I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 323

Chapter 323: Gothic Lolita Maid Café

 

Ouyang Xue and the designer brought over by Xiongxiong designed several different styles of new uniforms together.

 

They spent nearly a whole day discussing in the employee lounge. Although the others were here to have fun, we now have an open cooperation relationship with Xiongxiong’s Jialan company, so Ouyang Xue still paid the designer a certain amount for the design.

 

The new uniforms of the café are made according to our respective “attributes” in the store, overall leaning towards a “Lolita dress” style, feeling very much like… the kind of dress you would wear for formal occasions, but with a touch of the old European Gothic Lolita vibe. Using a bit of “anime” terminology, it’s like the clothes worn by the female lead, Victorique de Blois, in “Gosick“.

 

This set of clothes is generally divided into small hats, dresses, Gothic-style long/short socks, and small leather shoes. I personally really like it. At least the shoes in this outfit are not high heels or shoes with heels, but round-toe flat shoes, which is really important.

 

Since becoming a girl, I have also bought shoes with obvious heels, such as the pair at home that Xiao Mo bought before and the chunky-heeled round-toe shoes that go with the summer breeze long skirt.

 

Those shoes have a heel of 2 to 3 centimeters, not too high, and they even pushed my height beyond 140 centimeters. However, shoes with heels are really not suitable for long-term wear. Occasionally wearing them to show off one’s beauty is fine, but for the maids working in the café who have to walk back and forth repeatedly every day, it’s not practical.

 

I’ve seen many maids in anime wearing shoes with heels, or even very high heels. Working in such shoes all day would definitely make your feet extremely tired. High heels are not a good invention, wearing them for a long time can deform your feet.

 

I’ve tried wearing shoes with heels of two or three centimeters when going out and felt very uncomfortable. I can’t even imagine wearing heels of five to six centimeters, or seven to eight centimeters, so I really appreciate the new uniforms designed by Ouyang Xue.

 

Moreover, this design is really thoughtful. As the “signature” and “manager” of the store, the uniform is themed with sky blue, grass green, and white as the main colors, with more emphasis on sky blue overall.

 

It’s paired with a beret with a satin ribbon, the skirt is very fluffy, with a bow at the chest, and the hem of the skirt is almost all lace and satin ribbon. The overall design style is somewhat similar to the outfit worn by Takanashi Rikka in “Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions” when she’s in her Dark Flame Master mode, but with a different theme color.

 

“Morning, Sister Ouyang!”

 

As usual, when I arrived at the café entrance, I greeted Ouyang Xue, who was trimming the branches of the greenery outside.

 

For the past two months, Ouyang Xue, as the store manager, has been responsible for maintaining the greenery outside the café.

 

Outside the mushroom-shaped café, there is a large open space. Under the eaves, there are several tree stump tables and chairs. Usually, these are mainly used by customers who enjoy dining outdoors, or during peak dining hours when the inside of the store is crowded, these tables and chairs outside can also serve as backup dining areas.

 

In addition, there are many benches on both sides of the open space near the greenery, where some visitors can sit and rest. Under the largest banyan tree, there is a large table and several small round stools. Occasionally, customers sit here to play mobile games or watch short videos.

 

Exiting this large open space, there is a spiral path leading to the lower city road or the nearby paths near the Starry Garden community. Both sides of the path are filled with greenery and flowers. Usually, these plants are maintained by sanitation workers, but the area near the café needs our attention. Whether it’s the greenery on the sides of the road or the coconut trees, roses, grapevines, etc., planted earlier, they all require special care.

 

Just like a small garden, the area in front of the café is surrounded by various flowers that Ouyang Xue bought and planted before. There are roses, peonies, and even some lilies. Among the flowers, Ouyang Xue has also arranged several cobblestone paths, leading directly to the garden under those coconut trees. It allows the guests who have finished eating to take a stroll nearby. Maybe when the grapes ripen, they can even pick some grapes.

 

These are all very tiring tasks, especially taking care of the large banyan tree at the entrance of the store. The branches are lush, and it happens to be the flowering period of the banyan tree recently. Throughout the day, the flowers of the banyan tree will fall all over the ground, on the open space, on the tables and chairs. If not cleaned properly, it’s easy for customers to complain.

