I liked the new merchant scene, gotta love Aura talking dirty even if she hates it. The new dual-boss might be a bit overtuned, to the point of practically requiring Defensive Stance (one Pierce almost one-shots my Aura).
On that note, one thing that bothers me is how the slime's Protect ability works. I rarely get to use it, even if it gets to eat those HP-raising bone items. On a pure run, it would be fine as it would get the Vitality Potions and Sweet Memories. On a lewd run, those are needed for Aura so she can get those pink scenes, so she gets more maximum HP than the slime. And let's face it, there's not much to do with the slime other than spec it as a physical tank. It only has that one ability. So maybe change its Protect ability to guard Aura regardless of HP, or at least give the option. Or give it more HP and lower its Attack, or something, if it's really just intended as a tank and item user.
Couple of questions:
Do the study hobbies and fiction hobbies have any differences between them or are they interchangeable? Like, can the fashion mag go into the study book slot, or is that slot reserved for a different new interest?
Also, has the leveling for the party members been changed? Could have sworn I used to be able to learn more skills from them (at least Heat Up), but not anymore, and I'm just before the Festival.