The Villainess VTuber Rips People Apart

"Join the company, huh?" I mused, sipping my tea.

I wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of joining a company.

"You don’t want to join a company?" Rion asked, surprised.

"Well, there are just too many things to worry about."

I was a noblewoman, Laura Iris—an untouchable gem, even beyond the Emperor's grasp. But if I joined a company, there would undoubtedly come a time when I’d have to mind the company’s expectations.

I wanted to walk the path of a streamer to remain a noblewoman in spirit, high and mighty.

In that sense, a company would just be a burden.

"Nowadays, independent VTubers are out of fashion," Rion said seriously, unwilling to back down.

"Independent VTubers don’t get much traction or make any money. If it’s just a hobby, that’s fine, but you might end up spending more than you make."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, the VTuber industry is dominated by corporate-backed talents."

Rion began explaining the world of corporate VTubers.

Summing up her explanation, it went something like this:

Let’s say five VTubers debut under a company. If one of them—VTuber A—reaches 300,000 subscribers, the other four VTubers will likely gain popularity too, their subscriber count reaching somewhere between 100,000 to 200,000.

Since VTubers only stream for about 4 to 5 hours a week, there are long stretches of downtime when they aren’t broadcasting. During those breaks, fans of VTuber A will naturally seek out other streams, often turning to the other VTubers from the same group.

"The same thing happens for the other four," Rion continued.

"When B isn’t streaming, their fans will go watch A. And when C isn’t streaming, their fans will also check out A."

This subscriber-sharing effect meant that within the same company, the five VTubers’ subscriber counts would naturally align to some degree.

"And what happens when new VTubers join the company?"

The newcomers benefit from the subscriber base built by their seniors. Fans of the more established VTubers get curious about the juniors and start following them too.

As time passes and another new batch of juniors debuts, the process repeats, with subscribers shared among the company’s talents. According to Rion, this structure traps subscribers within the company ecosystem.

"So companies have their own fandoms," I remarked.

Rion nodded.

It wasn’t a difficult concept to grasp. The same thing happens in the world of sports, where fans stick with their teams.

"In 2018, independent VTubers still had some appeal... but nowadays, very few people seek them out. That’s why, if you want to succeed as a VTuber today, it’s best to start with a company and their built-in fanbase."

Companies also provide equipment, create models for the VTubers, and assign managers to support them.

"Not only that," Rion continued, "they’ll produce music videos, original songs, 3D modeling, new costumes, offline events, and even secure advertising deals for you. If you’re independent, you have to handle all of that by yourself."

"I see."

Listening to all of this, it became clear that being an independent VTuber wasn’t very competitive.

Moreover, I had always been someone who commanded others during my time as a noblewoman.

I had no desire to concern myself with the little things. It would be ideal if someone else handled the logistics for me.

Having a manager certainly sounded convenient in that regard.

"Rion, where did you say your company is located?"

I set down my teacup.

A few days later, a car was parked in front of my house.

"Oh my, whose car is that?"

Even though I had a tendency to spend lavishly, I had never bought a car.

After all, I didn’t know how to drive. It was unthinkable for a noblewoman to drive herself.

I only ever intended to stay at home and play games, with the occasional trip to the nearby bakery or convenience store. A car was never necessary.

But today, Rion had arrived in a car.

"This is Dad’s car. I borrowed it," she explained.

"Borrowed it?"

"Yeah, since I’ll be doing more manager work, I figured having a car would be handy."

Rion continued, "I’ll need it for commuting, and there might be times when I have to drive VTubers around."

"Don’t VTubers stream from home?"

"Not always. Sometimes they need to go to the studio to record original songs or attend events."

"Sounds like a celebrity’s life."

"It doesn’t happen often. Most VTubers use public transport to get around. Anyway, are you getting in or what? How long are you planning to stand there?"

Rion looked at me quizzically, seemingly not realizing what I was waiting for.

I crossed my arms and gave her a look.

"...You expect me to drive you around?"

Rion’s expression turned exasperated, but in the end, she opened the back door for me.

Once I was seated in the back, Rion closed the door and sighed.

