My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

Looking at that girl, Sophie, hearing what she thought of me directly from the source, an idea popped into my mind.

Should I just leave Saburou alive indefinitely?

If her reasoning for helping me is to get revenge on him in her mother's stead, then would it not be in my best interest to keep him alive to retain control over her?

As I was thinking this, she suddenly continued with her argument.

"Also, you lot and ya so-called 'justice'―it's all a fat buncha bullshit anyway!"

What, there's more?

"Ya think I wouldn't know what you're up to from the position I'm in? Think again, bastards! I know all too well what kinda shit ya get up to! Justice this, morality that―shut ya filthy traps already!"

All kinds of venomous words being spat out of her mouth as she constricted the Concept of Time, Sophie's likeness appeared to become more and more akin to that of a cobra.

"Ya seriously think you're gonna save the world by doin' shit like this, huh?! Not to mention trappin' kids in ya shitty 'Playgrounds'! Savin' the world my ass! What exactly're ya savin' the world from, huh, ya bitches!?"

Her accusations of the Wardens' wrongdoings continued.

Whether Avon Laura and Azaki Kiryuuin knew of her identity beforehand or not, they surely understood what kind of position she held now.

As the sole daughter of a senior executive, Sophie would indeed naturally be privy to much of the inner workings of the organisation; with even confidential information being undoubtedly included in that metric.

Over the course of her almost 18-year-long life, just how vast a repository of knowledge did the individual known as Sophie Asanami come to possess about the Wardens?

All of it via the completely coincidental connection of her father, Professor Asanami.

It was a curious thing, and I wondered for a brief moment if her baseline understanding of the matter rivalled even my own, who had grown up for eight years within the Playground since just after the inception of my birth.

She had obviously known about Space because she knew he was the cause of her mother's passing, but did that mean she also had knowledge about the other Concepts?

It was a matter of course.

And if that was the case, then what about that incident...?

I forcibly paused my train of thought at that point. It was useless to explore further than that; I had already tried.

Being a senior executive's daughter, one of the first things I questioned her about was naturally her knowledge of my escape from the Playground, but unfortunately, Sophie hadn't the faintest of the truth of the matter.

She didn't know, but not because she hadn't tried to know.

Recently, I had her search her house for clues or anything that her father might've possessed on it, to no avail.

The reality was, all direct documentation on the incident was gone from the world; if it were physical it would be incinerated, and if it were digital it would be thoroughly deleted with even the storage disks smashed to smithereens, submerged in acid and burned, too.

All Sophie could find was a brief report that basically claimed what happened was a disaster and an inexcusable mistake on the part of the Professors involved.

Thus, what little knowledge existed remained either in the form of witnesses, almost all of whom died at the scene, or in verbal reports.

I would imagine there to be some sort of CCTV footage of the incident hidden away somewhere, but I can't ask about it due to the vexing restriction I placed on myself. I can't snoop around for it myself, either, since something like that would be nigh impossible to locate within the boundless expanse of the Wardens' digital storage network even if I did manage to hack in.

In short, although I gained some more clues, there is yet to be anything satisfactory discovered. Still, I won't give up in my search.

In any case, isn't exactly that my business for so kindly playing into the enemy's hands today?

Thinking as much, I tuned my focus back to the situation at hand, though it seemed Sophie had finally finished with the complaints of her father's organisation.

"You're wrong...!"

Azaki Kiryuuin's somehow firm voice was then heard as he began to argue Sophie's points with the utmost vehemence.

Though he was still restrained and had the appearance of trying to escape her apprehension, something about him gave the impression that he wasn't really trying at all.

In the first place, as someone working alongside the Wardens, I would expect him to have undergone a minimum level of physical training, even if not to the level of Avon Laura, so there should be no reason for him to be unable to escape the clutches of Sophie Asanami who possessed nothing more than the force of a normal high school girl.

「The individual 'Azaki Kiryuuin' does not intend to inadvertently harm the individual 'Sophie Asanami' in an attempt to escape」

Mm?

Aah, this son of a bitch thinks he has a heart of gold, huh?

Staring at the guy who endured Sophie's borderline asphyxiation almost entirely unphased, a feeling like something foul entered my mouth and the urge to spit it out came over me.

