Chapter 76: Chapter 75

“Chel, do you want to be my mom too…?” Ainatsu cautiously asked Chel.

She was obviously trying to get closer to Chel, but her method of closing the distance was, frankly, the worst.

Not many people are more twisted than me, the villainess, but this...

“That’s enough. How many parents do you plan to have?” I intervened.

Chel was still clinging to my back, frightened.

“Is having multiple moms strange…? Then maybe Chel could be my older sister?”

“Let me ask this—how old are you exactly? And I mean physically, not mentally.”

“I’m seven!”

“……”

“…I know that’s unsettling, but please don’t look at me like that. It hurts my feelings.”

“If you’re going to get hurt, don’t do things that would make people hurt you, Ainatsu.”

I unconsciously crossed my arms.

I knew Ainatsu was older than me, but how old exactly?

Had she crossed 30? Or was she still under it?

If she was over 30 and still acting like this...?

A creeping horror, like facing Cthulhu, began to seep in, so I decided to stop thinking about it.

I decided it would be healthier for my mind to just assume Ainatsu was 20 years old. Yes, that’s much better.

“Ainatsu… it feels weird hearing people call me that,” Ainatsu muttered, seemingly returning to some semblance of normalcy.

“You’re saying strange things. Do people call you something else normally?”

“Not really, but shouting it out like this in the middle of the street is a bit much.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re right.”

I hadn’t considered that. Rion and I use our real names as our VTuber names.

In online communities, there’s something known as the ‘red pill’—basically, when people dig into a VTuber’s personal information. Humans have a tendency to be unable to leave the unknown alone, much like Pandora’s box.

I don’t care if my own ‘red pill’ gets revealed, but not everyone’s like me.

“I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“It’s fine! Oh, by the way, my real name is ‘Lee Eun-ha,’ so if you can’t call me Ainatsu, just call me Eun-ha.”

“Lee Eun-ha… Got it. I’ll remember.”

Hearing a VTuber’s real name... this was only the second time for me. The first had been Anna. Now that I think about it, I don’t even know the real names of the other 6th-gen members.

Hearing this made me curious about my peers' real names, but I didn’t need to know. If we started calling each other by our real names in private, it would be bad if we accidentally slipped up during a broadcast.

It didn’t seem like Ainatsu particularly wanted to be called by her real name anyway.

“Mom! This is Veronica. She’s Anna’s peer—you remember her, right? We judged together last time.”

“And over there is Michael from the 2nd generation. Oh, and Erica’s with him?”

“That person over there is Ichika-senpai. She’s from the 1st generation and was a classmate of Rinko-senpai.”

Ainatsu introduced us to all the senior VTubers who had arrived before us, using their VTuber names.

The seniors were all calling each other by their VTuber names too, even though the staff were nearby. I guess this was the norm in the industry.

‘If you think of VTuber names as stage names, it doesn’t seem so strange.’

Most of the names had a Japanese feel to them, which was a bit odd, but everyone seemed accustomed to it.

“Do you have any other questions, Mom? You can ask anything.”

“Rinko and Anna aren’t here?”

“Rinko-senpai already recorded her part last time, and Anna… she doesn’t like doing this.”

“Doesn’t like it?”

“Yeah, she hates leaving the house, so she rarely does stuff like this. They probably invited her once, but I bet she declined. That’s why only two members from the 5th generation are here.”

Ainatsu answered my questions earnestly. She seemed a lot different from how she was on the broadcast.

Maybe she was trying to take care of me and Chel since it was our first recording.

I’d always thought she was a bit eccentric, but I suppose Ainatsu was still a senior after all.

She didn’t exude authority, but there was a quiet dignity to her.

“Okay, everyone, can I have your attention for a moment?”

As Ainatsu finished introducing the senior VTubers and explaining things, the staff called us over.

It seemed like everything was ready. The staff were at their stations, and I even saw Rion among them.

“We’ll begin recording now. You’ll each take turns going into the booth to record. You can talk outside the booth, but please keep your voices down to avoid confusing the staff.”

“We’ll go in order by generation. Ichika-san will go first, and the rest of you can wait outside the booth.”

The staff gave us those instructions, paying special attention to Chel and me, as it was our first time.

After the brief instructions, Ichika, the senior with the most experience, went into the booth.

From a bit further away, Rion quickly approached me.

“You and Chel are going last. Here’s the script.”

Rion handed both of us thin booklets.

“You don’t have to stick strictly to the script. If it doesn’t work, feel free to ad-lib.”

“That’s what you said yesterday too.”

“We’ll give you two plenty of time. So even if you mess up a few times, don’t worry, just relax—”

“Rion, what’s this?”

Ainatsu, who had been peeking at the script over my shoulder, looked puzzled.

“What is this?”

“…It’s the script.”

“I know that much.”

Ainatsu snatched the script from my hands and skimmed through it.

“Laura’s character doesn’t seem to match this. Are you sure this script is for Laura?”

“It’s for Laura, more or less.”

“‘More or less’? What’s that supposed to mean? Is this a last-minute fill-in?”

Ainatsu’s voice grew cold, and Rion’s face stiffened.

I recalled what Rion had said yesterday.

“Originally, two others were supposed to do the voice recording, but something came up, and they suddenly had to drop out.”

