SWNOVELXO Chapter 132
===
【Virtual VTuber Gallery】
[General] ???: Narin is on my bed right now lol
(link)
1. Rinco made plans for a collab with Narin.
2. Laura decided to visit Rinco’s place.
3. Rinco belatedly realized that Laura and Narin’s planned dates overlapped.
4. Laura said she’d visit during the day, eat Rinco’s cooking, and leave, so Narin decided to wait.
5. While waiting, Narin fell asleep.
6. Laura arrived, but Narin didn’t wake up.
7. Rinco livestreamed Narin’s snoring (currently ongoing).
[Comments]
– I don’t really understand Korean well.
– Sonna baka na.
– Why is she sleeping in someone else’s bed, lol?
– Laura must feel so awkward, lol.
– She went all out streaming yesterday too…
– Are Son Narin and Rinco dating?
ㄴ If they haven’t had a double-suicide, it’s just physical.
ㄴ Clearly hasn’t read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
ㄴ Damn, lol.
===
Having received Rinco’s homemade meal, I returned home safely.
Son Narin might have earned herself the title of “a beastly woman who sleeps in others’ beds,” but as long as she successfully hid her sickness as she wished, it should be fine.
On the contrary, it seemed Rinco bore slightly more loss.
Even though she didn’t do anything wrong, she unintentionally double-booked a collab on the same date.
This left her labeled as “a woman who messed things up,” but—
“What does it matter?”
“As a senior, it’s more fun if I mess things up, isn’t it?”
“If the viewers find it entertaining, that’s all that matters.”
Rinco herself willingly took on the blame.
“Won’t Laura hit the six-month mark soon?”
“Then you’ll have juniors soon enough.”
“When you do, make sure to take good care of them too.”
That’s what she said.
Juniors.
It’s hard to imagine somehow.
But since I haven’t even reached six months yet, worrying about juniors now feels pointless, like counting chickens before they hatch.
For now, let’s focus on what’s ahead.
First, after sharing a final meal with Anna, I confidently completed my penalty.
“Don’t leave! Stay with me forever!”
I summoned Rion to pack my things.
I was ready to leave, but Anna clung to my pant leg.
“We were so good together!”
“Stop using strange expressions. And since I fulfilled my penalty perfectly, isn’t it only fair that you fulfill yours now?”
“Ugh…”
“Then I’ll look forward to it.”
With that single sentence, Anna was utterly defeated.
Thus, the penalty game was resolved.
I quickly handled the remaining tasks as well.
“I’ve decided on the MV.”
“Oh, really? Which song are you going with, unnie?”
“Do you know a song called Silhouette?”
“Of course, I know it.”
From the driver’s seat, Rion nodded.
It was a song Anna had sung during a youth song battle against Sora at karaoke.
Of all the songs I’d heard, its lyrics resonated most closely with my image of “youth.”
“So, unnie, you’re going with Silhouette? Then I’ll move forward with that idea.”
***
===
【This_Code: Leviathan Server】
#Global Chat
Hanabane Rui
[The opening match of the Fantasy League is next week.]
[I’m planning to do a simultaneous watch party.]
[Anyone want to join?]
Barubara Rian
[My schedule isn’t finalized yet.]
[I’ll come if I’m free.]
Inui Kirin
[Me too.]
[I still don’t have a fixed schedule.]
Kaga Mero
[I can join.]
Ayanokouji Sora
[I can make it too.]
Aurora
[I’ll be there.]
===
After a week, I returned home.
This was the first time I’d left my house for so long since returning to Earth.
Returning after a week, I found that more had changed than I’d expected.
It was just me.
‘Feels like it’s been a while.’
Looking at my empty home, that’s what crossed my mind.
I don’t particularly like being home alone.
Not because I’m lonely, but simply because there’s no one to help with house chores.
That’s why living with Rion was convenient for me in many ways.
“I’m going to be really busy for a while.”
“I’ll be working overtime a lot, so I’ll be coming home late.”
Or so she said.
It’s not surprising anymore that Rion has been busy ever since becoming a manager.
‘No one to take Rion’s place, huh.’
When I think about it, whenever Rion was busy, someone stayed at the house.
During Chuseok, Sora stayed over. After that, Chel dropped by unexpectedly. Then Ainatsu showed up to atone for her wrongdoings.
But Chel fled the moment I received the Aseosal ad, and I released Ainatsu when I went to Anna’s place.
Now it feels a bit inconvenient.
‘Should I seriously consider hiring a housekeeper?’
I can’t call Ainatsu back without a good reason.
I let her go, so summoning her again wouldn’t look great.
Then should I bring back Chel?
If I dangle the idea of doing Sanrabi together, she’d probably come running.
Or I could use the excuse that one of the Terrorarists hasn’t fulfilled their penalty yet to summon her.
“Hmm.”
There’s no need to decide right away.
I can think about it slowly.
With that thought, I logged into the VR device.
I entered the voice channel.
[Is Laura here?]
It was clearly Japanese, but I deliberately didn’t turn on the translation feature.
Lately, I’ve been encountering Japanese more often—collaborating with Japanese VTubers, singing Japanese songs, and the like.
Although I currently rely on the VR device’s translation feature for communication, I can’t depend on it forever.
So, I’m making an effort to gradually get accustomed to Japanese.
First, I need to start understanding spoken Japanese.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone else here.”
Of course, I was speaking in Korean.
For now, all I could do was listen to Japanese.
Reading or speaking it would take a bit more time.
“What were you doing?”
[Just working in my MyRoom. Wanna join if you’re bored?]
I replied that I’d come.
It wasn’t like I had a particular reason; it was just that the Leviathan members had agreed to stay logged into their MyRooms or voice channels whenever possible.
