My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

To yield and finally tell me the truth behind it all.

Or to remain stubborn and still refuse to explain anything to me.

I issued an ultimatum to the two future seers in front of me.

Should they choose the former, th my curiosity would be sated and there would be no further need for conflict because at that point there would be no reason to cause trouble.

But, should they choose the latter?

If they did that, th they would only be taking on an incomprehsible amount of risk.

The safety of the world, put into jeopardy by the sole decision of these two individuals, who claim to save it.

Should these two still refuse to light me of the secrets they are hiding, th what will follow is simple.

I would personally go and I would figure out what they are hiding, for once and for all.

But, if I did that, th there would be the risk of me wanting to destroy the world as a result, right?

And these oh-so-righteous heroes cannot possibly allow me to do something like that.

Therefore, it is in their best interest to let everything be known here and now.

Ev if I began wanting to destroy the world as a result, wouldn't it be easy ev th for these two to prevt me from taking action to actually do so?

So, logically speaking, the best decision for them to make is to just tell me.

I don't care if it results in me wanting to destroy the world.

I don't care if it results in me being placed into confinemt.

All I want, simply.

Is to know the truth.

If things are kept hidd from me for much longer, I feel as if I'll go insane.

At that point, I might very well just want to destroy the world anyway, purely because it insists on keeping its secrets from me.

And th, fate, or whatever it is that protects the world.

I'll tear it all down.

So.

Azaki Kiryuuin.

Araceli Arévalo.

I think it is in everyone's best interest if you do what I say.

But, of course, there could be something I am not seeing here, so the final decision is up to you.

Like I said, the ball is in your court.

What will your verdict be?

"...It might be wrong, but... I think... Our only choice is to reveal everything..."

Bearing great reluctance in his voice, Kiryuuin admitted. Th, Araceli unconsciously raised her voice towards him.

"What?! No, you can't! Please, Kiryuuin. Zack. As I said, I know it's hard to trust me still, but really, you have to follow along with me here. Anything but that."

"H-huh? No, I don't know you very well, but I think you're a good person, Araceli. So, I'm trying to place my trust in you, but... Are you sure? Are you certain this is the right thing to do?"

"Yes, definitely. Telling him everything is the worst possible decision we can make; it'll only result in him snapping and wanting to destroy the world ev faster. At that point, everything is doomed."

She turned to me.

"Cipher. We will not tell you anything. Our decision is final."

"..."

I stared blankly into her passionate gaze for a while.

That solemn, grave thusiasm embedded within her.

As if there was something she absolutely had to accomplish, she really seemed like a woman on a mission.

Nevertheless.

Is it my responsibility to consider that?

I only want what I want.

I don't care about anything aside from that.

But, isn't this something?

What Araceli is trying to do―it clearly goes directly against what I want.

"Wait, wait. Araceli. He's right, isn't he? If we just tell him now, won't there be less risk? We can just capture him ourselves and everything'll be fine, right? Ev if he wants to destroy the world, it doesn't necessarily mean he'll actually be able to do it."

Suddly, Kiryuuin started arguing for the side of telling me the truth.

No, it wasn't an argumt.

He was simply considering it.

However,

"No! Absolutely not! As I said, Kiryuuin, telling him everything is the worst decision. I'm still not sure if I can tell you why, so I'm sorry, but please trust me that this is the right choice."

Araceli vehemtly rejected the idea.

With this, I was certain.

There was definitely something―or most probably, a multitude of things―that she knew, which nobody else was aware of; not ev Kiryuuin.

A time regressor from a further timeline than Kiryuuin?

Or perhaps, not a regressor at all.

Whatever the case, the fact that we have conflicting objectives remains a problem.

Looking at the two, who appeared to have come to the final conclusion that they would not tell me anything, my eyes sunk.

"You will regret this."

Araceli seemed to flinch at my words, but that was her own fault.

"W-where are you going?"

She hurriedly asked me as I suddly stood up from my seat. Casting a half-hearted glance at her, I spat a simple response.

"You know."

"..."

Jingle~

Leaving it at that, I exited the café and made my way back home.

I had originally wanted to go out to procure some supplies for something; I hadn't ordered them because that would leave a record of receipt on Minami's financial register, so I was going out to purchase them myself.

But, that can wait for now.

There was something more important for me to do.

Tap, tap-!

Pulling out my smartphone, I st a message to Sana. The twins were always together, so I only needed to message one of them if I wanted to notify them of something.

[I'm returning soon. Make sure everything is set up for me wh I get back.]

A reply was almost instant.

[Oki. Get home safe, we'll be waiting \\(◕‿◕✿)]

"..."

Somehow.

I don't think I would be able to get used to the stark contrast betwe this girl's personality in person and wh she s, no matter how many years pass.

Well, maybe it was better that I ed her instead of Sona; that one was ev worse.

Just how expressive have those two become through thanks to making frids at school?

