@JanuaryIf we are starting the game with a clean slate, how can she have a rival in this game? I could be a rival from the previous game, if you want, though it would only make sense for my character to fight during the day.
I was under the impression that we could have been playing the game in either a light or inconsequential manner prior to any actual events--inconsequential to the point that no one's leveled or done anything outside of basic toe-dipping in the game's many features. If that's wrong and we're to assume we've never touched the game at all, then, sure, we can recognize each other in-game from our usernames on other games.