December 28, Saturday.
The opening match of the Fantasy League was held.
The opening match was between Cerberus and Gryphon.
Our Leviathan members gathered together to host a co-viewing stream.
"Is Senior Barubara and Senior Kirin not coming after all?"
Sora asked as she sat down next to me.
"It seems that way."
"I see. Well, everyone’s busy, after all."
"You're pretty busy yourself, aren’t you?"
It had been quite a while since I last saw Sora.
Although she attended all the Leviathan group practices without fail, come to think of it, we rarely met during other streams.
Had she only participated in Dungeon Seeker once on the first day?
I had asked her several times afterward to join me, but surprisingly, Sora had declined every single time.
"...Didn’t I tell you? I’m shooting four MVs."
"Four MVs?"
"Yeah... The Fantasy League runs for about four months, right? So I’m planning to release one MV per month..."
So that was the case.
During the Fantasy League period, Sora, Anna, and I each had several announcements lined up.
In my case, I had a silhouette MV production, a new costume reveal, and 3D modeling scheduled.
Moreover, it had already been announced that the voice drama featuring Chel and me, which we’d been holding onto for a while, would start selling next month.
Apparently, if the downloads are high, they’re considering producing another voice drama. But I have no idea how that will turn out.
As for Sora, she had MV production and a new costume reveal lined up.
To be more specific, the new costume reveal wasn’t just about Sora and me; it also included Inagika and Chel.
I heard that costumes are distributed more based on activity duration rather than popularity.
For instance, it would look odd if we 6th gen members, who are only in our first year, ended up having more new costumes than the 5th gen members, who are in their second year. So it seemed like the 6th gen members would all receive new costumes around the same time.
As for Sora's 3D modeling, it seemed to be underway as well, but unlike mine, there was a high chance it wouldn’t be revealed during the Fantasy League period.
So it seemed her management was making up for that lack by having her release multiple MVs.
"Everyone’s bound to be busy."
Come to think of it, I had also gone out recently for an MV recording. Because of that, I had to join the Dungeon Seeker promotion stream later than usual.
Not just Barubara and Kirin, who couldn’t participate in the co-viewing, but other Fantasy League participants probably had various announcements during this period as well.
I heard Anna was busy too.
Unlike us, who had costume reveals, she was planning to sell paid ASMR. What’s the difference between free and paid ASMR anyway?
"So I’ll join the league practice, but Dungeon Seeker might be tough for a while..."
Sora said as such. It was unfortunate, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.
When the Fantasy League opening match began, we watched the game between Cerberus and Gryphon.
As she had told me before, Rui supported Gryphon, and Mero followed Rui to cheer for Gryphon as well.
Even Sora supported Gryphon.
When Senior Anna appeared, they cheered even harder for Gryphon.
-Scrambling to protect her throne, lol
-Why is someone who’s not even on the same team acting cocky?
-Frustration from failing to record yuri voice content
-Still holding a grudge about making Laura her maid, lol
Not supporting a senior could be considered rude, but no one criticized Sora for it.
Perhaps it was because we were all close to Anna in private. The viewers seemed to understand that very well.
But contrary to our team’s fervent cheering, the result was the complete opposite.
Duel Mode
- Round 1: Choi Changyoung wins (Cerberus +1pt)
- Round 2: Son Narin wins (Gryphon +1pt)
- Round 3: Shiroki Anna wins (Cerberus +1pt)
Arcade Mode: Cerberus wins (+3pts)
Gate Assault Mode: Cerberus wins (+5pts)
Match 1 Results: Cerberus 10pts / Gryphon 1pt
Gryphon got absolutely obliterated.
"Uh..."
A complete massacre.
The results were so one-sided that even Rui, the channel host, was at a loss for words.
It wasn’t just Rui.
Even Mero, who often had the nerve to grope my chest or butt without thinking, kept her mouth shut. Sora, being the lowest in seniority here, had no choice but to read the room carefully.
