The thing I like most about this CYOA is that it rewards careful reading.
You can infer potential flaws in several companion choices ahead of the reveal by their Personas
For instance, McAvoy seems like a comfy nerdy badass with no drawbacks - but with a Persona representing low self-esteem and sexual deviancy you know immediately that she's got hidden issues. Kaoru is not just lazy but also deceitful and maybe a betrayer, Xiaoxiao is living for the short-term, Shiho has talents that she's wasting, etc.
Anyway, my playthrough:
>Persona:
Kali
>Companions:
Chinami Endo
Albert Engel
I simply chose the people I thought were most likely to actually contribute to saving the goddamn world.
I have no fucks to give for side agendas (Honoka, Kaoru) or personal drama bullshit (Nana) or behavioural red flags (Jane, Xiaoxiao). Engel has resources, and Chinami will be helpful with strategy (and seems like kind of a doormat who won't fight every decision). She a cute too, not that that affects my decision at all.
How did I do? Well, Engel is no big deal. Conspiracists are easy to manipulate, and I anticipated our alliance being purely business. He doesn't like smelly dumb Shadow scum, that's what's important.
Chinami isn't as low-drama as I was hoping - Shiho would have been a better pick in retrospect but how was I to know she's a secret genius? But I think this is manageable. Just have to expose and/or quietly kill a nutjob yandere so we can get back to the important shit.
>>7870
>>7920
>delicate waifish ballet dancer
>clearly into you
>no apparent drawbacks
Having too few stated flaws is itself a red flag, that story isn't going to have a happy ending. You're lucky it's just that, in most cyoas she'd have either a dick or a murderous alter ego.