I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 189
Chapter 189: Just Like Sipping Warm Coffee
Coming out of Ai Luodi’s house, this time, Yin Xiamo and I did not ride bicycles again. Instead, we walked along the main road outside the Starry Garden community, just like when we usually go to work. We climbed the familiar small slope and ascended the hill stairs paved with simple cobblestones.
If you don’t look at the panoramic view, the path outside the cafe gives a feeling of a “remote tourist farmhouse” – surrounded by mountains, tall trees, and various shrubs. The “twisting and secluded path” makes one feel refreshed, as if escaping from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Only after crossing the slope road bordered by bushes and trees on both sides does it become “clear.” A spacious leisure sanctuary unfolds before your eyes, accompanied by a flat and open grassy area.
Coconuts trees that were recently planted have clearly thrived, with their originally drooping leaves now standing tall. In the center of the open space stands a centuries-old giant banyan tree. Moving forward, you can see the iconic mushroom-shaped cafe and the delicate outdoor tables and chairs in front of the house.
I believe that after walking up this uphill road once, most people will have a vivid memory of the cafe. Moreover, because the cafe is conveniently located at the entrance of the commercial street behind and the highest point in the Nanqi district, standing in the open space in front of the cafe provides a complete view of the outline of the commercial street behind.
It gives people the impression of wondering, “What are those behind? When were they built? I feel like coming to check them out when I have time.”
“Oh, the typhoon just passed. It’s cooler outside.”
“Indeed, but it’s a bit regrettable that they don’t allow us to bring the cats out for a stroll.”
“This coconut tree is so large, must be several hundred years old, right? Was it transplanted here by the people from the cafe, or was it originally here?”
“Why don’t you ask about those coconut trees? This place definitely didn’t have coconuts originally, they must have been brought in from somewhere else.”
From a distance, as I climbed up to the open space, I saw that the cafe was already full of people, some ordering shredded chicken and steamed chicken with a cup of tea and two bowls of rice to enjoy a leisurely lunch, while others ordered a milk tea combo, sipping milk tea while playing mobile games using the café’s Wi-Fi.
Through the transparent glass wall outside the cafe, I could see Ouyang Xue and Lan Jiajia inside, both busy with their tasks.
As expected, Li Chen should be in charge of preparing milk tea and coffee on the second floor today. However, the central service counter on the second floor faces this way and is covered by a mushroom umbrella, making it impossible to see the inside structure from here.
Ouyang Xue, now completely considering herself a “staff member” or “maid,” despite being the manager, has dedicated herself to the cafe even after recovering from illness. Not only does she work diligently during regular hours, but she also manages the official account of the “Shangjing Cat Cafe” on the Tongmeng Network very well.
Around nine o’clock every evening, when the number of customers in the shop decreases, she updates the dynamics – first finding the day’s cafe recording on the computer, editing some interesting highlights, and sharing them. She publishes customer messages on the “reward the maids” section, reads through customer comments on the “suggestion form,” and adopts suggestions that can be implemented while thanking customers for their opinions.
Suggestions like “charging only one yuan for a photo with a maid is too cheap, the maids don’t even check how many photos we took. I suggest raising it to two yuan” or “the tofu pudding in the café is sweet, I prefer savory tofu pudding” can be accepted. However, comments like “your steamed chicken is too bland, there’s no medicinal taste. Can you add some ginseng?” can only receive a “thank you for your input.”
In addition to these, the most consistently praised aspect of the “cafe after-sales service” online is surprisingly “announcing the list of maids on duty at the store around ten o’clock at night.” This means that Ouyang Xue, after uploading the edited video when there are no customers in the café, checks the next day’s duty roster. She notes when I and Yin Xiamo work, as well as when Lan Jiajia works, ensuring that customers who come specifically for the maids won’t miss encountering their favorite girl.
With the addition of Lan Jiajia and Ouyang Xue’s work at the cafe, the maids have been divided into two factions: the “busty mature sister faction” and the “petite loli faction.” Some customers enjoy coming to the café for lunch and watching me and Yin Xiamo acting cute, while others prefer the authentic feeling of watching Lan Jiajia and Ouyang Xue, the big rabbits, moving around.
The arguments under the official account are intense, so Ouyang Xue had to release the duty roster a day in advance to prevent customers from getting upset if they couldn’t see their favorite maid when they visited.
