My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

Chapter 156: 150: Characters in a Novel

The world was not real.

It did not truly exist in reality and was merely a fictional piece devised by a singular, transcendental entity for the purpose of entertainment.

I could tell just by looking at the twins' expressionless faces that they were concerned.

Recalling what I had done to cheer up Ruti in my memories, I placed a hand on each of the girls' heads as I usually do and spoke in a soft voice.

"Don't worry."

To Sana and Sona, who had no one to rely on but me, that's all I needed to say to ease their hearts.

But, something was strange.

For some reason, the soothing feeling I've been recently experiencing whenever I stroked the twins' heads has changed after having my memories returned.

Slowly, it dissipated, and now, other than the blunt warmth emanating from their bodies, I felt nothing.

"..."

Was it because they were unsettled?

No...

I glanced at the two, but they didn't seem any different externally. I also knew that nothing could have happened in the brief time I was unconscious to warrant such a drastic change in my impression.

So, I was confused.

It didn't feel like anything changed other than my memories, so why...

Had something happened after I woke up? I had only been awake for about fifteen minutes now, but nothing should have...

I quietly reflected on the events of the past quarter-hour.

After recovering my memories, I reviewed and contemplated them momentarily before the twins returned. Ignoring the fact that they rummaged through a stranger's kitchen for food without permission, there was nothing inherently odd about anything so far...

Next, all I did was tell the girls about our next goal since I decided to share everything with them and reinforce their loyalty, but...

'What will you do now?'

Sana's words... Now that I think about it, that was out of the ordinary.

Usually, the language she would use there would either be addressing me as 'Ciphy', or speaking in a collective 'our' sense.

However... It might sound unnecessarily paranoid, and perhaps slightly delusional, but I am certain.

Not just Sana, but Sona also wouldn't use the word 'you' when addressing me directly.

There have been a few instances where they have, but not once since revealing everything to them have they spoken so rudely unabashed.

Of course, I could very well be overthinking it, and that's likely to be the case.

After all, even if they did speak rudely, it's not like I care.

It's just... something about it seems off.

And then, their insistence on me telling them what happened in my memories; their persistent urging for me to tell them right now and strong opposition to waiting until we got home.

But, even then, why on Earth...

Turning my head down, my gaze met those of the twins, who looked up at me.

I noticed the look in their eyes was something I hadn't ever seen before.

My eyes widened.

"...Sana, Sona. Are you...?"

The image of a girl with yellow hair and amber eyes overlapped with the two once more, her eyes glistening with a reflective sheen.

For the first time that I had ever seen.

The twins.

Drip.

""Ciphy...""

They were cryi--

""We're... Sorry...""

All of a sudden, my vision shook.

"Huh...?"

Rumblee-!!

No, it wasn't my vision that shook, but the world itself?Michael Guff's house was quaking violently. I cast a quick glance at the owner, but he remained unconscious in his chair... No, he wasn't unconscious.

I don't know when it happened, or how, but Michael Guff was dead.

Hurriedly, I looked at the twins.

"What's going on?"

""...""

They didn't reply, and evidently couldn't even meet my eyes as they only stood with their heads lowered.

Just as I was about to come to my senses and ask Truth?the rumbling stopped. With bated breath, I didn't know what to do in this abrupt situation, but the world didn't wait for me to catch up.

Riiiip~!

Subconsciously, a chill ran down my spine as the sound of something being viciously torn apart reverberated, almost to the point of shattering my eardrums.

Not because I was afraid, but because I could recognise the source of the sound within an instant.

At that moment, a possibility flickered in the back of my mind. Reflexively, I glanced at the twins with abnormal eyes.

Don't tell me... No... It couldn't be.

"Cipher!"

A familiar voice entered my ears with a shout. Turning my head, I saw an equally familiar, detestable face.

"...Kiryuuin."

I didn't need to bother asking where he came from since beside him stood both Saburou and Araceli Arévalo as they entered the living room bearing stern looks.

And then, someone unexpected.

"Yuu Shimura? What's going on here?"

My classmate who I hadn't spoken to in a couple of weeks now, as well as the person I had referred to during my research of Measurement evolution.

There was no reason for someone like that to be here, at least ordinarily.

"Itou... I heard everything."

What?

"What are you talking abou--"

"No, what are 'you' talking about?"

Another familiar voice interrupted me.

Except, this person...

It was a person who shouldn't be here no matter what.

"...Sophie... Asanami...?"

My eyes widened even further at the emergence of the tan-skinned, blonde-dyed girl with too many accessories who stepped up to Araceli's side and glared at me.

