Chapter 108
Gaho.
His real name was Choi Gaho.
He was a professional gamer active in the Labyrinthos VR Korean League.
Currently, he belonged to a team called “Gangcheol Genesis (GGS,” but back in the league’s early days, he had been part of the Hwangseong Phantom Slayers.
In other words, he had once been on the same team as Arima.
[“If only I hadn’t been in that car accident, I’d be the owner now, huh.”]
Arima’s sigh echoed through the speakers.
Gaho was the oldest in the league alongside Arima.
In other words, he and Arima were of the same generation. Though they were now on different teams, they still maintained a close friendship.
“If you’re going to grumble that much, why did you go and get hurt?”
[“You think I wanted to get hurt, damn it? And hey, how have you managed to get this old without watching a single anime? Are you even human???”]
“What are you even saying, you otaku.”
[“Shut up, you non-otaku jerk.”]
Even though both of them were in their 30s, they bickered like kids, proving that men never really grow up.
Gaho let out a deep sigh.
‘If he weren’t a friend, I swear…’
He was the owner of Leviathan, a team in the Fantasy League.
It wasn’t exactly a role he’d wanted to take on.
Unlike Arima, Gaho had little understanding of VTubers.
It’s not that he disliked subculture content, but he’d never really gotten into it either. To be honest, he’d never had the spare time to indulge in other hobbies. If he ever did have free time, he’d rather prioritize games or his family.
Still, he took on the role as team owner, partly out of loyalty, partly because of his wife, and partly for his family. Unlike Arima, who was single, Gaho was a married man with a lot on his plate.
“So, what should I do about the draft?”
[“Why are you asking me? It’s your team now.”]
“I watched a few VTubers and streamers, but I don’t get it at all. I don’t have time to watch every single one because of the scrims.”
Gaho held the Fantasy League candidate list. It was filled with the names of VTubers and streamers.
He didn’t bother counting if it was three digits or four.
Anyway, there were a hell of a lot, and he had to somehow pick six of them.
“You originally put this team together, didn’t you? Give me some recommendations.”
[“Hmm… if you’re unsure, just secure Hanabane Louis.”]
“Hanabane Louis? Japanese?”
[“A VTuber from a Japanese company called Ink Palette.”]
“Wasn’t Horizon Air the famous one?”
[“Better stay away from Horizon Air.”]
Arima’s tone grew serious.
[“Horizon Air has a lot of unicorns.”]
“What do you mean, unicorns?”
[“A lot of people there demand the VTubers remain pure. They hate seeing the VTubers they idolize getting involved with men.”]
“What nonsense is that? I’m a married man, and I’d only interact with them on broadcasts.”
[“Ever heard of online pregnancy?”]
“Utter nonsense.”
[“Anyway, if you’re unsure, just leave Horizon Air to Gryphon.”]
That was Arima’s advice: steer clear of Horizon Air.
[“Hanabane Louis has been active for seven years. No ordinary Japanese VTuber would dare challenge her. If you want a smooth team management experience, just draft Louis and go from there.”]
“Do I have to fill the team with only foreigners? It’d be nice to have some Koreans too.”
[“Then look at the SerenadeKR and EYEAI groups. Pick from there.”]
Following Arima’s advice, Gaho checked out VTubers from SerenadeKR and EYEAI.
In terms of popularity, no VTuber seemed to match up to Aurora.
‘If I consider the event’s success, maybe I should include Aurora.’
She usually took on the position of an ‘outlaw,’ but it looked like she could handle other roles too. In other words, she seemed like a versatile player.
If he drafted Aurora, the rest of the draft would probably get easier.
‘Then I could make Hanabane Louis the team captain and drill sergeant, while Aurora takes on the ace role.’
Aurora had a fearless and strong personality, but since she was still a rookie who hadn’t been around long, it was uncertain if she had extensive experience in streaming or teamwork.
On the other hand, Louis had plenty of streaming experience.
She had built an extensive network from it and often led her juniors as her company’s flagship talent. She was a true veteran.
Aurora had exceptional skills but might lack streaming experience.
Louis’s skills fell slightly short, but she had plenty of streaming experience.
If they could complement each other, the Leviathan team could practically run itself without much intervention from Gaho.
‘Assuming I pick Aurora, it’d be nice to have one or two more Koreans on the team.’
Thinking that, Gaho watched Aurora’s stream.
Although he planned to build the team around Louis as captain, Aurora would undoubtedly take on the ace role since she was top-tier.
So, what Gaho was most concerned about was the possibility of Louis and Laura clashing.
Laura, in particular, had a very strong, independent character.
It would be ideal if there was someone who could act as a buffer between Louis and Laura while supporting Laura.
Among the VTubers who frequently interacted with Laura on streams…
Just as Gaho considered picking one or two of them…
[“Huh? Isn’t Sora in the running?”]
[“Uh, well… Sora is…”]
[“Sniff… ugh… I’m sorry…”]
At the EYEAI Cup Labyrinthos Tournament, Gaho saw Sora in tears.
[“Sora’s crying… She got auto-logged out of the VR capsule…”]
[“That’s strange. Logging out due to tears?”]
[“It’s kind of like when you need to pee, and the VR capsule automatically logs you out… Tears are kind of similar to that.”]
[“How uncouth. Let’s avoid direct words like ‘pee,’ okay?”]
[“S-sorry…”]
“Ayanokouji Sora? That’s such a hard name to remember.”
Its length actually left a lasting impression.
