The Villainess VTuber Tears People Apart

“Should Chel be a mom too…?”

Ainatsu asked Chel cautiously.

It seemed like she was trying to get close to Chel, but her approach was, to say the least, terrible.

There weren’t many people more malicious than me, the villainous noblewoman.

“That’s enough. How many parents do you plan on having?”

I couldn’t stand it any longer and finally spoke up.

Chel had been sticking to my back, clearly frightened.

“Is it really strange to have several moms…? Then should Chel be a unnie instead?”

“Now that I think about it, how old are you exactly? And to be clear, I’m asking about your physical age, not your mental one.”

“Seven years old!”

“……”

“…I know you’re uncomfortable, but please don’t look at me like that. It hurts my feelings.”

“If you’re going to get hurt so easily, don’t do things that will hurt you, Ainatsu.”

Without realizing it, I crossed my arms.

I knew Ainatsu was older than me. But just how old was she, really?

Has she passed thirty or not?

Could it be that she was over thirty and still acting like this?

A vague fear, like standing before Cthulhu, began creeping into me, so I decided to stop thinking too deeply.

Let’s just assume Ainatsu was twenty. Thinking that way felt healthier for my mental well-being.

“Ainatsu… It feels strange to be called that.”

Maybe she’d regained a bit of her sanity as Ainatsu mumbled.

“You say strange things. Are you usually called something else?”

“Not really, but shouting it out loud on the street like this feels a bit awkward.”

“Now that you mention it, I suppose you’re right.”

That was something I hadn’t considered. After all, Rion and I used our real names as our VTuber names.

In communities like ours, there’s quite a bit of doxxing, commonly known as “the red pill”.

Humans have a nature that doesn’t let the unknown be, just like Pandora’s box.

For me, even if my identity got revealed, I wouldn’t mind, but other VTubers likely wouldn’t feel the same.

“That was careless of me. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“It’s fine! Oh, my real name is Lee Eunha, so if you can’t call me Ainatsu, just call me Eunha.”

“Lee Eunha… I’ll remember that.”

Hearing a VTuber’s real name—this was the second time after Anna. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t heard the real names of the 6th generation yet.

While it did make me a bit curious about my peers’ names, it wasn’t something I needed to know. Besides, calling each other by real names in private could lead to accidentally slipping up during a broadcast.

Ainatsu didn’t seem particularly keen on being called by her real name either.

“Mom! This is Veronica. You know Anna, right? The one who judged with me last time.”

“And that’s Michael, from the 2nd generation. Oh, and there’s Erika too?”

“And over there, that’s Ichika-senior. She’s from the 1st generation, and she’s a peer of Rinco-senior─.”

Ainatsu began introducing the seniors who had arrived before us, one by one, by their VTuber names.

It seemed that even the seniors referred to each other by their VTuber names, despite the staff members being around. Was this typical in this industry?

‘If you think of VTuber names as stage names, it’s not that strange.’

Most of the names had a Japanese feel to them, which was a bit odd, but given everyone seemed used to it, I guessed it was normal.

“Do you have any other questions, Mom? Ask me anything.”

“Rinco and Anna aren’t here, I see.”

“Rinco-senior already recorded her part last time, and Anna doesn’t like this sort of thing.”

“She doesn’t like it?”

“Yeah, she finds leaving the house too much of a hassle, so she rarely participates in these events. I think she might’ve considered it once, but she probably declined in the end. That’s why only two members of the 5th generation came.”

When I asked, Ainatsu answered earnestly. She gave off a different impression from when we met on the broadcast.

It seemed she was trying to look after me and Chel. After all, it was our first recording session.

Though I had suspected her of being a bit crazy, she was still our senior after all.

She didn’t assert her authority, but there was something quietly seasoned about her.

“Everyone, please pay attention for a moment.”

As we finished listening to Ainatsu introduce the senior VTubers and explain a few things, the staff called for us.

It seemed that all the preparations for recording had been completed. The staff members were all in their positions, and among them, I could see Rion.

“We’ll now begin the recording. Each of you will enter the booth one by one to record. Those outside the booth can talk, but be mindful not to raise your voice too much, as it might confuse the staff.”

“We’ll be recording in order of seniority. Ichika will go first, and the rest of you, please wait outside the booth.”

The staff member gave their instructions, paying special attention to Chel and me, probably since it was our first recording.

After the brief explanation, Ichika, the most senior among us, entered the booth.

From a distance, Rion approached me quickly.

“You and Chel are last. Here’s the script.”

Rion handed both Chel and me a thin booklet.

“You don’t have to stick to the script. If things don’t feel right, you can ad-lib.”

“That’s what I heard yesterday.”

“I’ll make sure to give you and Chel plenty of time. So even if you make a few mistakes, don’t worry—”

“Rion, what is this?”

Ainatsu, who had been sneaking a peek at the script beside me, frowned.

“What is this content?”

“…It’s the script.”

“I know that.”

Ainatsu snatched the script from my hand and began reading it.

“Doesn’t this feel off for Laura’s character? Is this really the right script for Laura?”

“It’s the correct script.”

“The ‘correct script’? What does that mean? Are they just filling in with her?”

Ainatsu’s voice turned cold, and Rion’s expression stiffened.

I recalled what Rion had told me yesterday.

—”Actually, the original plan was for two others to participate in this voice recording. But due to some issues… those two dropped out at the last minute.”

