Oh my—thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to leave such a long, thoughtful comment.
( ^^)
It’s such a lovely coincidence that you discovered this game through *Past Hope*. The two stories do share a certain symmetry in structure.
I’m truly honoured that you appreciate the emotions woven into the story. If I may share a personal thought—jealousy is, to me, one of the most fascinating feelings of all. Whether it’s romantic jealousy or envy for what others have, it implies that deep down, we see ourselves as equals to the person we envy. We don’t envy the sun or the stars—we only envy those who stand on the same ground as us. Perhaps jealousy is a ‘no’ that secretly says ‘yes’—‘I envy you because I acknowledge that you have something I deeply desire.’ Even the most composed and mature people, once struck by jealousy, become insecure, say the opposite of what they mean, and do childish, foolish things. I’m so glad you find that endearing.
As for Higan… well, I've taken a peek at the extra chapter CGs our artist has prepared, and they might actually overturn the image he had in the main story, haha. He appears to be a straightforward, strong-willed tsundere—but as I mentioned in an earlier reply, characters aren't always telling the truth from the MC's perspective; and even from their own perspectives, they can be contradictory or self-deceiving. Still, how you interpret them is entirely up to you.
I haven't often seen a "fawning" type of MC in yandere games before, so I wanted to prove that even such a protagonist can be part of an interesting story (much like how I wrote a bullying MC in my previous work).
In my mind, the two routes have always run parallel to each other, reflecting and illuminating one another. You noticed that—and you understood it—which makes me feel that all those carefully placed parallels weren't wasted.
And you're welcome—as a creator, I'm also grateful to every player who takes the time to play. Receiving a long comment like this genuinely makes my day.
Thank you for the suggestion! If I find the time, I might compile and release the script text. <3