I doubt even Hyao remembers MC hs a mentor anymore

TBF I won't hold them onto every detail, Thing can change dramatically, many stuff they need to make on the go.
As long as they can deliver a good product at the END, it doesn't matter what they've changed during the course.
Also IIRC Hyao said he has the Rough Whole Picture, just a matter how they reach there.
That's also the reason I'm not Checking EVERY updates, And I'm a firm believer the Monthly update models do more harms to ongoing game projects more than good.
WIP projects need tons of Breathing Rooms, no way every update can satisfy (Most of) audiences.
And you should Not treat Vertical Slices as the game.