The Villainess VTuber Tears People Apart

===

【This_Code: Private chat with Chel Sumeragi】

Aurora

[(Hyperlink)]

[Come]

Chel Sumeragi

[Yes]

===

***

Inagika let out a sigh.

【Guerilla Collab】 Sora had come over to her house, and now they were going to pick a game to play together【Aurora/EYEAI】.

“Must be nice…”

Her sleep schedule was wrecked. Once again, Inagika had gone to bed at 4 a.m. and woke up only after lunchtime.

Waking up in the morning was always difficult.

Still, she managed to attend high school somehow. She even had friends with similar hobbies, so things went by without much trouble.

But as they all went off to different universities, she lost touch with them. She couldn’t connect well with her classmates either, eventually leading her to drop out.

Since she didn’t meet people anymore, she figured it didn’t matter if she didn’t wake up on time.

But the reality was that most people woke up in the morning and slept at night, making it hard for her to find a proper job.

This was the ultimate result of her broken social skills.

But she thought it was fine. After all, she had become friends with Laura.

…That’s why this current situation, where she was streaming alone with Sora, felt a bit uncomfortable.

“I became friends with Laura first, ugh…”

Before she knew it, Laura had grown closer to Sora.

“I knew this would happen…”

From the first moment Inagika spoke with Sora, she knew she was the type who easily became friends with everyone.

She would naturally get along with most people. …Inagika couldn’t understand why someone like her would choose to become a VTuber.

It wasn’t like she disliked Sora, though…

Sometimes, when she taught Sora how to play Minecraft, Inagika felt a little superior. Chatting with Sora made her feel like she was becoming a bit of an extrovert herself.

So, while they had gotten a bit closer, Sora still felt a little intimidating. Even though her tone was friendly, when they first met on Discord, there was a subtle sense of distance between them.

But after meeting Laura in real life, things had become a bit more comfortable.

Aurora.

To Inagika, Laura was… a very intriguing person.

Was she really a rich girl or something? Her aura was anything but ordinary. Inagika could sense that they came from entirely different worlds.

Normally, it would be hard to stay friends with someone who lived in such a different world, but for some reason, Laura was easy to be around.

Inagika was starting to understand why. Laura was fundamentally skilled at managing people.

Rion took care of Laura because of her position.

Sora, in turn, looked after her when Laura occasionally let her guard down.

As for Anna, it seemed she had recognized Laura’s inner desires, and …she probably even saw through Inagika’s own.

Whether it was intentional or not, Laura had this ability to make people gravitate toward her.

She really was like a villainous noblewoman.

Now Inagika understood how those villainous noblewomen from romance novels could attract so many followers.

“Ugh… I’m probably just unnecessary to Laura…”

With that thought, Inagika began to feel a little depressed.

Laura would go on to build connections with many more people. She would undoubtedly become beloved by her seniors.

In the end, Inagika would just be a passing figure in Laura’s life…!

Five years from now, Laura might not even remember Inagika’s existence. “Oh? Was there someone like that? Now that you mention it, I think there was someone with that name in my generation…” she would think.

After all, Inagika had no special skills, no social aptitude, and even her sleep schedule was wrecked… she was just a fragment of a broken person…!

…Relationships were always so exhausting.

To Inagika, Laura was her best friend, but to Laura, she was probably not her best friend.

With that thought, Inagika curled up into her blanket, slowly sinking into oblivion.

Inagika couldn’t tear people apart (End).

-Ding, ding.

“Ha…!”

The sudden sound of a Discord notification jolted Inagika back to life.

It was a message from Laura.

Aurora

[(Hyperlink)]

[I’m streaming with Sora right now]

[Would you like to join us?]

Inagika

[I’ll be there!!!!!!!!!!!!]

Inagika threw off the blanket that had been suffocating her.

She also ripped off all the clothes she was wearing and threw them onto the bed. There was no time to organize anything.

“Uh, Mom…! Help me pick out an outfit! I’m going to a friend’s house…!”

Since school didn’t teach her how to dress nicely, she called for help from her mom.

As her mom scolded her for leaving her clothes all over the place, Inagika rushed out of the house faster than anyone.

And now, Inagika was…

Playing Darkness Deception.

“……Huh, why?”

‘How did it come to this…? Wasn’t Sora the one who was supposed to be playing the horror game…? Chel had agreed to take punishment as a “Terrorarist” too, but I never even cooperated with city destruction…!?’

