Cara is honestly so underrated IMO. Most likely due to too much competition, even in her own house with Nikki.
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Yeah that tracks. I'd enjoy Cara in a different VN. Here? There's just no way. I have a Cara save but it's just one of those I catch up when I feel like it.
Nikki is her biggest problem, because you are forced to make a choice between the 2 rather early, immediately after meeting them.
And it's a confrontation of opposites... the shy and virginal Cara vs the fun, outgoing, confident, sex bomb that is Nikki.
That's a tough matchup for Cara, and you have to make this choice right away instead of waiting for Cara to blossom.
I think since then(provided you chose her route) Cara has grown and developed more of a personality and became more fun to hang around then she was early on in the story.
But the problem still remains that in the way the game is structured means she's often knocked out and becomes a background character right away.