The Villainess VTuber Tears People Apart

23 O’clock Serenade.

When talking about the most famous VTuber company in Japan at one point, it’s impossible not to mention 23 O’clock Serenade.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Serenade dominated 2018 and 2019.

The landscape changed starting from 2020, but up until then, Serenade had a strong hold on Japan’s VTuber fans.

The reason for that was the overwhelming number of VTubers.

At the time, they had more than 100 VTubers, fulfilling a wide variety of preferences.

If you were a fan of VTubers, it wouldn’t be wrong to say you almost had to subscribe to a Serenade-affiliated VTuber.

And the most notable thing about Serenade would be the male VTubers.

Originally, male VTubers had less demand compared to female VTubers, and at one point, male VTubers were even oppressed.

From a business perspective, there was no reason to nurture male VTubers, but Serenade’s strategy was, after all, to “fulfill diversity.”

That’s why Serenade, from the start and continuing until now, has been constantly debuting male VTubers, proudly playing a part in improving their reputation.

If you’re a man planning to debut as a VTuber, aiming for Serenade would be your best bet.

And so, Vincent became a VTuber.

[Help me, big bro! I’m being bullied!]

“Who’s your big brother?”

Vincent sighed.

The most surprising thing after becoming a VTuber was interacting with foreigners.

The person he was on a call with now was also a foreigner.

Mashina.

A Korean VTuber affiliated with SerenadeKR.

[Are you just going to ignore your little sister getting bullied?!]

“When were you ever my little sister?”

Vincent took the call while folding laundry.

Big VTuber companies tend to expand into multinational operations.

One of the advantages VTubers have over regular streamers is that they appeal to otakus in other countries too.

The English-speaking world, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, etc.

He had also had a few chances to get involved with KR VTubers, and somehow, he ended up forming a friendship with Mashina, a Korean VTuber.

“In the end, you’re just asking me to duo with you, right?”

Isn’t she being overly dramatic about constantly getting paired up with a VTuber called ‘Aurora’ and getting wrecked?

[Just for the promotion match… just help me with the promotion match….]

“…Guess I have no choice.”

Mashina’s voice sounded so desperate that Vincent unconsciously agreed.

He knew he had a soft heart. It felt wrong to ignore her, especially since they were coworkers.

‘Normally, she wouldn’t ask for a duo request.’

Vincent was well aware that Mashina hated being ignored. There were always viewers who doubted female streamers’ gaming skills, after all.

But the fact that she reached out must mean she was in a tight spot.

Besides,

“If it’s someone from EYEAI… is it Rinco-senpai?”

Vincent muttered to himself.

***

Sora knew. A VTuber once did a stream where they sang 100 songs, and it took about 10 hours.

So, if Laura did a ranked climb for three days straight, that would mean she’d end up singing around 700 songs.

‘…That’s insane.’

Even with a voice of steel, 700 songs were too much. She’d die before she finished.

But there was a solution, even if not a perfect one.

===

【This_Code: One-on-one chat with Inagika】

Ayanokouji Sora

[Come here.]

Inagika

[Got it..]

===

Sora called Inagika to reduce the burden somehow. If things got really bad, she could call in other EYEAI seniors, and they’d figure it out.

In the end, the important thing was for Laura to finish the ranked climb quickly.

Since she said it would take “2-3 days at the latest”, wouldn’t it be over in one or two if she’s fast?

If it was just that much, Sora felt like they could manage.

So Sora prayed that Laura would finish her ranked game fast,

“Ah, the tea is really delicious.”

Laura was enjoying the tea (brewed by Sora) along with a song.

“…Why are you still here? Aren’t you going to play your ranked game?”

“Let’s enjoy things a little first.”

Saying so, she delicately cut a slice of cake (ordered by Anna).

Sora sighed, but in retrospect, Laura had spent the entire night doing ranked games.

It seemed right to let her take a little break.

‘If you’re going to rest, why not go sleep…?’