In any case, with a slight feeling of awkwardness now prest and passing, I slid the phone back into my pocket.

Right.

Let's just go home for now.

It's always be that way, hasn't it?

To me, the twins are much more comfortable by my side than wh distant.

❖─────❖─────❖

Arriving home before long, I was met with trouble the instant I crossed the door.

"Oi. The hell is wrong with you? Did ya not learn anythin' after last time or what?"

Sophie Asanami approached me as soon as I returned.

Glancing at her briefly, I curtly asked while taking off my coat and shoes, "What do you want?"

She snorted a laugh, as if in disbelief.

"Hah! You hypocritical bastard. Don't tell me you don't ev know what you did?"

"Tell me."

"..."

Turning my head towards her, who had gone speechless for whatever reason, I continued.

"What? If you have nothing to say, keep your mouth shut."

Whether it was due to my words or not, she clearly wasn't very happy.

But, at the d of the day, we were cutting ties.

So, it wasn't my problem.

"You...! D'ya think I didn't notice you wt out with that girl today?!"

Sophie snapped.

"Fucking asshole! You wt off, saying we couldn't do this and couldn't do that, but look at you! Doing exactly the things you told us not to do and fooling a on today of all days! Seriously, how preposterous is that?! Are you ev human?"

"..."

I remained silt as she mouthed off at me once again, but I was confused.

Why was she so focused on the date?

Today was February 4th, but it wasn't a particularly special day, was it?

...Ah. No, now that I think about it, it certainly seemed like there was some kind of evt going on. Is that right?

What's special about February 4th?

「February 4th is celebrated as Valtine's Day」

Ev with Truth's assistance, I still didn't understand. Well, whatever.

"I may be hypocritical, but that doesn't make what I did wrong."

"It still remains true that the best course of action is to not have you nor anyone else interact with her."

"Of course, I cannot control what you do, however, but that is exactly why I am having nothing to do with you anymore."

I explained a bit of it to her, but something told me that Sophie wasn't in the mood to list to what I had to say.

"Shut up, bastard. What makes you so differt from the rest of us, huh? Just 'cause you know a lot of shit, you think you're so much greater than everyone else? Fuck off."

"..."

"Hah. Like, seriously. You're allowed to do it but we ar't? What kinda bullshit is that?"

"Does it sound like bullshit? You're right. You don't know what you're doing, so you're not allowed to mess a, but I do, so I am; it's as simple as that, Asanami."

There was a momt of silce following my words, during which Sophie seemed to experice a blood vessel burst in her head as her face flushed red with anger.

"Fuck! My god, what's wrong with you?! I knew you were condescding, but you're a far worse bastard than I first thought, huh!? No, more than just a regular bastard or an asshole, you're a fucking psychotic bastard, ar't you?"

"Now. Isn't that a bit much?"

Ev I would be hurt if you called me psychotic, you know?

Someone afflicted with psychosis is a person who has lost touch with reality, or something along those lines.

So, if you think about it for ev a second, you'll realise that I am not psychotic.

Because the choices I make are very real.

"'A bit much'? What? Do you hear yourself? No, it's not 'a bit much'. In fact, I think it might be an understatemt."

"Someone like you."

"Someone who hurts people on a regular basis."

"Someone who has ded many lives and who has ruined countless more."

"A person who does stuff like that, and with no remorse."

"A person who uses others as no more than tools to fit the occasion."

"Looking at a person like that."

"How could they be called anything other than a psycho bastard?"

"You got Tarou killed."

"I was never close with the guy, but the fact that we worked together for a while is true."

"You said that hurting other people was necessary because otherwise, the Wards would come after you, but is it really?"

"Was it really necessary for that guy to die?"

"Just by taking a look at that one girl, Kanon Yuuki, you can see that it's false; she lives free, without worrying about those fuckers pursuing her."

"So, why can't you do the same?"

"I'll tell you why."

"It's 'cause you're a sick bastard, Cipher."

"Whether you like it or not, the truth is that simple."

"You're a sick in the head, fucking bastard."

I looked at Sophie, who breathed raggedly after letting out everything she wanted to.

There was nothing for me to say in response to her words.

A bastard? Maybe, but wasn't it natural to use the people a you to get what you want? It was only a human trait, so I didn't quite understand what made her so mad about it.

Well, I don't care what kind of person she thought I was.

I wouldn't be working with her anymore, so there was no need to care.

All I thought as she glared at me with glisting eyes of rage was one thing.

―You don't understand.

You never understood, but it's fine because I never expected you to.

It's a bitter, pitiful thing.

Blaming someone for everything wrong, just because you don't understand.

How sad.

Well, like I said, it doesn't matter what she thinks.

Because, at the d of the day, I would get what I wanted, and nobody would get in the way of that.

Not you.

Not Kiryuuin, not Araceli, nor anyone else.

I will succeed.

And if the d of the world should follow as a result of that, th so be it.