Not everyone likes Verge of Destruction, but it's definitely a really interesting look at the original game universe! The most interesting relationship dynamic by far is probably Bakarina with Keith as original Keith has...Understandable Issues with her. You also get to learn more about what the original Katarina was like and that she did have a couple redeeming qualities, like she's still very close with Anne and even has a real friend.

RE: Nicol's backstory(TW for CSA!!):




So this is only referenced a few times in the Light Novels/Manga and immediately dropped for more ANTICS, but Nicol has been suffering harassment and outright assault at noble parties since the time he was a child, causing him to withdraw emotionally in order to discourage his admirers, not that it worked. It's kind of vaguely implied that the reason he fell for Katarina is because she appreciated him without making him feel like an object. It really felt to me that the author realized that they bit off more than they could chew and hastily erased any more than passing comments about Nicol's backstory at the last minute leaving him with "pretty" and "likes his sister" and sometimes "angst about crushing on his best friend's fiancee".