My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

Because the process of artificially inducing a Measurement's evolution is classified as Forbidden Knowledge, I can only go about it with a theoretical mindset.

I cannot ask how to go about doing it, nor can I know if it is even possible in the first place. Thus, I have no choice but to make things up as I go along.

The first step requires figuring out the conditions for evolution. As was mentioned previously, I need to do this for Liam Chiba-Wallace's dubbed 'Measurement of Luck' directly because every Measurement appears to have its own set of trigger conditions.

Of course, I have already confirmed that it isn't possible to simply ask the Measurement of Truth what the evolution conditions are for any specific Measurement, and it also won't allow me to get even a vague idea of what it could be, so I would be going into it completely blind.

That is the baseline, and now that that's all out of the way, it's time to actually get down to business.

To figure out the conditions.

Needless to say, someone unfamiliar with metrisology―that is, the scientific study of Measurements; not to be confused with metrology, or the study of measurement―might not necessarily know how to go about doing this.

However, research into what constitutes a Measurement's evolution is one of the greatest branches of metrisology, and therefore mountains of documents and analytical reports on the matter already exist.

Yesterday, just after confirming with Ella that it would be alright to come over today, I sneaked into a government research facility where the focus was around the aforementioned subject―the location of said facility I discovered with the help of my Measurement of Truth―and took pictures of all the information they had uncovered about it.

Now, with no one any the wiser, I had gained access to a treasure trove of information regarding Measurement evolution―information I would've never been allowed to lay eyes upon were I to ask Truth.

As I was thinking, Liam took a big carton of juice and a glass and sat down beside his sister and me at the table.

Sinking back into the land of my own thoughts, I replied on auto-pilot.

"Oh, you brought juice? What flavour is that?"

In preparation for today, I sorted through what seemed to be the most fundamental of the lot yesterday afternoon, but there was quite a bit more than I had anticipated, so I didn't quite manage to get through it all.

"Apple! Want some?"

What I had discovered wasn't anything mind-blowing so far, but it did confirm many of my previous suspicions; such as that there is indeed a way to 'interact' with a person's Measurement from the outside.

"No, that's alright thank you. I already have this tea, and I wouldn't want to pointlessly take what's yours away from you."

That method of interaction is surprisingly simple, but it holds the key to unlocking the potential of induced Measurement evolution.

First of all, that method...

"However, I do have something that may make that juice a bit tastier. Would you like to give it a try? It will make it quite sweet."

Perhaps Liam had a great sweet tooth as his eyes lit up at my suggestion. Seeing such silent fervour waiting for my next move, he nodded his head furiously. To that, I gave a chuckle and reached into the backpack I brought with me, pulling out a smaller-sized zip seal bag with something green inside.

"Here. These are stevia leaves. If you put one in your glass of juice and let it sit for a while, it'll dissolve and make the drink sweeter."

"Aw, Oscar, you've already done so much for us! You don't have to...!"

Hearing my explanation, Ella started waving her hands. It seems she was feeling a little guilty for exploiting so much of my kindness, but well, this was something I couldn't afford to back out on.

"No no, it's alright. Just take it, really. Liam, here."

Saying that, I ignored her further protests and dropped one of the leaves softly into Liam's glass of apple juice. Watching it float about, he glanced back at me.

"Only one? Can't I have more?"

"Liam!"

"Haha, it's okay. No, I'd only put one in since it'd be a little too sweet otherwise."

"Aw, alright... How long do we have to wait?"

He voiced minor disappointment but immediately moved on. The boy's excitement for the sweetener seemed to be just that great, so I briefly wondered if he simply had a craving for sugar. I told him to be patient and moved the topic of the conversation along as we waited.

"Oscar, it finished melting!"

Eventually, Liam was the first to let me know that the leaf had been successfully dissolved in the juice. I gave a nod to those expectant eyes of his as he stared at me, and with a sudden jump at the corners of his lips that had transformed into a grin, he unhesitatingly brought the glass to his mouth.

As he gulped down the glass of sweetened apple juice in a matter of seconds, my glance moved towards Ella, who looked at her brother with disbelief at his overly casual manners, or lack thereof.

"Mmh! It was good!"

Confirming that Liam had finished the drink's entirety, I passed off the siblings' gratitude by saying it was no big deal and we moved on with the matter of tutoring.

And then, about one hour later, Liam suddenly began to feel his eyelids growing heavier by the second.

"...I'm sleepy," He complained.

"Liam, there's still a few questions you have to finish. Come on, let's not waste any more of Oscar's time than we already are."

"It's alright, Ella. Sufficient rest is just as important as sufficient studying. If Liam is that tired, let him nap for a bit and we can continue later."

She looked at me with a hint of guilt, but ended up listening to my words anyway and sent her brother to bed.

"Oscar, thank you for today. For the sweet leaf and for the tutoring, although there wasn't much done."

"You mean for me to leave right now? Would you mind if I stayed for a bit longer? Even if there is no studying to be done, it's been fun, and there's not much for me to do at home at the moment anyway. Would you like to try a stevia leaf?"

"Oh, if it's because you feel responsible, then you don't have to!"

"Really, I insist. I've got plenty of them, so it's not like it's a waste or anything, and plus, I'd like to hear your opinion on it. Didn't you see how much Liam enjoyed it?"

"Eh, that's..."

She hesitated, but I knew she would give in.

Ella was simply the type of person to succumb rather easily when faced with continuously applied pressure.

"...Alright then. I'll try one."

After a short while of silence, she gave a light sigh and conceded just as I had expected.

"Here, tea isn't as naturally sweet as apple juice, so you can have multiple."

"Is that okay?"

"Of course it is, don't worry about it."

Putting three leaves in her drink with a smile, they dissolved with the passing of a few minutes. Ella then slowly brought the cup to her lips and sipped.

"Mnh~!"

She chimed a kind of noise I had never heard from her before and took a larger swig, almost downing the entire thing instantly.

It appears the sweet tooth is genetic within the family, I see.

Smiling at her as she finally placed the now empty cup back on the coaster, our gazes met. Her face flushed with a tint of red as if embarrassed by something, and she hurriedly took both of our cups and stood up, turning her face away while asking me with a stutter.

"W-would you like another drink?"

I thought about what answer I should give for a moment but eventually nodded.

"Yes, please. Same tea as before if that's alright. By the way, where's your bathroom?"

"I-it's upstairs, the second room on the left. Oh, could you check on Liam while you're up there? His room is last on the right. Please make sure he's actually getting some rest and not just getting out of studying."

"I'll do that, no problem."

"Thank you..."

Taking a stand, I picked up my bag and ascended the stairs, immediately heading right past the bathroom to the third room on the right side; the last room. Quietly, so as to not alert the person downstairs which room I'm entering, I opened and closed the door behind me without a sound.

The walls of the room were painted light blue, with various posters of superheroes―both real and fictional―and models of something like humanoid robots on the bookcase.

Ignoring all of that, I stood at the bed in the corner of the room, upon which I found the snoozing figure of a boy.

"..."

My eyes cold, I recited the first necessary condition to facilitate external interference into the essence of one's Measurement.

In other words, the steps to figure out how to induce an evolution.

First of all, the subject must be present and in a state of unconsciousness.