Ai Luodi belongs to the “middle faction” between the mature sister and loli factions because she only works in the evenings. It can be said that under Ouyang Xue’s management, the cafe has truly flourished. At least for now…
Today is not a major holiday, but there are still many people coming to the cafe at noon. Keep in mind that this is in the “retirement district” of the Nanqi area, which is a remote and undeveloped suburb.
“Hello! Welcome!”
“Maid, two cups of plain water with ice!”
Entering the café with Yin Xiamo, I directly waved to Lan Jiajia, who was taking care of the cats on the first floor.
“It’s you guys.”
Seeing me and Yin Xiamo, Lan Jiajia stood up, “Back from your date?”
“We haven’t started the date yet!”
Yin Xiamo said with a playful smile, “I want to take Nuo’er to an extremely secluded place and devour her.”
“Oh…”
Lan Jiajia elongated the word “Oh”.
“That’s why you come here to have seggs for free, right?”
“It’s not free.”
Yin Xiamo took out his phone, scanned the QR code on the side, and paid two yuan.
“They charge for adding ice cubes.”
“You guys… eating ice in this weather, aren’t you afraid of stomachaches?”
Lan Jiajia took two “oceanic” cups and headed towards the kitchen.
“Wait for me a moment.”
“Meow…”
“Meow meow meow…”
Seeing me enter, most of the cats that were previously lying on their backs, showing their bellies and acting cute, came over. Especially “Cat King” Dingman ran the fastest, almost rushing to my feet at the first opportunity. As usual, he continuously rubbed his little head against my feet, clad in short socks and round-toed casual shoes.
“You…”
I smoothly lifted Dingman, who had both hands grabbing my sock, into my arms.
“I only took a two-day break, why does it feel like we haven’t seen each other in years?”
Most of the cafe’s cats are spayed or neutered, and the majority are adopted from other cat cafes or cat owners. Since the cafe sees a constant flow of people every day, they have adapted to human life. Unless someone naturally emits cat-attracting waves, these cats won’t show overly intense emotions.
After all, the cafe has an automatic feeder that dispenses enough cat food at regular intervals. Moreover, with so many people in the cafe, customers bring cat snacks every day, and the cats just need to lie there to get tastier treats than cat food. Since customers who come to feed snacks vary, the cats won’t specifically act cute towards them just for food.
Unless they naturally emit cat-attracting waves.
This is what Yin Xiamo told me. She said I belong to the type of person who naturally emits cat-attracting waves because there’s a certain amount of cat-girl genes in my body. The so-called “cat-attracting waves” refer to the fact that some people’s bodies emit sound waves similar to the purring of a happy cat.
Although they can’t hear it themselves, it falls into a category of “friendly sound waves” in a cat’s ears. Cats around such a person tend to consider them a good friend, and this is why some people are universally liked by cats wherever they go.
According to Yin Xiamo, the sound waves from my body fall into the category of “extremely popular with cats.” Combined with the fact that I have a certain “cat-like scent,” most of the cats in the cafe tend to have a strong liking for me.
“Isn’t that Nuo’er?”
Perhaps drawn by the commotion, many customers around turned towards us, waving when they saw me and Yin Xiamo.
“Nuo’er! Aren’t you working today?”
“I’m off today.”
After releasing Dingman, I casually stroked the cats lying around, exposing their bellies and waiting to be petted. I smiled at those customers, “I’ll be back to work tomorrow.”
“Do we have to pay for a photo with you today?”
“Nuo’er, can I be your pet? I’m easy to take care of, just give me some leftover cat food.”
“Yin Nuo’er, come to work soon. Without you, how can I survive…”
“You all are insane, hurry up and die.”
“……”
To avoid standing around in the cafe for too long and increasing the workload for Lan Jiajia and Ouyang Xue, Yin Xiamo and I quickly left after getting iced water.
That’s what Yin Xiamo said. Although the temperature in Shenzhen had dropped after the recent typhoon, considering we were about to walk through the jungle on the island later, having some ice water would help us cool down.
“The view around Nanqi Tower looks beautiful from here.”
Exiting the cafe, Yin Xiamo and I headed towards the downhill path on the other side, reaching the coastal main road in the Nanqi district.
Compared to the coastline, this road is still at a higher elevation. From here, we could clearly see the seaside scenery and the lawns and flower fields near the Nanqi Tower.
The love story between the elderly man at Nanqi Tower and the sea is somewhat poignant yet heartwarming. The elderly man, who lost his spouse, has been steadfastly staying near Nanqi Tower, living in a simple house. He spends his days maintaining Nanqi Tower, making a living through fishing and cultivating vegetables behind his house.
