yes, the hearts do, but it currently leads to nothing aside from filling in all the hearts. I hope that there'd be some benefit in the future, like a stat boost or some weapon that is themed for the species associated with that character
Or:
For each Heart you can go on a mini scene date with said character.
1: Talking
2: Hugging
3: Kissing
4: Sleeping Together
5: [Redacted to not get banned from itch.io]
That's the plan! I want it to lead to transformations, like Temple will make you into a kitsune like him, etc
oh, I want that to be a thing so much! I'd be sticking to a Kitsune mysel