—”We usually record voices for eight characters, but having only six this time wouldn’t look great…”

—”Changing the recording day is tough. Coordinating the staff, booking the location, and aligning the VTubers’ schedules is a nightmare…”

—”That’s why I thought it’d be good if you and Chel could step in. It’s tricky to pull in seniors for this, and the only ones available from the 6th generation are you two…”

That was the situation.

“…Who were the others? Actually, never mind. I think I can guess.”

With a sigh, Ainatsu exhaled.

“But is it really okay to use the 6th generation for this? Shouldn’t this be handled by more senior members?”

“Ainatsu. What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“Is it right to suddenly dump something this tough on rookies?”

As the atmosphere began to grow tense, Michael tried to calm Ainatsu down.

But Ainatsu’s expression only grew more severe.

“Shouldn’t the management be handling stuff like this? What are the staff even doing? Rion, you’ve been a VTuber too, so you know how it feels for us. Shouldn’t you be on Laura’s side?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“…Yeah, I get it. You’re just another powerless cog in the machine… Move aside. I’ll talk to them myself.”

“That’s enough.”

I finally spoke.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve received such pampering, so maybe it’s not so bad to try switching roles. It almost feels like I’ve become your daughter.”

“…Laura, don’t get involved. This is wrong.”

“Oh my, does it make sense for me not to get involved in my own affairs? You’re saying strange things.”

I placed my hand on Ainatsu’s shoulder.

“I appreciate you speaking up for me, but there’s no need to worry. I knew what I was getting into and accepted it.”

Even if I refused, they would just pull in Inagika or Sora to fill the gap.

I couldn’t say Sora would do poorly, but Inagika wasn’t likely to do well. She wasn’t the type to turn down an offer, even if it didn’t suit her.

Assigning it to Sora felt awkward too. While she was good at singing, her acting skills were uncertain.

‘Plus, Sora’s been pretty busy lately.’

Sora, who used to drop by my house frequently, hadn’t been around much recently.

With Chel visiting constantly, I had thought Sora might come over at least once, but she never did.

She seemed to be preparing for something after the tournament, but she hadn’t told me what.

I didn’t want to interrupt her.

Someone was bound to take the poisoned chalice, and it wouldn’t look good if it was done halfheartedly.

There was no one better suited for it than me.

“Rion, adjust the order.”

“The order?”

“I need to show them so they can be convinced. You’re okay with that, right, Chel?”

I asked Chel.

Without saying a word, Chel nodded.

“I’m confident.”

***

Ainatsu was feeling a bit regretful. Had she spoken too harshly to Rion?

But she couldn’t help it. She had been furious.

Why was the company always so sloppy in its handling of things?

Ainatsu was now in her third year as a VTuber.

And in those three years, one thing she consistently felt was that every fandom complained about their management.

It was understandable.

The history of VTubers wasn’t even ten years old, and many companies were still fledgling.

Sharing knowledge between agencies was also difficult, naturally. Expertise was a competitive edge, after all—why would anyone share that?

Thus, everyone had to go through various trial-and-error processes to build their knowledge.

‘But still, there’s a limit.’

If about half of the people leaving the VTuber scene were for personal reasons, the other half were undoubtedly due to poor management.

No, even ‘retirement due to personal reasons’ should partly be covered by management.

Ainatsu believed that failing to persuade someone to stay was also the responsibility of the management.

She wasn’t asking for much.

At least, they should pay attention to the small details.

Those little things piled up, and many VTubers retired because of them. Many had already left EYEAI for that very reason.

…After this is over, I’ll have to talk to the CEO.

“Unnie, are you ready?”

As Ainatsu sighed, Rion spoke into the microphone.

[There are no issues on this end. You can start whenever you’re ready.]

“Alright. Take your time, we have plenty of it. Even if you make mistakes, we can always do retakes.”

[You’re underestimating me. One take is enough.]

Through the glass, Laura flashed a confident smile.

Seeing that smile, Ainatsu felt even more uncomfortable.

How could she be so admirable? Surely, she wasn’t happy about being forced into this role, yet she was still brimming with confidence.

‘I’ll treat her to a meal after this.’

That would be the least she could do.

As Ainatsu watched Aurora’s recording session with such thoughts, a strange sense of unease began to creep up on her.

“Isn’t she missing the script?”

Laura’s hands were empty.

Looking to the side, Ainatsu found the script Laura had left behind. …How could she forget that?

“Hey, wait—”

Just as Ainatsu was about to call for a pause,

[──You will live here for the rest of your life.]

A chilling voice echoed through the room.

It was a coldness that gripped her heart, as if squeezing it tightly.

Even the air felt frozen, making it hard to breathe. It seemed like everything would shatter with just a slight breath.

That ominous sensation crawled down her neck.

Through the glass, Aurora stood with a face as pale as a sheet of paper.

[Oh my, it’s snowing. But of course, that has nothing to do with you.]

[Snow is far dirtier than it looks. If it touches your skin, you’ll only suffer for it.]

[So just look at it.]

[Don’t even think about leaving.]

[Lunch is at 11:45 AM. Any other time is not allowed.]

[And no tea for you. Caffeine is the last thing someone like you needs.]

[Make sure to brush your teeth after meals.]

[Bedtime is at 11:55 PM. You should shower an hour before that.]

[Oh, are these rules hard to remember?]

[No need to worry if you can’t.]

[I’ll remember them for you.]

[Understand?]

[You will live here for the rest of your life.]