 

In addition, the banyan tree itself is not easy to manage. It naturally attracts bugs. The banyan tree at the entrance of the café has most of its canopy over the largest table and chairs. In summer, it can indeed shade the customers below, but summer is also the season with the most bugs. If not handled properly, passing customers will encounter various bugs falling down, which can be quite unsettling.

 

Therefore, besides trimming branches, watering, and fertilizing the surrounding garden plants in the morning, pest control is also a very important task for Ouyang Xue. Every day, she has to spray pesticides on time, whether it’s for the flowers, the banyan tree, or applying a circle of pesticide under the banyan tree, to ensure that no bugs climb up.

 

“Morning, have you had breakfast?”

 

Seeing a group of us girls walking over, Ouyang Xue, who was holding a small bottle of medicine and driving away pests from the jasmine flowers in the garden, turned around.

 

“You all seem very energetic today!”

 

“Of course, today, me and Yueyue are going to push ourselves to the limit and provide the best service to every customer!”

 

Dolly still looks full of energy, she pulls Yueyue into her arms, “Right, little kitten?”

 

“I can definitely be faster than you!”

Yueyue, unwilling to back down, retorted, “Run fast, deliver fast, return fast!”

 

“Ha…”

Ouyang Xue couldn’t help but laugh, “By the way, are both of you riding electric bikes? Customers often tell me that your speed is really fast, much faster than the previous outsourced deliverymen.”

 

“We have a unique way of delivering food.”

Dolly, following the vague instructions I gave her and Xiao Mo before, responded, “Sister Ouyang, are these… grapes?”

 

“Yeah, these are Thompson seedless grapes, and those are blackcurrants.”

 

Ouyang Xue pointed to several grapevines nearby that had climbed everywhere, “There are already a lot of small grapes. I estimate that by August or October, these grapes will be ripe.”

 

“Great!”

Dolly clapped her hands, “I want to try them when they’re ready. Grapes grown at work must be delicious!”

 

“The coconuts are about to fall too.”

 

Ouyang Xue gestured to the coconut trees that Xiongxiong had sent, “I don’t know why, but they seem to have quickly adapted to this land. Originally, I thought they would need at least a year to take root, but now it looks like they’re all about to bear fruit.”

 

Hmm…

I subconsciously looked at Xiao Mo beside me.

 

Regarding the fact that the plants around the café were growing well, Xiao Mo had explained it a few days ago.

In short, it’s because of my role as an elf.

 

In the other world, the relationship between the elven race and the forest is one of mutual support. Generally, not every large forest will have elven communities, but the main elven settlements are always found in those super forests.

 

The main reason is that wherever there are elves, the elements of life are abundant. Both plants and animals exhibit remarkable vitality, with vegetation growing wildly, ecological balance maintained, and forests naturally dense.

 

The lush forest atmosphere, in turn, helps the growth of the elves. After the hero was betrayed and killed by companions, Xiao Mo once took the hero’s body to find the elven race, the Tree of Life, and the Spring of Life. This is because it’s the most vibrant place in the world. It is said that as long as there is a breath, any creature can be revived.

 

As the only elven race on Earth and nominally the “Elf Queen,” staying in the cafe for a long time causes the surrounding plants to grow wildly. Not only plants, but individuals who are slightly more sensitive to their bodies may also notice that frequent visits to the cafe alleviate some chronic illnesses and relax tired bodies. It’s like getting a boost of energy, very pleasant.

 

Previously, Ouyang Xue’s quick recovery from stomach bleeding was also because of this. If it weren’t for me on the cafe’s side, her condition wouldn’t have been so severe from the start, and she wouldn’t have been hospitalized for ten days or half a month.

 

The elven race’s skill is a passive ability that cannot be turned off. It wasn’t very obvious before I awakened the elven race mode, but after becoming the Elf Queen, this ability was strengthened. The coconut trees that Xiongxiong sent directly thrived, so some customers claim there’s a huge difference between ordering takeout and dining in the cafe because of this reason.

