Aw thanks, glad you're enjoying it! Yeah, there's a LOT of bara on Itch for some reason, and not very much in the way of small, cute sub/switch guys. So I'm glad to add at least a little variety.
There's always going to be a fair bit of encounters in these games, as the sex mechanics are a big part of the game and there has to be space to explore/encounter them. I will admit the overall feel of the encounters can still be improved, and I'll be tweaking a number of things in the second chapter, both on a basic level and just to add some variety. That said, it shouldn't be THAT much of a slog. Enemies don't respawn when you're "defeated," and you only have to defeat enough to clear a pathway forward. The whole thing should be clearable in an hour or so. Also, remember you can toggle off the battlesex by unequipping the clips, which both makes things easier and speeds them up a bit.
I will admit fighting through the stair guard legit is tough though.