My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

Once more on the rooftop was I greeted by the disgusting faces of Space and Time.

Or rather, Saburou and Kiryuuin.

"Truth, you fucking cancerous son of a bitch. Tell me where she is right the fuck now and I just might let you go with an inch of flayed skin left."

Coming right out of the gates swinging was the former of the two, Saburou, who immediately stormed right up to me with clenched fists and a clear conviction to murder in his eyes.

"Oi."

"...You. Get out of my way."

Thankfully, Sophie was here to stop him from coming any closer.

"Huh...?? Hey, fucker, where the hell do you get off tellin' me what to do? I was too distracted by other shit I was dealing with last time to deal with trash like you, but this time ain't the same, ya hear?"

Standing in front of me to block Saburou's path, Sophie snarled at him with gritted teeth as they barked each other down like dogs.

"Hah? Fuck, what? Miss Underling wants to get her kicks in or something? Who the fuck are you? You know I'm colleagues with your dad, right? He mentioned how you ran away from home or something? Just like a fucking stray dog. God, if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you two were unrelated; what the hell did that guy do to raise a disrespectful kid like you? Being a single parent sure is hard when the kid is a good-for-nothing, huh."

Ooh... That probably wasn't a good thing to say. Even by my standards, isn't that just asking to be shot?

Sensing immediately how Sophie would react to the provocation of the one who killed her mother talking about her being raised by a single parent, and right to her face alongside a slew of other insults no less, I braced myself for the incoming typhoon of rage.

"...You piece of shit. Do you even remember what you did?"

Oh? She seems to be reigning in her anger much better than I expected...

"You're talking about your mother's death, right? Listen. I'm sorry she passed away, really, I feel for you, but I'm not the one at fault here. You know it already, right? It was a total accident. Just drop it already. Even if you kill me, nothing is going to change. It won't bring her back, so just stop."

"...You, saying that to my face...? Really beggin' on ya knees for a fuckin' death sentence, aint'cha, motherfucker?"

"Agh, no! Just wait a moment! There's really no need for us to fight. Our powers cancel each other out anyway, so it's not going to be any more than a dirty catfight; neither of us want that whether it's warranted or not. And, actually... If there's someone more fitting for you to enact your vengeance on, it's most certainly not me."

Managing to calm her surging emotions with Saburou's barrage of words and excuses, their tones quickly lowered.

No, wait, are you really not going to get revenge? At least slap him around a little? Come on, you deserve it after all that bastard did, no?

Of course, I wasn't going to say anything out loud because having those two fight for real here is not something I can handle the consequences of, due to the request of 'that person'...

"Fuck... I don't trust ya in the slightest, and don't think this means I'mma let ya go the next time, but ya might as well spit it out. If it's a reasonable argument, I'll think about gettin' them too."

Evidently having calmed down from his previous ire as well, Saburou heaved a sigh before pointing his head in my direction.

"It's that fucker. This piece of shit is more to blame for your mother's death than I am, Sophie Asanami."

...What?

Look at this little punk. Slander? Right to my face? This was something I couldn't let fly.

"Now, hold on a moment--"

"I can tell you why, too. You see, back whenever your father first began researching the creation of Supernatural Abilities and the potential ways to transfer Measurements from one person to another, his research had at some point hit a wall, or reached a plateau, and so he decided to consult another Professor for help."

...Oh, shit.

I see where this is going.

"Wait--"

"That Professor was the former manager of an old branch of the Playground based in San Cinelia. Asanami, you know what the main purpose of the different Playground branches are, right? Can you guess who the Concept belonging to the San Cinelia branch was?"

There was no need for her to make a guess.

Whether she knew the answer already, or whether she had gotten it from Saburou's obvious gestures and indications, Sophie immediately turned her head towards me.

"...Oscar," She muttered.

Saburou then smiled for the first time today. No, was it the first time I had ever seen him smile? I couldn't remember, but I didn't care either way.

"That's right. It was Truth."

"..."

Taking advantage of the lull in the explanation, I decided to stop his manipulation while I could.

"Are you done, you impertinent snake? Sophie, I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but don't listen to this little bastard. He's like the tiny devil on your shoulder, except shit, ugly, and bad at his job. He's only saying this because he knows he can't physically harm me since I have his sister, so don't care for anything he has to say."

"...Right. Sorry, I just got caught up in my emotions."

"That's no problem. Just remember that guy is the target. We're gonna kill him, remember? To avenge your mother. Don't let him blind you with a glass wall of deceit and twisted facts."

