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"Ah, welcome!"

Before long, the door opened; a chestnut-haired girl revealed herself from inside, clad in casual clothes.

Ushering me in with a brief greeting, I closed the door behind me as Ella Chiba-Wallace walked through the entrance corridor, her indoor slippers making a smacking sound on the wooden floor with every step.

Approaching the stairs to the upper floor as I took my shoes off by the door, she leaned her head up the staircase and raised her voice.

"Liam! He\'s here!"

Thud-!

There was a heavy thud on the floor above us as if something had fallen over, and then a smaller voice called out.

"Coming...!"

Ella chuckled and asked me.

"Would you like something to drink? We\'ve got snacks, too."

I thought about it, but I had already eaten before going out, so there was no real need. If anything, the cold weather and harsh winds outside dried my lips and so my thirst was slightly parched.

"I\'ll brew you some tea, so feel free to take a seat in here."

Leading me into the main room of the relatively small house, she said as much. The main living area was quite a bit larger than one might expect, but that was primarily because the living room and the kitchen were combined into a singular room.

So, as I took a seat on one of the cushions beside the coffee table, I quietly watched her on the other side of the room; she started by boiling the kettle and collecting a few dried tea leaves.

Silence passed between us for a moment as only the harrowed screaming of the tempered kettle could be heard throughout the house, but the atmosphere was not an awkward one.

It was a sudden and rather strange situation, so my thoughts naturally wandered as to why I had ended up here.

I thought about why I came to this place.

It was not to tutor someone or to have tea brewed for me. I could do that at home if I so desired.

My reason was to meet this person\'s younger brother. Why?

Because he possessed something called the Measurement of Luck. In other words, he could measure the luck of a person in his sight.

I wasn\'t sure if his Measurement\'s definition of \'luck\' differed from my own, but I was certain there was more to it than simply looking at someone and determining \'lucky\' or \'unlucky\'.

Whatever the case, if I could establish a long-lasting positive relationship, it would allow me to keep an eye on his ability. Why do I want to do such a thing?

Because, somehow, I want it to evolve.

If the ability to \'measure luck\' somehow evolves, then the possibility of \'manipulating luck\' should also be within my grasp.

Just as Avon Laura\'s ability to \'see destiny\' once evolved to become able to \'choose destiny\', I want Liam Chiba-Wallace\'s Measurement to evolve in a similar way.

It should be possible.

It is only hypothetical, but there is no reason for why it should not be possible.

And so, I will make it possible.

The conditions for a Measurement to evolve, as I have mentioned previously, are bewildering and unpredictable.

In some cases, they can evolve under stress, in others, enlightenment, and in others, death.

There is precedent for all kinds of cases, so nothing is certain about how a Measurement evolves.

There is also nothing certain about how many times it may evolve, when, or in what way.

What is certain, however, is this:

Measurements have the potential to evolve.

Therefore, since it is possible, although the way to do it is unknown even to me, I will do it.

"Here. I hope it\'s to your liking."

Tap.

"Thanks."

Setting the cup down on a coaster on the coffee table in front of me as well as one on her side, she went over to the refrigerator and took out a carton of apple juice before returning.

Bringing the cup to my mouth, the scent of herbs naturally wafted into my nostrils. Taking a sip, a similar taste filled my mouth and ran down my throat.

Seeing her just watch me without drinking any herself, I began to feel a sense of awkwardness, and the slightly anxious smile on her face tensed when I gazed at her.

"It\'s good."

Placing the cup down, I swallowed and told her, upon which she seemed to lightly breathe out in relief.

"Thank you very much..."

Thump thump thump thump-!

Just as she brought her own cup up to her lips to drink, a repeated stomping sound was heard from upstairs as a boy appeared jumping from the staircase.

Quickly putting her drink down and turning her head to the boy with a glare, Ella Chiba-Wallace scolded him.

"Liam! What did I say about running and jumping around inside!? You\'re not a rabbit, are you!?"

"Ah! But, I hurried to meet my teacher!"

A half-apologetic and half-distraught look on his face, as if something terrible had occurred, Liam ran before Ella could catch him and hid behind the door.

"..."

Watching the two scuffle, it seemed that we three were the only ones in the house. I recall her mentioning the other day that her parents would be out, meaning she would be in charge of looking after her brother.

Is that why she appeared so surprisingly cheerful when I mentioned only being able to come on the weekends?

Because she thought I\'d be able to relieve some of the burden of looking after her brother?

[Yes]

Huh.

"Haa, alright, that\'s enough. Not in front of our guest. Now sit down. Look, I\'ve already prepared your juice."

With a stern voice to tell him off, Liam eventually sat down on the left side of the coffee table, between me and Ella at each end.

"Hello!"

"..."

Sitting with crossed legs on the puffy cushion, he grabbed his feet and leaned back as he greeted me with a look of deep intrigue.

