The Villainess VTuber Tears People Apart

What doesn’t kill me is just another trial.

If I can overcome those trials and survive, I will become stronger.

That was Cecilia’s usual phrase.

“Get lost.”

Grabbing Cecilia by the collar, I spoke.

“…What?”

“I told you to disappear from my sight. I don’t care where you go, just don’t show me your shabby self. I only want to keep beautiful things in my sight.”

“…Why aren’t you killing me?”

-Thud!

I roughly tossed Cecilia’s body to the floor.

“All you do is talk about trials and such. Honestly, it’s disappointing. If you really want to be my food, come back stronger.”

“…Lady Laura, do you even realize what you’re doing? You’re letting a monster like me go?”

“Isn’t that what I just said? For a princess of a kingdom, your language skills are lacking. It would be good to refine your education a bit.”

“You’ll regret this.”

Cecilia glared at me.

“I’m no longer human. How many people do you think a monster like me will kill?”

“Then that will be your trial going forward.”

“What?”

“It was your usual saying, wasn’t it? That anything that doesn’t kill you is a trial. That overcoming trials makes you stronger. Let’s say your new trial is living without becoming a monster. …And to be brutally honest, I don’t care about your circumstances, trial or otherwise.”

I shrugged.

“Why should I care about your situation? Whether you become a monster and kill people or not, is that my responsibility? You’re really shameless, aren’t you?”

“…Seems to me like you’re the shameless one, Lady Laura.”

“If you’re that upset, make sure to be born as a noble lady in your next life. Besides, keeping you alive offers me various benefits.”

“Benefits…?”

“Go straight to the western mountains. I heard there are bandits lurking there. Go deal with them, and I’ll spare your life.”

“……”

When I said that, Cecilia looked at me, dumbfounded.

Seeing her expression, I smiled.

“Being nourishment is like this. As long as I can keep squeezing you dry, I’ll cover for you. If you don’t want to get beaten, you better get going.”

***

===

【Virtual VTuber Gallery】

[Live Broadcast] Round 3 ends in a draw.

What happens now?

[Comments]

– Overtime rounds are starting.

– Rinco’s insane, lol.

– Anna’s crying her eyes out watching from home, lol.

– Laura likes everyone, regardless of being a senior or junior.

ㄴ I bet it’s because her nighttime skills are amazing.

ㄴ By now, Sora can’t live without Laura.

– Who would’ve thought they’d be fighting a double suicide match, lol.

ㄴ And she even taunts in all directions, lol.

===

[Live Broadcast] Round 4 begins.

A-Trickster in a virgin run?????

[Comments]

– Did Rinco get inspired by watching Trickster?

– Has Laura played Trickster before?

ㄴ This is her first time.

ㄴ But she seems to handle pretty much anything.

– So many surprise picks today, lol.

===

[Live Broadcast] But this screenshot was never used.

(Photoshop meme)

After exhausting all her strength in Round 3, Rinco was utterly defeated by Laura’s Trickster in Round 4, as if by a miracle.

[Comments]

– Such a shame.

– It ended so fast, damn, lol.

– Rinco did well, but Laura’s Trickster was also amazing…

ㄴ Seriously, what ‘can’t’ A-Virgin do?

ㄴ Well, she can’t do sex since she’s a virgin, lol.

ㄴ But she does it with Sora all the time, lol.

ㄴ Didn’t they birth Ainatsu from their love?

ㄴ What nonsense are you spouting, dude, lol.

===

[General] “Since I won, how about you sign, Senior Rinco?”

(Meme image)

“Three Kingdoms… is wuxia…”

[Comments]

– How did this turn out like this?

– Damn, lol.

– Such a burn…

– Haha, you should’ve won if you hated it that much, lol.

– “You wicked witch of the Demon Sect!”

ㄴ She’s the villainous noblewoman, of course she doesn’t care about things like honor, lol.

===

【This_Code: One-on-one Chat Room with Aurora】

Kisaki Rinco

[Let’s grab a bite]

[When are you free?]

===

“You really look exactly like a pancake….”

Three days had passed since the EYEAI Labyrinthos Tournament.

Rinco came all the way to my front door.

“Senior Rinco, you’re quite different from what I imagined.”

She had multiple piercings in her ears and even dyed hair.

But maybe because she wore glasses, her appearance didn’t seem sharp.

“I hear that often.”

With a chuckle, Rinco walked ahead.

Her gait was neat, creating a strange contrast with her stylish appearance.

She’s probably more of a goody two-shoes at heart. In game terms, it felt like she was just wearing a wild-looking skin over a rather mild base character.

“Laura, those sunglasses are quite flashy. Don’t you have a prettier design?”

“Sora gave them to me.”

“I didn’t mean to say they weren’t pretty, but rather that they suit you well.”

Rinco quickly recovered. That could’ve easily turned into an awkward moment.

Not that I cared. Honestly, the sunglasses weren’t exactly a pretty design anyway.

I adjusted the sunglasses slightly.

“Sora mentioned I look exactly like a pancake and might be recognized by the fans.”

“Ah~, I could see that. But if that’s the case, you should probably consider changing your hairstyle too.”

“My hairstyle?”

“Your hair looks great down, but it gives off a similar vibe to the pancake. I think it’d feel different if you tied it up.”

“That’s a decent suggestion.”