Though he didn’t know exactly why Sora cried during that stream, one thing was clear: she was sincere. If she hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have shed tears.
Gaho was a professional gamer, after all.
People who were genuinely passionate about gaming caught his attention.
“Hmm…”
From then on, Gaho began watching Sora’s streams.
What solidified his interest was ‘Surviving Somehow in an Apocalypse World.’
It was when Laura and Sora teamed up and broke through Changyoung and Jungseok together.
[“Laura, watch out!”]
It was Sora who noticed when Changyoung tried to throw a chair, allowing Laura to react in time.
No matter how he looked at it, Sora was the one who best complemented Laura.
***
===
[Broadcast] What’s with A-grade Virgin being picked by multiple teams?
Sure, A-grade Virgin’s good, but enough to get picked multiple times?
[Comments]
-She’s got both popularity and skill.
-Yeah, it’s like that.
-Everyone has their own reasons.
ㄴ Leviathan probably wanted to pick a top-tier Korean player, and Cerberus just wanted someone really good.
ㄴ “And Gryphon needed Aurora since they’re building an all-female VTuber team.”
***
[Broadcast] Anna’s coping hard, lol.
(Highlight)
Anna: It’s not that I’m dissatisfied! Now that I think about it, being on Cerberus might actually be good for me.
Anna: Keeping a bit of distance from your favorite might be better, don’t you think? If we’re on the same team, they might see an embarrassing side of me.
Anna: I’d rather Louis not think poorly of me, so it’s probably better that I’m on a different team.
[Comments]
-Self-awareness on point, lol.
-But isn’t Hanabane already creeped out by her? Isn’t it too late?
-It’s hilarious that Laura and Louis are on the same team while she’s alone on a different one, lol.
ㄴ She was so confident she’d be on the same team as Laura, lol.
-But why did Cerberus pick Anna?
ㄴ Apparently, they didn’t want to give Laura and Anna as a set to anyone.
ㄴ Hmm… is it that big of a deal?
ㄴ (Author) Is Anna good?
ㄴ With A-Grade Virgin’s ambush tactics and Anna’s magic DPS, opponents probably wouldn’t like it.
***
[Broadcast] What’s up with Sora?
【Team Leviathan’s 6th Pick: EYEAI’s ‘Ayanokouji Sora’】
Why is she there, lol.
[Comments]
-Did Sora even apply?
ㄴ (Author) Nope.
ㄴ (Author) I’ve watched all her streams, and she’s never mentioned applying for the Fantasy League.
-What the heck.
-Did Sora even do Labyrinthos Prank?
ㄴ She only started during the tournament.
-Seriously, why did she apply, lol.
***
[General] ??? : Could you call me ‘Laura’s Wife’ from now on?
【Team Leviathan’s 1st Pick: EYEAI’s ‘Aurora’】
【Team Leviathan’s 6th Pick: EYEAI’s ‘Ayanokouji Sora’】
(Sora meme)
“Because we’ve ‘gotten married.’”
[Comments]
-Ahh… of course, ‘the Ducal Family’s Second Wife.’
-Time to admit that Sora’s the main wife.
ㄴ Agreed.
-Winner of the War of the Wives, lol.
-Finally moving on from ‘Always Making Her Meals Award.’
-Anna’s in cope mode today, lol.
ㄴ She was all smug about bagging Louis, but now she’s seething, lol.
ㄴ She’s seriously addicted to self-consolation.
***
【This_Code: One-on-One Chat with Aurora】
Aurora
[Come here; Anna’s making a fuss.]
Ayanokouji Sora
[Okay…]
***
Sora arrived at Laura’s place.
【User AinatsuNoAiNatsu donated 10,000 won】
【Why bring Sora if she’s not even the main wife?】
【User AinatsuNoAiNatsu donated 10,000 won】
【Sora’s the main wife to Laura.】
“Ayanokouji Sora! I challenge you to a duel!!!”
Sora had memorized the passcode to Laura’s place by now. It wasn’t the first time she’d come here.
So, she entered the room casually, only to be greeted by Anna shouting at her.
Sora was baffled.
“What’s up with Anna-senior?”
She glanced at Laura.
Despite Anna’s outburst, Laura was calmly sipping her tea.
“Do I really need to explain? She wanted to join Leviathan and is jealous of you.”
“Isn’t her target a bit off? Wouldn’t it make more sense to be jealous of someone in the same tier?”
“That’s quite right.”
Laura agreed.
Leviathan’s 3rd pick had been someone named Barubara Lian.
Among solo VTubers, he was fairly popular—a male VTuber with a fun, tough-guy image who’d been active since early 2018. Besides Labyrinthos, he’d participated in various tournaments like FPS, Full Women’s, Watermelon Growing, Mad You, and Smash Sisters.
Considering that, wasn’t it natural for Anna to lose out to him?
“Ugh! Why am I the only one left out? Huh?! Why just me?!”
“Maybe because you tend to rub people the wrong way?”
Sora found Anna’s jealousy unreasonable. She couldn’t help but throw a jab in response.
“Ouch! You… Ayanokouji Sora…! That’s against the rules!”
“Isn’t it against the rules for a senior to bully a junior?”
“Ugh….”
“If you’re a senior, try acting like it, Anna-senior. Don’t be jealous of your juniors, okay?”
-She’s so good at tearing her down, lol.
-Sora wins, hands down.
-Anna’s looking so pathetic…
-Anna! Say something!
-Beep! She’s already dead.
Anna clearly wanted to retaliate, but her words were failing her.