"That's right, I'm here, so what? Listen to me for once, you punk. We heard what your goal is; you wanna destroy the world, right? Damn lofty if you ask me, but anyway, what kind of asshole do you think you are?"

"Listen, I didn't wanna believe it, even after everythin' you did that pissed me the fuck off, but I still wanted to believe you wouldn't be so batshit insane. Like, my god, what are you even doing anymore?"

"End the world? What the fuck is wrong with you? How 'bout you just go back to your roots and stick to pushin' me off the school roof like a psycho, huh? What's this nonsense about destroying the world, seriously?"

?

I knew she didn't understand from our arguments a while ago, but she was still going on about it? Why would she ask something so absurd?

"...What am I doing? What am I doing...?"

Of course, the answer...

"It's not real. None of it matters. Everything in this world, it's all fake... You're all made-up characters, the lot of you..." your-chapter-source

The only thing that mattered was what truly existed, but here, nothing was like that.

They would come to realise it eventually.

Everyone will have no choice but to confront the truth eventually, just as I have done.

Alas, perhaps the timing was premature, Sophie grimaced when faced with the harsh reality of my words, unable to accept the truth.

"You're fucking insane..."

"Um, I don't think there was a need to be that harsh about it, but..."

Then, Kiryuuin's voice followed and pierced my ears like a bell.

"This is the end, Cipher."

Hearing his words clearer than ever before, my expression warped.

"...Hah?"

The moment I recovered my memories.

The moment the mystery was finally revealed.

And the moment I figured out what must be done.

You're telling me the end is now?

...

"You must be joking?"

I could never take something like that seriously.

A threat spoken by someone who didn't actually exist in reality; why would I take something like that seriously?

Calling me insane...

You just want to deny the truth in front of your eyes.

Turning my head, I called out for my most trusted allies?my ultimate weapons.

"Girls-- huh?"

Before I could even issue a command, however, my face fell.

...What?

Sana and Sona, they...

Why...

Why were they...

"I told you, Cipher. Things will end here."

"..."

Why were they standing on the enemies' side...?

'We're... Sorry...'

Staring blankly at the backs of their heads as they looked at nothing but the ground at their feet beside Araceli, Kiryuuin and the others, their previous apology rang in my ears.

...Bullshit.

This makes no sense.

If you were truly sorry, you would never have stabbed me in the back like this.

You people?you're all nothing more than fictional beings with no real substance.

You have no real emotions, no free will.

Thinking of it like that, everything clicked.

"Ah..."

I see now.

Regaining my memories.

Sophie's turning.

The twins' betrayal.

This whole event...

It was scripted from the very beginning.

...In that case, there was only one thing I could do.

As I reached my hand into the interior of my coat, Saburou called out.

"Don't bother pulling out a gun, you son of a bitch. Why are you even resisting at this point? We all know something like that is useless."

Hearing the lines of scripted dialogue flow into my ears, for some reason, I felt refreshed.

He doesn't know.

I cracked a smile, my face still distorted.

"Haha. This isn't a gun or a weapon, but something far greater, you know?"

Pulling a small vial from my coat's interior pocket, Saburou frowned. There were only two characters here who knew what it was.

""...!""

The twins' eyes widened, but before they could tell anyone to stop me, I quickly downed the bizarre purple liquid that was no more than a shot.

It was none other than my unfinished Measurement evolution inducement drug.

"Ngh...!"

No less than a second after taking it, I fell to one knee and clutched my chest with a groan.

It hurt.

It hurt like hell.

It was indescribable; the closest thing I could compare it to was as if a miniature nuclear bomb had gone off in the centre of my chest, obliterating my insides.

"Cough-!"

I coughed blood, staining the ground and reminding me of the final moments from my recovered memories.

""Ciphy...!""

"I-Itou!"

"...!?"

Before I knew it, they had come rushing to my side as I inevitably collapsed to both of my knees.

Sana, Sona.

Yuu Shimura.

Sophie Asanami.

Despite opposing me, they acted as if they cared...?

It was laughable, but when I thought about how they weren't even real, it began to make more sense.

"What did you just take?!" Saburou ran over and screamed.

"Kh... Kuhaha-- Ngh-!"

I tried to laugh at him, but the destructive chaos inside me continued to grow.

Unable to endure by gritting my teeth I panted deep, heavy breaths and my quivering pupils disproportionately blurred as the sensation of something burning within me only intensified.

The Measurement evolution drug was yet to be unfinished, so I had expected something unpleasant, but was it supposed to be to this extent?