"The team synergy must not be there yet."
I decided to break the ice.
"Yeah, synergy... That’s it! The team was only formed recently, and this was their first match..."
Rui tried desperately to cover things up.
Though in truth, the team had been formed quite a while ago. There was about a month-long gap between the draft and the opening match.
Still, no one pointed out that inconvenient truth. There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.
"I hope Gryphon gives proper feedback from this match."
I said as much.
***
The shocking result of the opening match.
It seemed the community forums were in an uproar.
[General] The difference in management is insane.
[General] They barely practiced, lol.
[General] Horizon guys, get your act together!
When it came to the VTuber industry’s two titans, Horizon Air and Serenade of 23 O’clock, the fans weren’t exactly friendly with each other, even if it wasn’t outright animosity.
With Gryphon, which was mostly composed of Horizon Air members, losing the match, the VTuber gallery was burning as fiercely as the sun.
As for me, I just played games.
'Is Sora sleeping?'
Today’s game was Dungeon Seeker.
Since I had accepted the sponsorship, I planned to focus on Dungeon Seeker for this month.
Until now, I’d been farming gold, so I thought it might be good to start playing through the story today.
However, playing alone felt a bit... lacking.
Given that it was a multiplayer game and my class was Healing, my combat and survival abilities were practically non-existent.
To be honest, the lack of combat power wasn’t a big deal. But my skill set consisted of just <Resurrection>, which was almost useless for solo play.
Aside from <Resurrection>, I was basically a civilian. To make matters worse, <Resurrection> couldn’t be used on myself. Not exactly a solo-friendly class.
For that reason,
[Hello?]
"Come here."
[Come where?]
[Oh, Dungeon Seeker?]
[Should I log in now?]
"Yes."
I called for Mero.
"I’m here~."
Mero logged into Dungeon Seeker.
She approached me and casually reached out to grope my butt. Of course, I swatted her hand away.
Lately, Mero had been greeting me like this.
"Is it just you today?"
"That seems to be the case."
"Hmm. What about Rui or the others?"
"I doubt they’ll come. Everyone’s Discord status is offline."
I checked the Discord window again as I said this.
"Right? Barubara and Kirin are always asleep around this time. What about Sora?"
"She probably went to bed. I heard she’s busy again tomorrow."
"Sora seems really busy these days. But isn’t Rui usually awake around this time? Should I give her a call?"
"Don’t bother. She might have something planned for tomorrow, you know."
Mero, as nocturnal as Inagika, was slightly different from Rui.
Rui’s sleeping schedule often changed.
To put it simply, her sleep time adjusted depending on the next day’s schedule. If she had to go out early, she’d sleep early.
On the other hand, if she had no particular plans, she’d work until late and sleep afterward.
"Hmm. I prefer when there are more people, though."
Mero muttered regretfully.
Recently, I learned something about Mero.
If Chel and Anna were like cats, Mero was like a dog.
-"Me? I go wherever someone calls me. Honestly, it’s because I get bored too."
-"And, don’t you feel more reassured when you’re in a crowd?"
-"When I’m alone at home, I feel like I’m isolated from society or something. Is it just me?"
Mero had said this once.
She had a rebellious image, but despite that, she surprisingly agreed to collaborations quite often. She didn’t seem like the type to reject gatherings either.
It was hard to imagine given her bold demeanor, but she gave off the vibe of a slightly lonely golden retriever.
Anyway, since Mero had joined, we started the stream.
It was late at night, but there were quite a few viewers.
It seemed the farming method for parasitic spiders I shared recently had gained some attention overseas. Because of that, some English-speaking viewers joined. Considering the time zone, it was probably afternoon in the U.S.
That didn’t mean there were no Korean viewers; since it was the weekend, there were a fair number of them.
There were also quite a few Japanese viewers, likely Mero’s audience. Given Mero’s flipped day-and-night schedule, her viewers seemed to share similar habits.
