The Villainess VTuber Rips People Apart-Chapter 109: Serpent’s Thoughts

[Virtual Idol VTuber Gallery]

[Live Broadcast] What’s Sora’s record looking like?

(Record Screenshot 1)

(Record Screenshot 2)

Sora's been grinding in the Labyrinth non-stop, huh?

[Comments]

Is that really Sora’s Labyrinth ID?

ㄴ Yeah, it is.

She's been playing Labyrinth every day, lol.I thought she was avoiding Laura’s place lately, but she must’ve been prepping for the tournament, haha.Other players joke, but she’s looking pretty serious...

ㄴ Excuse me?

ㄴ Chel’s serious too, okay?

ㄴ You didn’t know she’s setting up house with Sina?

ㄴ Does Ainatsu seem like a joke to you?

ㄴ Gosh, you’re killing me, haha.

VTubers use various methods to increase subscribers.

Some boost their numbers through singing or ASMR, while others gain fans by playing popular games entertainingly, or by showcasing impressive skills in gaming tournaments. However, Ayano Koji Sora believes there's no "surefire way" to increase subscribers.

Playing trendy games doesn’t guarantee subscriber growth. Sometimes, deviating too much from previous content can alienate existing fans.

A good performance in a game tournament also depends on luck. Success in singing or ASMR requires the right algorithm or word-of-mouth to attract viewers.

In that sense, collaborations are the most effective and reliable method. A VTuber with 10,000 subscribers could quickly gain traction if they repeatedly collaborate with a major VTuber who has a million followers. Even elementary school students could figure that out.

Yet, many VTubers with fewer than 10,000 subscribers exist. They didn’t stay as small-timers because they lack the drive to grow their channels. If given a chance, they’d want to collaborate with big-name VTubers with millions of subscribers.

The problem is, a million-subscriber VTuber has little reason to team up with a small-timer. What benefit would a top-tier VTuber gain from hanging out with a small fry?

Thus, collaborations only work between those of similar status.

Only other big-name VTubers or mid-sized VTubers with a strong reputation have the privilege of collaborating with them.

Ayano Koji Sora was...considering such things.

“Ugh... Anna-senpai, I’ll try to set up a collab with Rui for you sometime.”

Sora, who’d been teasing Anna over her constant jealousy, decided to step back for now.

She remembered that, though Anna was technically her senior by one generation, she was significantly younger than her. Thinking of it that way, her immature behavior was somewhat understandable.

Sora couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for her, understanding her feelings.

“Oh? Really?”

At Sora’s single remark, Anna’s eyes sparkled.

“There will be plenty of chances for us to collaborate as participants in the same league, right? So I’ll talk to Rui about it.”

“...Love you, Sora-chan.”

“I’m not a fan of people who put ‘-chan’ after my name.”

Despite Anna’s sudden confession, unfortunately, Anna wasn’t Sora’s type at all.

On the other hand, Sora was beginning to worry that Anna might be a bit too easygoing. What if some bad guy came along and tried to scam her?

“Congratulations on making it into the Fantasy League.”

Just then, Laura nonchalantly threw out a comment, seemingly content that the situation had settled.

“Oh, uh...thanks.”

“I never thought we’d end up on the same team.”

Laura gave a small smile, but her emotions were hard to read.

It looked like she was pleased, but Laura often wore that expression. Beneath her arrogant facade, she wasn’t the type to wear her heart on her sleeve; rather, she was skilled at hiding her true thoughts, like a real noble lady.

So it was difficult to tell what she was thinking.

Was she surprised that Sora had applied for the Fantasy League? Was she happy about them being on the same team, or did she feel otherwise?

“What kind of training have you been doing?”

Suddenly, Laura asked.

The question caught Sora off guard, making her flinch.

“You noticed...?”

“I’ve actually been picking up on it for a while.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Anna tilted her head in confusion, as did Ainatsu, failing to grasp the context of Sora and Laura’s exchange.

Glancing at their puzzled expressions, Sora replied shyly.

“...Just some rope work and random other stuff.”

She responded, slightly embarrassed.

Back when they’d raided the SerenadeKR base, Sora had demonstrated her skill in crossing from building to building with a rope.

Of course, that wasn’t something she’d learned overnight. She had practiced quite a bit.

Sora had been wondering how she could secure her spot in the Fantasy League. She’d played Labyrinthos diligently, but she didn’t believe that would be enough, considering only one player per tier was selected.

So, instead of just trying to rank up, she figured she needed to show why it had to be “Ayano Koji Sora” in the 6th tier.

She sang, received ads from Asaears, and practiced various skills.

‘It’s a relief that the team owner noticed....’

