My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

Judging from the high-ranking insignia showcased proudly on his helmet and chestplate, the man at the front of the group was clearly the head of this whole operation.

"Slowly and without resistance, you will move your hands into the air, your palms facing outward."

Staring at him for a moment, I felt like I could see the expression behind his mask.

"You have five seconds."

This guy...

"I will not hesitate to give everyone here the order to kill you on sight if you fail to comply."

―He wasn't lying.

"You will come with us quietly and peacefully. 5..."

As a senior official of the Order, he wouldn't come under flak for killing me if that was the necessary decision.

"4..."

He could very well pull the trigger right now and be done with it.

"3..."

Shooting me in the head or chest would not hinder him in the slightest.

"2..."

At most, the other officials would probably regret going so easy on me earlier on.

"1..."

Unlike the Wardens, the Order doesn't 'need' me, after all.

"0... This is your last chance."

So long as they stop someone else from having me, they'll be satisfied enough.

"Haa... Fine, fine. I'll do it."

Letting loose an exaggerated sigh, I did as he said and surrendered.

Looks like I have no choice in the matter anyhow.

"There, you happy? Ryuu Kishigami."

Not giving a hint of a reaction to my announcing his full name, he ignored me and simply nodded his head towards some of his subordinates.

"Ah, really...? You're doing this?"

The grunts who approached me started to pat me down and remove almost all of the hidden gear on my body.

"You know we have no choice but to do this. You are far too dangerous of an entity for us to allow even the smallest opportunity of escape."

Damn.

The lower-ranking guys certainly didn't seem to have the same mindset. Was this guy the only brain in the entire Order or something?

"Woah. What are you doing? Get away from my mo--mphf!"

Shoving his tactical glove-protected hand into my mouth to remove the ampoules of liquid I had stashed away, I felt as if I had just been violated.

And that wasn't even the worst of it.

"...Ah, shit. Hey, hey? Where do you think you're touching now, pal?"

Suddenly, one of the grunts began to strip me down and search my bare skin.

The other grabbed my arms, locking them behind my back in some sort of unusual metal restraint.

"Fuck, this is sexual harrassment, man. You ever heard of personal space?"

When they were finished, I was stark naked and left with absolutely nothing on me.

Ah, actually, that's wrong; after confiscating my detonator, they gave me back my underwear, but still.

"Nothing left, sir."

The two reported to Ryuu Kishigami and returned to their positions.

"Good work."

"The hell do you mean, 'good work'? Give me my clothes back."

I'm not an exhibitionist, you know? I don't enjoy being humiliated like this in front of all these people.

"This is a necessary procedure. What use is there for something like you to have clothes anyway? Only people wear clothing."

"I'm a person too, you know? It's not like I'm asking for a full suit or anything, just give me something a little more than just this. Honestly, I'll be fine if I at least have some rags or something."

"Monsters don't wear clothing. If you keep complaining, I'll take what you still have away from you too. Now, you will follow us with compliance and passivity. There will be no further nonsense."

At his signal, some more grunts came over and―after covering my eyes with a blindfold, ears with plugs, and mouth with a gag―grabbed me by the shoulders and legs, carrying me along as the entire squadron moved briskly.

En route, I'm pretty sure they even drugged me with some kind of anaesthetic opioid to take away my sense of feeling.

Eventually, left alone in this uncomfortable limbo, all I had was my own thoughts.

...Well, shit.

This was one hell of a predicament.

Even the Wardens would never treat me so inhumanely.

No, but maybe that's part of the reason why I could escape them in the first place.

The Order is just plain evil.

How could they do such monstrous things?

If it was going to be like this, then I'd rather go back to the Wardens' Playground.

At least they treated me with a minimum level of respect in that place and allowed me a certain level of free will.

But this?

This is simply torture.

If I were any other person, I may as well want to commit suicide in this situation.

Fortunately, I don't see the need to do that.

―I was prepared for this from the very beginning, after all.

❖─────❖─────❖

I woke up in a dark room.

Apparently, they injected me with a sedative at some point as well.

How long was I out for?

「Three hours」

I see.

At least not that much time has passed, but it already won't be long now until... Well, that's fine; the sooner, the better, anyway.

My restrained, blindfolded and gagged condition had not changed at all, but at least the anaesthetic had worn off, so I could feel the cold and metallic harshness of the floor on which I lay.

My ankles were now also restrained in addition to my arms.

The slight sore patches in various locations across my body indicated that I was bruised from the rough treatment on the journey, but it didn't matter.

Struggling to raise myself to a sitting position from a foetal one, I wanted to sigh because of my poor state.

Of course, I was denied even that minuscule amount of freedom.

Grumble~

See? Even my stomach is upset. I haven't been able to eat anything since this morning.

Damn.

I would kill for one of those sandwiches or even just a rice ball right about now.

Kachunk-!

Suddenly, I heard the dull noise of the room's heavy-duty door being unlocked.

Krrrrr-!

It opened with an awful grating sound before two separate pairs of footsteps entered; a heavier one and a lighter one.

One of them spoke as he laid eyes on me.

"Oh, you're up just in time, eh? Cheeky bastard."

This person was not Ryuu Kishigami.

Neither of these people were, however I imagine he will soon join us.

Still.

How bold of him―to leave me alone in a room with two grunts.

No matter how confident they may be that I am powerless, is there no end to the Order's naïvety?

Well, I suppose they were right to be that self-assured in this case.

I genuinely can't do anything, after all.

Within this tiny, steel-like box of a room secured with multiple layers of bolts, latches and seals; I, who was almost fully restrained, was trapped.

In what was perhaps the most helpless state I had ever been―how was I planning on escaping?

Well...

―The truth is, I wasn't.