 

Eating in the cafe not only has a good atmosphere, fast service, and delicious food, but you can also see cute maids and adorable little cats. Because of my presence, people here are genuinely “healed,” feeling refreshed and happy. They don’t get the same feeling when they order takeout and go home.

 

This situation will probably worsen in a few months. Ouyang Xue has planted so many flowers and grapevines here. Maybe by this time next year, the green space outside the cafe could become the largest garden in Shenzhen City.

 

“Is Mayor Ye and the journalists coming today, right?”

 

I, who didn’t plan to continue discussing this topic, turned to the entrance of the cafe and looked at the door, which was already decorated quite well.

 

“Do we need to prepare anything?”

 

“No need, just treat the customers as usual. There’s no need to treat the mayor specially. She can have whatever dish she wants. We don’t do that fake stuff.”

 

Ouyang Xue smiled. “Speaking of Mayor Ye, you guys should be more familiar with her than I am, right?”

 

“Hmm?” Lan Jiajia sensed something amiss. “Nuo’er, are you familiar with the mayor?”

 

“Not… not really.”

I thought for a moment and said, “A friend… the wife of a friend, she and Mayor Ye are fellow villagers. They both come from the same village. I think that’s it. Earlier, when Xiao Mo and I went to someone else’s house to visit, we happened to see Mayor Ye there and just exchanged a few words. The wife of a friend, being fellow villagers with Mayor Ye, is not that big of a deal.”

 

“That’s still impressive. If you rise in wealth, don’t forget me.”

 

“It’s not like that. We really just have a normal friendship, or maybe not even that. At most, we’re acquaintances.”

 

I waved my hand. “Forget about that. Let’s go check out the new basement door.”

 

Arriving at the entrance of the cafe, I took a look at the slanting staircase on the right side, as well as the peculiar graffiti and LED lights on either side of the staircase.

 

How should I put it, this decor style is a bit like… a dark cybercafe? No, the environment of a cybercafe is much worse than this. The staircase here is very clean, and the graffiti on both sides has a bit of an American “decadent” style, at most making the staircase seem a bit “furtive”.

 

It probably hasn’t been fully decorated yet, this staircase. When the staircase is decorated, with some small accessories or night lights hung around the entrance, and the staircase is given a stronger sense of technology, it will feel just about right.

 

I walked down this small staircase, turned left at the bottom, lifted the curtain in front of me, and arrived at the familiar basement e-sports center.

 

Hmm, still the dazzling cyberpunk light pollution style, with a bar in the middle, surrounded by small tables and chairs for playing board games or drinking, and then there are gaming areas, e-sports booths, and a VR zone.

 

The corridor leading to the cat living area is still there, perhaps it will be made into a kind of “emergency exit” path later.

 

Then there’s the elevator over here…

 

Following the direction indicator lights with “Walk” letters shining on the floor, I found the elevator for going up and down here.

 

Is it already done?!

 

“So fast?”

 

Seeing the elevator here, Lan Jiajia also looked surprised. “I thought they needed at least ten days to get the elevator done…”

 

“Ai Luodi said a few days ago that there were cranes moving stuff outside around two or three in the morning, right? I guess that’s when they were moving the elevator.”

 

I “beeped” and pressed the elevator button, stepping into this technology-style elevator, which was wider than most residential elevators.

 

Just like the layout of the basement, this elevator also used a lot of cyberpunk elements. Walking in from the outside, we felt like we were entering some sort of EVA mech control room, with blinking LED lights and sturdy metal panels around us, surprising even me, who isn’t particularly fond of the cyberpunk style.

 

“Money can do wonders,” Lan Jiajia sighed. “Tongmeng Net really spared no expense this time. I remember Xiao Ai said something about working at night paying triple…”

 

“Only we can work at night here. If it were in the downtown area, buzzing noises at night would definitely lead to complaints.”

 

I “beeped” the elevator button for the “1st floor”. The elevator doors closed, the breathing lights changed from blue to green, and a slight feeling of weightlessness came over us. The elevator doors opened again.

 

We had arrived on the cafe’s first floor.

 

“So amazing…”

Dolly and Yueyue widened their eyes. “Can such a complex thing really be done in just a few days?”

 

“It can even go up to the second floor.”

 

I turned around. “So it seems the basement has three exits now.”