I instinctively felt that, if things continued as they were, I would soon meet a worse fate than even Liam Chiba-Wallace.

I thought what I had created was stable, but was I wrong?

No, I couldn't be.

Truth confirmed it, after all.

So, I just need to hold on, and things will turn in my favour.

Just think.

This world is fake.

Everything within it is fake.

Truth confirmed it, so I know it's true, but more than that, what was shown to me on that day is something my eyes can never unsee.

If everything is fake, that means nothing is real.

And if nothing is real, that means this pain, too, isn't real.

So, why am I even struggling?

My pain is not real. It does not exist.

So, get yourself together.

Set yourself straight and look at reality for what it is.

Look at it?look at the truth.

See it with your eyes, hear it with your ears, and feel it with every atom in your body.

Cipher.

And then.

"..."

Just like that.

All pain in my body ceased in an instant.

"Ciphy...?"

Like deja vu, a child worriedly called me by a cutesy nickname, but I didn't respond.

Without a word, I raised my body and looked at one man in front of me.

There were others around me?those who seemingly cared about my being in pain just moments prior and those who didn't?but I paid attention to none of them.

Just like on that day.

Looking that one person in the eyes, my lips coldly curled into a smile.

"...Saburou. Yuu. I don't think we have much time."

Eyeing me cautiously, Kiryuuin gulped and said to two of the people near me. At that, they nodded and stood on either side.

Saburou raised his voice to the other.

"Hey, you remember what to do, right?"

Yuu nodded. "Yes. I'm nervous, but... Just like we practised."

"Good."

All of a sudden, despite being indoors, a breeze began to pick up as pressure started building in the atmosphere. It grew stronger and quickly became a violent gale, clawing and tearing down even the sturdy walls of the deceased Michael Guff's mansion.

"..."

I stood there, watching the house being destroyed all around me with a now-indifferent expression.

Did they simply stop caring for property damage, or were they just that hell-bent on subduing me? I thought they were supposed to be opposed to committing crimes.

Truth didn't answer my question, probably because he's recovering after going through a lot of stress from the drug, but it was rhetorical anyway.

Ignoring it, I watched them with intrigue.

Unusually, I wasn't worried about being captured or anything, and contrary to the looks on their faces, I felt no tension.

"I'm finished! What about you?!"

"I'm done too! You can go now, Saburou!"

Suddenly, Yuu shouted to Kiryuuin, who yelled back. In response, Saburou, who caused the abrupt tempest and total destruction of the house, whipped his hand.

Riiiiip-!!

Following his action, a giant rift in space was torn right in front of my eyes, the sound obliterating my eardrums and stealing my ability to hear.

...It hurts.

What?

I thought to myself.

The pain doesn't exist.

My ears are fine.

Woosh-!

All of a sudden, my ears were restored to normal as if nothing had happened, and I could hear the rushing of the wind around me, flapping my clothes wildly.

"Hmm..."

I hummed with curiosity as I watched the pitiful actions of Kiryuuin, Yuu and Saburou as they worked together on something I had never seen or heard of before.

The mountainous pressure weighing on my shoulders from the absurdly heavy atmosphere was phenomenal; ordinarily, I would probably be forced to the ground with no room for resistance, but now, it was as if nothing was wrong.

I don't know what they were doing, but it couldn't stop me now.

There was no hope for them, and I had full confidence in that, so I continued to observe.

"It's complete!"

Having torn an impossibly huge hole in the fabric of space, Saburou shouted and wiped the pouring sweat from his brow as the tempestuous winds swirling around soon died down.

No, it wasn't just him; all three of them were drenched as if they had used all of their power for this one move.

In front of me, I stared at the results of their three-man-combination.

"..."

Through that hole in space, I could see something incomprehensible.

It wasn't just the black nothingness like the void that I usually saw whenever Saburou used his power.

Instead, it was as if a gateway to another world had been opened.

I felt an immense pressure radiating from the portal-like object, and to be honest, it was quite remarkable that I even took a few moments to process what had happened.

Amazing...

It was commendable, indeed.

However--

"Now get in there, you damn know-it-all bastard!"

...Huh?

Without warning, I felt an impact on my back as my body started flying forward, towards the portal.

"?And only come back when you gain some sanity!"

What...?

No, wait--

Vhwumm~!

Thud!

A strange sound was heard as I crashed onto the ground. Immediately raising myself up, I turned back towards the portal but it had already vanished.

"..."

Before I knew it, I found myself in another world.

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(Volume 4 END)