After playing through every variation of the game's routes I've come to realize the story with the prophecy, Susie and Ralsei is just half of the story's soul and the majority of the emotional weight of the game comes from Kris' and Noelle's intense longing to restore the bond they lost after Dess vanished, with Kris intentionally distancing himself (from guilt or a desire to protect her I can't tell yet, maybe both) and Noelle being forced to push down her feelings for Kris to protect herself from the pain of losing him. This is the most obvious "these two characters deeply need each other" pair I think I've ever seen in fiction without the story outright coming out and saying it out loud and I'm shocked Toby "Yuri Lovin" Fox put it in his game. I hope there's a way to facilitate them reconnecting that doesn't involve the Weird Route.