I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 117

Chapter 117: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense

 

As a southern city, the sky over Shenzhen City was already bright around seven o’clock. Following Starry Street southward and climbing a small slope, I, along with Yin Xiamo and Ai Luodi, arrived at the entrance of the commercial street just in time to bathe in the faint light of the sunrise breaking through the horizon.

 

In fact, these past few days while working at the café, I could almost witness a similar scene every morning. The eastern side of this small slope happened to face the Shenzhen River. As the morning sun slowly rose from the horizon, it cast warm and beautiful light across the world. The light reached the Shenzhen River’s surface, the nearby sea, and the ships along the coastline, creating a brilliant golden glow.

 

Every time I saw this scene, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration for the warmth and beauty reminiscent of new life. Especially when the morning sun, not too intense, angled over the lake and sea, turning the water into a shimmering and golden spectacle.

 

There were many fishing boats and yachts on the Shenzhen River, and at the estuary, numerous passenger ships and cruise liners were anchored. In between them was the “Shenzhen Cruiser,” a historical museum established by the Shenzhen City government. On one side were civilian recreational boats, and on the other were official large vessels, giving a sense of “reflection on the left, years on the right.”

 

What amazed me the most was that the sun rose exactly at the entrance of the Shenzhen River every morning. It perfectly separated the entertainment boats and yachts on the left from the cruise ships and merchant vessels supporting the operation of this super-sized city on the right. This area near the river mouth became incredibly bright, and standing at the high point of the café, looking down felt like witnessing a kind of renewal and hope. The “Shenzhen Cruiser” was conveniently located at the entrance of the Shenzhen River, bathed in the direct sunlight.

 

In the World War of that era, the Shenzhen Cruiser was one of the few surviving warships. Without the sacrifice and dedication of the people of that time, there would be no peace in our lives today. The Shenzhen Cruiser is a hero ship that survived from that era, and though it has weathered the passage of seven or eight decades, this heroic vessel, now rusty and worn, still proudly stands at the entrance of the river like a guardian, safeguarding the tranquility of the surrounding waters.

 

Behind the Shenzhen Cruiser is the sun. On the left side symbolizing the common people entering an era of peace, one can fish by the riverside, fish and swim on fishing boats, invite family and friends to cross the river on small boats or frolic on yachts in the Shenzhen River. On the right side represents the prosperous port and various commercial vessels representing the prosperity of the country. In the middle is the sun, along with the hero ship from that era.

 

I imagine that if poets like Li Bai and Du Fu from that era could live to see this age and witness such a beautiful scene, they would surely be inspired to compose a poem or two in response to this picturesque setting.

 

“Wow, the location of this café is really stunning, isn’t it? It’s probably the highest point around here.”

 

“The commercial street behind hasn’t been completed yet, but judging by the scale, it looks like it’s going to be huge… Wow, they really nailed it with placing this shop here.”

 

“They’ve done a great job with the landscaping, and that banyan tree must be several hundred years old, right?”

 

What surprised me a bit is that there are already quite a few people on this side of the café at this moment, and the door is already open.

 

Not only the open space on the slope and under the trees, but even on the tree stump tables and chairs placed at the entrance of the café, there are several girls taking photos with their phones.

 

Several very friendly Maine Coon and Ragdoll cats even walked out of the café confidently, playfully interacting with the crowd outside.

 

Dingman, Miaomiao, Nuomi… well, mischievous as always, now they’re bold enough to run out on their own.

 

“What kind of cats are these? They’re so big, aren’t they?”

 

“Can I pet them? They look so polite…”

 

“I almost forgot this is a cat café. The advertising seems to focus entirely on the maids.”

 

Compared to last night, there’s now a beautifully colored long banner here, extending from the end of the small slope all the way to the entrance of the café. Next to our life-sized standees at the entrance, there are several billboards announcing, “Shenzhen Maid Cat Café officially open,” “May 10th to May 16th, seven days, 20% off on the entire menu, and free cuddling with all the little kittens.” Through the gaps in the flowers, plants, and leaves outside, you can see that there are quite a few people inside the café.

