I disagree.
Fundamentally speaking, it is impossible to separate Futaba from the "best girl" angle, or more bluntly, the waifu angle. Her character, much moreso than the others, is constructed entirely on the basis of being an ideal waifu for nerds, from character design, quirks, personality, to her plot arc and her confidante story.
First off, her age being noticeably younger than the others in your party, and reflected in design, is clearly intended to cast her as more vulnerable, less knowledgeable, and more "pure and innocent" than the other girls. Her interest in nerdy stuff and computers makes her into wish fulfillment for otaku who would like a girl that is into the same stuff as them. Combined with her age and given vulnerabilities, Futaba is essentially a dream girl for a player that has the same interests but the power imbalance means she is under the 'control' of her more experienced 'senpai'.
Futaba's plot arc revolves around having a personal tragedy, and requesting the assistance of the 'hero' to save her from that tragedy. Unlike the other palaces, her plot arc strictly focuses on her rather than a particular injustice. Unlike Ann, Makoto, and Haru, Futaba does not awaken until the end of her palace, thus being a passive actor until the end of her plot arc. Players become a white knight in shining armor come to rescue Futaba from her tower.
Notably, the personal tragedy does not give Futaba an 'undesirable' character flaw, like Ohya's drinking problem. Instead she becomes a character afraid of large gatherings and public spaces, which apparently can be solved by the player 'being a nice guy' and carting her from place to place while she clings onto him. The confidante arc where she learns to be better in public, and also helps out a childhood friend, is almost kindergarten-like in its content, except you're doing it with a middle schooler that is really obviously thirsty for the MC. It's galling.
For me, in every aspect it is impossible to see Futaba as anything except as a pandering waifu, and significantly worse than Ann/Makoto/Haru. One might complain about the objectification of Ann, and there's no question about that, but Futaba is much worse because her character is a lot more insidious.