I mean, i think we're pretty much on the same page, but just to be a devil's advocate for a second -- these are basically all boiling down to "Guy is a 'great listener'" i.e. that whole "can provide a basic service every other guy can provide" thing the article you brought up so rightfully mocks.
This skips over all the
other things Nice Guy is doing to demonstrate value, though. His work, his hobbies, etc. Anyone looking at him doesn't just see "nice guy" but "nice guy who runs a charity, exercises, and can talk your ear off about his travels, hobbies, etc." There's a reason why, on the Dark Guy path, he looks around his game room and wonders why he ever wanted all this crap. But, on the Nice Guy path, he tells Maya that he bought all that stuff, so his friends could come play with him. Nice Guy has kept his hobbies and interests mostly intact, while Dark Guy is turning into someone whose only real interest is having power over other people.
Also, active listening
is a skill. Ever talk with someone about your interests, and their replies are limited to, "Oh, wow. Wow. Crazy. Wow." Nice Guy, generally speaking, is going back and forth, listening and then using what he learns to engage with the girls. So, Nice Guy doesn't
just listen to Maya and Carolina, and go on with his day. He goes out of his way to grab a book that Maya needs for school, and hand-delivers it to an exhausted Carolina, so she doesn't have to find a copy after work. He doesn't
just listen to Ashe talk about her job. He volunteers to use his connection with a well-known photographer, to secure photo prints that will help her impress her boss, and secure her position.
All that said, you're right in pointing out that I'm constrained by the realities of the time available to me, the expectations of players to have some front-loaded sexy content, etc. As Chapter 11 will see us jump ahead a bit, I'd like to use that to show these relationships developing in a meaningful way, with the player able to more actively engage with some of the love interests' hobbies, interests, etc. Hopefully, I'll be able to work in some more one-on-one dates, as with Ashe. Buuuut, probably a bit more limited in scope..