 

“It looks like today is indeed a busy day.”

 

Ai Luodi, beside me, yawns big when she sees this scene, “I was hoping to sneak in some snacks when there’s no one around…”

 

“With this situation, forget about snacks. Just catching a breath during peak hours would be considered lucky.”

 

I took out my phone, feeling a headache, and glanced at the time: “It’s not even 7:30…”

 

What does it mean to have so many people around the café before 7:30 in the morning? This is clearly the harbinger of an explosion in the number of customers during peak hours…

 

Because this area near Nanqi is relatively remote, and the transportation is not very convenient. Usually, not many people come here. Most of them are freelancers who come from the neighboring Shenzhen River or the craftsman district further back. These days, I usually arrive at the café around 7:45 in the morning, then go upstairs to change clothes, and start work promptly at 8:00.

 

Although I’m usually already dressed and in work mode by 8:00, most of the time from 8:00 to 10:00 is quite leisurely. The basic tasks are cleaning and grooming the cats, checking if the automatic feeders and water dispensers are working properly. There has never been a situation where customers come to eat around 8:00.

 

With the expansion of the kitchen and the gradual perfection of the menu, Ouyang Xue introduced the “Breakfast Series” at the café, such as buns, fried dough sticks, and rice noodle rolls. However, customers who come to the café to eat these dishes generally arrive after 10 o’clock. In fact, thinking from a different perspective, it’s easy to understand—the location of the café is not the type where office workers would come before work. Most customers who come in the morning are those who rarely get a day off, wanting to go somewhere else to relax and have a good time. “Oh, there’s a new café here. Let’s try it tomorrow.”

 

No sane person would set an alarm for six-something on a holiday, get up, get ready, take the starting bus or subway, and arrive at the café at 8 o’clock just to have breakfast here. During holidays, everyone wants to sleep in; even if they plan to go out, they’ll sleep until nine or ten and then leisurely get up.

 

If there are so many people near the café before 8 o’clock on a holiday, there’s only one possibility: the effect of the advertisement Manager Ouyang Xue placed on Tongmeng Net went beyond expectations.

 

I tried to open my phone screen, turned the brightness to the maximum, opened the Tongmeng Net app, and before I had a chance to check the video, a notification popped up in the upper right corner saying “New messages 99+.”

 

I had recently registered and didn’t have many followers. 99+ new messages in one night? As I walked toward the café with Yin Xiamo and Ai Luodi, I quickly opened the personal messages and found out… I was too young.

 

The display of 99+ was just because the app could only show that many. When I went in, I saw that I had gained 999+ new followers, 99+ comments, and 999+ likes. The “Shocked Cat Head” meme I posted under Ouyang Xue’s “Cat Maid Café PV for Going to the Capital” last night, without saying a word, had directly earned this account more than 23,000 followers and over 4,000 likes.

 

Casually scrolling through the comments, most of them were about “Is this person in the group photo the real deal? Are there really such cute girls as maid sisters?” and similar expressions like “Maid Sisters Stickies.” Following the trail of these likes, I reopened the promotional video and saw that it already had over 300,000 views.

 

To accumulate over 300,000 views in less than 24 hours… this…

 

Next, I paid attention to several bullet comments and comments on the video:

?Made it to the homepage??Decreased winning probability??What’s your relationship with Tongmeng Net? It’s all recommended??Uncle’s new toy?

 

It looks like it got promoted by Tongmeng Net? No wonder the click-through rate is so high, and no wonder there are so many people live-streaming with their phones early in the morning. It seems Ouyang Xue applied for promotion from Tongmeng Net.

 

But thinking about it, it’s normal. When a new store opens, they want visibility. To achieve better results, it’s inevitable to buy promotion for advertising and promotional videos, especially since Ouyang Xue is already affiliated with Tongmeng Net.

 

I’m just a little maid, it’s enough for me to do my job well.

 

“Hey, hey, those three girls are so cute… did you see them?”

“Where? I was just looking at the cats and didn’t notice.”

“Just came in. Shall we go take a look? They might be the maids.”

