The Villainess VTuber Tears People Apart – Chapter 156

3D broadcasts inherently cost money.  

When VTubers do Live2D broadcasts, there aren’t any significant expenses.  

Of course, there are costs for the Live2D model, computers, broadcasting equipment, electricity, and internet fees. But at least money isn’t being drained from your wallet every time you go live.  

On the other hand, 3D broadcasts cost money every time you turn them on.  

First of all, you can’t do 3D broadcasts from home. They can only be done in a studio.  

(Technically, there’s ‘home 3D broadcasting’ using mobile tracking, but let’s set that aside for now.)  

Big companies like Horizon Air have their own studios. Unfortunately, our company, EYEAI, is a mid-sized company.  

Since we don’t own a studio, we have to rent one. And renting a studio incurs rental costs.  

It doesn’t stop there.  

A 3D broadcast also requires staff to film it.  

That means labor costs, making each 3D broadcast an expense.  

And that’s still not the end of it.  

For example, if I wanted to perform with an instrument, I’d need a 3D-modeled prop of that instrument.  

That means commissioning a model, which comes with additional costs.  

In other words, the more elaborate the performance, the more the costs keep piling up.  

“You said you were going to sing, right? The expenses depend on how you stage it, but the more elaborate the performance, the more additional costs there’ll be. Also, depending on the song, we might need to produce a new backing track, which also costs money.”  

That was Rion’s explanation.  

“So, for your 3D broadcast, you can sing about one or two songs. At most, maybe three. Anything more… might not get approved.”  

“So it’s just really expensive.”  

“Yeah. The first 3D broadcast is free, after all. But what if you suddenly decided to sing ten songs?”  

In that case, CEO Jung Hoyoung would absolutely hate it, given the massive cost and effort involved.  

“Since we’re on the topic, let me explain paid live concerts. For paid lives, performances usually last about an hour and a half, with around ten songs. The ticket price—excluding merch—is about 50,000 to 70,000 won for an online concert. Some companies charge even more.”  

“So if I want to sing a lot, it’s better to just do a paid live show.”  

“Exactly.”  

“Then what about making the first 3D broadcast a paid event?”  

“…Are you crazy?”  

I had just thrown the idea out there, but Rion looked at me like I was out of my mind.  

“The first 3D broadcast is kind of like a showcase.  

EYEAI is providing Aurora with a high-quality 3D model, and this broadcast is meant to signal that she will be doing 3D-related activities from now on.  

So all you need to do in your first broadcast is show how great your 3D model looks.  

This is important so that later, when you do an external concert, a solo live, or even the one-man live for the 6th generation that you want, viewers will be willing to spend money.  

In other words, the first 3D broadcast doesn’t need excessive performance elements.  

If the performance is too flashy, it’ll be expensive. But more importantly, the main goal is to showcase the 3D model itself.  

Of course, making the stream entertaining is good, but there’s no reason to go overboard with it.”  

As long as the 3D model’s quality was impressive, viewers would be satisfied and send plenty of donation chats.  

Sure, adding some extra performance elements or fun moments might increase viewer satisfaction a bit more, but it wouldn’t significantly impact overall efficiency.  

“This might sound odd, but making the stream 10% more entertaining doesn’t guarantee that donations or views will increase by 10%. Meanwhile, the costs required to make it 10% more entertaining could be surprisingly high.”  

That was Rion’s take.  

***  

“So, I can only sing one or two songs? Three at most?”  

Sora asked again after hearing Laura’s explanation.  

“There’s no choice. A company’s goal is profit, after all.”  

Narin, who had been listening, responded calmly.  

Having the most experience among them, she seemed familiar with these kinds of constraints.  

“So it’s a bit of a struggle. There are quite a few songs I’d like to sing.”  

“Hmm…”  

Sora unconsciously folded her arms.  

Leaning back in her chair, she fell into thought.  

‘…This is tricky.’  

Even though it was Laura’s issue, Sora started thinking about it seriously.  

Wanting to help Laura aside, this wasn’t something she could just brush off.  

After all, what Laura was facing now was something Sora would eventually have to deal with in the future.  

Sora’s own 3D model was currently in production.  

She wasn’t sure if it would be finished during Fantasy League, but even if it was completed afterward, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.  

The popularity gained from Fantasy League wouldn’t just vanish the moment the event ended.  

Even after the league, viewers would still have some lingering interest. At the very least, curiosity about a 3D broadcast would lead them to check it out.  

And that would be the moment to leave a lasting impression and gain more subscribers.  

So Sora had already planned to sing in her first 3D broadcast.  

But now, learning that the limit was only three songs at most…  

‘……This is hard to decide.’  

It felt like there were too many songs she wanted to sing, yet at the same time, nothing came to mind.  

Did she have songs she wanted to sing? Of course.  

But those were mostly ones she had prioritized for music videos.  

Especially the song she wanted to sing the most—she had re-recorded it multiple times until she was satisfied, and a lot of effort was going into the MV production. Sora had even spent a considerable amount of money, which slightly extended the MV’s production timeline.  

It would probably be released around the end of Fantasy League.  

And reusing a song from an MV in a 3D broadcast felt… a bit awkward.  

An MV is carefully refined and polished to perfection, while live singing is raw.  

It’d be easy for viewers to think, “The live version doesn’t sound as good as the MV…”  

‘Good thing we came to karaoke…’  

Since they were already at a karaoke room, she figured she might as well experiment with different songs.  

No matter what, Sora was serious about singing.  

Choosing songs for the 3D broadcast was tough, but she could at least figure out the standard approach.  

“If you’re singing three songs, that’s about 15 minutes. So, what about the remaining 40 minutes?”  

