My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

Arriving home, the twins swiftly approached me before I could even take my shoes off one step after crossing the door.

""...""

"What?"

Wearing their school uniforms, the two carried an air different to usual.

They stared at me with their usual inscrutable gaze, looking at me reproachfully as if I had committed some kind of grave sin unbeknownst to myself.

"...Ciphy is late..."

"No warning..."

These two... Just what are they talking about this time?

"I didn't realise that it suddenly became a crime for me to return to my own home whenever I'd like? When have I ever warned you about being late in the past?"

Folding my arms, I refuted their nonsensical accusations.

"If Ciphy is kidnapped again..."

"...How do we know?"

"Hah."

I snorted, finding the very idea laughable. Unfolding my arms, I bent down and took my shoes off, followed by my jacket, walking into the living room as I gave my response.

"As if I would get kidnapped unknowingly. I told you, no one can scheme anything major like that without me knowing. Has your faith in me diminished to the point that you truly believe something on the level of a kidnapping would be effective on me?"

One might counter that by saying the previous incident was clearly effective enough, but you don't understand that I knew what they were planning. They didn't abduct me at all; the reality is, I let them kidnap me.

Of course, it would be nigh impossible for someone to launch a sneak attack on me, let alone successfully kidnap and capture me.

After all, so long as a plan exists for it, I will inevitably find out about it.

For an effective scheme, a plan needs to be stable and prepared for many eventualities. However, the bigger and more complex the plan, the higher the likelihood I will find out about it.

The more parts a mechanism has, the more chances for something to slip and go wrong, after all.

Since I can't see the future, the best way for someone to take me by surprise was if the assault was not planned out in advance at all―but in that case, the chances of it failing are massively increased by a lack of preparation.

""...Ciphy.""

"What?"

"Don't get kidnapped without telling us..."

"If you get kidnapped, warn us..."

They spoke as if telling me off.

No, what is going on? Is getting abducted my responsibility all of a sudden? Why are they talking to me like that?

「The twins are worried because your reckless actions may bring harm」

What, harm?

I don't damage anything important like my equipment or body, so I don't understand the needless concern. Even if something gets damaged, as long as it isn't damaged beyond repair or destroyed completely, it can be restored without too much trouble.

Well, whatever. It's not the first time these two have overthought about unnecessary things. It's probably just because of the recent event anyway that they remain a little shook up about such things; they'll get over it soon enough.

"Sure. Anyway, how was the first day of school?"

Changing the subject, I decided to ask them something I needed to know―not because I particularly cared, but because it would alter how I have to go about things from now on.

""...""

Looking at each other briefly, they turned to me and answered as if overlooking the fact I so blatantly shifted topics.

"...Strange."

"...Weird."

"Uh-huh. Do you want to continue going or not?"

""...Yeah...""

"Alright."

Well, that was that. They're already enrolled, so it's not like I have to do anything more for them in that regard, fortunately.

""...Ciphy.""

Suddenly, they called me again, following me like ducklings as I walked to the kitchen.

"What?"

All the ingredients were already prepared for me, so I quickly began to make myself a bagel. Due to not being able to eat as much lunch as I would have liked, I was left feeling a little peckish by the time I arrived home.

""Can we show you something...?""

Talking simultaneously as per usual, the girls watched me briskly make food.

Whatever it might have been they wanted to show me piqued my curiosity for a moment, and there wasn't much of an excuse to refuse in this situation anyway, so I played along.

"Show me something?"

"In school, they put colours on paper..."

"Called 'art'. Looks pretty..."

Unzipping their backpacks and taking out filled-in sheets of A3 paper, I saw rather crudely-drawn pictures of... something. It was evidently their first time ever picking up a coloured pencil in their lives, though, let alone actually drawing, so that was to be expected.

The sheets of paper contained what appeared to be a family trio. No, looking closely, there were even more "people"―clumsily-drawn stick figures―in the background.

Is that...?

The three main ones in the middle were obviously Sana, Sona and I, but the others... Emir, Minami, the various butlers and maids of the house...

"This is us, right?"

Of course, the quality of the drawings was utter garbage, so the only reason I was able to tell even that much was because of the Measurement of Truth.

""Yeah...""

"Ciphy..."

"Do you like it...?"

...Well, that was certainly a question.

I'm not an idiot, so it's plain as day that answering with a straight 'no' is the wrong move. On the other hand, I'm honest to a fault, so I just cannot bring myself to lie... Nor do I particularly care to.

