The Villainess VTuber Tears People Apart

It seemed like the time had come to face the problem I had been putting off.

Humans cannot live without money. That was a problem even I, a noblewoman of the Ducal Family, couldn’t escape.

Of course, I did have some advantages over others. My beautiful appearance was so stunning that I was called the most beautiful noblewoman of the Empire, and my physical prowess surpassed that of adult men.

However, there were also disadvantages.

‘I can’t do something like working in a restaurant.’

I couldn’t cook or clean.

And apart from that, I probably wouldn’t be able to become an office worker either.

I was someone who collected taxes from the commoners of the Duchy and was so valuable that I was sought after more than most mercenaries.

How could it be acceptable for a proud duchess to be subjected to someone else’s whims? Nobles are nothing if not brimming with pride.

In that sense, ‘teaching others’ was something I could just barely tolerate.

Only nobles can teach nobles. The tutors who taught me when I lived at the Iris Ducal Family were all of noble origin.

It was somewhat ridiculous for a noblewoman to take on the role of a tutor, but it’s not like you can always choose your means of earning money. I had that much flexibility.

And,

‘A streamer, huh….’

It wasn’t something I had considered before, but now that my bank account was running dry, it seemed worth thinking about.

In fact, I had considered becoming a professional gamer, but then again, aren’t most professional gamers men? If I, as a woman, ended up living in a gaming house, it would certainly lead to all sorts of difficulties.

Besides, don’t most pro gamers who pass their prime end up transitioning into streaming?

‘It might be good to learn about streaming while I have the chance.’

Just to be clear, this isn’t about needing money.

I still had enough savings to live comfortably for a few more months, and if worse came to worst, I could always break into my savings account.

I just wanted to understand what kind of career streaming could be for the sake of planning my future.

That was all.

[“I don’t know how much to charge for game coaching, so I suggested 1 million won. Is that okay?”]

“I’ll accept.”

I inadvertently responded in formal language.

How could I turn down 1 million won?

***

It takes a lot of manpower to create a single VTuber.

For example, when creating a VTuber model, it’s common to hire an illustrator from outside the company.

After all, it’s not a game company, so it’s impossible to have multiple illustrators on staff.

So, what happens if you bring in a small number of illustrators to work on the modeling? Naturally, the work speed slows down.

If the company only managed one VTuber, it might be different, but EYEAI was a company that managed around 20 VTubers.

As their activity period accumulates, they need to be provided with new outfit designs, and it’s impossible for one or two illustrators to handle the outfits for 20 characters.

On top of that, it’s already been confirmed that new VTubers will be joining this year, so if you ask them to handle the new models for 3 to 5 characters as well? The illustrators would be overworked.

That’s why outsourcing is necessary for running a VTuber operation.

Model creation, recording and mixing, MV production, video editing, etc.

Managing the relationships between various outsourced vendors and the VTubers was also part of the manager’s job.

‘But is game coaching considered outsourcing? I’m not really sure.’

Anna tilted her head in confusion at the sudden thought.

She didn’t know whether it was outsourcing or not, but it didn’t really matter either way. She had heard that VTubers sometimes even get dance or vocal trainers. Wouldn’t it be something similar to that?

“The call’s over. My unnie said she’ll accept.”

Rion, who had just finished the phone call, returned to the room.

Anna glanced at Rion briefly before turning her gaze back to the monitor.

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“But are you sure it’s okay? Isn’t 1 million won a bit much…?”

“Well, yes.”

The company rarely supported VTubers with external expenses.

For example, VTubers whose main content was singing often released MVs. Since MVs were advantageous in attracting views and engagement, they were often made.

But would the company only support VTubers who sang?

What about the VTubers whose main content was gaming?

To avoid issues of fairness, the basic principle was that ‘everyone fends for themselves.’

The company only provided basic broadcasting equipment, like a computer.

ASMR microphones, for instance, were purchased by the VTubers who wanted them, using their own money.

Requests for MV production were also handled by the VTubers themselves, with their own money.

Of course, the manager would connect them with external vendors, but that was the extent of their involvement.

So, this 1 million won was coming out of Anna’s pocket.

“But I think it’ll be fine.”

Anna thought lightly.

Anna fundamentally didn’t worry about money. She had never been in a position where she lacked money.

She had quite a few friends who called her a ‘golden spoon,’ and Anna never denied it because it was true. She did come from a well-off family.

That was one of the reasons she could afford to take up VTubing as a job.