I was also slightly concerned about how Tarou might act, but seeing as he had only been glaring at his brother from the back this entire time, he seemed to be aware that this wasn't his place nor time to intervene, which I was silently grateful for.

Now that the first part was all over, I was then addressed by the other person who had joined in the visit.

"Cipher. Like I said, I've come to try and persuade you one last time before tomorrow... But I don't think you need me to explain all that to you."

"...Kiryuuin. My, I didn't realise a side effect of the poison I gave you was dementia. Or no, is that merely a result of dying? I don't know why you bothered to come back to life after that laughably pathetic end you showed last time, you inhuman scum, but it would make sense why you carry such a repulsive air about you these days."

"..."

"So, what is it? Did you think my mind would change all of a sudden, or are you just stupid?"

Two weeks ago, they gave me a choice.

"You already know my answer to your nonsensical "offer", so you better have come with something else in mind, else I'll have you maimed on the spot."

―Surrender and return to the Playground, or fight.

Naturally, although I would have much preferred to not go through any of this admittedly exhausting conflict if I could avoid it, I had no choice but to go with the latter option.

There was no way I was going to sit here and accept his shitty plea deal, after all.

Not in a million years.

"..."

All he did was stare at me, but the bizarrely profound sense of loneliness he seemed to emanate as he gazed in my direction, embedded deep within those azure eyes, struck a nerve in me.

It was the same air he bore last time; the incongruous look of pity his eyes held for me was not in any sense of the word normal, and it was certainly not welcome.

Ever since this bastard died to my poison, I felt something was amiss.

At first, I worried why I wasn't able to ask any questions about his apparent resurrection, but all of that could easily be chalked up to its relation to Forbidden Knowledge; after all, information about death, or on the contrary, returning from it back to life, was a subject not for human curiosity to uncover.

That I could understand.

Pushing it a little further and taking in some of the surrounding context, I also realised that the method he used to return from death was almost assuredly thanks to that damned Measurement of Time.

I thought I had confirmed for sure that it wasn't powerful enough to be capable of such a feat, but perhaps it had evolved during a time of crisis. If that were the case, then it would make sense.

Still, it was unfair, and fucking inconvenient too.

"...Hey, Kiryuuin. Tell me. What was dying like for you?"

As the only person in the world to fully experience such an event like it, I was naturally curious.

The answer to all those questions to which I was previously denied.

It was vastly unrelated to the topic he initially came to talk about, but we both knew there would be no progressive discussion to be had there.

He possessed something of value to me, which was rare in and of itself, and that 'something' being knowledge I didn't have access to was even more of an anomaly.

"I don't know... Will you surrender peacefully if I tell you?"

To that saddened face of his, upon which he forced an obviously ingenuine smile, I reciprocated with a grin of my own.

"Well, maybe I'll consider it."

"..."

"...Hey, Zach. Just leave it. This guy isn't going to change. He never will. If he has a death wish, just let it be. He's a sick bastard that deserves the worse he can get anyway, so I don't get why you're being so generous. Come on, let's leave already."

For some reason, the guy who originally resembled an enraged minotaur the way he was steaming fumes from his ear holes was now pleading the other to get out.

Ignoring the calls of his comrade, however, we simply continued to stare each other down.

"..."

"..."

"Zach! It's nothing more than a waste of time."

"...Sorry, Cipher. Saburou's right. I've realised, there's nothing I can do by staying here. Maybe next time I can tell you, but for now... For now, just do as you feel you must. I know I won't be able to convince you as things are now, but I will eventually. I promise."

Those inexplicable words being the last of the conversation, the two Warden goonies swiftly returned through the crack in space, back to whence they came.

Ring~!

The repeated chiming of the school bell resounded for a while as the three of us―I, Sophie and Tarou―stood in relative silence.

"..."

Briefly running my tongue along the front of my teeth, I smacked my lips and, only after the bell ceased sounding, finally spoke to the two.

"...Well then, shall we? There's still a couple of things to prepare for tomorrow, so I'll be skipping afternoon classes and today's Club session. Sophie, attend me. Tarou, you can do whatever you want in the meantime and I'll see you later. Just make sure you actually turn up at the right time tomorrow."

"Sure. This afternoon's seshes are double maths anyway, so I'm more than glad to get the hell outta dodge."

Sophie said as much and I nodded my head. As for Tarou...

"I won't skip since my attendance has already been butchered from running away... I guess I'll just see you guys at home later then. Good luck with it all. I'll do my best tomorrow, even if it isn't much."

Hearing his strangely inspiring words, I found it hard to stifle a laugh.

"Hah."

Luck?

"Alright."

I don't need such a thing.

"Good luck."

I can win without it.