I noticed some nice changes to fellow npc, the extended durations and kill counts.

Does anyone know if they increased the bond numbers too? I tried looking through updates but there have been so many since I left.

This is how it worked/works according to Wiki, will be stuck at 50 for a long long time if this is still how it is.

Each time you use your Signal Pearl or Tactics Pearl, your bond increases by 1.
Selecting the option "Let's chat" at a Rendezvous Point increases your bond by 1 once per real-life day.