Now that the stream was live,
Shall we start the game right away?
-Ding
Or so I thought.
A Discord notification sounded.
"So, no one else is joining, right? Another intimate date, just the two of us~?"
"That was the plan until now, but it seems one more person will join us."
"Oh, really? Who?"
"Son Narin."
I answered, looking at the Discord message Son Narin had just sent.
Moments later, Son Narin joined.
-?
-Why are you here?
-Didn’t you sleep, lol?
-Well, it’s understandable why you couldn’t, lol.
The viewers, who had been indifferent to Mero, reacted strongly when Son Narin joined.
However, the chat didn’t seem particularly inflammatory. Perhaps it was because Son Narin was the only one who scored a point in the opening match.
Though the community might be in an uproar, for all I knew.
"Hello! I’ve come to inspect enemy territory!"
"Enemy territory?"
"Yes!"
Son Narin exclaimed in her usual cheerful tone.
"In a month, we’ll be facing Leviathan, right? I’m preparing in advance!"
"Wasn’t your next match against Behemoth? Are you prioritizing us over them?"
"Exactly!"
-Cheerful expression, lol
-Well… as long as you’re happy...
-This is ridiculous, lol
"Since it seems to be your first time meeting each other, why don’t you two introduce yourselves?"
I subtly gestured toward Mero with my chin.
While Mero wasn’t particularly shy, she seemed to be a bit cautious, perhaps because it was their first meeting. This rascal could read the room when she wanted to.
"I’m Mero, Lady Laura’s toy. Nice to meet you."
"…What? Toy…?"
"You know, like those toys at stores that make funny sounds when you touch them. Haven’t you seen those?"
"I have, but…"
"I’m treated pretty much like one. So, are you Lady Laura’s new toy?"
"No, I’m not."
Son Narin looked at Mero, her face asking what on earth she was talking about.
"I told you, I came to inspect enemy territory. ‘Know your enemy and yourself, and you’ll never lose a battle.’ I’m here to learn about my opponent today."
"But it seems like you don’t know much about yourself yet. From what I see, you’re destined to become one of those sound-making toys."
"Based on what…?"
"Your face."
"…Laura, she’s being really rude for a first meeting."
But what could I do? That’s just Mero’s nature.
Even while talking with Son Narin, Mero had tried to slyly reach for my butt. Of course, I swatted her hand away.
It had been almost a month since I started seeing Mero regularly, and she was undoubtedly a rude person.
"If you’re here to inspect enemy territory, you’ll have to put up with a bit of rudeness."
"Th-that’s true. Very logical of you!"
"Hey, junior. It’s better to stay on my good side. I may look like this, but I’m a senior in the toy business."
"I told you, I’m not here to become a toy. I’m here as a spy."
Son Narin sighed, seemingly unable to handle Mero.
【Chel Sumeragi has donated 100,000 won.】
【If there are multiple spies, does that make it "spice"?】
【Chel Sumeragi has donated 100,000 won.】
【A spy inspecting enemy territory is like seasoning in Laura’s life.】
Then Chel popped in with nonsensical donation messages.
Why aren’t you asleep, Chel? Why are you watching my stream?
===
【Virtual Idol VTuber Gallery】
[General] Matteuk… The gallery’s gone completely to hell since I last saw it, huh?
(Laura meme)
Are you peasants fighting amongst yourselves again? Don’t you ever get tired?
(Raccoon meme)
Huff… Huff!!!
The… Villainous Noblewoman… Aurora has appeared!!!
(Laura meme)
But now that I think about it, the gallery’s collapse isn’t my fault.
It’s none of my concern.
(Laura meme)
Even if the gallery burns, what does that have to do with me?
I’m off to play games.
That’s all.
[Comments]
-What? Don’t leave.
-Fix the gallery before you go!!!!
-Where’s the alluring punishment???
-Show us your armpits.
-Damn… She’s escaping by herself…
===