I think the biggest problem with Veronica is the fact that she wants commitment very early in the game. It makes total sense for her character and it's not unreasonable to expect some kind of commitment from the MC after six months of dating, but it goes against the whole 'get to know all the girls and then choose one of them' formula that is common with non-harem VNs. That's why people in general don't really enjoy having partners at the beginning of these games. Because in these situations you are basically forced to cheat and/or break up with them if you want to pursue another girl. Here I think it is handled pretty well overall, but it still feels kinda asshole-y if you go for another girl. On my main route I went with the indecisive answers just to keep my options open, but let's be honest, there's no way I'm choosing her over Jasmine at this point.
True, when I went for the other routes I also felt like an asshole. Especially since my first playthrough was with veronica. And I also agree with you that it would be maybe better if it was the case of "getting to know the girls" before committing. Or at least show us how the relationship between veronica and the mc has developed.
The only LI's that are imo kind of genuine are veronica and jasmine, well maybe jasmine a little less genuine than veronica, because I find it a bit sus with the whole "lets install the brand new battery tech on my personal bike", maybe I'm paranoid or maybe its foreshadow, I don't know. I just feel uncomfortable that the mc installs his own invented tech onto the personal bike of one of his students without any safeguards. What if that bike gets stolen? Or what if Jasmine just takes off with the bike and sells the tech? Sure, during ep 2, her dialogs suggests otherwise but there is this nagging feeling that something is about to go wrong with that bike and tech.
Alexa, the slutty girls, natalya and even kris have all their ulterior motives so I'd rather avoid them if possible.
Alexa prolly wants to get into the mc's pants and maybe blackmail him? Cuz he's a teacher, she's a daughter of a ruthless capitalist... 1+1=2? (or maybe her father will blackmail the mc?)
the slutty girls; i'm not entirely sure what their end-game is, prolly just to get into the mc's pants. (and/or ruin the current relationship of the mc aka homewrecking)
And natalya is extra sus. Through comments I knew she was a spy but if you don't know any better; her dialogs are so... sus. She's coming hard onto the mc, is turned on by intelligence, mispoke during car scene and so on... Even in the first dialog at the cafe she's trying too hard which makes her so suspicious. It's seems like she's buttering the mc up for prolly a honey trap or something along those lines. So that's a big no.
Kris is buttering the mc up so that when the mc is looking for car parts, the mc will go to her (father's) shop. Sex sells, eh?
So that leaves veronica as "the most safe option" besides the ex-wife.