My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

I crossed one leg over the other as if to display my intrigue.

"Is that so?"

Built a following of retainers, have they?

Glancing at the twins on either side of me, I looked into their scintillating eyes that stared up at me. The dog-like, dull expressions on their faces seemed to ask 'Did we do good?'.

Watching them try to appeal to me, Stella Larson smiled wryly.

"Yes. Though I believe it to be unintentional, it has been causing a number of issues..."

The teacher went on to explain to me how the twins' followers keep causing havoc among the school staff due to various things.

"They are... 'too popular'?"

The main problem seemed to be the twins' fame.

It wasn't their fault, but it was apparent that the kids who seem to have become fascinated by the twins are disrupting the atmosphere and flow of the school, and it isn't limited to just lessons either; lunch and break times, as well as at the start and end of the day.

For the staff, who were deeply troubled by this constant anxiety of kids causing trouble just to do something like spend time with the twins, this was unprecedented.

From how Stella Larson was describing it, it seemed that the twins were being subject to what the authorities clarified as 'borderline harassment' inside of school, and they considered it extremely fortunate that the two were not staying in the dormitories for any length of time once the school day was over.

"I understand how that may be a problem."

That explains why there were so many kids just standing in the hallway to watch us on the way here.

Kids are easily fascinated with things they find curious or strange, so it is understandable that the twins' unique features like their hair and eyes could be something their peers are captivated by.

To an extent, I was already expecting that much.

That's why I was not so surprised by their apparent title for them, 'Ice Twins', in fact.

However, would a mere pretty hair and eye colour be enough to enthral them to the point that they would cause such trouble, despite being raised as privileged and supposedly bratty children? I severely doubted that.

Therefore, I can only imagine that something else has brought about such a wild reaction.

After all, Ice Twins could be metaphorical in the sense that the girls are usually inexpressive with their emotions, and that's what I first assumed, too.

Conversely, it could have also been derived from a certain other quality they possess.

"Has anything been mentioned outside of school...?"

Stella Larson asked me as much with a hint of tension, to which I lightly shook my head.

Needless to say, the twins have never once brought such an issue up with me whether it is them being harassed or otherwise.

Suddenly, the girls spoke.

"...Father told us to."

"Father said to build relationships..."

Following the instructions dutifully that were to call me 'Father' when acting as Leander, the twins explained their reasoning as such.

Stella Larson looked at me as if to question.

Did I tell them to?

Puzzled by their words, I wondered just what they were trying to say for a moment before I clasped my hands together and realised.

They were right.

"Indeed. I remember telling you to go to school and build relationships with those around you so that you can learn to socialise. Though I must admit, I did not expect this much."

In the end, it was my own words that may have gotten misconstrued.

"If that's the root cause, Mr Leander, then don't worry. Rather, it's a relief."

Stella Larson reassured me, but I was more relieved than she ever could have been at the outcome.

It would have been another barrel of trouble if it turned out that the twins were showing off their Supernatural Abilities in front of the other kids to try and get close to them, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.

"You two."

In fact, I placed a hand atop each of the girls' heads.

Without anything other than their own skills, they managed to win over so many kids that it was causing the school trouble.

"Well done."

To me, that was proof enough that the new skills I had been hoping for them to develop had already come a long way.

Sana and Sona looked at each other for a brief second before I witnessed something unbelievable.

Is that...?

The ends of their lips arched so weakly it was almost impossible to notice.

Rather than a smile, it just looked like a slightly less expressionless face than usual, but I, after living with them for a while now, can tell.

The pair of vague smiles--ever so faint that they could be wiped clean off with so much as a mere gust of wind--was apparent.

It didn't take long to recover from the unexpected blow, but I thought it a pleasant surprise that the twins were slowly but surely adjusting to their new lifestyle.

If the girls are happy to receive my praise, it means everything is well.

Asking the Measurement of Truth is all well and good, but seeing proof in front of my eyes that shows they are satisfied with what I am providing them takes a weight off my heart.

After all, even if you know something to be true, experiencing it for yourself is always valuable.

In any case, the rest of the meeting was rather paltry. I confirmed with the twins that they would tell the other kids to stop causing trouble in front of Stella Larson's eyes and the twins' nods reassured her further that they would do so.

"If they keep doing it, tell them you won't be friends unless they behave nicely."

I warned the two to keep a firm leash on those who wanted to be by their side, and without many other issues to discuss, the parent-teacher conference came to an end before long.

The twins' grades were adequate enough thanks to the assistance of the mansion's servants, and the proper etiquette they were taught also seems to have saved them from trouble.

In the first place, the girls didn't have such a personality that they would be drawn to delinquency.

In that regard, they weren't like Sophie Asanami at all.

"Thank you for your time today, Mr Leander. It's been a real pleasure meeting you."

Closing the folder in her hands, the teacher smiled at me and said as much.

"Likewise. If there arise any further troubles, Ms Larson, do not hesitate to contact me through the provided means and I will do my best to sort it out."

We stood up from our seats and Stella Larson, after placing the documents into a locked cabinet drawer at her desk, accompanied me to the door.

"I shall walk you to the front gate."

I was not the last parent or guardian to come here today for the meeting, so it was no surprise that things were being wrapped up quickly and smoothly.

I also imagined that, just like when I first arrived, she would want to wait at the gate for the next people to arrive.

When we exited Stella Larson's office and retraced our steps through the labyrinthian halls of the school's main building, we passed a number of curious students just like before.

There were admittedly fewer of them this time, but some of them seemed to be vying for the twins' attention even at this time.

Of course, they were all completely ignored by the two, but something about it irritated me.

For some reason, I found the sight of these imp-like brats messing around for attention quite irksome.

...It wouldn't hurt to caution them just a little, would it?

"!"

Pausing in my tracks, I sensed them flinch.

The kids here had already seen my cold demeanour the first time I walked through here, and yet they dared to stick around to find out what would happen after fooling around.

"It seems there are a few kids causing trouble for my daughters," I began.

At my exceedingly icy tone, I witnessed more than just a few kids try to hide from my sight, but my gaze pierced right through them.

"I do not care if you are one of the people who have participated in this laughable attempt at sycophancy or if you have steered clear of such behaviour. I have but one thing to relay to you, children of the fortunate."

Stella Larson only observed silently with a bitter smile as I voiced my honest thoughts.

Whether or not they were one of the students to bother the twins or not didn't matter.

Whether they slighted me or not wasn't something I cared about either, be it behind my back or otherwise, but there was one thing I had to make very clear.

"If you cause trouble for my daughters again, it doesn't matter who you are or what the identity of your parents is."

Personally.

"Irregardless--You will face the consequences."

I would make sure of that.