NOVEL NEXT Chapter 89 - 1st Ducal Family Meeting
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【Virtual VTuber Gallery】
[General] Breaking News: The Battle for the Position of the Main Wife Has Ended
Rion: A commoner who barely shows up on streams anymore.
Anna: Eliminated from the Spirit-Body-Virgin Theory.
Sora: Has nothing to show off other than cooking food.
Rinco: Co-suicide d’Or.
Chel: Only knows how to clean.
Ainatsu: Laura personally carried her to 1-win-strong.
[Comments]
– Health-Focused Tsundere, lol.
– Seriously, she should’ve cut down on drinking.
– Yeah, it felt like she was gonna mess up one day.
– It’s hilarious that she threw up on her clothes and now Laura’s managing her health for her, lmao.
– Baby… Ainatsu is Laura’s baby…
ㄴ (Fact) Yes.
– Ainatsu is Laura’s baby… Ainatsu aaaahhhhhh.
ㄴ [Outrageous Emote]
===
[General] “Why am I being charged a child fare?”
When Ainatsu got on the bus, the bus driver asked with a puzzled face.
Ainatsu smiled mischievously and replied.
“Uuh… Ainatsu is five years old…♡”
The bus driver, baffled, said, “If you’re five, the ride is free! No need to scan, just get on!”
[Comments]
– Oh, what nonsense.
– Nooo way, hahaha.
– So childish.
– What’s this old fool on about?
– Alcohol-induced dementia is dangerous, huh?
– How do you shorten ‘A baby is riding on the bus’ into 4 syllables? Inagika.
ㄴ “in baby Car,” lol.
ㄴ (Author) You bastard, lmao.
ㄴ Are you insane, haha.
===
[Broadcast] She finally hit MasterMaster rank.
(Laura’s Duel Mode Master Achievement Post)
Ugh.. Mama (MasterMaster, hehe)..
[Comments]
– Laura… Did you become Mama?
ㄴ She’s been Ainatsu’s Mama from the start, though.
– Finally, both reached Master, lol.
– Double Master after 5 months of starting Labyrinthos Prank, hahaha.
– Is 2024 really EYEAI’s year?
ㄴ Only two months left in 2024, though.
– Doesn’t this mean they’re in the Fantasy League?
ㄴ (Author) It’s not certain since it’s based on skill, not just hype.
ㄴ But they are the hottest right now.
ㄴ (Author) They just debuted recently.
ㄴ What does debuting have to do with the Fantasy League?
ㄴ Would you use a rookie?
ㄴ (Author) They seem to not favor rookie VTubers much.
***
After a long stream, I finally reached Master Rank in Duel Mode.
It was time to send the guests home.
“Thank you all for coming to support me. For those who couldn’t make it today, we’ll have a separate celebration party later.”
Some had stayed up until dawn, and a few looked exhausted. This was the reality of burnout content.
The fatigued folks clearly wanted to skip the party and sleep instead. So, I just dismissed everyone.
“Alright, I’ll be going now.”
“Me too…”
Anna, who didn’t enjoy socializing, headed home, and Inagika, still feeling awkward around the seniors, quickly followed suit.
“Good job, Laura. You really worked hard.”
Rinco patted my shoulder before leaving.
Though our timing rarely matched up for conversation, she didn’t seem to have any lingering regrets or complaints. It felt like she had stayed just to help with the karaoke stream.
After Rinco left, Sora also went home.
“…I’m heading back too. My voice is shot, and I have things to do…”
Since Sora led the karaoke stream on her channel, she had worked the hardest and burned out the most.
She had come out of concern for me in the first place, but now that the rank climb was complete, there was nothing left for her to worry about.
With her purpose fulfilled, Sora quietly left.
That left two people behind.
“When are we doing ‘Sanrabi’?”
Chel, who’s recently been obsessed, took on the clingy role, while…
“…Can’t I go home too?”
Ainatsu, filled with regret, also remained.
To be precise, Ainatsu wasn’t staying; she simply couldn’t leave.
“Ainatsu, your home’s nearby. It’s not far from here.”
“Y-yeah…”
“Still, stay where I can see you for a while.”
That’s what I told her.
Since returning from Earth, this was probably the first time I had been this physically damaged.
My clothes were thoroughly dirtied, and with the laundry fees added, Ainatsu had caused me financial loss too.
‘Not that I’m actually angry.’
In truth, I didn’t really mind.
I may be a noblewoman who detests filth, but believe it or not, I’ve been through some rough experiences on the battlefield. So, my tolerance for gross things is quite high.