 

Before this, the cafe only had one main exit at the front door of the lobby. The second floor is relatively smaller, with only one staircase exit. However, the staircase from the first floor to the second floor is very wide, so even when there are many people, congestion is rare. So, I’ve always thought this design was pretty good.

 

Now they’ve even added an elevator. I really don’t know how to criticize the people from Tongmeng Net anymore.

 

“It’s great. Now, if those downstairs playing games want to eat something, it won’t be so troublesome for us to deliver. They can just take the elevator down.”

 

Lan Jiajia walked over to the stairs on the first floor. “Change clothes, get ready for work!”

 

“Meow…”

 

It seemed Dingman, who had just woken up, walked over from somewhere, stretching lazily as he walked, then greeted me.

 

“Did you sneak food again last night? You’ve gotten so chubby.”

 

I squatted down and lifted the cat, which was almost as big as me when standing. “You’re heavy.”

 

“Meow…”

 

Dingman meowed plaintively in my arms.

 

“What is it saying?”

I turned my head and looked at Yueyue. “Can you understand it?”

 

“A catgirl and a cat are completely different species, hey!”

 

Yueyue’s cat ears perked up instantly. “Just like humans and fish, and even if they’re both catgirls, in our realm, there are different dialects. Without translation or hypnosis, I wouldn’t understand either.”

 

“Oh really?” I turned to Dingman. “Can you understand what Yueyue is saying?”

 

Dingman tilted his head. “Meow?”

 

“You two are something else…” I put the big cat down and brushed off the cat hair from my clothes. “Alright, alright, I need to go change and get ready for work too.”

 

Although Su Yunjin was coming over today, he should handle matters concerning Mayor Ye Yuqing and the TV station, but face-saving projects still needed to be done.

 

The cafe here usually had a strong anime vibe, with one magical circle here, a painting of a beautiful girl there, and illustrations of characters from certain animations here and there. Like the maid costumes, we better put away these controversial things before the national TV station comes for the interview.

 

Hats, little dresses, socks, and shoes… Hmm, they’re all here.

I went up to the second-floor changing room and took out my exclusive uniform from my bag.

Gothic Lolita, little dresses with a touch of school uniform design, plus a beret.

 

I really love this outfit, not only because it can be paired with flat shoes, but mainly because… its colors and themes really match the feeling of “Yin Nuo’er” – the sky, nature, cuteness, little elves, and artists.

 

What I love most is this beret with a satin ribbon. Originally, my hair was hard to manage because it was too long. With this hat, my hair can naturally gather inside the hat, and the satin ribbon of the bow is very suitable for my long hair, making it look very cute.

 

This outfit blends so many elements together without feeling out of place at all, which is enough to show the high talent of the designer brought by Xiongxiong.

 

In addition to my outfit, Xiao Mo, Fei Luo, Gabriel, Ai Luodi, and Lan Jiajia’s uniforms are all unique. Xiao Mo’s is a death-themed one, mainly black, giving a serious and handsome feeling. Fei Luo’s is “Black Dragon Girl”, still with a crop top, Gabriel’s is the theme of pure angels, and Lan Jiajia and Ai Luodi are both “editors” with a slight literary atmosphere.

 

The theme proposal for the clothes was handled by Ouyang Xue. I suspect she might already know something, after all, the previous Dragon Milk did have significant effects. However, because of Ouyang Xue’s high emotional intelligence, as a respected manager, she didn’t say anything.

 

“Xiao Mo!”

 

After changing clothes, I waited outside the dressing room for a while until Xiao Mo came out. As usual, I went up to her and kissed her on the cheek.

Xiao Mo responded with a kiss as usual and helped me adjust my long hair behind my back.

 

“Are you counting the cats today, or should I?”

 

“You can count them, Xiao Mo. The cats are more familiar with you. I’ll go set up the storefront.”

 

I helped straighten the bow on Xiao Mo’s chest.

 

“Love you.”

 

“Cheesy.”

 

“You were the one who started being cheesy first.” I smirked deliberately.

 

“It’s called lulling the enemy. Wait until someone is intoxicated with happiness and love, then suddenly raise the flag and catch them off guard!”

 

“……”

 

……