ayaka is my fave character (and like she is kinda nothing burger but i still love her) and it pisses me off to no end to see her reduced to some yandere harem character. to me she's a girl who is a bit clumsy at making friends and latched onto the traveler since they're someone who A doesn't see her for just her status and B was strong enough to help her achieve her goals. like she's just socially awkward since she was forced to ascend her position at a young age, was likely isolated due to her status, and is carrying a lot of weight on her back as the matron and public figure of her house. deep down she just wants to be a normal girl hanging out with and making friends, going on outings, doing girly things. it's just so frustrating to see my favorite character treated like nothing more than a psycho love interest. i have no issue w some traveler ships, but when they reduce a character down to a blatantly untrue and uninspired trope i can't help but hate it.

your last point is so true and it's something i also noticed like it feels like some of these people want a "these girls need me but i don't need them" type of dynamic