“……”

 

By now, there were already seven or eight people in the café, all dressed like college students, occupying three tables. Breakfast was served on these tables, but these people seemed more interested in the cats nearby. They didn’t eat much, they were either taking pictures with their phones or simply cuddling the cats.

 

“So early today?”

 

Ouyang Xue in the café was dressed in a maid outfit, a style quite different from her usual attire. This maid outfit also had a waist cincher and a bust enhancer, perfectly highlighting Ouyang Xue’s stunning figure. The two big white rabbits on her chest were partially exposed, and her legs, wrapped in thigh-high stockings under the skirt, were a bit thicker compared to mine and Yin Xiamo’s—though they had a mature and full-bodied charm. I guess those guys who like mature, voluptuous older sisters would really appreciate this kind of figure.

 

In addition, Ouyang Xue had a conspicuous “Head Maid” tag hanging on her left chest, featuring an artistically crafted character “?” (Xue) on it.

 

“Ah… yeah, wanted to get ready a bit earlier.”

 

I couldn’t help but glance at this efficient “Head Maid” in the café and said, “Why are there so many people before eight o’clock?”

 

“Ouyang sister did the advertising too well.”

 

Li Chen, who had been acting as a delivery driver these days, came down from the second floor. Wearing a butler’s uniform, he took a glance at the customers on the first floor interacting with the cats. “Back when we were at that idol agency… Ouyang sister practically handled all the idol’s profile shots and promotional videos herself.”

 

“It’s a different era now, don’t bring up those old matters.”

 

Ouyang Xue gave him a stern look. “Hurry up and get to work.”

 

“Yes, yes, yes.”

 

Li Chen seemed entirely unwilling to offend the café manager. He immediately acquiesced, walked downstairs, and before leaving, he signaled us with his eyes, “Prepare yourselves. The customer flow today and tomorrow might exceed expectations. There might be a shortage of tables and chairs, and customers might need to dine outside.”

 

Customers needing to dine outside?

I glanced at the wooden and mushroom chairs outside the door.

 

Due to the consideration that some customers might want to interact with the cats, the tables and chairs on the first floor of the café were quite spread out, giving it a somewhat large hotel-like ambiance. Under normal circumstances, it could accommodate around eighty to ninety people dining simultaneously, and in extreme cases, handling over a hundred and twenty people would not be a problem.

 

The tables in the café were designed in various types—single, double, triple, and quadruple seats, among others. However, we couldn’t demand that a customer dining alone must take a single seat. Some customers preferred window seats, but if the single window seats were all taken, they often chose double or triple seats by the window, occupying two spots for a single person.

 

While some people are more reserved and also prefer window seats, if they see that only one person is sitting at a window-side triple seat, they won’t go and sit with that person. Instead, they often choose an empty four-seater or five-seater, leading to wasted table space. Generally, in a cafe, “saturation” refers to the situation where almost all tables are occupied.

 

As the number of people in the cafe increases, some customers who can’t find a seat and are more introverted may compromise, finding any available space to sit or sharing a table with others, until all the seats are filled. This situation represents the cafe’s maximum dining capacity.

 

Now, the “butler” Li Chen in the café actually said… there might be a “maximum” situation where there aren’t enough tables and chairs today? How many people could that be?

 

“Understood.”

 

After hearing Li Chen’s words, Ai Luodi was the first to speak up: “But I have a request. Buy some konjac jelly and extremely spicy spicy sticks from outside and bring them back.”

 

Ouyang Xue was taken aback, “You want to eat them?”

 

“Yes, because if I work continuously at high intensity, I’ll get sleepy. Eating spicy snacks helps me stay alert.”

 

Ai Luodi explained seriously, “Is it okay?”

 

“What brand of spicy sticks do you want?”

 

“Any brand is fine, as long as they’re spicy.”

 

“Sure, I’ll have Li Chen go out and buy them later.”

 

Ouyang Xue hesitated for a moment, “The spicier, the better?”

 

“The spicier, the better.”

 

“Alright, you three go upstairs and change clothes.”