Since we were on the same team, fostering interaction was encouraged.
With that understanding, I stayed logged into the voice channel whenever I could.
-Click.
The sound of my footsteps echoed unnecessarily loudly as I entered MyRoom.
Before me was a massive cabin.
Could this really be called a cabin?
Its interior had a rustic log-house aesthetic, but its sheer scale made it closer to a grand mansion.
The wooden floors were leveled for easy walking.
The central space on the first floor was enormous, with a sofa set up and a massive monitor mounted on the wall.
There were various console devices like Nin■do, F-BOX, and Fly Station displayed. I’d heard that “some” console games could be played in VR through subscription payments.
Conversely, the latest console games weren’t supported since the companies wanted to sell their hardware.
There were also E-books available for reading via subscription.
Despite its old-fashioned décor, the room had a practical feel—like the kind of secret base young boys might build.
‘Rui is logged in, but…’
At least, she wasn’t in the living room.
But who could have sharper hearing than me?
I moved toward the meeting room, where I found Rui working alone.
“Oh, you’re here.”
Rui gave me a quick nod, still focused on her work.
I dragged a chair over and sat down.
When I casually glanced up, I noticed writing on the whiteboard that caught my attention.
1. Leviathan Team Practice
2. Play Games with Leviathan Members
3. Plan Collaborative Streams with Leviathan Members
4. Anna’s Penalty Game
5. Fantasy League Opening Match (Gryphon vs. Cerberus) Watch Party
“…Ah, I forgot to erase that.”
Rui seemed a little embarrassed as she spoke, noticing my gaze.
“What’s all that written on the board?”
“I’ve organized the things we need to do going forward. Well, things I need to do, to be exact.”
I scanned the board carefully.
“Could you explain a bit more?”
“Sure. It involves you too, Laura, so let’s discuss it now.”
Rui paused her work and looked at me.
“Number 1 is… pretty self-explanatory, so it doesn’t need much explanation. Numbers 2, 3, and 5 are all about strengthening our Leviathan team’s bond.”
She pointed to the following items as she spoke:
2. Play Games with Leviathan Members
3. Plan Collaborative Streams with Leviathan Members
5. Fantasy League Opening Match (Gryphon vs. Cerberus) Watch Party
“I think our team has gotten stronger through practice. But I don’t just want Leviathan to be ‘a strong team.’ I want us to be ‘the strongest and the most popular team’ in the Fantasy League.”
That was something I’d heard before.
Rui had mentioned it once during our team debut stream.
That day, she even came up with a hashtag for Leviathan’s support.
She commissioned a broadcast layout based on Leviathan’s black team color and distributed it to all the team members—at her own expense.
She didn’t charge us a cent for it.
At first glance, she might seem like a kind and harmless person.
But Hanabane Rui was more ambitious than anyone.
“To become a popular team, we need to get closer first. So, I thought playing various games together would help. The Aseosal Laura mentioned the other day… it’s a bit gross, but it might be worth trying once.”
“It doesn’t sound easy, though.”
“You’re right. Gryphon’s average subscriber count is much higher than ours.”
She brought up the unspoken truth.
“That’s why our performance in the tournament is important. If my favorite team keeps losing, it’d be hard for me to keep watching. Winning as much as possible is key to gaining popularity.”
“That’s true.”
“Exactly. So we’ll just crush Gryphon in the tournament.”
Rui said this with an innocently cheerful smile.
Although she avoided vulgar words like Mero, her occasional remarks could be surprisingly intense.
“Of course, if we just beat them outright, we’d risk alienating Gryphon’s fans. So, for now, it’s better to have fans who support both teams. Building a friendly relationship with Gryphon beforehand and supporting them during the opening match would be a good move.”
“But Anna is on Cerberus, isn’t she?”
“Oh, right. No pressure, though. I’ll leave that decision to you, Laura.”
“Hmm.”
She was calculating, but not to the point of being underhanded.
At least, it seemed she wouldn’t cross any lines.
“For now, let’s not overthink it and focus on building camaraderie among our Leviathan members. I’ll handle coordinating with other teams.”
“You’re really focused on popularity.”
“Well, we rely on popularity for our livelihood. Salaries increase with popularity, and… honestly, it’s anxiety-inducing.”
“Anxiety?”
As I tilted my head, Rui nodded.
“If you think about long-running manga, readers start falling off over time. They lose interest and move on to other stories.”
“That’s not just limited to manga.”
“Exactly. Even games I used to love as a kid can feel dull now. It’s inevitable that people lose interest over time. For a small VTuber like me, how much longer can I stay relevant?”
“……”
That was a question I couldn’t answer. I didn’t know.
The VTuber industry hasn’t even existed for a full decade yet.
“If I don’t do anything, won’t people forget about me? That’s the thought that keeps me going.”
“So that’s why you joined the Fantasy League.”
“Exactly. And I plan to come up with more projects. Stuff others wouldn’t dare to try.”
-Ding.
Rui clicked in midair, and a message popped up in front of me.
The sender was “Hanabane Rui,” and the title read:
“Project Proposal: The Aurora Showdown (Tentative).”
“I’m not saying we have to do it right away, but… I’ve noticed a lot of people seem to like you, Laura.”
Rui continued with a smirk.
[Title: The Last Survivor Claims Aurora! Aurora Showdown (Tentative)]
[Hosts: Hanabane Rui, Aurora]
[Guests (Not Final): Ayanokouji Sora, Shiroki Anna, Chel Sumeragi, Tanabe Ainatsu, Kisaki Rinco, Mashina, Elenoa, Kaga Mero, Nekozuka Rion]
[*Mandatory Guests; others depend on scheduling.]
“It’s just a suggestion. What do you think? Want to give it a try?”
The ambitious one asked with a glimmer in her eye.