The Villainess VTuber Tears People Apart

[Teacher, could you appear on my broadcast?]

Anna contacted me right after ending her stream.

“Broadcast? Did something happen?”

[Nothing special happened. I just thought it would be nice to film our training sessions and broadcast them.]

“Hmm.”

I nodded my head. To be honest, I didn’t fully understand what Anna meant.

I still didn’t grasp the streaming industry. What’s so great about broadcasting our training together? I’ve never been a streamer, so I wouldn’t know.

Of course, I did feel a bit sorry for Anna, who was being suspected of having a boyfriend.

I had no idea how serious it was for a VTuber to be suspected of having a boyfriend. But from what I’ve seen with idol scandals on TV, I could somewhat guess.

If I appeared on her broadcast, it would certainly clear up the suspicions.

However, there was no reason for me to go that far.

What I was asked to do was to improve Anna’s skills in Labyrinthos. But appearing on a broadcast was a completely different matter.

This wasn’t about loyalty or a lack thereof, nor was it a matter of affection or indifference. It’s like when someone asks you to do them a favor, and then they pile on additional requests—“Since you’re doing that, could you do this as well? It would be great if you could also do that.”

If you start allowing one thing, you might end up having to deal with many more. That’s why it’s important to draw a clear line in life.

Otherwise, you’re bound to end up as a pushover.

[I’ll pay you an appearance fee.]

“Explain in more detail.”

***

Anna was concerned about her appearance.

“Ugh… I’m not sure if this is okay.”

Anna kept worrying in front of the mirror. Meanwhile, time kept slipping by, making her anxious.

As Laura guessed, Anna wasn’t the type to care much about others’ opinions.

Of course, she knew basic manners. But just that much.

She dressed appropriately when going out, mingled just enough at gatherings, and matched the mood of the occasion.

But any effort beyond that felt too troublesome.

In life, unwanted relationships sometimes form, and knowing how to maintain them is part of social living.

In that sense, she thought she might be a social misfit. She hardly ever made an effort to maintain or develop human relationships.

So, the only relationships Anna had were with other VTubers in the same company.

Even this was because they were within the boundaries of the company, which allowed for some interaction. Just like how high school friends drift apart after graduation, and college friends become distant after college… for Anna, most people were just ‘passing by.’

She wasn’t particularly dissatisfied. Having a narrow range of relationships might be fatal as a human being, but Anna was someone who thought it was fine to be happy alone.

She wanted to live freely, even if it meant being a bit lonely, rather than suffocating and exhausting herself among people. That was all.

But then…

“…If only it were a boyfriend, I wouldn’t be worrying like this.”

Even though she thought it was a strange thing to say, Anna stopped changing her clothes.

On second thought, most people looked like squids in front of ‘that person’ anyway. ‘That person’ wouldn’t understand the worries of squids.

They were like someone living above the clouds.

Half resigned, Anna left the house, and regretted it a little in the taxi. …Maybe there was a better outfit choice. Didn’t she look a bit like a loser reflected in the window? She wished she had practiced dressing better.

The sigh that slipped out dissolved into the air, and the time she wanted to turn back kept moving in the direction of the clock’s hands.

The taxi brought her to a café.

After hesitating several times, Anna walked in with nervousness.

“Ah.”

She found her right away.

Even though she was seated at the far end, she stood out instantly. Just sitting there, her presence was overwhelming.

Her gaze was fixed on a book. Even that turned into a picturesque scene, making Anna feel the urge to freeze the moment.

She had been so nervous before entering the café, but now all her worries seemed like a lie. As if bewitched by a snow maiden, Anna moved her feet without realizing it. Step by step.

But when she was close, she hesitated. Sitting in the empty seat across from her somehow felt like the wrong answer.

Shouldn’t she at least wait until she finished reading?

“You’re here.”

But Laura had already noticed Anna’s presence.

Laura’s gaze lingered on the book a little longer. As if there was no hurry. As if it was okay to make Anna wait.

For some reason, Anna felt that she deserved to do so.

Laura read a few more lines before closing the book.

“Do you mind if I don’t order anything?”

“…Ah.”

It was only after hearing that that she realized. Right, this was a café.

“This is perfect timing, here, take this.”

Laura handed something to Anna.

It was a vibrating pager.

And it was vibrating in real-time.

“…Uh, what is this?”

“It’s a pager. It vibrates when your ordered drink or food is ready.”

