The Villainess VTuber Tears People Apart

Recording my voice for the first time wasn’t particularly difficult.

‘They don’t expect high quality anyway.’

A VTuber is just a streamer hiding behind a virtual avatar. Although some of them might role-play regularly, most VTubers don’t have actual acting skills.

Of course, VTubers with a lot of streaming experience are naturally used to ‘talking.’ But being good at talking and being good at voice acting are two entirely different skills.

So when it comes to recording voiceovers for VTubers, it just has to sound ‘passable.’

‘I listened to a few sample voiceovers before coming here, though.’

It was obvious as soon as I heard them. No one in this world expects top-tier quality from VTubers who aren’t professional voice actors.

So acting skill didn’t matter much.

What mattered was the satisfaction fans would feel when they heard the voice. That’s where the monetary value of my voice would come from.

‘And I’m not someone who lacks acting skills.’

Having a wealth of social experience, I knew a thing or two about acting. After all, aristocratic socializing is nothing more than an ultra-hypocritical game of pretend where you lie behind a mask.

As the Villainous Noblewoman, I was the queen of socializing, so voice recording wasn’t anything impressive in comparison.

‘The important thing is, what am I going to act out?’

That was the real question.

There was no script provided. I didn’t bother to bring the one they gave me, since it didn’t suit me in the first place.

So everything had to be improvised, but that didn’t mean I could act completely freely.

There were at least two things I had to keep in mind.

First, since it was a winter-themed voiceover, the theme had to be ‘winter.’
Second, it needed to give off a slight romantic vibe.

After all, viewers often fantasize about streamers as potential romantic partners.

Of course, there aren’t many streamers who actually get romantically involved with their viewers, but in the end, we’re selling dreams.

“──You will live here for the rest of your life.”

After a moment of hesitation, I spoke my first line.

What would the viewers want?

I thought they’d want to see a ‘different side of me’ that they wouldn’t normally see.

If I acted the way I usually did, what difference would there be from a normal stream? That wouldn’t create much demand.

‘But if I show something too far off from my usual self, that won’t work either.’

There’s a basic setup where I’m the daughter of a Duke, so acting as something like a magical girl would create too much of a disconnect.

That’s not something I could do for my first voiceover release. Maybe by the fourth one, at the earliest.

So I needed to keep the RP of the Villainous Noblewoman who was exiled from the Ducal Family, but also show a side of me that was a bit different.

And with the romantic atmosphere in mind, my options were limited. After all, I had no romantic experience whatsoever.

That’s when I thought of a yandere.

“You were trying to leave again?”

“I tried to respect your decision, but it seems that’s not going to work.”

“You should be grateful I’m only breaking your ankle.”

—Crunch

[…Laura, you don’t need to make the bone-cracking sound yourself. We’ll add the sound effect later.]

I got a slight reprimand for getting too into character.

Romance… It’s a concept far too foreign to me.

If I had time for romance, I’d rather grind more dungeons. Besides, it’s wise for streamers to avoid having boyfriends.

So, since I couldn’t imagine myself in a romantic situation, I imagined locking Anna in a basement instead.

‘I think Anna would actually like that.’

After all, she’s the kind of person who’d bow her head and ask to be taken care of.

Also, it helped that I’d recently played Darkness Deception with Sora. The spirit of the little girl in Stage 2 had a bit of a yandere vibe.

So, slowly, I continued with my performance.

“From now on, you’re going to live here.”

“Forever.”

That’s how I wrapped it up.

[O-okay. That’s a wrap.]

The staff’s voice trembled slightly.

There was no retake.

Naturally.

***

“Wow, that vocal control is amazing.”

“That was insane.”

Amidst the whispers of the senior VTubers, Rion was left speechless.

‘She’s way better than I thought…’

Rion hadn’t expected Laura to do poorly.

After all, doesn’t she constantly maintain this high-society noblewoman concept, whether she’s from a Marquis family or a Ducal one? Even though her parents are just regular office workers.

Besides, VTubers aren’t expected to have high-level voiceover skills.

‘I didn’t expect her to improvise the whole thing, though…’

But that’s typical of Laura.

Rion simply couldn’t imagine a scenario where Laura would fail.

So when she heard that two of the voiceover slots were open.

And when she was told that Laura would take one of them, Rion had already predicted her success.

