[
That's more or less how I view it as well. I'm indifferent towards romances and sort of just accept them as being one of the features people 'expect' to be present in RPGs.
I just think it's odd that they are accessible this early into the game.
Maybe they want deliver some more "realistic" ones, I mean in most games culminative (sex/kiss/whatever) point is somewhere at the end. It makes relationships quite short. People used to have waiting.