Hey! Thanks for commenting.
In response to your questions:
I included the two-year time skip because I wanted the player to have a general idea of who the characters was before the time skip.
I think that’s important for better understanding their backstories.
Choices made up to this point in the game aren’t noticeable yet, since the point where the two paths diverge comes a little later on and will depend on several previous choices.
The issue with free roams will be resolved in version 0.1.1—a “skip” button will be added.
As for the plotlines, I’ve already planned them out, and I hope those “confusions” will be cleared up as updates are released. (However, I’ll take this into account for future updates.)
With the release of 0.1.1, I’ll explain several topics—including the reasoning behind the free roams—in greater detail. 0.1.1 will be released this weekend (9/6/26).