Thanks for trying my little story.
I agree that the story so far is depressing. One of the things I felt like I had to do was set up just how dysfunctional Alex's whole life is, not just her family. Maybe comically so. The other consideration was turning some tropes on their head. In most VNs, the (male) MC can do no wrong and, aside from the occasional tsundere (whom he always converts into a LI), only faces singular issues that he can solve by the end of the chapter/game. Consider Oliver Twist: if Oliver had been born into a happy, loving, wealthy, atomic family, there wouldn't have been much of a story. Well, I guess there would have been a story, but not a very interesting one. Just how much dysfunction can a person take before they break? Especially when that person is withdrawn and shy? That, I believe, is the core of the story.
I wish I could share the whole story arc in advance so that people wouldn't project where they think the story will go based only on what they've seen. However, there are plot elements I need to hold close as they feature some twists and, um, "surprises" on the way.
Yeah, don't exactly know what happened there. The model is the same in both places. The guy is supposed to be 48--a few years older than his wife. His face may appear younger, but when he gets his shirt off... Oops, spoiler...
Might be a trick of the eye, given the intense sunlight and light clothing in the group pic?
The patch file goes in the game folder. You might have to start the VN over from the beginning to see all of the changes.