 

“……”

 

Saying farewell to Ouyang Xue on the first floor, Ai Luodi, Yin Xiamo, and I climbed the stairs to the second floor of the café.

 

At this moment, there were two young ladies on the second floor, enjoying their milk tea and playing with the cats. Perhaps engrossed in interacting with the cats, they hadn’t noticed us coming upstairs.

 

“Isn’t the idea of staying alert just a lie?”

 

By the bathroom door, Yin Xiamo spoke to Ai Luodi, “You just want to eat spicy sticks, right?”

 

“Indeed.”

 

Ai Luodi didn’t deny it, “My principle at work is that the body can endure fatigue, but the stomach shouldn’t be compromised.”

 

What a peculiar principle…

 

If that’s the case, did you not eat many spicy sticks back in the editorial department? Your stomach must have endured a lot for you to survive this long.

 

Entering the bathroom on the second floor of the café, I went to the mirror, placed the rabbit backpack on the dressing table, and took out all the accessories for the maid outfit.

 

After these few days of familiarity, I’m now quite adept at handling the construction and wearing of this outfit. I removed all my clothes, including shoes and socks, and stood in front of the mirror wearing only my underwear. Using a small comb and ribbons, I fashioned a double ponytail hairstyle.

 

Next, I sat on a small stool, took the white thigh-high stockings, rolled them up, inserted my feet, and pulled the stockings up. Ouyang Xue had prepared three maid outfits for me. After these days of wearing, removing, and washing, these three maid outfits no longer carried the freshness of new clothes. Instead, they exuded a “certain fragrance” on me.

 

This is what Yin Xiamo said. She mentioned that when helping to put away the maid outfits or being close to me wearing them, she could always catch a faint scent. It was like the sweet fragrance of some flowers from nature, resembling milk and carrying the unique rich sweetness of honey.

 

“Especially the stockings,” Yin Xiamo added at the time.

 

I found this statement quite perplexing. The temperature in the café wasn’t particularly low, and as I worked around, I tended to sweat a bit, particularly in areas like the chest, lower abdomen, thighs, and calves. However, the customer flow in the café varied throughout the day, and it wasn’t consistently busy. Therefore, I didn’t experience continuous sweating all day.

 

Throughout the day, my sweating pattern was roughly like this. In the morning, when I arrived at the café, changed clothes, and worked from 8 am to 9 am, there would be a bit of fatigue. During this time, I helped move ingredients from the delivery truck to the kitchen, cleaned with a broom and mop, groomed the cats, and chased them around if they were uncooperative or thought they were playing with me. I would sweat a lot during this period. After the routine cleaning was finished around 11 am, my activity level decreased, and my clothes and stockings gradually dried. This continued until around noon, during the lunch peak, when more people arrived, and I had to move continuously, sweating again.

 

Then, at around 2 PM, the customer flow decreased, allowing for some recovery, and at 5 PM, people started coming in again, leading to continued sweating. This repetitive cycle persisted throughout the day. Even if the maid outfit had the fragrance of laundry detergent, it would undoubtedly be washed away by my sweat—unless, as Yin Xiamo mentioned, there was something about the “elf-like skin” naturally emitting the “fragrance of nature.”

 

“Shouldn’t it… have no smell?”

 

Sitting on a small chair with the white thigh-high stockings on, I looked at my feet encased in soft cotton socks and wiggled my toes a few times. Although my body and thighs were prone to sweating, for some reason—whether it was a unique constitution or another factor—I hadn’t experienced noticeable “sweaty feet” these past few days. Whether I wore casual round-toe shoes that I bought for girls or the maid’s small leather shoes that matched the maid outfit, there was no distinct “stuffy feet” situation. After a busy day, when I returned home, my socks didn’t have any particular odor, just a little damp.

 

Speaking of which… just by looking at it, I feel like my body is so petite. My shoe size is 32, it is about 21 centimeters, roughly the length of a typical phone, which is mostly around 17 centimeters. Comparatively, my feet are only 4 centimeters longer than a phone… for an adult, you could probably grasp them with one hand. Of course, that’s not the case for me now. After transforming into a girl, my hands have also become much smaller, which becomes particularly noticeable when typing on the keyboard.

