I just discovered this game and I'm really enjoying it. The main character has some problems, but I feel like the game (and Elsa) is helping him kind of overcome those issues. In my game I'm trying to balance him out so he doesn't spend as much time obsessing over Alice but also is loyal to Elsa even if he teases her on a regular basis. She's got her own agenda for sure but I don't think she means the protagonist any harm. She's simply imposing her worldview and values on him because he has no self confidence and has turned into an empty shell of himself with no real way to assert his values and wants at this time.
I've had these experiences when I was in my teens and 20s. I'd find people I considered to be "high level" and with no real belief in myself or my abilities my personality would create an open space for them to occupy and remake me. I eventually had to do some soul searching and learn what it is that I really wanted out of life and that ultimately basing my self-actualization, values and sense of self worth on an external person is a volatile and unstable way to live. Sooner or later you realize this other person can't live your life for you, you have to start making your own choices and live true to your own values and beliefs. That's when you start to clash and re-asserting your own ego and sense of individuality can cause major recoil with your "Elsa" for lack of a better word. It can often involve them trying to re-assert control, manipulating you (not intentionally) into giving them back the reins or else you start to feel guilty or bad about expressing your boundaries. In the end the ideal state is they got you somewhere, then you took over control and pushed yourself to whatever end-state you truly desire.
There is an Elsa in everyone's life, they aren't always female. If you have low self confidence and have a desire to "level-up" so to speak you will very quickly run into someone in your life who will make you their project. It fuels their own narcissistic egos and will in time result in them crossing a line where you have to assert yourself sooner or later. I see such a conflict taking place in this story eventually as well...
That being said she does strike me as somewhat of a high functioning autistic, which makes her a great foil for a character as troubled as Edward. I hope there will be a way to resolve Edward's story in a satisfactory way, where he grows up and realizes he does have worth as a person.
Ultimately the conclusion you have to come to if you're in his situation is that you never needed an "Alice". Alice was a catalyst. At the end of the day it isn't her you need to impress, it's yourself. The lingering void in Edward's life is not something you fill with external validation or with chasing an ideal he's mostly made up in his own mind. The real Alice, the one he actually gets to know is a flawed and imperfect being with her own needs, wants and problems. When Edward inevitably clashes with his imagined Alice vs the real one he gets to know he'll realize she's just another woman like everyone else. Without a strong personal foundation to base his personality on, without doing the necessary work to fill that void from his own personality and ego, he'll crash back down to who he was at the start of the story.
So... for Edward to really "win", he can't actually succeed in his goal to become involved with Alice in a romantic way. The moment he wins her is the moment he loses everything and goes back to who he was because there won't be anything that drives him to continue doing what he's been doing. I hope Elsa, and more importantly, Edward himself helps Edward figure out how to source his motivations internally and that the only person he really needs to impress is himself and not Alice, Elsa, Emma, Mr Brown or anyone else. It's only ever gonna be enough when Edward says it's enough. I only hope there's an option for Edward to realize that himself.
On a more personal note I hope there's a way for Edward to become romantically involved with Elsa. If anything, I'd rather she be a winnable LI with a satisfying romance over Alice... If Edward wants to be with Alice he needs to balance himself out with Tommy more than Elsa.
