stat progression, the one you have already defined. But there would be one or two choices, with a little change in the way the scene develops, that would define a possible additional point (rarely, a second one). There would almost be no need for new pictures, but it could even help you in developing May's personal thoughts.
Let's take an early example, the library's first scene with the old man and the pop-up, which reduces May's Shame by one point. When the man is talking about the ads he clicked on, you could add a choice about how May reacts to his mentioning the types of ads just before she confirms she has closed all the pop-up windows. It could be something as simple as :
"(Who looks for porn in a public library?)" (=> no changes, but there is still the basic -1 Shame point)
"(Young teens and old men, why am I not surprised?)" (=> -1 Shame, and maybe +5 Lust)
"(Don't comment on what he just said and focus on fixing the problem...)" (=> +1 Confidence)
And that's it. One single additional choice, but, suddenly, there is a new way to get Confidence, or to accelerate Shame loss, not by that much, but just enough that grinding becomes less of a hassle, and offering a way to mix the way one can get the various stats changed, making it more entertaining. And, in addition, people could play May changing her mind in small ways without having to block her progression.
I understand your point perfectly, but this is why I would add them as options. You don't want to play? You get the minimum progression. You want to play, but you fail, you get the minimum progression. You play and succeed, you get an accelerated progression rate, but not that much either (just two points instead of one, three if you add a possible Hard mode, and the additional point could be in another stat too).
In my opinion, the main problem with mini-games, especially in adult games, is that they become a chore, even an obstacle sometimes (I've been stuck in some games because their mini-games required me to have more reflexes than I have, period—heck, the climbing game in MILFY City had me frustrated once when I had to climb again and again because I failed the last jump). But if you can choose not to play them, or fail, without hindering the game, just having it play at its slowest pace, they stop being a hurdle and can become another way to make the grinding less bothersome.
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