Striking while the iron is likely ice cold, but I typed all this out so I'm going to post it
>>21160
>>21045
My preference is Melissa,(if that wasn't already obvious), but it's entirely because I just can't see Janet as a potential partner unless Greene wants to completely cut ties with the outside world. As
>>21039 mentioned, Janet is not particularly deep, which I think actually works to her benefit (and not just because it suits my preference).
Janet is older than Greene, but more than that she seems to have found her place in the world when Greene first encounters her. She's living a life that appears to be stable, content, and happy. She has a comfort zone and she wants to stay inside of it, where she knows how everything works. This would make her a stagnant character that resists change, because why would she want to change?
Greene showing up doesn't disrupt this comfort zone until he starts having his panic attacks. Up until then, he's more than willing to mimic her and live as she is living. This isn't the kind of relationship you see between romance partners, but between mentor and student. They'd become friends and peers as many mentors and students do, but it leaves the question of whether either of them would want to engage in a romantic relationship.
Remember that by most interpretations, Greene is looking to escape to the outdoors to find sanctuary. He may simply not be in the mood most days to even consider that sort of thing while he sorts out his own thoughts. Janet meanwhile, by this assumption of her characterization, doesn't like change.
Put a boy and a girl alone in a secluded area long enough and they might start getting ideas. If I were to give Greene and Janet a romantic story, they'd need 3-5 YEARS of just being around one another before the thought that they notice they may have feelings for the other.
The fly in the ointment for all this is that Greene is hindered by his mental condition. It is my opinion that the first time that he has a breakdown in front of Janet, she will lose any interest in him in a romantic partner. It is just something she is NOT ready to deal with. She doesn't understand what's going on with Greene and has a very natural reaction of pulling back from him. Worse, she doesn't know HOW to help him. All she can do is offer him refuge and space for him to "get it out of his system." She wants to help, but can't.
Once upon a time it was discussed that if Greene were to have 4 Endings and each girl would represent a different one, Janet would be E3. He would live with her out in the woods, secluded, and cared for, but remain haunted by his condition. It's a prognosis I tend to agree with.
Janet is simple, stable, and the straight man / common sense point of the Innaoods trio. She grounds the other two.
Granted my view differs from anons like
>>21075, as I was under the impression she lives alone in a cottage out in the woods. I also have the inverse opinion of Melissa. And since I have made the case against Janet, I may as well make the case for Melissa.
First and foremost, I'm just gonna be honest I think they're cute together. Not much more to say on that so moving on.
In terms of characterization, Melissa is pretty stereotypical. Shy, nerdy, nice, rich girl. While trope heavy, I think it makes her a perfect fit for Greene, particularly once one begins to expand on said tropes.
Starting with the academic aspect, she and Greene share a passion of reading, fantasy, and academic research. There was some talk about how they first met, and I tend to lie the idea that Greene went to the library to get some solitude and read some history books, where he was found by Melissa who shared an interest in the particular subject he was reading up on. From there they just hit it off discussing history and trading topics to read up on.
Why I like this small interaction is because it engages with Greene's interests. It creates a positive action to build on. Escaping to the woods is very passive, by comparison. It also immediately sets Greene and Melissa together as peers, instead of an unbalanced mentor/student dynamic.
Greene's passion is also this academic pursuit. Not living in the woods. Melissa is someone that not only shares this passion, but is more than willing to join him in delving deeper into it. This sort of complimentary relationship is why I think the idea of the two of them becoming so close so quickly has merit. They WANT to engage with one another. Melissa can draw out more of these sort of positive moments of socialization out of Greene than the other potential ships could.
She also doesn't really demand anything out of Greene. It's generally considered that Greene is often just dragged along for the ride by everyone else and has to deal with the fallout for things he didn't really want to do in the first place.
Neither Melissa nor Janet do this. Janet doesn't because she is just kinda chill and doesn't really care what Greene does, as she'll do what she wants to do regardless. Melissa doesn't demand anything out of Greene because she doesn't need anything from him beyond his companionship. She slides into that supportive girlfriend role, either by choice or nature.
This, I believe, is what Greene actually needs. Someone to support him with his problems, and is in position that doesn't ask him to give up anything beyond spending time with them.
Which leads me to the belief that out of all the ships, Melissa seems like the only one who can rise to the challenge of helping him with his issues in the long term. Not only would she endeavor to learn as much about Greene's mental condition on her own when she learns about it, she'd also help him figure out how to fight back against it. She also has the benefit of possible experience from dealing with family (i.e. her father) and how to navigate the mental breakdowns already. Janet may be able to offer a safe place for Greene to ride out his breakdowns, but Melissa can just straight up help overcome them. Which, to Greene, would put her pretty high on the list of people he would fall in love with.
Final point, Melissa is willing to adjust herself out of a desire to be with Greene. If Greene left the woods for good, Janet would not go after him. She'd probably be disappointed, but she wouldn't change her way of doing things. Melissa is, mostly due to being young and in love is willing to try new things because she wants to be with Greene (aka going innawoods). She'll moan about it at first and likely suggest other things, but by the third or so camping trip, might start seeing why Greene keeps coming out to the forest, and why it is good for him. She'd end up taking part in it and sharing that enjoyment with Greene.
Likewise, Janet may be pulled, grudgingly, out of the woods to enjoy some of the more cosmopolitan attractions if Greene and Melissa are a couple as a sort of quip pro quo sort of scenario. Thus, Melissa and Greene would be a ship that encourages all involved to grow in some capacity.
That's my essay on the subject.
tl;dr: Melissa > Janet > Cynthia