Chapter 119: Chapter 118

By the time I realized it, I was already in the auditorium.

It was a space packed tightly with chairs, and a podium could be seen in the distance.

I retraced my memory briefly. Today, I’d received an invitation mentioning a collaboration with other teams from the Fantasy League.

It didn’t seem like there was any error or omission in my memory.

Which meant that as soon as I clicked the invitation link, I ended up here. VR games sure have a knack for startling people with things like this—teleportation is way too fast.

“This doesn’t feel like MyRoom.”

One thing I’d learned as I got used to VR gear is that each VR game has slightly different textures. Aseasoul uses very realistic textures, while Labyrinthos feels a bit rougher in comparison.

Compared to those, this place feels a bit off from reality. It’s an unusual texture, something that doesn’t quite fit, making it feel somewhat surreal but also unfamiliar.

Unless you had a rather unique taste, you wouldn’t decorate your MyRoom like this.

And the most telling detail was the large lettering on the podium reading “Monster Game.”

This must be the waiting room for the Monster Game.

As I looked around slowly, I spotted familiar faces.

The collaboration participants were chatting in small groups, and off to one side, the host of this collaboration, Kaiser, was preparing the broadcast setup.

“Oh, Laura’s here.”

Someone noticed me sitting quietly. It was Sora.@@novelbin@@

“Over here, over here! Come this way.”

“Oh my, are you telling the Duke’s daughter to come over to you?”

“…No, but you could make an exception, right?”

Sora looked at me, slightly exasperated, but soon came over. That’s better.

After all, where in the world is it proper for a Duke’s daughter to be summoned?

“I don’t see Rui around. Hasn’t she arrived yet?”

“No, she’s over there talking to Hikari.”

“Hikari?”

“Yeah, Behemoth’s first-tier player.”

Sora pointed to a corner, where Rui and a VTuber I hadn’t seen before were chatting happily.

“Rui looks unusually cheerful.”

“Well… yeah? I heard they’re really close.”

“Her network is impressively vast.”

Apparently, even before we joined Leviathan, Rui already knew Valbara, Kirin, and Mero. I also heard she’d already friended our team owner, Choi Gaho, on CocoaTalk, although they weren’t that close yet.

Plus, most of the other Fantasy League team members had collaborated with her before, and even Kaiser, the Fantasy League organizer, was said to bow his head to her.

Being a “major project VTuber,” it seemed like Rui had considerable influence in the VTuber industry.

“Her network is vast, but… hmm…”

“What’s up?”

“Well, there’s something I want to say, but I don’t think it’s my place… Maybe you should ask Rui directly or do a little investigating.”

Sora gave a subtle nod in Rui’s direction.

Actually, it wasn’t toward Rui, but rather the person she was talking to.

“If Sora’s giving me this kind of signal, there must be something to it.”

If she was hinting this strongly, it might be something that could cause problems later if I didn’t know. And seeing Sora’s cautious demeanor, it must be a sensitive matter.

Could it be that Rui and Behemoth’s first-tier player were romantically involved? And maybe they broke up? Or was there some sort of love triangle?

That didn’t seem right. It probably wasn’t a romantic issue.

“My rival, Ayano Koji Sora!”

I’ll have to investigate Rui later. As I made a mental note of this, my thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

It was Anna, one of the participants in this collaboration and, for now, our senior.

“They say you meet your enemies on a narrow bridge.”

“Why are you treating me like an enemy…?”

“Don’t play innocent! You promised to set up a collaboration!”

Anna was scolding Sora.

“I’ve been waiting a century for that collab with Rui!”

“It’s only been about two weeks.”

“But why are you getting all chummy with Rui!? And even with Laura! Are you trying to make me die of jealousy!?”

“Anna-senpai, try holding your breath for 25 minutes.”

Now that I think about it, wasn’t the world record for holding one’s breath 24 minutes and 33 seconds?

If she could reach 25 minutes, Anna would truly become a world champion.

Encouraging a senior to reach the top, or maybe suggesting she try some alternative method, is a form of respect, after all.

Or perhaps, a form of affectionate mischief from a junior.

“We’re still just getting to know each other. Give it a little more time. Once we’re closer, I’ll arrange the collaboration.”

“I’ll have to wait until my neck falls off! That’s why I suggested this collaboration in the first place!”

“Huh? You suggested this collab, Anna-senpai?”

Sora tilted her head, and Anna nodded.

“I was always getting jealous of Sora, so I figured I should try something different. I asked our team owner to reach out to Kaiser. Isn’t our owner just the sweetest?”

“…All I’m getting is that Anna-senpai brought massive trouble to her team.”

Sora sighed.

Is this person really a senior?

That seemed to be the look in her eyes.

After a short while, the other collaboration participants arrived.

It looked like Kaiser was also finished setting up, as he stepped onto the podium.

“Testing, testing. We’ll be starting the stream shortly, so please turn off the viewer chat function.”

Kaiser gave instructions.

The game we’d be playing today, Monster Game, was supposedly an escape room genre.

It required us to use our wits, and getting help from viewers would obviously mess with the fairness—those with larger followings would have an advantage due to crowdsourced intelligence.

So in games like Mafia, trivia-based games, or TRPGs where viewers might give spoilers, it’s standard to turn off the viewer chat.

“If you could all set your broadcasts to mute for now. I’ll call on you later for introductions, and until then, feel free to chat with each other.”

Despite his rough appearance, Kaiser explained things kindly.

Once the stream began, Kaiser’s energy spiked.

“Just two weeks left until the Fantasy League’s opening! We’ve gathered the Fantasy League players here today!”

