The Villainess VTuber Tears People Apart

I figured out a few more things.

If you originally referred to someone as “unnie” or “oppa,” the AI didn’t seem to insist on making any further changes.

For example, calling someone “Rui unnie unnie” or “Kaiser oppa oppa” didn’t suddenly happen.

So, if you initially address someone as “hyung” or “hyung-nim,” the AI doesn’t seem to modify that either.

It seems the AI has determined that “a younger sister calling her older brother ‘hyung’ (or ‘hyungnim’) is also cute.”

A strange taste, but I suppose some people would praise it as knowing what’s attractive.

[The rules aren’t complicated. Just escape from the lab.]

Kaiser seemed a bit taken aback but carried on professionally with the broadcast.

[However, simply escaping would be boring. So let’s make a bet.

Bet on ‘the three people most likely to escape the lab first.’

You cannot bet on yourself, and not betting is not an option. You must choose three people to bet on.

If you guess 1st place, you get six times the chips. For 2nd place, it’s four times, and for 3rd place, twice the chips are returned.

At the end of the game, ‘the person with the worst betting result’ and ‘the last person to escape the lab’ will have to perform a punishment game.]

That’s what Kaiser said.

Before I realized it, five coins were in my hand.

This must be for betting on the escapees.

‘Would someone smart and with good instincts have an advantage?’

But was there anyone like that here?

‘Maybe I should bet three on Rui.’

I wasn’t sure about her instincts, but she was undeniably intelligent. She was said to have graduated from a prestigious university in Japan.

Why someone like that was a VTuber, I didn’t know, but she must have had her reasons.

And one coin for Son Narin.

She had unparalleled tenacity, so I figured she’d find a way to escape somehow.

The last coin went to Sora.

Honestly, aside from Rui and Son Narin, there wasn’t anyone else worth betting on, so I decided to trust Sora. She was on the same team as me, and among the people here, she was the closest to me.

[Since all players have finished betting, we’ll now begin the game.]

-Zing!

In an instant, my vision flickered, and the surroundings changed rapidly.

This place… could it be a hospital room?

“Hmm?”

I instinctively tilted my head and crossed my arms.

Didn’t Kaiser say this was a game about escaping a lab?

But no matter how I looked, it was a hospital.

It seemed to be a three-person room.

Hospital beds were positioned at three corners, with the remaining corner blocked off, likely for an in-room bathroom for patients with mobility issues.

There was a cabinet next to each bed.

A small refrigerator was installed along one wall, but it didn’t seem to be working.

The room overall looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.

The furniture was slightly worn, and the wallpaper was peeling. Was this an abandoned hospital?

‘There’s only one door.’

Apart from the bathroom door, there was only one door leading to the hallway.

Even without approaching, I could tell there was an electronic lock on the door handle for some reason.

It was the most unnatural thing in the room.

Given that nurses frequently enter and exit hospital rooms, would they really bother unlocking an electronic lock every time?

As I stared at the lock, I noticed small text on its screen.

[Enter your name.]

That’s what it said.

-Creak.

“Ah! Oh, you scared me… Laura, you’re here too!”

The bathroom door suddenly opened, and a familiar but not often-seen face emerged.

It was Son Narin.

“Long time no see.”

“Yes! It’s been a while!”

Son Narin, looking delighted, approached me and glanced around.

“It seems… there’s no one else. Is it just the two of us?”

I also checked again, but it seemed there was no one else besides Son Narin and me.

After Kaiser announced the start of the game, we had apparently been transported to this hospital.

If that was the case, then the game had already started. The others were likely beginning in separate locations.

“Do we start in pairs?”

“That might be the case.”

While answering Son Narin’s question, I briefly thought about her. What should I do?

‘If this is a battle royale-type game, killing her at the start could be a strategy.’

Was I cruel for thinking this?

But it wasn’t real life—it was just a game.

Besides, the rules stated that the last-place person would be punished.

If I killed Son Narin here, at least I wouldn’t be in last place.

It seemed like a possibility worth considering, but…

On second thought, killing Son Narin wasn’t in my best interest.

‘I placed a bet on her.’

I bet one chip on Son Narin.

If she placed 3rd, I’d gain two chips. If she placed 1st, I’d get six chips in return.

So, it was more advantageous for me to help her survive and escape. Killing her would result in more losses than gains.

‘Ah, I see. This is how they prevent PK (player killing).’

I unconsciously crossed my arms.

Using pre-betting to deter PK—Kaiser had thought this through.

“For now, it seems like we have no choice but to cooperate.”

That’s what Son Narin said.