Perhaps feeling bored day by day, besides the daily upkeep of Nanqi Tower, the elderly man also plants flowers and takes care of the surrounding lawn. As a result, unlike other coastlines with overgrown weeds, the area around Nanqi Tower has neatly arranged lawns filled with various flowers, resembling a small garden. Especially at night, when the silver moonlight slants down, it gives a feeling reminiscent of the silver courtyard in the anime “Rebellion Story.”
Of course, since it’s noon now, Yin Xiamo and I, standing on the roadside and looking towards Nanqi Tower, can only see a vast expanse of flat grassland and flower beds.
“Are you ready?”
Standing on the roadside, Yin Xiamo made a gesture as if to say, “Come into my arms”.
“It may take about ten minutes to get from here to the island. Nuo’er, you can take a little nap.”
“How could I possibly fall asleep in your arms…”
Muttering quietly, I turned around and skillfully hopped into Yin Xiamo’s hands —
The girl in front of me adeptly caught me.
“Nuo’er is still like a little kitten, weightless.”
After holding me in a princess carry, Yin Xiamo teasingly said, “Maybe carrying a little kitten would be more lively than you.”
“So, you mean I should learn to struggle like a cat?”
I felt like a “!!!” sign had appeared on my forehead.
“Who set my weight so light?”
Working in the food service industry requires a health certificate. When Ouyang Xue and Yin Xiamo mentioned this before, I was initially contemplating how to deceive the hospital doctors with my current body. But Yin Xiamo went ahead and obtained the health certificate as easily as getting an ID card.
According to Yin Xiamo’s explanation… if Nuo’er’s current body were to go to the hospital, it might frighten the doctors there.
Apart from malnutrition, the blood routine is likely abnormal, and the functions of various organs in the body far exceed the standards. At that time, I might be taken away as some kind of medical marvel.
My underweight condition is mainly reflected in the elven and cat-girl genes. Elves are mostly born from the Elf Tree, and they need to live in the forest all year round. Many elves also like to build houses in trees, so their bones and muscles are much lighter than those of ordinary people. However, this does not mean that elves’ bodies are more fragile than those of ordinary people. Even without the protection of magic, elves’ bones are said to be tougher than those of Earthlings.
But the doctors at the hospital wouldn’t think so. If they were to draw some blood for routine tests or take an X-ray of the bones, my “non-human” status would likely be exposed.
“Little kittens should be light to be cute, anyone can pick them up. Then, watching Nuo’er struggle for a long time without being able to get down, with puffed-up cheeks, looks especially adorable.”
After lifting me up, Yin Xiamo squatted down, “Ready?”
I closed my eyes, “Mm.”
“Whoosh—”
Soon after, I felt a strong sea breeze against my face.
Wow… this speed?
A few seconds later, I couldn’t help but open my eyes and saw the transformed Yin Xiamo of the Demon Tribe.
Just like the Yin Xiamo on the sea during the typhoon in the phone, she had long black hair, eyes with a slight magical glow, and pointed ears like those of the elven tribe. However, compared to the vertically pointed ears of the elves, Yin Xiamo’s two ears were more downward-leaning at the moment.
“Can’t sleep?”
Maybe noticing my movement, Yin Xiamo lowered her head.
“It’s still more than ten minutes away, okay?”
I have to say, this version of Yin Xiamo has a kind of evil “demonic charm” even in her voice and emotions when speaking. If the Yin Xiamo I used to interact with was like a playful and slightly seductive next-door older sister, then the current Xiao Mo is truly… a demon tribe girl.
“You…”
Braving the strong wind, I carefully looked down.
Due to the frightening speed, Yin Xiamo and I left a long white trail on the sea surface, like the destroyers and battleships seen in those naval battle scenes, sailing at full speed with a long tail trailing behind.
“Wouldn’t we be caught by satellites or something?”
Because the speed was too terrifying, I had to lift my head and turn around.
I could see the coastline behind Yin Xiamo and me constantly receding, and even Nanqi Tower was reduced to a tiny dot.
“You’re overestimating the technology on this side of the Earth. If their satellites could achieve nationwide surveillance, the crime rate here would have decreased by at least ninety percent.”
Yin Xiamo, holding me, said indifferently, “Many things here… technology, medicine, biology, and so on are still in their early stages. At most, computer technology is slightly more advanced, able to produce nanometer-sized computer chips. I have to say, the human tech tree is a bit off.”
