Hi, I appreciate your in-depth thoughts. It's very interesting reading your views and interpretations. To be honest with you, my takeaway from Junoru's route was intentional and partially not. That is because I have no answer for all the morally grey actions and questions. It's true that the story turns the characters into 'good' at some point, which is part of forgiving. Though, this process was too fast before Miyoko really understood other characters.
Junoru's biggest flaw is not making any decision and always stay neutral. He's not actively helping Roya in killing, but neither reporting him to the locals. In Roya's eyes, he seems not to care about the past. To Miyoko, Junoru is an compliance because he knows the truth. Though after Miyoko learns about Roya, she's put in the same shoes. Being morally correct doesn't mean it will make people happy. Not making a decision is indeed very selfish. They are taking a step back from responsibility and wait for things to unfold. This only led to more conflicts and deaths.
I regret not putting more choices in this route, especially for crucial matters like these. At the time, I had specific endings on my mind and didn't branch out much. The achievement 'lonely girl meets lonely guy' is indeed that they are very similar and only understand themselves.
I learned a lot after making my first game, so I tried better my best in Dark Nights Reflections. Both Roya & Chain have clashing morals with Miyoko. I had to dive deep into how their chemistry work. I gave Miyoko more moments to reflect on her actions and other characters. This is what lacked in the first game.
It's interesting that you mentioned Kaichi & Blace. Both with backgrounds that Miyoko hasn't explored, so she doesn't empathise with much (though, I will explain in-depth in Reflections). Make take-away is that people often jump into conclusions without context. They see a puzzle piece and think that's the whole picture.
I created the game with this thought I mind. Every route is from a wildly different perspective—even how the side characters get involved. For example, Chain could be your friend or enemy depending on who you're with.
I'm glad that you enjoyed the character driven plot! I heard that many liked the characters, so I gave them more screentime in the DLC. Being an artist, I cared a lot about the art quality. I took a while to develop and polish my style, so there is a jump in skill between sprites & CGs. Even then, I redrew many scenes. It's even more prominent if you compare the first game and DLC.
To give more context on why the story takes place in a small town: I grew up in a city that is considered a town. Historically, it doesn't have 'city' rights, but it grew massively in the past decades. I wasn't familiar with most neighborhoods, but my usual routes are filled with familiar faces. When I visit big cities, there is a stark contrast with my hometown. Basically, I described my own experience living here, but it didn't translate well through the story. Instead, I should've called it a big town or small city.
Your second critique about the consequences in choices is valid. At the time, I didn't like bad endings due to choices, but that defeats the whole point. I kept this in mind while writing the DLC. To sum up: most of the plot decisions were intentional, but partially flawed as a novice writer. This was my first ever game written over a span of nearly 6 years. I changed the script many times, so maybe I lost track of my initial intents or some things didn't connect well.
Despite many negative points, you're very forgiving and they didn't take away your overall enjoyment. Thank you for playing all the way til the end. If you give the DLC a try, please share your thoughts again!