 

Standing up, putting on the suspenders, pulling the straps down, fastening the buttons at the end of the thigh-high stockings, I slightly adjusted the structure of the suspenders in front of the mirror, then picked up the maid outfit.

 

Slipping into the dress, securing the sleeves, tidying up the little skirt, putting on the maid’s round-toe shoes, I, adorned with makeup in the mirror, wearing this outfit, can almost be said to have “unleashed the full power of cuteness.” Even looking at myself, I can’t help but feel my heart flutter.

 

I can somewhat understand the sentiments of those people on the internet who, after seeing the promotional video, clamored about “over-edited photos can’t possibly represent real girls” or something like that. Because the way I look… is indeed cute to the point of seeming unreal. With a cute face, flawless skin, and legs perfectly suited for thigh-high stockings that flawlessly adhere to the golden ratio, it looks unreal no matter how you see it.

 

“Well, it’s just a part-time job, making money is what matters.” Comforting myself in this way, I stepped out of the bathroom.

 

It seemed like Yin Xiamo had been waiting for me outside for quite a while, and as soon as she saw me, she came over and hugged me, “Ah—my little Nuo’er, mwah mwah mwah!”

 

“Look at yourself…,” I said, giving up resistance in the arms of Miss Grim Reaper, “Clearly, you’re a beautiful girl too.”

 

I’ve never measured my weight before, but judging by the current situation, I probably won’t even reach 40 kilograms. As for combat prowess, there’s no need to count on it. It’s possible that even Dingman in the shop could beat me.

 

*Squeak—*

 

Right after that, Ai Luodi also walked out of the bathroom.

 

“You guys changed clothes so quickly…”

 

Ai Luodi yawned and stretched lazily, “What crappy clothes. The sleeves are so long, if you accidentally get oil stains on them, they’ll be hard to clean.”

 

Dressed in a maid outfit, Ai Luodi gave the impression of being as soft as cotton candy. Paired with her eyes that looked obviously not fully awake and her expression, there was an indescribable… cuteness? I don’t know how to describe this type of girl, she’s like Laffey from “Azur Lane,” a bit like Ayaka from “Genshin Impact,” and somewhat similar to Nemu from “Magical Girl Raising Project.” However, in my impression, sleep-oriented girls like her don’t usually come with Ai Luodi’s… sarcastic traits.

 

“By the way, did you guys see it just now?”

 

In my gaze, Ai Luodi lowered her voice, leaned in, and made a gesture with her hands in the air like holding two balls, “Ouyang Xue’s chest is unexpectedly so big!”

 

“Uh…,” I felt a bit awkward.

 

“People are different from each other.”

 

“No, what I mean is, it’s even bigger than Lan Jiajia’s,” Ai Luodi shook her head, looking like she was contemplating some profound plan. “I feel like we have to trick Lan Jiajia into coming here, let her know there are people beyond people, chests beyond chests.”

 

Hey, what kind of psychology is this?

 

“Let’s… let’s focus on work for now.” Unsure of what to say, I took out my phone. “Scan the QR code on the workbench over there, download the café’s app, and you can check orders directly in there when customers place them.”

 

“Then, a simple work arrangement. Xiao Mo, just like the past two days, you’ll be in charge of the pet area. I’ll handle the first floor customers, and Xiao Ai will take care of the second floor customers.”

 

As I spoke, I turned to Ai Luodi. “The second floor mainly serves milk tea and coffee, so there will be relatively fewer customers. Is that okay?”

 

Ai Luodi nodded. “No problem, I got the milk tea covered.”

 

“Alright, let’s get to work!”

 

I stretched out my hand, mimicking the mannerisms of protagonists in anime. “Go for it!”

 

Ai Luodi and Yin Xiamo also extended their hands.

 

“Oh…”

 

“……”

 

Returning to the employee break room, I placed my personal items and the bunny backpack I brought on the table. I put on the headphones directly connected to the cafe’s system.

 

“Shangjing Cat Café, café’s System is functioning normally. Current customers: 19. Current pending orders: None.”