“Um…”
Hearing Yin Xiamo say this, I fell silent.
All along, she has given me this feeling—powerful, confident. As long as there’s Xiao Mo around, I have a very strong sense of security.
Apart from some trivial daily matters, Yin Xiamo has never lied to me.
She said Ouyang Xue was okay, and she was indeed okay. She said she could dispel the typhoon, and the next moment, the typhoon was dispelled.
Although I was really curious whether flying so openly on the sea surface like this would be captured by surveillance satellites, since Yin Xiamo had already said it wouldn’t, I chose to believe her unconditionally, even if there were doubts deep inside me.
“Before, you were like this too…”
I glanced at the girl on my head, then looked at the faintly visible outline of the island ahead.
“Is this how you went to find the typhoon as well?”
Although her hair had grown longer, her eyes were more charming, and she had grown pointed ears, Yin Xiamo’s overall appearance still resembled her usual self. At most… it made me feel like I was living in a different world.
Of course, being embraced like this and rapidly flying over the sea, I wouldn’t find it odd even if I encountered a little demon.
“How is that possible? The distance between the typhoon and Nanqi District is much greater than from here to the island. If you were to fly at that speed, little pet, your clothes might be blown away in less than a second, you know?”
Hearing me say this, the girl holding me showed a playful expression. “Or does the little kitten want to experience the feeling of being close to nature with nothing on?”
“No way!”
I quickly closed my eyes, tightly embracing Yin Xiamo with both hands. “I’ll take a nap, you… please fly more steadily.”
“Mm… that’s when the little kitten is cute.”
“Say it again, I am not a little kitten!”
“Okay, okay, Nuo’er is not a little kitten. She is my princess…”
Overhead came Yin Xiamo’s murmurs, “I really wish that the centaur little sister who was once ridden into battle by you and the dragon princess who became your mount after losing a duel could see how you’re now acting cute towards me…”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, I said Nuo’er is a mighty man, even the giant dragon submits to you.”
“……”
Although her usual personality is a bit rough, Yin Xiamo, as a genuine girl, still smells pretty good. At least in her arms, even with the howling winds and the waves beneath me, I still feel at ease. Coupled with the fact that this body tends to fall asleep quickly when lying down and relaxed, I soon felt drowsy on the sea, cradled by Yin Xiamo.
In a daze, I dreamed that I seemed to be in a desert scattered with soldiers’ corpses and broken swords and bows.
?Honorable hero, in our tribe, anyone who wishes to lead us to war must undergo multiple tests set by the tribe.?
?This is my daughter. Despite her well-behaved and polite demeanor, she is more ruthless on the battlefield than the legendary armored dragon. If you can withstand thirty rounds under her hands, I, as the chief of this centaur tribe, will recognize your strength.?
?H-honorable hero, this is… this is Dolly, Dolly Stader. P-please… please instruct me more.?
?Honorable hero, I apologize, Dolly is about to start the final test on you…?
?Miracle! The might of the king!?
?Soldiers, be furious! This is our honor! Bet on the dignity of the centaur tribe, flatten everything!?
?……?
?Oh? Am I seeing things? A human hero? Accompanied by a little demon? Coming to negotiate with me, a dragon? Did you let the tentacles of the Nile River drill into your brain, causing pituitary atrophy??
?Let me ask you, brave one. The demon king you want to defeat is of the demon race, and the one by your side is also a demon. If she chooses to submit to her demonic nature, what will you do? Kill her??
?A perfect answer. You seem different from the heroes of the past. I acknowledge your mentality, but… oh, brave one, do you really have the ability to make me submit? Your magical power seems inferior to the little demon by your side, doesn’t it??
?I said don’t call me a princess! Call me a prince! I am a man who will inherit the throne of the dragon race in the future!?
?Damn it! If you keep calling me that, I’ll curse you! I’ll curse you to become a little girl in the next life! Yes! Become a little girl, then be ravished by that little demon next to you and finally fall!?
?Let me curse the hero before me in the name of the dragon race!?
?Sorry, due to some rules of the dragon race, a female dragon inheriting the throne is against the rules. So the little princess has been dissatisfied with her gender, and she’s currently in the chuunibyou phase… please forgive her.?
?……?
?Cough, cough… Truly a hero, living up to expectations. You do have some skills, quite manly. But it’s not over yet! Don’t think it ends here!?
?I will never submit to mere humans. Take this! Dragon’s Fury Flame!?
?Alright, alright… you win this time. Let me rest for a while.?