Despite her doubts, it was too late now.

Inagika was already seated in her gaming chair, with her left hand on the WASD keys and her right on the mouse.

‘I’m not good at these kinds of games…’

While Inagika loved games almost as much as Laura among the 6th generation, she wasn’t exactly confident in her skills. Thinking back, the games she played didn’t require much physical skill.

Games like War God, Destruction: Moon Rail, Blue Record, Dragon Musume Predator Derby, and Idol Producer Cinderella Kingdoms… she had only played gacha games.

“You might be better at the third stage, Inagika.”

That’s when Laura spoke.

“The mobs in the third stage stop moving once they enter your line of sight. Since you’ll naturally get surrounded by mobs more often, it becomes less about quick reactions and more about figuring out ‘how to escape.’ You’re smart, so I think you’ll do well.”

“R-Really…?”

Inagika’s face brightened at the compliment.

‘W-well… I have played puzzle games before, after all…?’

‘Destruction: Moon Rail (often shortened to “Moora”) was a turn-based game where you had to use your brain to twist your way through, right? War God had some puzzle elements too…? And didn’t I play card games like Shadowburst? I guess I am used to using my brain…?

Sora, on the other hand, wasn’t much of a deep thinker.

As an extrovert, she tended to act quickly, so maybe I, an introvert, am more skilled at brainy plays…!’

‘I’m the savior of the 6th generation… the conqueror of the third stage…!’

A surge of confidence that wasn’t entirely unfounded began to rise within her…! Inagika adjusted her posture.

It was time to show off her brilliant strategy.

If she could clear the third stage of Darkness Deception, known as the hardest, what kind of reputation would she earn?

Inagika’s imagination ran wild.

-“To think you cleared the third stage so easily. As expected of my most precious friend.”

-“Amazing! I can’t get through the third stage, but you did it~. In the 6th generation, Inagika is definitely the smartest! Let’s stay close from now on!”

-“Friend request sent.”

“Hehehe…”

Just imagining herself as the hero of the 6th generation made Inagika smile.

A hero descends at this very moment.

***

The truth was, the third stage also required physical skill.

There were moments when you needed to stay calm, but there were also times when quick reflexes were crucial.

As mentioned before, the third stage was filled with traps—timed traps that triggered spikes or flying axes.

Timing was critical, and it was more a matter of reflexes than brains, which was why Inagika struggled.

“Wouldn’t it be better to use a skill to bypass the traps?”

“Do you think so…?”

“Haven’t you been saving your skills too much? You can use them whenever the cooldown is ready, right?”

“But if I get surrounded… without my skills, I won’t have a way out…”

Inagika and Sora exchanged such conversations.

Sometimes, you can only see things clearly when you take a step back. So, as Sora watched Inagika play, she started offering tips.

“Let me try this time. Move over.”

“O-Okay…”

And so, Sora, Inagika, and Chel took turns playing the game.

Inagika stubbornly cleared the third stage.

She also cleared the fourth stage.

The fifth stage was a bit harder, but Sora cleared it.

Chel cleared the sixth stage.

Sora struggled but managed to clear the seventh stage.

And finally, when they cleared the highly anticipated eighth stage,

“It’s already lunchtime.”

They had been streaming for about 22 hours.

Chel had snuck into my bed at some point and was sleeping openly, while Inagika was dozing off beside her.

Sora was still awake, but,

“Ugh, ooooh…”

She had screamed so much that she could barely speak.

“It seems Chel and Inagika have fallen asleep, so I’ll end the stream with Sora. Did you have fun?”

“…I’m exhausted.”

“Sora says she had fun too. We played Darkness Deception today, but I’ve given Sora many other horror games as gifts. Let’s meet again with a different game next time.”

“…Save me.”

With Sora’s closing remarks, I gently pressed the end stream button.

I took out my earphones and stood up.

It was a disaster.

The box of chicken I bought for a late-night snack was still lying around, untouched, and, figuratively speaking, three of my peers were laid out like corpses.

Only one person was sleeping in my bed. And she had stolen my bed at that.

“Guess I have no choice.”

I usually avoided doing menial tasks, but it seemed I’d have to put in a little effort for the first time in a while.

With that thought, I gently picked up the half-collapsed Sora and Inagika and moved them to the bed.