His gaze, as if the purpose of which was to dig down into my soul itself, seemed to penetrate my eyes.

Ella Chiba-Wallace watched the two of us with folded arms as if it couldn\'t be helped.

From that, I assumed it was something that happened every time the boy met someone new.

"Hmm..."

Delving deep into the essence of my character, he hummed and mumbled.

"..."

...This boy.

"Hey."

Without having to ask, I could sense it.

"Hmm... Yeah?"

He saw something.

"What are you looking at?"

So, I asked him.

What did he see that intrigued him so?

His reaction was both about what I expected and not what I expected, so I was curious.

Instead of answering immediately, he moved his hands towards the juice box in front of him. I quietly watched as the boy unwrapped the plastic straw, stuck it in the hole at the top, and drank some of the contents within; evidently sweet-tasting from the satisfied look on his face.

"Haa."

With a refreshed gulp of air after finally removing the straw from his mouth, he held the carton of juice in his hand and said something to me.

"Umm..." He began with a curious hum as he put the juice on the coffee table, looking up towards the ceiling as he thought about something.

Then, turning his gaze back to me as if he finally thought about what he wanted to say, his look gradually transformed into one of wonder.

"Mister, I don\'t know how you\'ve come this far, to be honest."

He began with a peculiar statement.

How I came this far?

What on Earth was that supposed to mean?

I wanted him, the one who could see such a thing directly and with his own eyes, to tell me the truth.

So, I stared at him inquisitively, and he stared at me with marvel in turn.

"My sister told you about my Measurement, didn\'t she? That I can see people\'s luck."

Everyone nodded.

The truth was, Ella was extremely proud of her brother\'s ability, even if it didn\'t seem like much on the surface. Mostly because it was at least something mentionable in a conversation, it had a kind of value no matter how slim.

Better than the majority\'s, at least.

"Basically, it\'s not exactly that. I\'m not that smart, so I don\'t know how to explain it other than just the word \'luck\', but..."

Ending his sentence prematurely, the boy sighed through closed lips as he looked at me.

"Don\'t worry about it. Just tell me."

Scratching his head, he seemed hesitant to say whatever was on his mind, so I prompted him.

"Okay. Well, what you have inside you; it\'s like..."

Pausing for a moment, he eventually admitted what it was he saw.

"Hell."

"...Yes?"

My mind blanked for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

I was confused, and not only me, but even Ella widened her eyes.

He said he saw \'Hell\' inside of me?

What on Earth does that mean?

It was obviously a little more than merely seeing someone\'s luck.

"Uh, it\'s kinda like... Oh! Like, the way I see people\'s luck isn\'t literally just seeing their luck, but it\'s more like, um... seeing a representation, or something."

Slowly, I nodded.

I think I understood the concept.

So, instead of seeing something blunt like \'lucky\', \'unlucky\', or \'very lucky\', he instead sees something that represents that person\'s luck in a metaphorical sense?

[Yes]

I was correct in my understanding, but I clicked my tongue.

After all, didn\'t that mean my luck was so horrendously bad that it was akin to being in Hell?

What the hell is that about?

I\'d say I\'ve been pretty damn lucky so far in my life, and the Measurement of Truth would agree, so how is it I\'m that unlucky?

"That doesn\'t make any sense."

Naturally, I rejected such a sentiment.

It simply wasn\'t possible that my luck was that hellish.

After all, what had I accomplished so far?

Escaping the Wardens\' Playground; that alone was something that should be impossible for someone of my strength.

Coincidentally finding out I was being targeted the day before I would have otherwise been killed, surviving because of it.

Even the task of building up my forces and my power, such as collecting the twins, Sophie Asanami, and Selina to protect me was something no ordinary person could have done.

And, of course, being born with the Measurement of Truth in the first place.

An event with less than a one in eight billion chance of occurring.

And yet, it occurred.

On top of everything else, how could it possibly be that I am unlucky?

It simply does not make any sense whatsoever.

Thus, it must not be true.

"I don\'t know what to say; that\'s just what I saw."

Smiling bitterly, the boy spoke.

Liam Chiba-Wallace replied in such a manner.

I stared at him, and I said:

"Look again."

He nodded, did as I said, and told me less than a minute later with a shake of his head.

"...Nope. It\'s the same, sorry."

"..."

"It\'s like you have a black hole inside you. In an empty space, like a void, it\'s sucking everything in, violently destroying it forever. I\'ve never ever seen anything anywhere near this bad."

The worst the boy had seen was like a small fire, one you would see if you go camping, he said.

But mine.

Mine was a black hole.

Bad luck.

It wasn\'t simply a matter of it being worse.

Qualitatively, it was on a whole other level that couldn\'t be compared.

What did this mean?

I don\'t know, and I\'m not sure if I\'ll ever find out.

After all.

[You do not have access to this information]

Just like what happened not that long ago, I was denied an answer.