People down here are seriously exaggerating how bad adding the design of locking characters out from certain paths is.
RNGeusEX, DO WHAT YOU WANT, this is your game and vision, and while it is important to listen to feedback if they are FICKLE enough to start disliking the game based on characters getting locked out from certain paths - a design to make player agency matter; something that has been used almost since the dawn of video games(lol, now look who is exaggerating); a design choice that has been used in games like these before, and rightfully so - and decide to stop playing the game because of that..honestly, it sounds like a 'them' problem.
I mean seriously, and this is not to attack anyone but listen to some of the arguments against your decision. ''This is a game, you are supposed to have fun'' We all know damn well that 'fun' doesn't mean everything in the game goes your way in a video game, LOL. I know it's apples and oranges but do those people think gamers have fun all the way playing Dark Souls or Elden Ring? Speaking of apples and oranges, another argument(and, respectfully, the one which lacks the most common sense) is the one that uses the logic that just because a certain character(Asami) is okay with a situation of sharing their lover with another person and/or share their lover with their lover's step-parent(Yasuka) - it means they would be okay with sharing their lover with their own parent(Sayuri)? People...don't let this genre numb your senses on this topic, lol, we all know sharing your partner with someone else is one thing, but sharing with YOUR parent is something else entirely different. I mean don't get me wrong, people have those kinks, but a lot of people in open relationships also don't, and Dev can write the characters that way. It's funny, people say they don't want ''reality'' or ''real-world logic'' but when they try to speak on it, they are far off base, lol. Sorry, I'm not trying to offend anyone but jeez. Also, how can that logic be applied here? Maybe I'm not reading properly, but the logic for the dev is that the mother wouldn't want to get between their child relationships...so whether the child is alright with it or not, how does it matter here? Put in perspective that the mother hasn't been flashed out yet, so if her character is that she has boundaries then so be it.
Lastly, Harem means multiple partners, lovers, etc not ALL OF THEM. RNGeusEx, you have done nothing that goes against the game and what this game is about, lol. Do not listen to the people saying locking out characters doesn't make sense for this game, that is far from the facts of this genre.
Edit: I should mention that funny enough, I'm also sad that Sayuri has to be locked out and I can understand where they are coming from. But again, Dev, your choice is perfectly valid and I'd argue you are making a proper game with player agency. So go ahead and do what you are doing.