On her stream, she hadn’t drawn much attention to it, thinking she wouldn’t get picked in the draft anyway.

...Realistically, the odds were against her being selected. Promoting her application to the Fantasy League would’ve only been embarrassing if she wasn’t chosen.

Frankly, Sora couldn’t understand why she was picked for the Fantasy League. Why did they select her...?

“Wow, Sora-chan, you really prepared, didn’t you...? But, why did you apply for the tournament?”

Anna, analyzing the situation, blinked curiously.

“Sora-chan, you don’t really have any reason to join a tournament, right? Sure, being in the Fantasy League has its perks, but...it’s like Michael Jackson entering a game tournament—it’s a shock.”

“...Comparing me to Michael Jackson feels a bit overwhelming.”

Not that she didn’t get the point.

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But how should she respond?

While Sora was momentarily lost in thought, Laura opened her mouth.

“I want to perform an AoiS solo live.”

...Wait, what?

“Oh, Laura-chan, did you want to do a solo live?”

“Enough with that nickname. But, isn’t a solo live the ultimate goal for a VTuber?”

“That’s true. It’s the kind of thing anyone in the VTuber world would want to do at least once, right?”

Anna nodded, sharing in the sentiment.

...Not that Sora had ever particularly dreamed of it. It’s not that she didn’t consider solo or one-person lives to be the pinnacle of success.

While she had entertained the idea of doing solo performances, joining the Fantasy League just to host a live felt a bit odd.

It was like deciding to enter a gaming tournament to build name recognition, then running for parliament based on that fame...

Although there was some connection, the direction felt entirely different.

Sora had a simpler reason for joining the Fantasy League.

To play with Laura.

‘...That’s all.’

It was a straightforward reason, though it was hard to voice.

It may be simple, but it wasn’t a trivial reason. Perhaps Sora herself didn’t want to downplay it.

In the Fantasy League, she would interact with various international VTubers. She wasn’t entirely sure if Laura, with her haughty demeanor, could handle it.

Sora’s desire to grow her subscriber count remained, though her reasons for it had shifted.

Laura would soon reach 300,000 subscribers. Even joining the Fantasy League was boosting her subscriber count in real time.

Laura’s platform would only grow.

With her current growth trajectory, she’d surpass Rinko, the most-subscribed member of EYEAI, soon. Maybe even reaching a million subscribers was within reach, solidifying her as EYEAI’s top star.

Meanwhile, Sora’s subscribers numbered around 60,000.

The only reason a low-tier VTuber like Sora could be so close to Laura was because they were in the same generation.

She often wondered what things would be like if they were at different agencies.

Chances are, she wouldn’t even have been able to start a conversation.

High-ranking VTubers are like dragons; dragons may associate with the heads of snakes, but they certainly don’t mingle with the tails.

If Laura eventually becomes a million-subscriber star, would a 60,000-subscriber VTuber like her even have the right to stand by her side?

That’s why she joined the tournament.

“If we do well in this tournament, wouldn’t it mean we 6th-gens might get a chance to do a solo live?”

Laura continued, though.

Was she trying to be considerate, letting Sora avoid explaining her reason for joining? Or was she signaling that she didn’t need to know?

Or maybe Laura already knew what Sora was thinking.

Sora couldn’t tell.

Since returning to Earth, I’d only been shocked twice. Today, it felt like the third.

‘Did Sora actually apply?’

Had she been busy lately because she was preparing for the tournament? It seems she managed it all quite discreetly.

It wasn’t hard to find out from her game stats, but no one would expect her to be playing Labyrinthos, given her VTuber content. Even her viewers hadn’t seen this coming.

‘Not a bad thing.’

Looking at Leviathan’s team members, I recognized Rui’s name, but the others were strangers.

I’m confident I can perform well with anyone, but it’s always more comfortable having someone familiar.

‘Might be heading to Japan sometime?’

Rinko had gone to Japan with her team after last year’s Streamer League, celebrating with a party. I might end up doing something similar.

Having Sora around would be convenient. Maybe she’ll even get her driver’s license someday? It’d be handy if she could drive in case of emergencies.

‘No point dwelling on future matters now.’

Whether Sora gets her license, the celebration party, or a trip to Japan—none of that is set in stone.

After all, we live in the present.

Ding

A message alert.

I checked my phone.

【SNS: Direct Message】

【Hanabane Rui♡ Ink Palette @Hanabane_Rui】

[Hello, this is Hanabane Rui from Ink Palette.

I've set up a Discord server for Team Leviathan.

It might be sudden, but could we arrange a collab for a quick team introduction?]

After wrapping up the live broadcast following the draft and sending Anna home, I received this message 30 minutes later.

“Well, someone’s quick to act.”