I'm not saying this kills the story, it's not like I'm rolling my eyes at the screen... but this specific part of the plot is also not doing it for me. I can't get really invested with a "problem" that isn't a problem at all from the lack of any actual possible consequences.
Maki will be away for a while, and that's really all that could have possibly happened. Does anyone care? Akira clearly doesn't and neither do I.
Yasu's airplane noises are definitely huggy, American Movie Star Seth Rogen actually wasn't until Fanfest's Huggy Boy Chronicles. (First mention of Seth Rogen was during Ch2, which was huggified)
Head pats: I think it will be Noriko and Kaori. I think we will be able to invite Noriko over soon with a animation for 56 and the headpat for 57. Or the animation could be the dorm. Ahh who knows!?
Unfortunately I doubt it. While Noriko might get away with not needing a specific invite event to unlock her invites since she's already had some, players are still gonna need some prompting that she'll accept invite calls now, it's been several cycles since them.
Why do I, or we, like Osako so much more now but find those other two so boring?
Is it only because she is supporting of him now? Or because she is cute now? Are we all that shallow?
Because she was pretty shallow for the longest time. She existed mainly in other people's events until chapter 4 (two events in ch2, two events in ch3, seven events so far in ch4)
Who is narrating these? We know it cant be Himawari now, and that's reinforced by the masturbation talk. We don't know Shiori, but I don't think its her.
We know it's multiple people, this update even has an example of it being Sensei in the flesh doing it, rather than a postscript Sensei narrating after the experience
So? None of this matters. What are you going to do? go to the police? Hah, good luck with that. Kill him? Kill yourself? There's absolutely no stakes whatsoever in all of this discussion.
No stakes for people looking for an actual change to the situation, but the point is Maki suffering, and in that regard there's plenty left to happen. Maki doesn't want Makoto to be hurt, not realising that succeeding in cutting Sensei off from her would only hurt Makoto so much more than Sensei ever could.
Maki is in the same boat Niki and Karin were in. I don't know why, but the girls in LiL need to suffer for some reason, and it feels like more than just so they have an arc each. Even if Maki can't actually kill herself, her attempt would have her suffer like the world wants her to. It would further Makoto's plot because she's really reckless right now. If she can break down over Maki's suffering maybe she doesnt need to die at the start of the dark route.