But I’m not sure if Rion could pull it off. Rion, who usually handles my hair, is quite average when it comes to hairstyling.

Come to think of it, I vaguely remember hearing that Sora majored in cosmetology.

“So, do you have anything in mind for food? What’s your favorite?”

“My favorite food? I don’t think you’ll like it, but is that okay?”

“I don’t mind. We should eat what you like.”

“Alright then.”

I nodded.

And we ended up at a pork soup restaurant.

“…Laura, do you know how I feel right now?”

“Senior, there are things in life people won’t understand unless you say them. Be honest.”

“I feel like I’m committing a sin.”

Rinco sighed in front of her soup.

“Oh my, were you watching your calorie intake? If so, I apologize.”

“Not particularly…”

“Then, do you dislike soup?”

“I actually like it quite a bit… It’s just, it feels like I’m forcing the King of England to eat tteokbokki.”

I understood what she meant. I had a similar experience when I first entered the academy.

Coincidentally, there was a princess among the new students that year, and I had to take the placement exam with her. During the exam, a gate suddenly opened, and we ended up stranded together.

At the time, we had no choice but to hunt and eat the beasts inside the gate, which made the princess freak out. I felt guilty about it, but sometimes, survival requires making do with what’s available.

“I thought you’d like pasta…”

“I like pasta too. But if you ask for my favorite, it has to be soup.”

It’s the food I loved even before becoming the villainous noblewoman.

I added some spicy paste, a bit of salted shrimp, and adjusted the seasoning. Sprinkling ground perilla seeds over it, the aroma filled the air.

After mixing it well, I dumped the rice entirely into the soup. For the record, I ordered assorted soup, which included tripe and blood sausage.

“So, what’s the real reason you asked me to meet, Senior Rinco?”

After I had perfectly seasoned my soup and was about to indulge in its heavenly taste, I asked Rinco.

“First off, drop the formalities.”

“Fine, I’ll do that.”

I dropped the polite speech right away.

Skipping over the 2nd to 5th generation, directly addressing a 1st-generation VTuber like Rinco felt a bit off, but since she asked for it, it didn’t matter.

I also found speaking informally more comfortable. After all, I am a noble lady.

“So, what did you call me for?”

“You switch gears quickly. I like that. Why did I call you? Hmm, let’s just say I wanted to chat.”

“About what?”

“Just random stuff.”

And Rinco started talking without much focus. She brought up the time she lost to MadMask last year.

“The hate comments didn’t bother me much. What really weighed on me was that the team trusted me until the end, and I couldn’t live up to their expectations. Especially to Narin…”

Narin must refer to Son Narin, her teammate.

Son Narin, a 2nd-tier pick for the Black Team and a member of Serenade of 23 O’clock.

“Laura, I don’t plan on competing in Fantasy League this year.”

Rinco said this suddenly.

“Before I faced you, I was thinking about a lot of things. What does Kisaki Rinco have that Aurora doesn’t? After losing to you, what would I have left?”

“So, what’s left?”

“A painfully long life.”

Rinco took a swig of water.

She almost looked like she was drinking in broad daylight.

“I’ll lose the title of EYEAI’s top VTuber one day, get overtaken in subscriber count, my star power, charisma, gaming skills, and even mental toughness will all fall behind. There’s nothing I can beat you at.”

“You’re stating the obvious. Why would you even try to compare yourself to the sun?”

“Because, for now, I am EYEAI’s sun. Please, hurry up and take it from me. I want to put it down.”

Rinco chuckled.

She seemed much different from when we clashed in the tournament.

Back then, she was incredibly serious, but now her expression seemed strangely relieved.

“But just because you put it down doesn’t mean it’s over. Whether I lose the title of top VTuber at EYEAI, or someone takes the spot of Labyrinthos specialist, I still have to live the rest of my life.”

“Now you’re stating the obvious.”

“Yeah. But sometimes, I forget the obvious. ──In the end, everything is just a checkpoint.”

Unless it’s a catastrophic failure, life doesn’t end so easily.

Success is even more elusive. There are very few lives that conclude with success.

Whether it’s success or failure, life goes on afterward.

So, whether you succeed or fail, it may not be as important as you think.

One success can’t define your entire life.

And one great achievement is rarely the final word.

That’s why how you continue to live after those moments always matters.

“Even if you don’t enter Fantasy League this year, there’s always next year. If you prepare hard for a year, you could make up for the gap.”

Rinco seemed to have reached that conclusion.

I didn’t have much to say about it.

Whether Rinco’s choice was right or wrong didn’t matter much to me.

Even if she failed again, her life wouldn’t end.

In the end, everything that doesn’t kill her is just another trial.

“However, there’s one small flaw in your plan.”

“Flaw?”

“Just because this year’s league is happening doesn’t guarantee next year’s will.”

The success of this year’s league would determine whether next year’s would be held.

Of course, it’s likely to happen. The fact that they rebranded the Streamer League to Fantasy League suggests they intend to keep it going.

“Laura, you’re missing one thing. This year’s league will definitely be a hit, and next year’s will definitely happen.”

“Oh, you’re saying some strange things.”

There’s not much in this world that’s guaranteed.

“Well, you’re going to compete in this year’s league, right? That alone guarantees its success.”

Rinco said confidently.

“Laura, enter the league. Compete, avenge me, ensure the tournament’s success, and come back even greater than before.”