“We usually release eight voice recordings, but releasing only six wouldn’t look good this time…”

“It’s really hard to reschedule recording dates because of the staff, venue rentals, and matching VTuber schedules…”

“So I was hoping you and Chel could step in. It’s hard to pull in other generations, and the only ones with open schedules right now are the 6th-gen members…”

That was the situation.

“…Who were they? Actually, don’t tell me—I think I know.”

Sigh.

Ainatsu exhaled.

“But is it really okay to put 6th-gen in this? Shouldn’t seniors be handling this kind of thing?”

“Ainatsu, what’s with you all of a sudden?”

“Is it right to just dump something even veterans struggle with on newbies?”

As the atmosphere grew tense, Michael tried to calm Ainatsu down, but her expression only grew darker.

“Shouldn’t management be handling this? What are the staff even doing?? Rion, you’re a VTuber yourself—you should understand our position. Shouldn’t you be on Laura’s side here?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“...Right. You’re just a powerless cog in the machine... Fine, let me talk to them.”

“That’s enough.”

I stepped in.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been so doted on like this. It almost feels like we’ve switched roles, and now I’m your daughter.”

“...Laura, don’t get involved. This is wrong.”

“Oh, is it wrong for me to speak up about my own situation? What a strange thing to say.”

I placed my hand on Ainatsu’s shoulder.

“I appreciate that you’re speaking up for me, but there’s no need to worry. I accepted this fully aware of what’s involved.”

Even if I refused, Inagika or Sora would end up filling in instead.

Sora might manage, but there’s no way Inagika would do well. Plus, Inagika isn’t the type to decline even if she’s uncomfortable.

It was also awkward to put this on Sora. She’s great at singing, but her acting skills are a different story.

‘Besides, Sora seems busy these days.’

Up until recently, Sora would pop by my place all the time, but lately, she’s been scarce.

While Chel has been coming over practically every day, Sora hasn’t even dropped by once.

It seems like she’s preparing for something after the tournament, but she hasn’t said what. She’s been pretty secretive.

I didn’t want to disturb her.

One of us has to drink from the poisoned chalice, and it’s best if the person most suited to it takes the hit.

There’s no one better suited than me.

“Rion, rearrange the order.”

“The order?”

“They won’t be convinced until we show them, will they? You’re up for it, right, Chel?”

I turned to Chel.

She had been silent this whole time but now nodded confidently.

“I’m ready.”

Ainatsu was starting to regret how harshly she had spoken to Rion.

But it couldn’t be helped—she had been furious.

Why does this company always handle things so poorly?

Ainatsu had been a VTuber for three years now.

And in those three years, she’d learned one thing: every fandom complains about their management.

It’s no surprise.

VTubing hasn’t even been around for ten years, and many companies are still new.

Sharing expertise between agencies isn’t easy either. Knowledge is a company’s competitive edge, so why would they give that away?

So, each company is forced to learn through trial and error.

‘But there’s a limit.’

If about half of the people who leave VTubing do so for personal reasons, the other half definitely leave due to poor management.

In Ainatsu’s opinion, “retiring for personal reasons” is something that management should at least try to mitigate.

Failing to persuade someone to stay is also management’s fault.

It’s not that much to ask.

Just take care of the little things.

Those little things pile up, and soon enough, many VTubers quit. EYEAI had lost quite a few because of this.

…I’ll have to have a talk with the boss after this is all over.

“Are you ready, Laura?”

As Ainatsu sighed, Rion was speaking into the mic.

[I’m all set. We can start anytime.]

“Take your time. There’s no rush, and you can do retakes if needed.”

[You underestimate me. One take will be enough.]

Through the glass, Laura flashed a confident smile.

Seeing her like that, Ainatsu felt a twinge of discomfort.

She’s too admirable. Even though she was forced into this, she still exuded confidence.

‘I’ll treat her to dinner later.’

That’s the least I can do.

While watching Aurora’s recording, Ainatsu suddenly noticed something off.

“Where’s the script?”

Laura’s hands were empty.

Glancing around, Ainatsu noticed the script lying on the seat Laura had left behind… How could she forget it?

“Hey, wait—”

Just as Ainatsu opened her mouth to stop her,

[──You’ll live here for the rest of your life.]

A freezing voice echoed through the booth.

It was a chilling coldness that squeezed the heart.

The air seemed to freeze, making it hard to breathe. Just exhaling felt like it could shatter everything.

A sense of danger crept up the back of her neck.

And through the glass, Aurora stood there, her face as pale as a sheet.

[Oh, it’s snowing, isn’t it? Not that it matters to you.]

[Snow is a filthy thing, dirtier than it appears. If it touches your skin, it’ll only harm you.]

[Just watch it from a distance.]@@novelbin@@

[Don’t even think about leaving.]

[Lunch is served at 11:45 AM. Any other time, and I won’t allow it.]

[You won’t be getting any tea either. Caffeine is probably the last thing you need.]

[Brush your teeth after meals.]

[Your bedtime is 11:55 PM. And take your shower one hour before that.]

[Oh, is this hard for you to remember?]

[It’s fine if you forget.]

[I’ll remember everything for you.]

[Got it?]

[You’ll live here for the rest of your life.]