Clap clap clap.

Everyone gave a light round of applause, then introduced themselves one by one.

There were a total of eight participants in today’s collaboration.

Leviathan:

Aurora, Hanabane Rui, Ayano Koji Sora

Gryphon: Son Nalim

Behemoth: Asahina Hikari, Mashina

Cerberus: Shiroki Anna, Kazama Izumi

“Come to think of it, Gryphon only has one participant.”

I voiced a thought that came to mind during the introductions.

The other teams had two members each, but Leviathan had three, making Gryphon’s solo appearance stand out.

“Right? Maybe Gryphon’s members are busy?”

“Or maybe it’s because Kaiser’s hosting?”

Anna whispered in a low voice as she took the seat beside me, even though her Cerberus teammate was sitting farther away.

“What do you mean?”

“Most Gryphon members are part of Horizon Air. And a lot of Horizon Air’s members have a strict no-collaboration policy with men.”

Ah, it must be the unicorn issue.

Now that I think about it, I’d received some odd DMs from viewers recently. During Aseasoul and SEKR interactions, some told me not to get involved with Choi Chang-young.

That’s not all.

After a few collaborations with Leviathan members, some people sent me messages like “Don’t get close to Valbara,” or “Did you do anything with Valbara?” I even received messages saying Mero is just a tramp who seduces men and that I shouldn’t associate with her.

It seems Horizon Air is particularly extreme about this.

If Anna’s guess was right, then Son Nalim was in an unfortunate situation.

“And today’s game is the Monster Game! Are you all familiar with ‘containment fiction’ or ‘creature features’?”

Hearing the two terms, something popped into my mind, and I spoke up without thinking.

“Are you talking about something like the SCP Foundation?”

“Exactly, Aurora. You’re all test subjects.”

“Test subjects?”

“Yes.”

Kaiser nodded.

“A research lab has captured a monster with special abilities. They brought in death row inmates as test subjects to test its abilities. However, if you manage to escape the monster safely, your sentence will be commuted.”

It’s a plot straight out of containment fiction.

“All you have to do is escape from the lab. The issue is the monster’s abilities, but it’ll be faster to show than to explain. Hmm… Mashina and Aurora, could you both come forward for a moment?”

Hearing Kaiser call our names, Mashina and I stepped forward.

Kaiser fiddled with the game settings, creating a door on the spot.

A keypad lock was installed on the doorknob.

“The password is my first broadcast anniversary.”

“First broadcast?”

“Take a guess, Mashina.”

“How should I know your first broadcast date…”

Mashina started to object but quickly held back, realizing she was talking to a senior VTuber who’s been active since 2018.

Reluctantly, she entered a random code.

“Wrong answer, Mashina.”

Of course, there was no way she’d get it right.

At that moment, Mashina’s body seemed to shrink a little.

Already short, her appearance now looked even younger. What had looked like a high schooler was now closer to a middle schooler.

“Laura, sis…”

“Hm?”

“Oh! No, I must be crazy! Why did I call Aurora that…!”

Hiss!

Kaiser sprayed something like a disinfectant at Mashina.

The spray label read Mental Decontamination Agent in large letters.

“This is the nature of the game. It’s an escape game, but each time you make a mistake or fall into a trap, you progressively become more of a ‘little sister.’”

“…What did you do to me? I must be insane to call Aurora my sister…”

“If you’ve played Aseasoul, you’d know. It’s as if the AI is influencing your avatar’s behavior.”

Kaiser explained.

“Aurora, would you like to try? It’s just the tutorial, so getting it wrong is fine.”

“Hm.”

I crossed my arms.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know Kaiser’s debut date.”

For VTubers, there are two major “money-making opportunities.” One is their birthday, and the other is their debut anniversary.

So Kaiser likely had an annual broadcast to celebrate his debut, but sadly, I didn’t know the date.

“This question’s clearly meant to trip us up.”

While it’s common to remember a close VTuber friend’s birthday, only the hardcore fans would know their debut date precisely.

Even if I asked Rui, who debuted around the same time, she’d probably say something like, “I think it was February? Or maybe January…? I don’t remember the exact date.”

No matter how good my memory is, I can’t recall what I don’t know.

“Let’s give it a try.”

Resigned, I entered an incorrect answer.

Every VTuber inevitably faces a moment when they’re made to look ridiculous. Today just happened to be mine.

【Mental Degradation Level 1】

【When addressing high-ranked survivors, words like "Big Brother" or "Big Sister" may slip in unintentionally.】

“Hm.”

A message appeared in one corner of my vision.

I considered calling Mashina’s name but stopped myself. I didn’t feel inclined to address my lackey with an honorific.

However, I could sense what it felt like—a sudden urge to cough or sneeze, a subtle compulsion to call someone “big brother” or “big sister.”

“How do you feel, Aurora?”

Kaiser prompted me. He probably wanted me to try calling someone by one of those titles.

But calling someone “big brother” felt a bit too much.

“Come to think of it, doesn’t Sina already call Vincent and Choi Chang-young ‘big brother’?”

If Sina called Vincent or Choi Chang-young while under mental degradation, what would happen?

Would it get elevated to something more formal like “elder brother”? Or would she just keep calling them “big brother”?

Or would it repeat as “Vincent big brother big brother,” like a poorly made AI script? If that’s the case, it’s quite lackluster.

Suddenly inspired, I decided to test something.

“Oh my, Kaiser-bro. This game’s tougher than I thought.”

“……Bro?”

“Yes, bro.”

I smiled slyly.

Turns out it works.