My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

Five minutes later, I found myself sitting on the long and exorbitantly-priced sofa.

On either side of me were the twins, and peering from the sidelines were Sophie and Selina.

In front of me, across the coffee table, sat Emir.

"Okay, so do you want me to tell your birth card like I did with these two, or do you just want me to tell your fortune?"

He gestured to the twins and I asked.

"What's the difference?"

"Well, the way I do it is different because of my ability, but basically, a birth card is the card that most accurately represents who 'you' are in essence, and telling your fortune is just divination."

Babbling on excitedly, I gazed at Emir who spoke enthusiastically in a way I had never seen before.

Was it because it was related to the power of cartomancy he was born with?

Perhaps he felt an innate sense of affinity with these kinds of mystical entertainments.

Whenever the topic was related to his Supernatural Ability to establish an Absolute Contract, he always appeared miserable.

Maybe that was just a natural consequence of being forced to use a power that was forced upon you alongside years of torment in a human experimentation facility.

"I'll just do both, then. What do you do that's different?"

"Ah, that! The way people normally do it is through calculation and numerology, but in reality, that method can be super inconsistent. It's probably because of my power, but in the end, what I do is much more effective and gives more accurate fortunes."

I asked a meaningless question just to pass the time whilst he shuffled the deck, but apparently, it was a bit of a sensitive topic, seeing his passionate response.

"Anyway, the deck's all shuffled, so we can get started."

"Do I need to do anything?"

Emir briefly paused as he contemplated.

"Hmm... No, it shouldn't be necessary. Not for the birth card, anyway. But, you should tell me how many cards you want me to put forward. I can do up to three."

I need to choose up to three cards?

"What difference does it make?"

"Just tell me; one, two, or three. The more cards I show you, the more thin-spread the telling will be, so one card shown means you are only shown one card but the meaning is the most prevalent in defining who you are."

Oh.

I think I understand.

"So, if I choose one card, I will get the one card that represents me the most, but if I choose more cards, I'll get two or three that don't represent me as much individually?"

"Yeah, pretty much. If you choose multiple, then as a collective they will still represent you very accurately, but there might be some room for misinterpretation. That's why I usually like to go with one card."

Right.

I suppose it makes sense.

"Then, I'll do one card."

I briefly wondered if the Measurement of Truth would be able to tell me my birth card, but some part of me doubted it.

He's never been good at telling fortunes, that guy.

If Emir's fortune-telling is a result of his Measurement, then it could very well be something only he in the entire world could do as accurately as he does it.

So, I trust that he will do it well.

Whatever the outcome of today turns out to be, something tells me it won't be insignificant.

Just as everything else has been recently, I'm sure the results will stick in my mind for a long time.

Having shuffled the deck, Emir spread the 22 cards in a row on the table.

They were all upside down, so no one knew what each card was.

I stared at the backs of the cards.

"..."

Everyone waited with bated breath as they watched me.

Emir, too, simply observed with a zipped mouth.

They waited for me to pick a card.

Pick a card.

Pick one card.

It was a simple action.

It was something that shouldn't be difficult at all.

But, for some reason.

For some reason, I felt a hint of reluctance.

No, it was more than just a hint.

Having experienced all the fate and future bullshit recently, and the bastards Kiryuuin and Araceli who came from other timelines, I found myself hesitating to pick a card.

What if the card I pick is the wrong choice?

What if the card I pick screws everything up for me?

If that's the case, wouldn't I be fucking myself over before anything even started?

What card do I pick?

What card is the right choice?

I asked, but there was only one response.

「There is no right choice」

It was the inevitable truth.

No right choice.

That meant that, whatever card I picked here, it didn't matter.

So, what the hell am I hesitating for?

Reaching my hand towards the cards on the table, I grabbed one and flipped it over.

"..."

A woman on a chair.

With a golden crown adorning the crest of her head, she wore a set of red robes.

In her right hand was a double-edged blade.

In her left hand was a pair of balance scales.

A pair of stone pillars stood behind her with a dull cloth filling the gap in between.

Card number XI.

My eyes fell to the bottom of the card.

There, its name stood out in a proud uppercase font.

"Oh. I didn't expect that to come from you, but I guess it makes sense."

Emir spoke to me in a lighthearted voice.

"You picked Justice."

Justice.

That was my "birth card".

To be honest, I don't know what I had expected.

Due to my own lack of interest, I'm not even aware of what half of these 'Major Arcana' cards are called.

But, whatever the case.

Justice.

That was perhaps the card I had least expected to see.

"What does it mean?"

I asked Emir, but his answer was ambiguous.

"Well, it could mean a number of things. For someone like you, I can certainly imagine what it means without using my power, but I'll do it anyway."

Someone like me.

Justice.

"..."

It clicked.

I could already tell what he was about to tell me without needing to hear it.

And it definitely wasn't something positive.

"Hmm... I see. Yeah, it's about what I expected."

It wasn't a good sign, but there was no choice but to listen.

After all, I had already picked the card.

There was no going back now.

"Cipher."

Shifting his tone to a much more sombre one, Emir called my name.

"Since you were born, you were destined to face judgement."

His words were simple.

It was an easy thing to understand.

But, nevertheless.

That.

What is that?

Are you fucking joking?

Emir shook his head.

"No, it could even be said that your existence was created merely to serve as a recipient of justice."

His face displayed emotions of pity.

As if he thought it was something sad.

"To be honest, this card doesn't usually have such a vicious, cruel meaning."

"But, I'm one hundred per cent sure."

"This is what it's trying to say about you."

"'You will face judgement'."

"'You will face retribution'."

"Without a doubt."

"To serve as an opposition to justice."

"To serve as an opposition to what is right."

"Justice."

"This is the fate the world has bestowed upon you."

"This is the purpose of your existence."

Not just me, but everyone fell silent at Emir's words that sounded cold.

Could fate be such a thing?

Could my existence sum up to merely that?

A tool to showcase such nonsense?

Is that all I was?

"Uh, I'm sorry if I sounded mean-spirited or anything. I didn't intend to; I was just trying to relay what I saw in the most accurate way possible..."

Perhaps feeling awkward in the quiet atmosphere, Emir apologised.

It's fine.

I didn't intend to punish him.

It's not his fault the world sees me this way.

But, is it right?

Is it fair?

No, of course it isn't.

The world.

Why would it give me Truth?

Why would it give me the twins?

Why would it give me Sophie?

Why would it give me Minami, Selina, or even Emir?

All of what I have.

Everything I possess and everything I have otherwise gained or acquired.

Why would it give these things to me if I am destined to have them taken away?

Why would it bestow upon me the life I have now?

Why?

Is it to teach a lesson?

Teaching a lesson to whom?

Is it to prove the power of justice?

Proving it to whom?

Is it just to torment me?

For whose entertainment?

The world.

What kind of bullshit is it getting up to?

There are too many loose ends.

Too many unexplained details.

"Emir."

I called him.

"Y-yes?"

With an expression of indifference, there was no way he could tell what I was thinking, so he must have been reasonably anxious about how I was feeling or what I might do.

But, there was no need to worry.

Because you are not the one I feel indignation towards.

You are not the one who deserves resentment.

But, at the same time.

This unfair treatment towards me.

This fate couldn't possibly be called justice.

And thus.

"Tell me my fortune in as detailed a manner as you can."

I would not take this sitting down.