"Because you've been raised in a facility for over seven years of your life, you have had a critical lack of development in the area of fine motor skills. Because of that, I suggest you use your telekinesis to draw or paint instead of your hands. Naturally, whilst you're in school, use your hands or at the very least pretend to.

If that's what you wish for, then I will provide you with all the resources you need if you want to take this up outside of school."

The twins clearly enjoyed the thing called art. I would be surprised if that didn't have something to do with the severe absence of colour during their upbringing making them appreciate it that much more.

If it keeps them satisfied to continue working under me, then I will spare no expense to support them in doing what they want... So long as it doesn't take away from the development of their Supernatural Abilities, that is.

Well, it should be fine since they don't dislike training, and perhaps the fuelling of their creativity through art will inspire them to use their abilities in more unique ways.

Outside-the-box and unorthodox thinking are truly wonderful things, after all.

Anyway, even if I took a closer look at the drawings as they are... I'm not sure if I can spot any major differences between the two.

Both the girls and their paintings were identical.

Every time I see things like this, I can't help but think; they really are akin to a hive mind, aren't they, albeit a miniscule one. The shared empathy and thought transfer between the two undoubtedly contributes towards that, but still, the twins are practically clones.

Well, isn't that what twins are, after all? Biological clones... Wait...

Pausing my hands in the midst of cooking, I slowly turned to glance at the twins; facing me as expressionless as always, though seemingly elated by my positive response in regards to their art.

Could it be...?

―My eyes widened.

❖─────❖─────❖

Tuesday.

The day just started, and before the teacher arrived, Izumi Yamazaki approached with a gentle smile.

"Good morning, Itou-san, Fushigimi-kun~ Would you like to join us after school today? So far we have me, Shimura-kun, Iwamoto-kun, and Aikawa-san planning on having a casual chat at a café."

She invited us despite knowing I would most likely refuse. Glancing with a side-eye at the guy beside me, I eventually gave my response.

"Sure. I'll come."

"Oh, I'll be sure to come too! If it's no trouble, of course."

Tarou Fushigimi, the person in the seat next to me, also replied positively―but only after I had spoken first.

How awfully suspicious.

"Of course it's not, don't worry! Make sure to stay after last period~"

Like that, she returned to her other friend group, immediately chatting away as if she was never gone.

Something about that scene was odd to me, but perhaps because I'm not used to interacting with such outgoing, extroverted personalities.

"Hey, Itou, it's not like you to be joining us on an outing; what changed?"

For some reason, Tarou Fushigimi started talking unnecessarily to me. Apparently, he was still trying to get close to me like before... Except now, it has a far more ominous undertone to it.

"...I just felt like it."

I had it more or less figured out―The link between this guy, Tarou Fushigimi, and the Concept of Space, Saburou.

"Say, Tarou, do you have any siblings?"

「There is a blood connection between the individual 'Tarou Fushigimi' and the individual 'Saburou'」

This was the answer given when I simply asked 'what is the connection between Tarou Fushigimi and Saburou'. Honestly, I should have asked this from the very beginning, but it had slipped my mind due to them not sharing the same surname.

Still, when I thought about it, that could be easily explained.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I've got a twin sister. She's in 3-A. What about you, Itou, do you have any siblings?"

「The individual 'Tarou Fushigimi' is not lying」

「The individual 'Tarou Fushigimi' is not withholding information」

「The name of individual 'Tarou Fushigmi's dizygotic twin sister is 'Atsuko Fushigimi'」

「The individual 'Atusko Fushigimi' is currently in Weinstell High School, Class 3-A」

"No. I don't."

Unless those who were once my biological parents have been getting frisky since the last time I asked, this was the truth. Although, that isn't possible any more.

"Isn't it weird being twins? Don't you ever feel like there could be another one out there that you're unaware of?"

"Well, I can't lie that I've never thought about it, but that's a bit silly of an idea, isn't it?"

「The individual 'Tarou Fushigimi' does not believe he has a third sibling」

"―After all, there's no way my parents would've birthed a third sibling and never told me nor my sister about it."

「The individuals 'Tarou Fushigimi', 'Atusko Fushigimi', and 'Saburou' are related by blood」

「The individuals 'Tarou Fushigimi', 'Atusko Fushigimi', and 'Saburou' are triplets」

「The individual 'Saburou' is the monozygotic twin of 'Tarou Fushigimi' and the dizygotic twin of 'Atusko Fushigimi'」

Bingo.