 

Heading downstairs, Yin Xiamo and I consciously moved apart. I went to the kitchen, while Yin Xiamo headed to the cat living area.

 

“Good morning!”

 

In the kitchen, Chef Wang Jie was busy organizing a large pile of freshly arrived ingredients. He saw me and grinned, “You seem much more energetic today compared to the past two days.”

 

“Really?”

 

I smiled, exchanged greetings, glanced around, and walked towards a large bag of marinated chicken.

 

“I wasn’t feeling well the past couple of days, but now I’m much better.”

 

In reality, it was just my menstrual period.

 

This time, my menstrual cycle lasted about four days. The first day was particularly exhausting, I fell asleep on Yin Xiamo’s back in the evening. On the second day, my stomach started hurting, and in the afternoon and evening, there was a small amount of discharge. On the third day, there was a significant amount of bleeding, I spent the entire day changing sanitary pads. By the fourth day, things had improved a lot, and there was no more bleeding. In the afternoon, I even went swimming at the beach with Miss Grim Reaper for half a day. Today, my period is almost over.

 

Girls really have it tough…

 

Just thinking about it, there’s this monthly cycle, seven days each month. The first two days are exhausting, the middle two or three days involve bleeding, and the latter days bring weakness. It feels like a constant headache.

 

Seven days a month, twelve months a year, experiencing it twelve times…

 

“Ding dong! Welcome!”

 

I was about to help Chef Wang categorize the chicken that had been brought in and put it in the refrigerator when the new customer notification sound from the entrance and my earphones made me instinctively turn around and leave the kitchen.

 

“Welcome to… our café?”

 

As I walked towards the first-floor hall of the café, I was about to greet the incoming customers with my signature smile. However, the moment I saw these two customers, the word “welcome” in my mouth got stuck.

 

Because the two customers who came in were two girls. Of course, two ordinary girls wouldn’t make me feel particularly surprised, but what caught my attention was their attire, which was somewhat… unconventional compared to the other customers in the café.

 

They were dressed in cosplay costumes.

 

Two girls who looked like college students, coming out for breakfast in cosplay costumes—now, that takes some courage. When I worked in other restaurants before, I did encounter customers wearing unique and unusual outfits, but they were usually seen during events held in the city. Moreover, they would often come in groups, like during a comic convention or when a particular store in the city had an event. On such occasions, many people would be dressed in cosplay, and it wouldn’t be awkward for anyone.

 

The problem is… there are no related comic conventions or events in Shenzhen City today; all the customers coming to the coffee shop are regular people. What surprised me the most was the characters these two girls were cosplaying. One was Kirito from “Sword Art Online,” with the long-haired look from the second GGO arc and a glowing sword in hand. The other was Maple from “BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense,” presenting the classic in-game image of a dragon, holding a large shield. As they walked in from outside, Maple stayed behind the shield the entire time, looking very shy and immediately capturing the attention of almost half the room.

 

Kirito and Maple – if this combination is real, according to the game setting… I can’t think of any antagonist that could handle you two.

 

“You two…”

 

Approaching the two college girls playing cosplay slowly, I resisted the urge to ask about their outfits and led them to a couple’s spot by the window.

 

“Uncle loves loli?”

 

At this moment, the “Kirito” spoke up, and upon hearing that name, I couldn’t help but turn around, “Huh?”

 

“I knew it! I’ve always suspected you’re a girl.”

 

My turn caught “Kirito,” who was behind me, reveling in a triumphant expression, “See, you lost again.”

 

“Huh, huh?”

 

The girl holding the shield behind was looking quite shy, “She really is a girl…”

 

“You owe me again.”

 

Clearing her throat, “Kirito” turned towards me.

 

“Uncle, oh no, Nuo’er, Yin Nuo’er? Is that the name? I’m ‘Kill Kirito’ from the group.”

 

Saying this, this college girl around twenty poked the shield of the girl behind her a few times with the sword she held.

 

“This is my wife, we share a dorm. I’ve been reading your book for two years. Her ID in the group is Maple, do you remember?”

 

“……”

 

……