Ergo_proxy I disagree with you on the story aspect, myself. There are a lot of plot threads. Some of them have been tied up at this point, but that's very recent, so there's time to develop more:
MC's childhood trauma and missing family - Yes, the family is back, but that doesn't mean the story wasn't there, and it doesn't mean there won't be further impact on what's to come. Additionally this added the thing in about Willow/Cedar's childhood friend that we're trying to reunite her with.
Charles/Riker/Damien/Fight - Again, what we've seen of this makes it seem like it's tied up, and done with, and it may be, but again, there was definite story there. Antagonism, betrayal, shady dealings, action, those are all story elements for sure. And we *still* don't know for sure what happened to Riker, Bella only *thinks* Riker's boss will leave everyone alone, I'm not 100% convinced we're done seeing Damien or Kenji (given that he's the brother of one of the girls), or even Charles could come back - it's not like he was killed off.
Penny/Shauna - Dealing with their pasts with the bullying and such, while it hasn't played a major role, still has some potential to create drama.
Jamie/Her Sister/Her Mom - That's definitely *not* tied up, and a big hurdle for the MC to overcome.
Rainne/Bailey - Their relationship is still very much potentially a source of drama or could provide obstacles for the MC to overcome.
School Scandal and Staff Love interests - There *still* has been no in game development to keep the previous scandal with the school's staff from blocking the MC's path to the LIs that are staff.
Basketball - It *is* there in the background. Between the pressure on Harper to succeed, their problems keeping team members, the star MC being unable to play in their first game, and other factors there are certainly elements of sports drama.
I could go on. That's all story. Some of it seems wrapped up, but even if it is, not only did that occur very recently game-time wise, that doesn't mean new elements can't be added, and it doesn't eliminate what's already happened. Now, if someone were to say "there are too many story threads thrown at the players at once, and so none of them are developed in depth" I could see where they're coming from. I might point out that there's still a lot of game left to be developed, but I'd see their point.
You are more than welcome to like this game or dislike it (I know you said you like it, I added the second part to be inclusive to people who don't), for whichever elements appeal or don't. I am, however, going to say your claim of "there is no story" is inaccurate.