"Alright, we’re off."

"...If only you weren’t the homeowner," she muttered as she stepped on the gas.

Back in my days as a noblewoman, I was accustomed to traveling by carriage. The sensation of being in a car was quite different, but it had its own charm.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at our destination faster than I expected.

"This is Lee Jeong-woo, manager at EYEAI," Rion introduced me to a man upon our arrival.

I had heard that he had been Rion’s manager and was a high-ranking figure within the company.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Aurora, Rion’s cousin."

"Wow... I hope it’s not rude to say this on a first meeting, but you’re really beautiful."

"Oh, isn’t it nice to be called beautiful? I’m not sure what part of that could be considered rude."

"Sorry, Manager... my sister has a bit of a unique way of speaking," Rion said, bowing her head apologetically for some reason.

Jeong-woo just laughed.

"I see why Rion recommended you."

We all sat down.

"I’ve heard a lot about you from Rion. I also watched the stream you did with Anna. Our company would love to scout you."

"Scout me? So there’s no audition?"

I had always thought VTubers were chosen through auditions.

When I asked, Jeong-woo shook his head.

"Normally, yes. But in cases where we find someone truly talented, we scout them directly. And we believe you have great potential."

Well, that makes sense, I thought. I’m far too perfect of a person to be passed up.

I nodded in understanding.

"We’d like you to debut sometime in August, if possible."

"August? You mean next month? Isn’t that too soon?" Rion asked, clearly concerned.

"It’s tight, but it would be perfect if she could debut in August. That’s when we’ll be debuting our 6th-generation VTubers."

The 6th generation.

Rion was part of the 4th generation, and Anna belonged to the 5th. So I’d be joining as their junior. How curious...

"But Manager, what about her model? Can a Live2D model be made in just one month?"@@novelbin@@

"We’ll need a strategy for that. I’m thinking Aurora could use a model based on her real appearance."

"My real appearance? You mean using my sister’s actual face?" Rion asked in surprise.

"Yes," Jeong-woo nodded. "Of course, it wouldn’t be exactly the same. We’d make some modifications. Aurora’s already stunning in real life, like a character brought to life from an anime."

Like a character from an anime...

He wasn’t entirely wrong. After all, this body—Laura Iris—was originally a character from a game.

"So I want to retain as much of her real beauty as possible. That would cut down on character design time."

"But won’t that make it easy for people to recognize her in real life?" Rion asked.

"We can change her eye color or hair color and give her a distinctive outfit. If we add a hat to the model, it’ll be even harder to recognize her."

"Wouldn’t a complicated outfit delay the model’s production?"

"We’ll request the illustrator to work in VR using a time acceleration system. That’ll give us plenty of time."

The time acceleration system was a feature that made time flow five times faster in VR.

When I first experienced it, I thought it was revolutionary for extending game time. But using it to rush through work felt a bit... extreme, even for me. I realized that even the best technologies could be used harshly, depending on the context.

It was a good lesson for a villainess like myself.

"Of course, this plan only works if Aurora agrees to join our company. What do you think?"

"Not bad. But we haven’t talked about the streaming side of things yet."

Model production was honestly not something I cared too much about.

I wasn’t becoming an actor, and I didn’t need professional acting skills for role-playing. Even if I did, I was confident I could pick up acting quickly enough to rival professionals. I was, after all, a noblewoman of a great house.

So I didn’t care much about the character design or the setting. As long as it wasn’t something outrageous, I could manage.

VTuber models didn’t seem to require much beyond a pretty design and good quality. What mattered more to me was the broadcasting itself.

"In terms of broadcasting," Jeong-woo began, "VTubers are generally encouraged to stream whatever they enjoy. The company doesn’t interfere too much. And since Rion will be your manager, you shouldn’t have any trouble."

Jeong-woo glanced at Rion.

She nodded.

"Oh, Rion will be my manager?"

"It’ll make things more comfortable for both you and the company. The best manager is someone who truly understands the VTuber they’re managing."

"Fair enough."

I took a sip of my coffee.

"I like it."