But, since Ainatsu did cause me some trouble, I figured I might as well put her to use.
“There are some spots I can’t reach. It’d be nice if you could clean those for me.”
Ainatsu’s one advantage over Rion and me was her height. She also had long arms and legs.
She was, quite literally, a body optimized for changing light bulbs.
“And try to exercise a bit. Make sure you eat properly too.”
That had been on my mind since the first time I met her.
I’m not usually concerned with others.
After all, I am a villainous noblewoman. I don’t go around worrying about people.
But even for someone like me, Ainatsu’s health was a concern.
“Inagika doesn’t seem to exercise either, so why don’t the two of you work out together? If you show me you’re properly exercising, I’ll allow you a bit of alcohol.”
“Laura… Mom… You’re really my mom… Should I file the adoption papers for real?”
“You’re older than me.”
As far as I know, if you’re even a year older than someone, you can’t adopt them.
Not that it’s knowledge I wanted to have, but now I know.
***
And so, our cohabitation began.
Ainatsu’s mental faculties seemed to be regressing by the day.
“I bought some bread to go with the tea… I did well, right…?”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, this will be a better tea party.”
“Hehe, I got praised… Wait, why am I doing this here? What the hell am I…”
Ainatsu snapped back to her senses. It seemed like the withdrawal symptoms were hitting hard now that I’d made her quit drinking.
Though she seemed to regain her composure, I knew that once she got her hands on a reward beer (+ mineral water), her brain would shatter again.
So, our cohabitation was basically a life of being waited on hand and foot.
Ainatsu, desperate for even a little alcohol, volunteered to run bread errands.
I meticulously managed Ainatsu’s diet.
‘Life’s turning out to be a bit more fulfilling than I expected.’
No one had ever willingly gone all the way to the capital to buy bread for a tea party before.
I wondered how much she must have craved alcohol to go that far, but it wasn’t a bad arrangement for either of us.
I got to eat bread I wouldn’t usually have, and Ainatsu became healthier.
Despite appearances, Ainatsu wasn’t deteriorating; she just seemed a bit lonely. When left alone, she’d amuse herself well enough with Rion.
‘Actually, I’m the one feeling a bit bored now.’
Life had become more enriching, but at the same time, I was growing a bit restless.
After all, I had finished the climb to Labyrinthos Master.
I had already submitted my application for the Fantasy League, and the draft would begin in about three weeks.
In other words, I couldn’t touch Labyrinthos for the next three weeks.
Of course, I could still play ranked matches, but after nearly 300 hours, continuing wouldn’t be fun anymore.
It wouldn’t just be boring for the viewers.
I, too, enjoy the process of setting a goal and achieving it.
That made these three weeks feel incredibly awkward.
The rank above Master is Grand Master, but aiming for that within three weeks?
Three weeks felt too short to take it easy, but there wasn’t enough reason to grind it out either.
Whether it’s Master or Grand Master, they’re both top-tier ranks.
Moreover, climbing to Grand Master involves competing with the top 2,000 players. That’s something you save for the end of the season.
“It’s time to find new content.”
I realized that.
There was ‘Sanrabi’ with Chel, ‘Party Playtime’ with Anna, and a few planned collaborations with Ainatsu, but none of these could fill the entire three weeks.
I needed content to fill those three weeks.
“For that reason, I’ll be taking content suggestions.”
The 1st Ducal Family Meeting.
Chairwoman: The great noblewoman Aurora.
Committee Member 1: Honorary family member, cat without boots, and houseguest Chel Sumeragi.
Committee Member 2: Inmate of the ducal family, Tanabe Ainatsu.
Topic: What content should I do for the next three weeks?
“Watching movies or dramas together sounds fun.”
The houseguest suggested.
“Why?”
“Because I want to see you cry.”
“Rejected.”
“You don’t understand subcultures, Laura.”
After being rejected, the houseguest changed her argument.
But she was right.
I had felt it too, especially during the karaoke stream.
Sora, Anna, Chel.
Not to mention Inagika, Rinco, Ainatsu, and even Rion—all of them knew a lot of Japanese songs.
I didn’t sing much during the karaoke session.
I sang Ripples, Believer and Warriors by Imagine Dragons, and we ended with Aristogenesis along with the 6th generation.
Anna, in particular, filled her setlist entirely with anime theme songs, a sharp contrast to me.
In that sense, watching Japanese films, dramas, or anime wasn’t a bad idea, but…
“I don’t think it would make for an entertaining stream.”
For streams like these, a big reaction makes it fun, but exaggerated reactions aren’t really my thing.