‘…The content was a bit niche, though.’

Fortunately, it was still within acceptable limits.

In fact, it might have worked out better. Niche products sometimes attract a unique audience.

“Laura, you’re good.”

Out of nowhere, Ainatsu approached and said.

“Ainatsu-senior… no, Ainatsu-san.”

“Why are you suddenly using honorifics? You didn’t before.”

The first and second generation debuted in 2021, and the third and fourth generations debuted in 2022.

Although Ainatsu was from the third generation and Rion from the fourth, there wasn’t much of a gap between them. At most, six months.

Especially since ‘Nekozuka Rion’ had a very unique VTuber concept, she rarely used formal speech on streams.

However,

“It’s because I’m working as a manager.”

VTubers are irreplaceable.

But the staff managing them can always be replaced.

So as a manager, even if her counterpart was a junior, Rion used formal speech.

“I don’t mind~.”

“I’m the one who’s uncomfortable.”

“I see. Sorry about earlier.”

“Huh?”
“I think I might have spoken too harshly.”

Ainatsu lowered her head slightly.

“It’s fine. We were both just doing our jobs.”

Ainatsu was notorious for often butting heads with the company.

On the surface, she seemed immature, but she wasn’t the type to just sit back and take it.

I guess it was because she had seen too many VTubers get hurt after being pushed around by the company.

So, Ainatsu always raised her voice.

Especially when her juniors were in trouble, she was quick to take responsibility.

“Laura did so well with her acting, I should make her my ‘mom’. Can I invite her to do a baby roleplay collab next time?”

Though she’s spouting this kind of nonsense now.

Rion grimaced and approached Laura, who was coming out of the booth, to distance herself from Ainatsu.

“Unnie, your performance was great.”

“You don’t have to say what’s obvious.”

“…You’re seriously exhausting.”

There are no sane people in this company.

***

“Laura, you did great!”

“Where did you learn that vocal technique? Did you self-teach?”

All praise. Is there any word that suits me better?

“Thank you for the compliments. It wasn’t much, so I don’t know how to react.”

“Don’t be so modest~.”

One of the seniors laughed and lightly patted me on the shoulder. Was it Ichika?

‘I’m not being modest, though.’

I thought as I reached out unconsciously, but there was no tea. Food and drink were prohibited here.

With no other choice, I retracted my hand and crossed my arms.

I might know how to act to some extent, but I couldn’t say I was particularly skilled. After all, acting isn’t my main job.

So if I boasted about such a mediocre performance, I’d only look pathetic later.

Because there was someone here who considered voice acting to be half their profession.

[It’s snowing. I wonder if this will be my last snowfall.]

Delicate.

That word was the first thing that came to mind the moment I heard that voice.

Through the glass window of the booth, I could see her expressionless face.

But her lips, which produced that voice, stirred people’s emotions.

[I’m glad winter is my last season.]

[Because it was during winter that I met you.]

[I’m sorry, but I have one request.]

[Please forget me.]

“Wow…”

Someone among the seniors let out a sigh.

Chel was also improvising her performance without a script.

But her direction was completely opposite to mine.

If I had gone with a yandere theme, Chel had chosen to focus on tragedy.

She probably made that choice deliberately.

Out of respect for me?

‘No way.’

It was likely to further emphasize her own acting skills.

Tragedy naturally pulls people’s emotions downward, but it lingers in their memory for a long time.

She probably wanted to leave a lasting impression on everyone present.

To let them know that when it comes to voice acting, she’s on a different level.

‘I have to admit it.’

Even though I’m a Villainous Noblewoman who desires victory, I can’t win in every field. When it comes to voice acting, Chel is clearly superior.

Which means Chel has had quite a bit of professional training.

That must have been why she was able to join EYEAI.

Though, I do wonder why she became a VTuber after all that training.

“Chel, you’re good to go. Thanks for your hard work.”

The staff gave the okay signal, and with that, both Chel and I had finished our voice recordings successfully.

After that, the senior VTubers continued with their voice recordings, and although there were occasional retakes, things went smoothly.

None of them were recording for the first time.

The staff were willing to accept recordings that were merely passable.

So the recording session ended earlier than expected.

“Unnie, how about making a voice drama with Chel?”

Well, it should have ended.

But Rion suddenly came up with this suggestion.

“Right here, right now?”