My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

Lunchtime.

Click-!

Standing on the rooftop, I closed the door behind me.

Looking ahead, I saw a tanned girl with blonde hair and an impressive array of accessories such as bracelets, earrings and piercings, her school uniform creatively altered to perhaps exhibit more skin than was typical.

―3-A's Sophie Asanami.

I had never interacted with her before, nor with any of the other students in Class A for that matter, but the fact she decided to contact me now is very telling.

I doubted that this highly coincidental timing was mere happenstance.

"You came, huh? Looks like I was right."

Sophie opened her mouth, beginning to speak with mannerisms befitting her "gyaru-type" character.

Or at least, that's the term I heard my classmates use when describing her.

...Is 'gyaru' the correct term?

「Gyaru; refers to the fashion and social subcultures of girls and young women who follow or adopt particular appearance styles, including but not limited to: clothes, hair, makeup, accessories, and activities. In the case of the individual 'Sophie Asanami', any of the following terms: 'gyaru', 'kogal', or 'gal girl', could indeed be considered to be correct」

Right.

I don't really understand, but whatever.

"What were you right about?" I casually asked.

Shortening the gap between us, she slowly strode towards me.

"This is our first time talking, right, but I've heard some things about ya, y'know?"

She stopped, her makeup-veiled face pausing not far in front of my own. My eyes dartied to the dangling of the hoop earrings she wore as they jingled on the side of her head.

"Am I wrong? Mr know-it-all."

Inside the letter she left in my locker, Sophie wrote something along the lines of 'Concept of Truth. You know when and where to meet me.'

Of course, her pretensions were appropriate―I suppose a natural conclusion pertaining to her having accessed the related knowledge prior. However, I do not think she is fully confident in herself.

Otherwise, there would have been no need for the slight surprise she had muttered to herself when I arrived on the rooftop.

Isn't that right?

「Yes. The individual 'Sophie Asanami' is not entirely assured in the knowledge about you she possesses, however, she carries a certain amount of reasonable confidence in what she has gathered」

Of course, I already knew that the reason for this was that her knowledge of me was something she obtained primarily through rumours and hear-say.

The fact that she could obtain knowledge of the Concepts, including knowledge about Truth, the one I possess, and the fact that I was the owner of it, through nothing but rumours and eavesdropping, was―needless to say―rather disconcerting to hear.

And yet, it was actually rather accurate information for the most part.

I don't think I need to explain how that would only be possible if you are in a position very close to the source of such information.

"Well, I don't know about that. I wonder what sorts of things you've heard? I hope it's nothing bad."

It was a particularly pitiful attempt at feigning ignorance, but I didn't want to rush things too much.

Naturally, I was well aware what kinds of things Sophie has heard about me, as well as what she hopes to achieve from meeting me here.

"Ahh, tch tch. Don't you, like, already know that kinda stuff? You don't need to pretend to be someone else in front of me, 'Oscar-kun'~"

For some reason, she had a smirk on her face as she wagged her finger and spoke as if she knew who I really was.

"I'm not sure what you mean. I'm just being myself?"

Well, she didn't have enough information to know what I was really like, at the very least, so I knew she wouldn't be able to prove me wrong.

Any attempt to do so would be no more than a bluff, and bluffs are pointless against me.

"Ah, jeez~ If you're gonna be like that, then at least, like, stop making me question myself by acting completely different from what I heard."

I don't see how that's my problem, but sure.

"Just tell me what you want. I've got lunch to eat." Raising my bag so she could see, I only intended for her to recognise the significance of the situation.

However...

"Lunch?"

Sophie snatched the bag from my hands and opened it in front of me, pulling out the lunch box within.

"Ooh~! Is this tempura? Smells delish~ Ah! Ya even got ramen!? How'd ya keep ramen so hot in this thing?!"

"..."

Shoving her hands into my large, thermal lunch box, she began to list everything I was planning to eat, naming them one-by-one.

Alright, that was enough.

"Tell me what you want."

"Mh? Ah, but, like, what's the point since you already know?"

Was it because she was still having doubts whether I was truly who she thought I was or not? She basically ignored me and continued ransacking my lunch in front of my eyes as she waited for my response.

You want me to move first in order to prove that I am who you think I am, huh.

Aren't you the one who is requesting for help, though?

"Why should I help you? I don't see what I stand to gain from it."

In fact, there were a few things I could benefit from, but I needed her to be the one to say what she could provide first.

"Ah, right... Well, I know that you're in opposition with my dad. I'll help you as much as you want with regards to that if you help me with this thing."

Sophie Asanami's father―Kazuki Asanami, or Professor Asanami as I knew him. His position as one of the higher-ups of the Wardens means that Sophie's position, as his sole daughter, is also fairly high within the organisation.

That's how she was able to gather such information about me without having to dig too far deep into it.

If someone like her became my subordinate... Not only will the power of my forces skyrocket, but I'll receive an immensely useful pawn to utilise when it comes to dealing with the Wardens.

It was certainly not something I could easily refuse, and was in fact the thing I was hoping she would propose to me in the first place.

I knew from past experience that Kazuki became reluctant to involve his family in the Wardens' matters due to an incident that occurred in one of the other branches―The Concept of Space went on a rampage after an experiment using his power went wrong, resulting in the accidental death of Kazuki's spouse, Sophie's mother.

"No, not just that; I'll do anything you want if you help me, whether it's taking my dad's business down or whatever the hell."

Because of that unfortunate incident which occurred a few years prior to my escape from the Wardens, Sophie's wish is simple.

"I want you to help me kill that fucker, the Concept of Space."

―To avenge her mother.