Helm's Favorite Item and Alt Bond Character Story Canonicity

Is Helm's Favorite Item story the first time something from a Alt Character (i.e., Helm: Aquamarine) bond was brought back and canonized with the original character? At the end of Helm's original bond story, we weren't in a relationship with her - we had a relatively platonic friendship - even after Blue Water Island and Sea You Again, we aren't dating... but at the end of H:AM's bond story, SKK and Helm are in a relationship. That relationship is continued in Helm's Favorite Item story.

I'm not complaining because the story was good, but H:AM is a limited character - what if a player didn't have that Nikke? Wouldn't they be lost in terms of the story?

I would recommend ShiftUp to have a quick 2-3 panel recap on why we're dating Helm before starting the Favorite Item story if they're going to build on the Alt Bond story developments!