Chapter 125
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Horror Map Decider (2)
What the hell is this?
Shiro panicked from the completely unexpected blow and yanked off her VR headset. She'd never imagined that playing a VR horror game would involve something directly touching her face.
And then she figured out what it was.
It was white, slimy, and jiggly.
Staring at the konnyaku dangling in midair like it was showing off its jiggliness, Shiro gasped in shock.
"Konnyaku?!"
People always said it was old-school, but konnyaku? And judging by the way it had smacked right onto her face with that physical force, it was obvious the staff up on the ladder way over there had dropped it.
The level of old-school was enough to make her wonder if they'd time-warped back ten years.
'Who the hell still likes these ancient gimmicks these days—'
Looking for some sympathy, Shiro slipped her VR headset back on and glanced at the chat window floating in the corner of her vision.
But contrary to her hopes, the viewers' reactions were explosive.
Eh?
Shiro rubbed her eyes. Well, she couldn't actually rub them because of the headset, of course.
"How's the reaction?"
"Surprisingly good."
Meanwhile, at Label's studio, Shin Yuri asked Yuuri, who was monitoring the situation.
Yuuri gave an awkward smile. Honestly, she'd been worried at first if this old-school gimmick would land, but the viewers' reactions were way more intense than expected.
"It's working."
"It's not old-school; it's classic. These days, VTubers have so much pull that gimmicks like this are rare, but back in the day, they weren't uncommon."
"Even so, no one went exploring horror maps with konnyaku stuck to their face. Konnyaku was always a real-life prank thing anyway."
"In the end, viewers just want that dopamine hit. Who could've imagined their usually classy streamers screaming with konnyaku on their faces?"
"...True. Modern VTubers are leaning hard into the idol route, so this is pretty fresh stimulus."
Yeah. Who'd think to throw konnyaku at the faces of the world's #1 and #2 VTubers?
With QWER and Legend's status and the rewards they put up, everyone could laugh it off. If some average agency tried this, heads would roll.
"You picked the lineup, right, boss?"
"Yeah. Myth and Sara as fixed members makes sense, but Mika, Shiro, Pone, and even Yui—all picks I made."
"You chose a totally diverse bunch. Their reactions are all over the place."
We replayed each of their reactions.
Shiro screaming her head off, included—
"Ahahaha! My heart nearly jumped out!"
Pone with her signature energetic, fun vibe.
"...Eh, where's this?"
Yui, showing her full faint-heartedness and nearly passing out. Huh, Yui didn't seem like the type, but surprisingly jumpy.
"Fuxx!! Holy shit!! This f—"
Sara, whose real personality slipped out once the stream mic was on. Whoa, her swears pack a punch. We tweaked the mic a bit.
Using the remote program, we mosaicked all audio with beeps until the cursing stopped. Whew, she'd been quiet today, for once.
"For real...? Ugh. Don't spam weird chats, guys. I-I can scream too, y'know!"
Mika, blushing with her tsundere side showing.
"U-um. N-not a big deal. Seol will die when I get home."
And surprisingly, Myth unnie with the biggest scream. Seeing sides they rarely show turned the chat into a total festival.
"Nice touch. But Myth seems even more scared than expected. Isn't she good at horror games?"
"Not sure. Maybe she's weak to direct impacts. Horror games don't slap konnyaku in your face."
"Fair. Viewers seem to love this fresh side of Myth, so it's a win."
"Might be a loss for Legend, though. Could get smacked when he gets home?"
"Nah. He's her boyfriend; she'll punish him some other way."
Other way?
We froze mid-filtering Sara's curses. What other way could she punish him?
After a split-second of thought, our faces flushed red.
"...Boss!"
"Haha. What, we're always so cool and stoic. Turns out we're weak to this kinda dirty joke."
"Surveys say sexual harassment from bosses at work is the worst."
"And surveys also say bosses who laugh it off straightforwardly are the best bosses."
Sigh. I gotta endure.
We fanned our heated faces with our hands. Sure, those tiny fans didn't do much, but it helped psychologically more than nothing.
Of course, the horror map was moving to the next phase all the while.
- Kyaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Myth screamed as konnyaku smacked her face. The volume was explosive enough to make us turn down the TV. Her genuine scream, from the powerhouse singer, left our eardrums ringing.
- U-um. N-not a big deal. Seol will die when I get home.
Not a big deal, my ass—why threaten to kill me? I got chills for no reason.
"The reactions are tasty... but I'm not actually gonna die, right?"
Myth had mentioned lately that normal horror games—the classic ones that mess with you via visuals and sound—gave her trauma, or flashbacks, or maybe PTSD.
Whatever. Since she'd hinted it bothered her, we'd planned direct physical hits, and it seemed meaningful. She was startled, sure, but not collapsing, sweating, or shaking in real terror—just pure reaction to the external stimulus.
"Worth the worry."
It was an event for viewers, but no need to torment Myth.
Good that she's enjoying it.
Of course, Label's staff sweated setting it up, but hey, the ad revenue from this should cover it.
Myth and the others moved to the next phase.
"Konnyaku, huh. Pretty bold move."
Mika was sharp. Probably one of the smartest VTubers out there. She'd panicked big at first, but she instantly saw through the konnyaku's purpose.
'They did it for Myth unnie.'
Probably only she, who studied and analyzed Myth daily to beat her, knew about Myth's recent weakness... or rather, condition.
Myth's horror game content had dropped off weirdly, and her face stiffened subtly at superchats or chats mentioning it. Mika had guessed Myth was off her horror game lately.
She didn't know the exact reason, but this classic feel was deliberate, probably.
'Whatever. Myth unnie wouldn't cheat anyway, and conditions are equal.'
Mika entered a small room in the abandoned hospital and looked around.
No clue yet on eval conditions or if fastest clear wins, but dallying wouldn't help.
"They made this map so well."
The VR headset's squeeze on her face, the studio air hitting her nose just right—everything screamed virtual reality, yet it was so immersive she'd mistake it for a real hospital if she zoned out. Mika clicked her tongue in approval.
For just one event—especially one where she herself put up prizes—getting near-free labor like this.
Always thought it, but he was a total bundle of bugs in every way.
Fine, since we're playing in such a great map, let's immerse more.
"Where—"
This space looked like a hospital ward.
Worn-out beds, cobwebs everywhere, and a mouse scurrying underfoot. Mouse?
"Eek!"
"Kyaaaaack?!"
The second the mouse brushed her foot, something poked at her sole. How the hell did they implement that? Curiosity overwhelming, Mika started lifting her VR headset—
As if stopping her, a familiar voice—Maki's—rang out.