Well directory your looking for is NOT there, it is in C:\users\"your username"\AppData\Roaming\RenPy\Perisistent at least for PC. Your path is invalid. So put a*.mps file THERE if you want it to work, press "start" , NOT load, and voila , thing works.
Hope i helped to a lot of ppl having troubles with week 2.
This structure of "savegames" and "patches" reminds me of some developers who start good, then starts to mess with "protection" and in the end you have below average game with "great protection" which we break in 5 minutes anyway.
Dev, make it simple(r) for future updates. For your own good.