Ugh.

"You say such things because you don't understand the severity of the situation, Miss Asanami! I know you must be upset and frustrated because of what happened, but I believe-- No, I know your true nature is not that of a bloodthirsty revenge-seeker! It's all a misunderstanding, really! If you give us a chance―!"

My face crumpled hearing his words. What a repulsive individual.

Sophie was correct about these guys. They trick naïve and gullible, yet strong kids like this who know nothing but benevolence and fool them into thinking they're saving the world when all they are really doing is antagonising people like me who just want to live their lives.

Taking coincidences and purposely misconstruing them for their own benefit, their main driving force is mere superficial justice against victims like me who have their every action placed under watch and heavily scrutinised.

They swap the lens of truth in front of these kids and groom them into people who will gladly do their bidding, permanently distorting their reality.

Some might say people like Azaki Kiryuuin are victims too, but I beg to differ.

Someone like that―someone who refuses to look at things objectively and goes along with their own skewed misunderstanding because they simply cannot be bothered to think that the reality could be different from what they've been taught―does not deserve mercy.

I came from the same place, if not worse, and yet I escaped that matrix.

I was alone.

I had nothing but the Playground.

And yet―I was able to realise that the world was not as it was portrayed to be, and fled my jail.

Azaki Kiryuuin, Avon Laura, and Saburou, among others.

Sure, I've done things many would consider bad or even heinous, such as the taking of lives, but did I ever do that for no reason? I did not.

If they took a moment to think about the reason behind my actions which they call reprehensible, perhaps they would discover that I am not evil.

Because I am not.

I am not a villain.

I do not wish to destroy the world or anything.

The main reason I began committing acts of terrorism in the first place is as a precaution; it's merely a matter of self-defence and self-preservation.

And... Ah.

Realising my thought process was once again getting off-track, I wanted to shake my head to rejuvenate my concentration, but I held it in.

"Oh, my god! Shut the fuck up, ya noisy bastard-!!"

Seemingly having enough of the other party's constant arguing, Sophie activated her power of Proximate Spatial Ordinance with the intention of inflicting harm upon Azaki Kiryuuin.

At that exact moment―

?

―He vanished.

I didn't even blink.

Right. He simply disappeared from his position all of a sudden.

I was staring at him the entire time, yet I still missed the exact moment he disappeared.

It was like an illusion.

"I sincerely apologise for this, Miss Asanami, but it seems you are in the wrong state of mind to listen properly to my words!"

My eyes naturally snapped to where his voice abruptly sounded outside my field of vision.

"For now, I will have to focus on the main goal of containing the danger posed by the Concept of Truth here, but rest assured! Your father does not wish to punish you harshly for being deceived by this man so long as you stop interfering!"

Glancing at who he was talking to, she stood with a downturned face.

There was no need to ask what her thoughts were.

'What the hell does he know?'

That could mean many things in this situation―what does Azaki Kiryuuin know about the danger I pose, what does he know about her father, or what does her father know about any of it?

The reality was that she means it as all of the above and more.

Anyway, deceived? I don't recall deceiving her at any point, though. In fact, she was clearly the one who approached me first. I only helped her chances of achieving the revenge she dearly wished for.

Is it not something to be praised for instead; lending your assistance to a pitiful girl in need?

Looking at the bastard who dared to spout such nonsense in front of my face, I quietly snuck my hand to the inside of my school blazer and gripped the item within, clutching it tightly in my grasp.

I first made sure I was standing right beside Sophie, then nodded.

Sticking out the other hand containing the bluff detonator, I cleared my throat with an announcement.

"Ahem! Once again, I don't have much time to spare today, so I will be brief!"

Having turned their attention to me, everyone watched in silent apprehension of my next move.

"Let's start with you, shall we? Concept of Time!"

I stared in the direction of Azaki Kiryuuin, a wide smile on my face, and addressed him while throwing the item hidden in my other hand at him.

"!?"

Of course, he caught it without a problem.

Opening his hand, the reflection of a sharp flip knife could be seen in his eyes.

Show me, Azaki Kiryuuin.

"If you don't stab yourself with that knife within five seconds, I'll press this detonator without hesitation!"

How good-hearted are you really?