If you aren't on Kim's or Ash's path then no, it's not forced...they are both skipped completely if you aren't on them. That's the way it's been the last handful of updates (as
DrippinCece is alluding to) that if the MC is on a route then boom... scene, otherwise it's simply completely skipped and the next LI path is checked. Rinse and repeat until the update is done. It's made the last few updates of the mod very easy tbh, it's just small chunks of LI scene script code tied together with multiple conditional code.