I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 40

After having dinner, I routinely cleaned up my dishes and utensils, then returned to my computer. I opened the Honeydew Novel website and started clicking on the books listed in the bestsellers and new releases sections, one by one.

In the author’s industry, this kind of behavior is referred to as “browsing the charts.” In simple terms, it means going through the top ten bestsellers and the top ten new releases, a total of twenty books. You don’t need to read too much, just the first ten or twenty chapters to understand the authors’ writing style, story plot, outline, and world-building.

The bestsellers represent a book’s sales performance and reflect the general style and trends of the website. The new releases, on the other hand, represent the latest novels and popular themes on the website.

For a qualified author, it’s essential to have knowledge of these aspects. For example, the website I used to be a part of, “Yae-Do Light Novels,” primarily focused on male-oriented urban fiction. Some fantasy and fanfiction novels were also popular. The book titles tended to be more “vintage,” like “The Way of the Celestial” or “Heavenly Tribulation.” These kinds of titles could make it to the bestsellers.

However, websites like “Tomato Novels,” which I checked when submitting my work, were different. If you simply transferred the novels from “Yae-Do Novel” without any changes, they wouldn’t perform well. Tomato Novels had longer book titles and faster pacing. Nine out of ten books had a system incorporated into the story, and the bestsellers had titles like “I’ve Exposed My Wealth: I Have Trillions of Savings,” “Rebirth: The Divine Doctor System Possesses the Groom,” and “Urban Emperor Reborn as a Street Vendor.” The book descriptions were highly enticing, and within the first chapter, the protagonist would be mocked by enemies, and within the first few sections, there would be phrases like “Ding! Boundless Invincible System.”

Similarly, the Honeydew Light Novel website has its unique style. The books here mainly feature male protagonists, and their titles tend to be long, with a blend of light novel and Chinese web novel styles. The currently trending categories are the “Simulator” genre and stories involving “Empresses,” “Immortal Masters,” and “Female Masters taking the initiative.”

Understanding these trends allows me to tailor my novel to better match the preferences of readers on this site.

Although it seems like my current book will earn over two thousand dollars per month once it’s signed and published, it’s always good to be prepared. Maybe, when my novel is completed, if I write a new one in a style similar to what’s popular here, I might receive higher royalties?

Times have changed, and authors are essentially like waiters providing a service.

“Keywords… Empress, Archmage, Ancient-style…”

After having a satisfying meal, I sat at my computer with pen and paper in hand. I quickly scanned the bestsellers and new releases on the Honeydew Light Novel website and jotted down the content I found.

“The bestsellers have six male protagonist stories, three genderbender stories, and one with a female protagonist. Currently, the ancient-style, master-disciple, Empress-initiative, and Immortal Female Fallen Angel categories are in the lead.”

“On the new releases list, there are seven ancient-style master-disciple stories, two urban break-up stories, and one gender-switch story.”

“The more popular genres include ‘Yandere,’ ‘Harem,’ and ‘Initiative,’ with sub-genres like ‘Chasing Husbands at a Crematorium,’ ‘Second Chance,’ Simulator genre, and ‘Break-Up’ being quite hot.”

I couldn’t help but think that writing in an ancient-style genre might be a better fit for this website.

I glanced at my ordinary fantasy novel set in another world.

Well, since I’ve already signed a contract, I’ll continue writing as is.

I’ll build up a bit of a following, and if I decide to write a new book in the future, I’ll consider whether to switch to a style similar to this website’s.

After browsing the novel rankings for over half an hour, I stretched and reached for my notebook. I compared the page I had just filled with the previous one.

Was that grim reaper really designed my muscle memory to mimic the legendary “loli” font?

I looked at the notebook with a sense of helplessness. Because I had once taught myself software like Photoshop, I was quite sensitive to computer fonts. The handwritten characters I had just produced were undoubtedly what’s known as the “loli font” or “young girl font.”

These characters looked incredibly cute. For instance, the radical for “?” would instinctively become round and free of sharp angles, and the font was slightly chubby, whimsically curved, as though a ten-year-old had written them. However, they weren’t excessively artificial, making them extremely cute.