Perhaps she’d reached the same conclusion as I did. Maybe she’d also considered killing me here.

But since she was suggesting cooperation, she must have bet on me as well.

In any case, there was no reason to refuse her offer.

I nodded.

“Oh! Laura, look over there! There’s an electronic lock! Maybe we can get out if we enter the correct code?”

Son Narin, slightly overexcited, reported the obvious.

Instead of looking at her, I turned my gaze to the window on the opposite side. The windows were tightly shut.

Was it nighttime outside?

The darkness was thick, and it didn’t seem like a height one could safely jump from.

‘Escaping through the window seems impossible.’

I gave it a light tug, but it didn’t open. There wasn’t any suitable tool to break it, and it appeared to be made of reinforced glass. Breaking it would likely be impossible.

And when I peeked into the bathroom where Son Narin had been, it looked like an ordinary restroom at first glance.

After all, it was the space Son Narin had been occupying until just moments ago.

She must have done a basic check before coming out, so there didn’t seem to be any reason for me to investigate further.

“Laura, the lock says ‘Enter your name’! Should I enter my name?”

“If you enter the wrong answer, you’ll end up like Shina.”

“Gasp…!”

Realizing something she had forgotten, Son Narin stepped back from the door lock.

“T-Then what should we do?”

“The cabinet.”

“Huh?”

“Check the cabinets.”

That’s what I said.

Son Narin tilted her head in confusion but began opening each cabinet.

“There’s nothing inside.”

“Then check the bed. There might be something between the sheets, so be thorough.”

“?”

Following my instructions, Son Narin searched the bed.

She slid her hands between the sheets and even checked beneath the bed frame.

“There’s nothing here!”

“The fridge?”

“Let me see… there’s nothing in there either!”

“There wasn’t anything unusual in the bathroom, was there?”

“No!”

“Then type ‘Your Name’ into the lock.”

“…Excuse me?”

Son Narin froze upon hearing my words. Why was she suddenly acting dumbfounded?

To snap her out of it, I placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Go on.”

“O-Oh, y-yeah!”

Son Narin then entered the words Your Name into the door lock.

The lock disengaged, and the door opened smoothly.

“Whew, if I’d entered Son Narin, I would’ve been in trouble. You’re amazing as always, Laura!”

“Of course I’m amazing. That’s hardly news, is it?”

“Haha… But, um, what was all that earlier…?”

“What do you mean?”

“Y’know, telling me to check the cabinets, the bed, the fridge…”

Son Narin asked with a puzzled look.

Wasn’t it obvious?

“In games like this, it’s always important to search thoroughly. There might be hidden information or mechanisms you wouldn’t want to miss.”

“That’s true… Wait, so you had me do it because of that?”

“Well, I’m a noblewoman.”

A noblewoman fussing about would only diminish her dignity, wouldn’t it?

“Every task should go to its rightful place. I handle strategy; you handle the grunt work.”

“…Laura, could you not treat me like a servant? Shina alone is enough for that.”

Son Narin spoke with a sigh of exasperation.

***

After leaving the hospital room, we found ourselves in an abandoned factory.

‘The map lacks consistency.’

But maybe that was part of the concept. We’d been told this was a lab, but all the maps so far were completely unrelated.

Come to think of it, wasn’t our backstory that we were test subjects? The escape room was supposedly meant to test the monster’s capabilities.

If that’s the case, perhaps what we’re seeing is all part of a “hallucination created by the monster.”

Otherwise, this concept makes no sense.

“I’ll wait here. You go investigate.”

“…”

Son Narin gave me a long look, as if she had plenty to say, but when I gestured with my chin, she wordlessly began investigating. Since I had already solved the last problem, she didn’t have much of a choice.

I leaned against a windowsill and waited leisurely. Before long, Son Narin returned.

“Um, Laura. You might want to come see this.”

Son Narin’s voice carried an odd discomfort, signaling that something wasn’t right. I followed her lead, my footsteps cautious.

Shortly after,

“Laura unnieee! Laura unnieee!”

【Mental Corruption Stage 3】

【Interactions with higher-ranking survivors often involve using titles like “oppa” or “unnie.”】

【Attaches to survivors upon encountering them.】

【Often displays behavior akin to an elementary school child.】

Before me stood someone who could only be described as an elementary school lower-grader.

The usual growling face was now replaced by a childlike, innocent smile.

She waved her hand at me.

It was Mashina.

On Sora’s back.

“…That’s how it turned out.”

Sora spoke in a sigh-laden tone.

Even Sora herself seemed slightly smaller.