Well, I just played the new intro... and I think the story's not working anymore this way. It doesn't really work at all.
All the boarders' thing doesn't work because MC and the girls need to be old acquaintances. There must be a strong bond among them.
Faerin, can I throw in a couple of ideas/suggestions/adjustments?
- Mom: an old family or MC's own mother close friend; she divorced when her daughters were children;
- Ash & Veronica: Mom's daughters and MC's childhood friends/acquaintances;
- After his parents divorced, MC decided to study in an university far from home and went to live at Mom's.
Just my 2 cents, of course.