But seeing how lively she was, it was clear she didn’t plan to sleep, so in the end, Sora grabbed the microphone.

And so, they took turns singing one by one.

Eventually, you start to get a sense of it.

What everyone’s style is.

“『Hey, you there, with your head hung low.』”

“『Had a rough day, huh?』”

“『Want to talk about it? I’ll help you out.』”

A sly but deep voice.

It was Chel’s song.

It was completely different from the cold, indifferent voice she usually had. It was as if she had become someone else entirely.

You could still hear the uniquely feminine tone, but if you listened casually, you might mistake it for a man’s voice. It was amazing how she could switch her voice so dramatically.

Sora knew Chel was good at voice acting ever since her debut, but she never imagined she’d use it in her singing as well.

But thinking about it, VTubers who specialized in voice acting rarely sang poorly. Who knows why.

Still, while Chel wasn’t a bad singer, she didn’t leave a strong impression as a “great” singer.

It felt much more like she was “acting” her way through the songs.

‘Even her song choices are a bit unique.’

Songs like The Legend of Love Mikuru, W●at’s up People?, The Corpse and the Rakshasa, and Smash Angel D●ro-chan….

At first, it seemed like she was only picking old songs, but that wasn’t exactly true. She seemed to be choosing songs that let her voice stand out in unique ways.

She also sang some properly famous songs, like Unravel, The Monster of Hiruhataraki, and Unknown ●thergus.

So while Chel sang a wide range of songs to “test her voice”,

Anna sang very selectively.

“What did you eat today? What’s your favorite book?”

This person only sang anime opening songs.

To an almost excessive degree.

Chel singing Smash Angel was already something, but Anna took it a step further by singing, Mingmingming! Mingmingming! Usa~ming! Sora had never even heard of such a song before.

‘…But she’s really good.’

It’s one thing to sing anime songs you’d never sing in karaoke with (non-subculture) friends.

But songs like Silhouette, Bling Bang Bang Bong, and The Bubble Be●se.

She sang them perfectly.

“You’re good.”

Laura seemed to feel the same as she commented.

She stayed quiet when Sora or Chel sang, though.

“…Is this your first time hearing Anna-senior sing?”

“Yeah. I knew ASMR and singing were her main content, but now that I think about it, I haven’t really heard her sing properly.”

Come to think of it, that was true.

Recently, Anna had been focusing on Labyrinthos, but despite her appearance, she was also a VTuber specializing in music like Sora.

‘She could’ve been more popular if she tried harder….’

Anna recently hit 50,000 subscribers.

When you compare that to Rinco, who had surpassed 300,000, it was hard to call that a lot.

The reason Anna’s subscriber count was low was her passive approach to activity.

She hated participating in external events, avoided voice recordings, didn’t actively interact with her peers, and, despite being a VTuber who specialized in singing, rarely produced music videos.

She was the type of person who enjoyed playing around on her channel in a cute way.

Perhaps she could afford it financially, but she had no ambitions and seemed content to simply indulge in her hobbies.

In many ways, she was the opposite of Sora.

Anna was only proactive about two things.

Her hobby, including ‘Hanabane Rui’, and Aurora.

“How long are you going to keep listening?”

Sora suddenly realized.

They had been doing the karaoke stream for quite a while. Laura’s teacup had been empty for some time.

“Oh my, it’s gotten this late. I got too absorbed.”

“Anyway…. One song and then you’re off to ranked games, right?”

Sora subtly passed the microphone.

Honestly, she was curious about this. Laura’s singing ability, that is.

‘I did hear a little during Aristogenesis.’

After the Labyrinthos VR tournament, Sora uploaded the Aristogenesis music video to her channel.

Laura had sung a bit during Aristogenesis, but since the song was split into four parts, Laura’s solo part was very short.

Moreover, the music video was mixed and processed, so the quality was inevitably enhanced. It might not reflect her actual singing ability.

And when it came to singing ability, Sora believed that “song choice” was part of it as well.

