Hi there.
Really glad you enjoyed it!
I am not sure if you really ran into an actual bug. The game was done during 1 month for a jam, so what seems weird (but not a bug) might be due to time constraint.
I didn't really plan for a buffer between you being done asking questions/reading the manual (maybe in a future update? Can't edit the game further than bugs bc of the jam.)
Whether you read the manual or not has no effect on how he wakes up. He will always be in panic no matter what. Only the part describing how you start handling the situation changes, the rest of the conversation is the same (again, same. maybe in a future update).
I hope this makes some sense >.<
Could you send me your save file at crimsonrosewhitelily@gmail.com just so I can double check?
Thanks!