It could work if I had someone emotional like Rion beside me, but Rion had many workdays, so Chel’s idea seemed a bit lacking.
“Then why not just play games? Like Elden King, Black Evolution 50, or Danganronpa—those kinds of story games should easily last three weeks.”
This time, the inmate spoke.
Despite Ainatsu often seeming half out of her mind, she occasionally made reasonable suggestions.
After all, she’s a senior VTuber in her third year of activity.
It would have been nice if she hadn’t committed the crime of insulting nobility.
Anyway, her suggestion was the most sensible so far, but…
“It feels a bit lacking.”
I’ve already played most of the difficult games like the Souls series. There was a time when I was obsessed with PC games.
Sure, I could play the latest games, but it still wouldn’t make for three weeks’ worth of content.
For example, the recently released Black Evolution 50 has many bosses, but from what I heard, none of them are that difficult.
‘At most, it’d take a day or two.’
It doesn’t add up.
Story games are also tricky.
After trying Blue Record once, I realized story games didn’t suit me as streaming content.
Unless I had someone like Rion to handle the reactions, story games were out of the question.
“Then how about a survival game?”
The vice-chair, a distant relative of the ducal family and head maid Rion, had just returned from work.
She had finished her chores and made the suggestion.
“A survival game?”
“Yes. I have a good proposal for you, Unnie.”
Rion nodded.
“Deadraus Korea sent you an advertising offer.”
***
“Are you really turning this down, Rinco?”
Though it wasn’t in the plan, Rinco was in the CEO’s office.
It wasn’t a common occurrence, but it happened from time to time.
After all, Rinco was still EYEAI’s flagship talent.
Because of that, she had more one-on-one meetings with the CEO than the other VTubers.
“Yes. Please forward all of those offers to Laura.”
“…Deadraus specifically requested you, Rinco.”
“Isn’t it the management’s job to handle that?”
Rinco replied.
CEO Jung Hoyoung furrowed his brow slightly.
“Just give some excuse—health reasons or whatever. Deadraus doesn’t want me, they want Laura, right?”
Rinco crossed her arms.
At the recently held EYEAI Cup Labyrinthos Tournament.
The one-on-one event match between Rinco and Laura.
No matter how you looked at it, the one-on-one event match was more of a main event than the 3-on-3 tournament.
From there, Deadraus Korea’s intent became clear.
Aurora, who had made a dazzling debut.
An undeniable Labyrinthos talent with star power, and she even attracted subscribers with her noise marketing tactics.
While Deadraus Korea had entrusted many ads to Rinco in the past, those ads would no longer have the same impact.
That much was clear.
Viewers of Rinco’s streams had likely been influenced by her ads at least once.
At this point, what could another ad with Rinco accomplish?
At best, a few users who had quit Labyrinthos might return after watching Rinco’s stream, but that was about it.
In contrast, Laura was a newly debuted VTuber.
She brought in a new audience.
Her bold actions only continued to increase her subscribers.
There was no better VTuber to entrust an ad campaign to.
Except for one thing.
‘They probably just lacked trust.’
Rinco had built trust through numerous Deadraus Korea ads.
If they entrusted an ad to Rinco, at least it wouldn’t fail.
Her streams were stable.
Deadraus Korea could trust Rinco to handle it.
On the other hand, Laura, as a rookie VTuber, was an unknown quantity.
With little experience, she might make a strange mistake.
‘That’s why they set up the one-on-one event match.’
They deliberately paired her with an experienced veteran like Rinco.
It was a common tactic.
When entrusting an ad to a new VTuber, they’d pair them with a seasoned veteran.
The veteran provided stability, while the rookie brought freshness.
By complementing each other’s weaknesses, they assessed whether the new VTuber was a “useful talent.”
And that verification process had already concluded with the EyeAI Cup Labyrinthos Tournament.
“Laura can handle it just fine on her own.”
“Good grief…”
CEO Jung Hoyoung let out a deep sigh.
While Rinco seemed to trust Laura, the CEO wasn’t so sure.
He wanted to attach Rinco as a safeguard.
“Fine. Let’s trust Rinco’s judgment, then.”
With nearly 300 hours of streaming, Aurora’s buzz had certainly increased.
Though there were still some concerns, as the CEO, he had to trust his VTubers.
Sigh.
“But Rinco, are you rejecting the ad because you don’t like scary things?”
“Who knows.”
Rinco smiled ambiguously.
The title: Survive No Matter What in an Apocalyptic World.
The game Deadraus had developed was a new VR survival game set in a zombie apocalypse.