That convo really irked me as well. Once she said what she did I immediately lost any interest in being friendly with her, and the MC's response felt lackluster and anticlimactic for such a betrayal. Between her an Ayumi I can't conceive of what would need to occur to allow for their redemptions. I see no future in which I could see them in a good light at this point.
At least Rin said sorry and stuff, but those other 2 are the absolute worst and I can't see myself feeling any sympathy towards them.
I appreciate your recognition of the complexities behind these characters.
Taking Mai into consideration, I'll say, all of them were intentionally built to start out the way that they have.
And our mc is not a guy solely driven by emotion, he always has an end game somewhere. So sympathy is out of the question.
However, I believe balancing out different perspectives and motivations allows for a richer narrative experience.
From loyal and likeable characters, like Laura and Sensei, to enigmatic and polarizing, like Mai and Ayumi. It's all a matter of individuality.
And with these characters, I want to challenge conventional notions of likability and push the boundaries of how characters are typically portrayed. That's pretty much why I created this VN in the first place.
I understand how unusual it is, but I can only ask for your patience while you observe how these stories converge, and the path to dominion unfolds.
Without complex characters and conflicts, this story would lack its compelling journey.