I tried searching for “loli font” on a search engine and compared the samples with the characters I had written.

They weren’t an exact match, but it was clear that they were cut from the same cloth.

Was this the grim reaper’s twisted sense of humor?

With mixed feelings, I closed my notebook, shut down my computer, and made my way to the soft cushion in the middle of the living room.

I pushed the small dining table to the side and, as usual, hopped up and down a few times to get my body warmed up. I had a sip of saltwater and then lay down on the soft cushion.

Next came the exercises for my waist and abdominal muscles, as well as the curves of my legs. Each of these exercises took less than a minute, and they weren’t difficult individually. Even doing the entire set took less than ten minutes. The challenge lay in consistency.

Ten minutes a day might not be difficult to maintain for a week, but what about a month or a year? Despite what that grim reaper had said, I could feel that exercises with a slight focus on the “positive” side were effective.

Every time I finished my exercises, my lower abdomen would be covered in sweat, my muscles would feel slightly tighter, and my legs would gain a bit of strength. I couldn’t take everything that grim reaper said at face value.

Ten minutes passed, and I felt the warmth in my entire lower abdomen. Covered in sweat, I grabbed my keys and left the rental room.

Just like yesterday, I jogged a lap around the nearby open space, followed by ten minutes of aerobic exercise.

Finally, with my entire body soaked in sweat, I went into a nearby stationery store to buy a new notebook. I returned to the room, turned on the water heater, and waited for it to warm up. In the meantime, I sat at my computer desk with the new notebook and jotted down a few things that happened today:

—

May 3, 2022, Friday, sunny.

I went to Mingzhu Square and Mingzhu Building to collect debts. Mingzhu Square has changed a lot, I hardly recognized it.

My lower abdomen is sore from the exercises I did last night and this morning. Maybe I’ll get used to it in a few days.

I don’t know why, but I always feel a bit lonely with this kind of lifestyle, even though I’ve been living like this all along…

“…”

—

— Normal people don’t keep diaries, so I only record trivial matters, like the encounter with the grim reaper and turning into a little girl, that’s definitely not something I’d write down.

“Done!”

After roughly jotting down the things I wanted to remember, I put down my pen, stored the diary away, and returned to the living room. I took off my sweaty t-shirt and shorts.

My attention was then drawn to the nightgown that the bald chief editor had given me as a consolation prize today.

Hmm… would it be comfortable to sleep in that outfit?

No, no… that kind of clothing is clearly meant for little girls, and it’s a dress, a dress! Where has the dignity of a grown man’s soul gone? As a man, I absolutely cannot wear a dress!

But… it’s my own home, so it doesn’t really matter how I dress, right?

Recently, the summer temperatures have been rising, and I don’t have suitable clothing at home. I can’t just run around in my underwear when it gets too hot, can I?

Moreover, women’s underwear is incredibly soft, and wearing it really feels different. If I added a nightgown, it might be a lot more comfortable.

I was feeling a bit conflicted.

The nightgown was clearly designed for girls, especially cute and petite girls. It had off-the-shoulder styling, spaghetti straps, lace trim, bunny ears, and a little skirt… it was brimming with a girlish charm.

“…”

I reached into the bag and pulled out the nightgown. It felt incredibly soft, and I could tell the fabric was of high quality. But the pink and white color scheme and the bunny ear straps were causing me a lot of inner conflict.

Since I had already taken it home, would it be wasteful not to wear it?

After a few seconds of struggling in place, the balance within me began to tip.

In the end, I decided that in the comfort of my own home, I should wear whatever I found comfortable. Besides, with my current financial situation, I couldn’t afford to buy loose-fitting pajamas online or at the supermarket.

So, I took the adorable bunny ear strap nightgown and made my way to the bathroom. I decided to put it on. It was my home, after all.

If I wash it today and hang it out to dry, I should be able to wear it tomorrow night. As for the pink and white striped over-the-knee socks, they could stay in the bag for now.

……