“I’m still figuring that out.”  

“Then why not fill it with exercise?”  

Sora suggested.  

Physical activity was a fundamental part of 3D broadcasts.  

Showing something that couldn’t be done with a regular Live2D model was key to making a 3D stream stand out.  

And despite her appearance, Laura had insane physical abilities—something Sora was well aware of.  

Viewers probably sensed it too.  

She scaled buildings and walls with her bare hands, after all. People had to be wondering what kind of training she did.  

“By exercise, do you mean deadlifts or bench presses?”  

“…I have no idea why those are your first thoughts, but no. First off, that’s not suitable for a studio, and more importantly, viewers wouldn’t believe it.”  

Son Narin, the only one here with extensive 3D broadcasting experience, added her input.  

It was easy to make it look like someone was lifting a building in 3D.  

You could just attach tracking gear to a plastic bottle and have it linked to a skyscraper model.  

But because of that, viewers tended to doubt 3D strength feats.  

If something looked too easy, people would just assume, “That’s not a real dumbbell, they must be lifting something else.”  

“If you’re confident in your athletic skills, body movements are best! Like… can you do pull-ups or handstands?”  

“Are you asking if I can do them with both hands or just one?”  

“…One hand?”  

Narin looked bewildered, as if wondering why that even needed to be clarified.  

Neither Narin nor Sora knew, but Laura could do it with just her fingers.  

So now, the plan was to fill the remaining 40 minutes with exercise.  

“That means two of the three songs are set. You’ll use them for the intro and outro, right?”  

Sora said.  

For a 3D broadcast, the most exciting parts were the singing segments.  

So instead of singing all three songs back-to-back, it would be better to use one as an intro to hook the viewers and another as an outro to leave a strong final impression.  

“The intro and outro, huh. Actually, I’ve already decided on my intro song.”  

“Oh, really?”

“You said choosing a song was difficult, but you’ve already decided on the intro song?”  

When Sora tilted her head in confusion, Laura picked up the microphone and said,  

“Rion told me. If I don’t sing this song, it’s dereliction of duty.”  

With that, Laura entered the song number.  

And the song that appeared on the karaoke screen was… Daughter of Evil.  

“…Ah, so it’s this one.”  

“Yeah, not singing this would definitely be neglecting your duty.”  

Both Sora and Narin agreed.  

Daughter of Evil.  

A fairly old Vocaloid song—one of the classics.  

It tells the story of a princess.  

A villainess who squeezes her people dry, purges disloyal retainers, and even destroys a neighboring country.  

The quintessential villainous noblewoman.  

For Laura, who roleplays as a villainous noblewoman exiled from a ducal family, not singing this song really would feel like a dereliction of duty.  

“This is the only song I’ve decided on. I still need to pick the rest.”  

Laura then casually handed the microphone to the side.  

Narin, who was sitting to Laura’s right, instinctively caught it.  

“Huh? I’m singing?”  

“Let’s take turns.”  

It wasn’t like Laura was being considerate of Sora and Narin. She just couldn’t immediately think of her next song.  

Maybe listening to Sora and Narin’s song choices would give her some inspiration.  

“Alright, then I’ll go.”  

With that, Narin began to sing.  

Her song choices were both ordinary and unique.  

“Warrior,” “Rise,” “Ignite,” “Gods”… Why was she only singing esports songs?  

‘…Maybe she’s just not that into music?’  

At first, I thought it was just her taste.  

But watching her, it seemed like she simply wasn’t that interested in music.  

She probably just clicked on whatever popped up in the VTube algorithm.  

Since she was into gaming, her recommendations leaned toward game-related tracks rather than subculture or anime songs.  

Maybe she just wasn’t into Japanese music in general.  

“Sora, aren’t you going to sing?”  

“Hmm… Can I record instead?”  

Sora asked.  

“Record?”  

“I want to record my singing.”  

Since she had already decided to experiment, she figured she might as well sing something she didn’t usually perform. But that also meant she had no idea how well she’d do.  

Most VTubers could relate to this.  

Watching a replay of your own stream… often made you cringe.  

Did I really say that? Is this how my voice sounds? Did I actually react like that?  

It felt like a constant cycle of creating new embarrassing moments.  

Even if it was fun in the moment.  

After all, humans can’t see themselves objectively.  

Judging yourself with absolute clarity is incredibly difficult.  

And memories fade faster than you’d think, so she decided to record it for reference.  

“That sounds fine. Do whatever you want.”  

“Then I’ll start with this song.”  

Sora’s first pick was Moe Ignition Fire.  

A song she normally wouldn’t choose. It was more in line with Chel or Inagika’s tastes.  

And for the next song…  

What should she sing?  

***  

“…Ah, I forgot to turn off the recorder.”  

Sora realized this only after stepping into the restroom.  

Oh well.  

It would be annoying to sift through and find only the parts she sang, but at least the recording existed.  

Should she edit it to make it easier to find her own parts?  

No, that seemed like too much effort.  

“More importantly, is my phone battery okay?”  

Muttering to herself, she washed her hands and left the restroom.  

And immediately ran into Narin.  

“Narin-senpai?”  

“Ah, um… so, uh…”  

Narin fidgeted awkwardly.  

……? What’s going on?  

“Uh, well… Sora, let’s be friends.”  

“Huh?”  

“Can I… add you on CocoaTalk? It’s nothing serious, I just thought it’d be nice to play games together sometimes.”  

“Oh, yeah. Sure, let’s do that.”  

“Great! Thank you! That’s all I wanted to say! Let’s be friends from now on!”  

Narin repeated herself and then quickly walked back the way she came.  

???  

Wasn’t she heading to the restroom?