You are free to defend Mitsuki all you want (I didn't do a bad job just going over it objectively) but attacking Haruka is not the way to defend Mitsuki.Originally Posted by Yukimura
There wasn't a choice for Takayuki. He did genuinely love both girls, which is why he's often attacked as wishy-washy. He liked Mitsuki first, loved Haruka first, and loved Mitsuki later. He's not so cruel a person to leave Haruka alone, thinking she woke up days after the accident. The doctor's analysis was correct, she needed to be eased back into the present. Akane proved that when she broke down from all the pressure.
Mitsuki didn't get tossed aside. Akane forced her away. She refused to let her anywhere near Haruka after "what she did" and that's what allowed Takayuki to so easily fall back to Haruka. It forced them to separate.
In the end, Haruka knew that from the start. The picture book was one of her favorite stories, and she recognized that she had become one of the roles immediately after she woke up the second time. She had become trapped in the past, and came to terms relatively quickly. Well, not so fast if you watch the Akane Maniax OVA (which takes place in between the end of the series and its epilogue during the final credits). She knew that she couldn't keep Takayuki captive, it wasn't fair to anyone. Haruka made the selfless decision to let him go, all on her own.
The doctors made the correct decision to keep Haruka uninformed. They were right. Luckily, Haruka came back out of it again, and reached the appropriate conclusion quickly.
Unlike School Days where no one was innocent, KgNE has characters with consistently good intentions. Akane feels awful at being so cruel to Mitsuki, her idol. Misguided anger is the only thing that lets her pull it off. Akane prevents Mitsuki from overcoming her guilt at indirectly injuring Haruka. Why? She doesn't want to see her sister hurt by Takayuki's change of heart. Takayuki feels the same, and that's why he goes back to Haruka. Mitsuki took the opportunity to comfort Takayuki because she didn't want to see him kill himself.
If she had wanted to, Mitsuki could have stolen Takayuki back in high school. She didn't have to let Haruka confess first. She could have coldly turned her back on Haruka long ago, and confessed to him. It would have worked, he liked her too. Akane could have never forgiven Mitsuki, but she proudly proclaims her to be her idol during the epilogue. Haruka didn't have to let Takayuki move on. She could have clung to him even after she woke the second time.