‘From what I’ve heard, she seemed to sing quite well.’

But something felt a little strange about it.

That part really bugged her.

“I don’t know many songs.”

Laura took the microphone and sat in front of the PC. She moved the mouse, seemingly searching for a song to sing.

“Ah, this one.”

Laura clicked a few times, and the background music started.

A tune Sora had never heard before.

“Ah─, If I could return to the water──.”

‘Huh…?’

Sora tilted her head at the first line.

Is it in English?

No, it didn’t sound like English.

French?

“Ah.”

In the distance, Chel widened her eyes.

Even Anna seemed to have realized something, as she let out a “Wow….”

She sang really well.

And beyond just singing well, her pronunciation was perfect.

It was the kind of voice you’d expect from someone performing classical music.

‘…What song is this?’

Sora checked the chat, and it seemed like some viewers recognized the song. A French song? How did they know? Most of her viewers were otakus who didn’t even know Korean pop songs well.

Unable to figure out what was going on, Sora searched for it.

It looked like the song was called Ripples.

It was an OST from God of Power.

“…Huh?”

God of Power? Wasn’t that the gacha game Inagika was obsessed with?

Sora had seen Inagika play the Japanese version of the Chinese game with translated Korean text a few times.

But where did France come into the picture? Apparently, there’s a part in the fifth region of God of Power where a French song plays.

‘Wait a minute… How does Laura know this song?’

After some more digging, Sora found out that Laura had played God of Power with Chel about two weeks ago. It seemed Chel was trying to make Laura cry, and they had played the game together then.

So, what does that mean?

She first heard this song two weeks ago, and now she’s singing it?

‘When did she practice…?’

Even if someone is naturally talented at singing, it’s hard to sing a foreign-language song perfectly just by instinct. Foreign pronunciations are inherently difficult.

It would’ve required practice to sound this natural….

She would’ve had to practice….

“…….”

Sora was too scared to ask. When did you practice?

Because she had a vague sense of realization.

She had memorized the entire song after hearing it once, and now she was singing it right there on the spot.

***

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【Virtual VTuber Gallery】

[Stream] Ripped It Apart

Why is our lady so good at singing????

[Comments]

– Isn’t she better than Sora? LOL

ㄴ (Author) For real LOL

– Ripples? Never expected that…

– Is this the first time a VTuber has sung Ripples?

ㄴ Probably no one among Korean VTubers.

ㄴ It’s a French song, and not many VTubers play God of Power.

===

[General] Did the A-Grade Virgin live abroad?

She sounded like a native speaker.

[Comments]

– She must’ve practiced.

ㄴ (Author) Do you think you can get that pronunciation after just two weeks of practice?

ㄴ Why two weeks?

ㄴ (Author) She first played God of Power two weeks ago.

ㄴ How does that make sense? She heard it for the first time two weeks ago and can sing it this well?

ㄴ (Author) That’s why I’m asking if she lived abroad, you idiot.

– Nothing’s confirmed, so nobody knows…

===

[Stream] I emphasize the degree of mastery

(image)

If you look at it this way, Ripples is a song that can only be fully appreciated with EYEAI’s standard of excellence, and the original is so good that the bar is set really high. It had the vibe of a ‘pure maiden’… I really think it hit the core of that. I mulled over the last line, and I place great importance on the degree of mastery. But she did it so perfectly. It was survival.

[Comments]

– The vibe of a pure maiden LOL

– Pure… what?

– This is such a balanced post.

– There’s a hand that pushed both Sora and Chel, so why would she use the word “vibe”?

ㄴ Get out.

===

[Stream] Don’t go, my lady

How can you sing just one song and leave?

[Comments]

– For real, I’m dying.

– She’ll probably come back after a few ranked games.

– She’ll be back after finishing her promotion match.

===

[Stream] Whoa, what is this?????

(image)

Apparently, three VTubers matched up with her in the final promotion match????

[Comments]

– What, how are there four VTubers in one match? LOL

– This is going to be hilarious.

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