Expanding Text 101: How to create "stored choices" or Inventories

Hey everyone,

I’ve sifted through all the discussions from the Text 101 Choose Your Own Adventure course in Unity 2D and plenty of googling. I’m sure that one of you has figured out how to implement an “inventory” or some way for the game to “remember” choices that can change the story’s direction later on.
What methods have you used?

I’m looking to implement a mechanic where the game remembers that in an earlier state the player chose eg: “2 - Be nice to this person”, which would trigger a new story branch (or different options) later in the game.

Should I create a GameObject which represents that choice and give it to the player if they choose it, same as a “weapon” moved into an inventory?

Secondly, since we’re using a press-1-2-3 mechanic (or I’ve managed to make buttons to click) how would I assign an object to a choice option and move it to player list, since my game mechanics don’t allow player to type “pick up rock” etc.

I’ve been sifting through a lot of posts so I appreciate any advice you guys have.