“I know what it is, but….”

“Do you? Then go ahead.”

Laura smiled softly.

“Ah, okay.”

Anna went to the counter.

While she was at it, she ordered her own drink and brought back the tea and snacks Laura had ordered.

“…Isn’t it too natural for you to boss people around?”

Anna was dumbfounded.

“Did it bother you?”

But with just one word.

When Laura asked that with a smile, Anna found herself swallowing her words.

“N-No… It wasn’t unpleasant.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“Ugh…”

She felt like saying something, but in the end, she couldn’t say anything.

Even though she was treated unfairly, strangely enough, she didn’t feel upset.

In fact, it felt kind of… pleasant, in a peculiar way.

“You said you’d like me to appear on your broadcast, right?”

Laura naturally brought up the topic. Then, she stared at Anna as if to say, “Go ahead and talk.”

Their eyes met.

Those eyes felt like they could pull you in.

For a moment, Anna felt her heart skip a beat.

She never considered herself someone easily charmed. She didn’t think she had any unusual attractions, either. But for some reason, standing in front of Laura made her feel dizzy.

In the end, it seemed like it was human nature to want to get close to attractive people.

“…Teacher, did you know from the beginning?”

Anna spoke as if exhaling a breath that had reached deep into her chest.

Then Laura tilted her head slightly with a calm expression.

“Oh my, you’re missing a subject in that sentence. What are you referring to?”

“That I’m a VTuber. …Did you know? You’ve never once called me ‘Sojin.’”

“That’s true. You’ve always been ‘Anna’ to me from the start.”

“…So, you did know.”

“Of course. Wouldn’t it have been obvious? If you wanted to hide your identity, you shouldn’t have used the name ‘Rion’.”

…That’s true.

“Then, did you pretend not to know for Rion’s sake…?”

“Isn’t it more fun to pretend not to know?”

This person is also quite the devil.

Anna chuckled.

“There are two things we need to talk about today. ‘What kind of broadcast it will be’ and ‘Whether to do the broadcast at all.’”

“I understand the first part. What about the second?”

“If you’re going to appear on my broadcast, I think it would be best to get Rion’s permission.”

“I don’t really like that idea. I’ve gone to the trouble of pretending not to know, so can’t we just keep it a secret from Rion and do the broadcast?”

“She’ll find out anyway.”

Rion was soon going to quit being a VTuber and transition to working as a manager.

And right now, Anna was the only one who knew that.

The other VTubers probably didn’t know either. Rion wasn’t the type to openly share her situation, and VTuber retirements were usually kept secret until just before the announcement.

It was similar to submitting a resignation letter at a company. You might tell a few close colleagues or peers, but it’s not something you announce to everyone.

Anna knew about Rion’s planned retirement because Rion was currently acting as Anna’s manager.

‘Would it be rude if I were the one to tell her that Rion is retiring…?’

Anna thought about revealing the truth to Laura but decided against it. She felt it was right for Laura to hear it from Rion herself.

In any case, Laura knew that Rion was a VTuber, but she didn’t seem to know about her being a manager. At least, not for now.

Because Rion, given her job as a manager, would watch Anna’s broadcasts.

Even if she didn’t watch live, she’d likely go through the archive later. Then she’d know that Laura appeared on Anna’s broadcast.

Rion being a VTuber, and further transitioning to a manager, would no longer be a secret to Laura.

That’s what it meant for Laura to appear on Anna’s broadcast.

“Then let’s do it this way.”

Laura spoke up as if something had come to mind.

“The content of the broadcast should be Labyrinthos, of course. You’ve gotten used to the Technomancer, so it might be a good time to try another character.”

“Sounds good. How should we handle the broadcast?”

“Start the broadcast with a revelation.”

“…A revelation?”

Anna tilted her head in confusion.

***

Shiroki Anna @Shiroki_Anna

[This is Anna. I have an announcement about my broadcast.

Broadcast on June 22nd at 9 PM:

【Internal Report】 I will reveal Rion-senior’s secret 【Shiroki Anna/EYEAI】

I’ve discovered a huge secret Rion-senior has been hiding.

This is something everyone needs to know.

So, I will let everyone know.

* I’ve received permission from the company and the concerned parties

* I’ll get Rion-senior’s permission afterward]

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Nekozuka Rion @Nekozuka_Rion

[???????? What is this???]