“I read some posts, and the skills seem good. So I guess 1 million won isn’t too much.”

“The skills are good, but… it’s uncertain if they’ll be good at teaching. …Wouldn’t it be better to look for someone else, even now? It might be hard to find a current pro gamer, but a retired one….”

“Hasn’t it been about three years since this game was released? Even if we find a retired pro gamer, it wouldn’t make much difference.”

If you think about it, it’s the same with current pro gamers, isn’t it? Just because they’re good at the game doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good at teaching.

So, whether it was a retired pro gamer or a current one, it didn’t make much difference to Anna.

“Besides, isn’t it better to trust a senior’s family rather than some unknown guy? I’d feel more at ease with another woman.”

“…If that’s what you think, then okay. We’ll proceed with this for now.”

“…?”

Rion’s attitude was a bit odd. It felt like she was being cautious, almost wary.

Although she found it strange, Anna decided not to dwell on it. Paying attention to others was exhausting.

Anna brushed it off lightly, thinking there might be something to it.

“But my unnie said her login is restricted. So it might be hard to meet in VR right now.”

“Login restricted?”

“She exceeded the 5-hour Gate Assault limit. …Isn’t that crazy? That means she played in virtual reality for 25 hours straight.”

“That’s incredible.”

“What do you want to do? Should we talk over the phone? Or would you prefer to delay it?”

“I’d rather not delay.”

Anna’s goal was to participate in the Labyrinthos VR Streamer League.

The tournament announcement hadn’t been made yet, but considering last year’s and the year before’s schedule, the tournament would likely start in 3 to 4 months.

Three months.

Anna didn’t know. Would three months be enough to become good at the game?

If she wasn’t sure, then it would be best to start as soon as possible, right?

“I don’t really want to invite anyone to this house. I’ll go to your unnie’s place.”

“…What? You’re going to come to our place?”

“You live with your unnie, right? I’ve been curious about your house, so this seems like a good opportunity.”

And so, Anna got into a taxi with Rion.

“…Should we keep our jobs a secret?”

Once they were in the taxi, Rion suddenly suggested this.

“Our jobs? You mean VTuber and manager?”

“Y-yeah…. Let’s just say we’re regular streamers.”

“I don’t mind, but why?”

“I’ve been keeping my VTubing a secret from my family….”

“Oh~.”

Anna immediately understood.

What was it again? Something about being a Nekomimi princess from a cat planet?

Originally, she was supposed to inherit the throne, but she didn’t want to, so she ran away to Earth—that was the setting, if she remembered correctly.

It wasn’t unusual for VTuber concepts to be bizarre, but Rion’s was particularly extreme.

She would end her sentences with “nyan,” and Anna had often wondered how this senior wasn’t embarrassed by it.

“Let’s just say we were seniors and juniors from the same school… something like that. Don’t mention the company name.”

“Why did you take on such a crazy concept if you couldn’t handle it? Honestly, when I first saw it, I thought you were out of your mind.”

“…I’ll hit you.”

***

We had a guest at our house.

“Rion, guide the guest to the living room and come to my room for a moment.”

[“…What?”]

I hung up the phone and waited for Rion to arrive.

“What are you doing, not coming out of your room…?”

“I can’t greet a guest looking like this. Help me tidy up my hair.”

“Is it really necessary…?”

Rion asked, sounding puzzled.

Instead of answering, I sat down in front of the dressing table.

Rion sighed once and then came behind me to start fixing my hair.

“Don’t we have scones and macarons in the house?”

“You mean the ones you bought? They should still be there.”

“Serve them to the guest with tea. But make sure to ask whether they prefer tea or coffee first.”

“…Are we running a restaurant?”

Rion looked at me incredulously, but this couldn’t be helped. After all, first impressions are crucial.

Now that I thought about it, this was the first time we had a guest at our house.

My parents or Rion’s parents had visited a few times before, but we’d never had a non-family visitor.

It would be better to make a grand impression, even if it was a bit over the top, rather than responding weakly.

‘Wearing a dress might be a bit much.’

Wearing a dress would be the formal thing to do, but after all, this was Earth, not a medieval fantasy world. Besides, I had already done my hair, so changing clothes now seemed pointless.

After finishing my preparations, I brought Rion along and went out.

“Welcome. You must have had a hard time getting here.”

I greeted with a smile.

A woman was waiting in the living room.

She looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.

She stood there with a blank expression for a moment,

“Sorry to ask this right off the bat, but could you insult me?”

……Pardon?