My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

"Oh, of course! Miyu, I only want to let you know that I'm being genuine here. You don't have to ask any questions if you don't want to, and I certainly don't mean to force you in any way!"

Raising my body and arms awkwardly because of my heavily-restricted conditions, I tried to show to her that I was on her side.

Which, if you think about it, I kind of was.

I mean, she was innocent here, and so was I.

"I apologise sincerely if it came across the wrong way, Miyu. Honestly."

She was tricked by the Order into thinking she was committing evil deeds for the betterment of the world, which, of course, was not the reality―and I was kidnapped by the Order when I had done nothing wrong!

"Y-you... Why are you doing this...? Why... Is this happening...?"

Holding her head in her hands, Miyu's inner turmoil seemed to be catching up to her.

"Ugh... You're supposed to be the bad guy here, so what's... What's going on...?"

Hearing her words, my brows furrowed; after a moment, I muttered.

"Bad guy... I told you before, but I'm a victim here, just like you...! I just... Want to live a normal life, you know?"

"...A normal life...? Wh-what... Exactly, do you mean...?"

Widening her eyes in shock as she stared at me, Miyu asked for me to elaborate.

I started by calling her name.

"Miyu... Do you know what it's like to live your life like a caged bird...? There's so many things in the world that I have never been able to experience until recently; that I only now have access to... These guys, are you really going to believe them so credulously when they say that it's 'for the good of the world' to deny me from having even such a pittance of freedom?"

Of course――how could my lack of freedom be beneficial for the world?

It was simply a ridiculous and utterly nonsensical notion used as propaganda by these malicious organisations who sought to take advantage of me.

"I..."

She seemed speechless for a while after my words; after staying quiet for a brief yet lengthy few moments, she broke the silence.

"...I'm sorry... I... I didn't realise..."

I shook my head.

"It's okay... At least you understand now... As long as someone understands..."

The room had descended into yet another lull, and just as she had done the previous time, Miyu was the one to speak first again.

"...My brother; my little brother, he... He was... 'Diagnosed', not that long ago..."

All of a sudden, she started talking about something unrelated with a choked-up voice.

"Even the doctors weren't certain, but... If it's okay, could you... Even though it's hard... Can you... Please―tell me how much longer he has."

She looked me in the eyes and requested such of me.

"Of course I can, but that's... Are you sure it's something you want to hear...?"

Something like that―although it may be for the best to hear it and know it so that you can make the most of the short time left, many would consider it something surprisingly unbearable.

Of course, the positives of hearing the answer far outweigh the negatives of hearing it, but if the recipient is a weak person, then it might only backfire.

However, seemingly having steeled her resolve, at least for the moment, Miyu firmly nodded her head with determination.

Well, if you say so.

"Alright then... 4 months."

She didn't respond after I answered her question, only biting her lips as she stood there.

I waited briefly before speaking again.

"...Do you want to ask something else? I don't mind..."

This time, it didn't take long at all for her to acquiesce.

You see, mentally, once the first barrier has been crossed, it becomes successively and exponentially easier to cross the second, third, fourth, and so on barriers.

This goes for almost everything in life.

It's always the first step that is the hardest, but once that has been taken, everything that comes next becomes nothing in comparison.

That initial push is sometimes all that is needed to become the catalyst for something great.

It was just a part of human nature.

"...Okay... Then... Is it true that there's... No cure?"

Now that Miyu had asked the first question after great hesitation, and received a straightforward answer, she had consequently realised that the matter of asking a question was no big deal in hindsight.

It was a trivial action, but she had only realised that belatedly.

And now that she realises that, what reason is there for her to not ask a second question? Especially when I already gave her the go-ahead.

From her perspective, there are only reasons to ask and none for the contrary.

Her superiors in the Order told her not to?

Who cares?

She only took the job temporarily because the pay was high anyway, and if she can potentially save her little brother's life by asking me a couple of harmless questions, then why should she not?

After all, nothing bad is going to come of asking a couple questions.

In return, there's the chance a beloved human life may be saved.

That's the reason she took the job in the first place.

It was a no-brainer, really.

"There is a cure."

Of course, her little brother, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness, could not be cured.

If he could, then it wouldn't be very terminal, now would it?

That's not to say that there doesn't exist a cure―just that he won't be able to receive it.

Obviously, I may be able to grant them that cure, but I'm not a saint nor a philanthropist, so what reason is there for me expend all that effort just to do that?

Still, all she asked was whether or not there was a cure, so, technically, it's not like I was lying.

"R-really?! W-what is it?! You have to tell me...!"

Apparently, my response was not expected, as she immediately began to shake my shoulders and shout at me for more details.

"Woah...!? H-hey, hey, calm down for a second...!"

I, who couldn't resist in my current state, rattled around like a bloody milkshake.

"O-oh! S-Sorry, I-I just..."

Coming to her senses, Miyu calmed herself and apologised.

"Ugh, it's okay, don't worry... Ow..."

"Uuu, I'm really sorry..."

"No, no, oof, I understand... You care for your family, is all."

"That's right..."

What a foolish woman.

Thinking that she had actually unintentionally hurt me, she still felt guilty about her thoughtless actions, but that was only beneficial to me.

The thing she cared about the most―her family. More than that, her hospitalised little brother.

For people like her, who have a critical weakness like that, manipulating them to your advantage was effortless.

"...Um, excuse me..."

With a bitter smile, I opened my mouth after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"...I'll tell you what the cure is, but before that, could I please ask you to do something...?"

Gesturing with my head towards my ankles and arms, I requested something unreasonable.

"...They're really uncomfortable and I think I might've torn a ligament somewhere..."

Pay attention.

"――So, do you think you could remove them for me...?"

This is how you use knowledge as bait.