Is the sequence breaking intentional design or accidental?

Every time I go to a new area it seems, I stumble upon a new quest by stepping into the middle of it. Naoe makes comments about things no one has said to her or inferences she can't possibly make.

You find a sake bowl? Your teacher has now retroactively requested you to find them all.

The worst one was me just riding along a path and Naoe drops some line about a burning tower being the work of the Godai of Fire. I thought I must have forgotten some critical quest conversation and googled myself into a spoiler.

Is this intentional? I don't remember just stumbling into the middle of quests in any of the other titles?