First Lieutenant Nicholson

Narrow eyes and a long face with a pronounced nose give Nicholson a perpetually relaxed look. He is tall and lean, keeping his dark hair short and brushed upward. Off the clock he favors casual dress, typically a collared shirt with rolled-up sleeves; on duty he wears the SSS's standard uniform.

Sociable when off duty, Nicholson enjoys his colleagues' company enough to open his own home for weekend parties. He proves a sharp judge of people during Loid's evaluation, detecting no deceit when Loid affirms his love for Yor and pronouncing the feeling genuine. Practicality defines him most of the time, yet desperation can push him toward absurd measures; when a party at his house spirals out of control, he goes as far as trying to spark a small fire just to send everyone home.

Nicholson joined the SSS in his mid-twenties and has served for thirteen years, working counterintelligence in Bureau 2, Division 2. He lives with his wife and, despite the divisional split, knows Bureau 1 agents like Chadwick Curtis, Chloe, and Yuri Briar. Following the Five-Year Love Plan broadcast hijacking, he invites the three of them to a weekend get-together, pointedly rebuffing Director Wyman Wilker's attempt to tag along on the grounds that directors are unwelcome. Since close family may attend, Yuri asks the group to help judge whether his brother-in-law deserves Yor, and Nicholson agrees.

At the party he welcomes Yuri and a bewildered Loid, jokes that Yuri must now count Loid as family, and eventually asks him point-blank whether he loves his wife. Satisfied by the answer, he and the other officers reveal the evaluation and give their approval, never suspecting their guest is the Westalian spy Twilight. The night deteriorates once Wilker forces his way in wearing a pizza courier disguise, and once emotional shock knocks Yuri flat, Nicholson slips off to the bathroom to attempt his fire scheme. Loid catches him first. A call from headquarters about paperwork needing Wilker's signature hands him a cleaner exit, and he winds the gathering down by announcing sudden work.