What can I say? I mean, it works.

Using Google via VPN services, there are many other users. Occasionally someone's been a jerk, and Google gives you the stinkeye. But then you switch to a different server.

I added "private VM" in case OP was sharing a machine with his girlfriend. But really, it's always prudent to use VPNs from dedicated VMs. Because that compartmentalizes tracking. And using VMs also simplifies managing machine state. You can use a fresh clone for each session, for example. Or boot from a static image.

I like DDG and StartPage, for sure. But sometimes I just gotta use Google.

It’s not, I do something similar. Google results are just that much better for certain content I have found