?Ah, if I were a male dragon… there’s no way I would lose to someone like him. Sob, so upset.?
?Hey, little demon over there, do you have any way to turn this hero into a girl??
?No, no, no. It’s not a curse or mockery. Just my twisted sense of humor. I really want to see a strong one fall in such a way, especially someone stronger than me!?
?……?
……
In a daze, not knowing how much time had passed, I felt that the sea breeze around me had slowed down quite a bit. Opening my eyes, I saw that the island in front was now within reach, perhaps only five or six hundred meters away.
“Ugh…”
Stretching lazily in the arms of Yin Xiamo, I curiously asked, “How long did I sleep?”
“Just about ten minutes,” Yin Xiamo looked at me with a doting expression.
“How is it? The cat-girl genes are quite useful, right? Cats are creatures that can sleep and wake up anytime, anywhere, making this gene very practical in today’s society compared to humans who are prone to insomnia.”
“Indeed, but why don’t you remove the catnip-sensitive genes?”
Yawning again, I said, “Why does it feel like I’ve just had a very long dream again?”
“Kittens can dream anytime. Whether you sleep for ten minutes or half an hour, the time in the dream is different from reality. As long as the cerebral cortex is active enough, sleeping for ten minutes can feel like a hundred years have passed,” Yin Xiamo explained.
Saying this, Yin Xiamo had already brought me to the sandy beach on the shore of this small island, descending from mid-air.
“This is the tenth district that Shenzhen City plans to build in the next ten years. It’s still very desolate now,” Yin Xiamo pointed to a lot of construction materials brought to the shore. “This island is the farthest from the Nanqi District, and it’s estimated to be the last one they’ll develop.”
After finishing her words, Yin Xiamo landed beside these construction materials, stepping on the soft sandy beach.
“In fact, I plan to talk to those people in Shenzhen City and see if I can buy this island,” Yin Xiamo said, pointing at the materials.
“Huh?”
I was a little dumbfounded.
“Why do you want to buy this island?”
Ignoring whether we have the financial resources, before the cross-sea bridge in Shenzhen City is built, this place is basically in an “isolated from the world” state with no electricity, no water, and no mobile phone signal. You can’t buy an island here and grow radishes, right?
“I just want to buy this place first, as a peaceful nest for me and Nuo’er.”
Yin Xiamo walked to a pile of steel beside her, kicked a steel rod into the air effortlessly, caught it with her hand, and waved it a few times.
“We can build the island ourselves, build houses on the island, or simply use this place as a gateway to connect to another world and establish a portal.”
“Can you really establish a portal?”
I became even more puzzled.
“Who do you want to bring over?”
“Ah… in the past, the closest friends of the heroes, such as your former mount or that dragon troubled by gender, and the elves in the Elf Forest. However, they may not adapt to life on Earth. Alternatively, I could bring back a few cat-girls and let them teach Nuo’er how to be a little kitten.”
My mouth twitched. “Are you serious?”
“Just kidding! The workload for creating a portal is extremely large. If we really want to do it, it may require the entity to come over. What I’m thinking now is to specifically buy a place as a little paradise for me and Nuo’er, just the two of us.”
Yin Xiamo threw the oversized steel bars in her hands, which looked like they weighed nearly a ton, back to the ground with a loud “clang”. She removed the appearance of the “demon race,” and her ears returned to their human form.
“Usually, doing some private things with Nuo’er outside requires detecting how many humans are around, checking for cameras. It’s quite troublesome. It’s better to just buy a piece of land, a bit farther from the city center. Here, we can be as unrestrained as we want.”
Uh… So that was your idea?
“But…”
I hesitated for a moment. “Where do we get so much money?”
“We can slowly save money, and besides, we now know quite a few people in the city, right? It will be more convenient to negotiate later.”
“I’m increasingly suspicious that helping the mayor’s child recover from illness and organ transplantation wasn’t just a coincidence.”
“It really was a coincidence. You have to believe me.”
“Hmph.”
I surveyed the small island. “Putting that aside, why did you bring me to a place where there’s no one around from such a far distance?”
“Exactly to be in a place where there’s no one around.”
Yin Xiamo revealed a mischievous expression.
“These building materials were delivered yesterday. People who build houses and perform basic construction usually come once a week, and this place has no signal, no satellite coverage. Surrounded by the sea on all sides, even if you shout loudly, no one will hear… My dear little pet Nuo’er, what do you think I brought you to such a place for?”
“……”
……