Heya, one of the devs here. We decided not to go for a multi-choice answer mechanic because that's how the Player normally interacts with other characters in dating sims - tying the mechanic to the main character. Since we wanted the Player to impersonate an NPC instead, we doubled down on that by changing how interaction is structured as well :)
The gameplay bits with the black screen are indeed intended to be introspective sections, useful for adding breathing room in-between levels.
Glad you liked the game! <3