Firstly, I'm sorry to hear you're frustrated with the release schedule.
The game is essentially split into two branches:
Live (Stable) Version: This is the latest stable release, with completed content. Where there are alternate routes, both paths are included.
Alpha/Beta (Development) Versions: These are works in progress and may not include both sides of an alternate route. They may also contain feature changes that require further testing, or bugs that haven't yet been resolved.
If you've been following the releases on other platforms, you may have noticed the version numbers increasing quite rapidly recently. This was largely due to several game-breaking bugs affecting some players, which required additional updates.
On itch.io, you have access to the latest stable live version.
Usually, the stable release doesn't lag far behind the development builds. Updates generally follow the Morning, Afternoon, Evening, and sometimes Nighttime scenes.
The college days present an additional complication, as the four courses need to accommodate both morning and afternoon schedules, depending on the player's choices. This means some content needs to be developed and tested together before a stable release can be made.
Version 7 also introduced changes to the underlying Ren'Py engine, which added to the development and testing time.
From previous conversations with players, the general consensus was that itch.io subscribers preferred receiving stable releases rather than repeatedly downloading large game updates to address bugs in development builds.
The intention isn't to give itch.io subscribers less content or a lesser service, but to provide a more complete and reliable experience without the disruption of frequent development updates.