I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 48

The layout of the convention center is different from other places. It’s a massive building on the street, and it has water dispensers inside for visitors to drink water at any time.

People working nearby, after finishing work in the evening, often spend ten yuan to have a quick meal. This was more than twenty years ago, and now, the price of a fast food meal has gone up to thirty yuan. They sit at tables in fast food restaurants, eat their meal, and take a break. If they are willing to spend an extra five yuan, they can get green bean soup, cold noodles, or tofu pudding as a dessert after their meal.

Most of the people working in the area are regular workers and can’t afford such luxury. It’s usually only the small bosses who enter the nearby upscale hotel, order two tables of good food and drinks, and sit there leisurely to enjoy their meal.

“The final stop: Convention Center. We’ve arrived. Thank you for your support all the way. Welcome to take the bus from the General Bus Company again…”

When the bus came to a stop, and most of the passengers got off, I saved the written content and closed my phone. I then put on my little backpack, hopped from the back row to the bus door, and got off the bus.

The sky outside appeared a bit overcast, as if it might rain at any time but nobody knew when. What was most frustrating was that due to fewer green areas nearby, there was a severe urban heat island effect, making it feel hot and stuffy, as if you were in a sauna.

I looked ahead to the entrance of the convention center…

I walked out of the bus terminal and scanned the surroundings. My gaze landed on a massive building not far ahead. Or rather, it was a complex of buildings.

The central building of the Shenzhen City Convention Center had the appearance of a large sailboat, surrounded by a square, fountains, baths, and pavilions. Overall, it had a majestic presence, and once you’d seen it, you could easily recognize it the next time you visited.

A place like this was a true social anxiety nightmare. Supermarkets, markets, and other places were usually full of people going about their business, so it was easy to blend in. However, the convention center was different. It was spacious, people kept their distance, and the field of vision was limited. Anyone looking in your direction could only see you, and when you were alone, it took a lot of courage to navigate the place.

“The little fountain is so beautiful.”

“Honey, take a photo for me!”

“Look at that girl over there, she has such fair skin… Wow, she’s so cute, take a look!”

I lowered my hat, clutching the straps of my rabbit backpack, and silently made my way to the entrance of the convention center.

“Are you coming in by yourself, young one?”

Perhaps due to the lower morning crowd, only two of the large doors were open. The security guard in charge appeared to be professionally trained. As he noticed me approaching, he warmly directed me to the side where there was a conveyor belt for storing bags.

“Please put your bag here.”

“Okay.”

I put down my bag and walked past the security guard, asking, “Do I need to register?”

“Hmm? Aren’t you going to the anime convention upstairs?” The guard looked puzzled for a moment, then waved his hand at me. “You don’t need to register, little one, but you need to be safe. Don’t go with strangers, and don’t pick things up from the ground and eat them…”

Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? Not going with strangers is fine, but picking things up from the ground and eating them? Only children under five or little kittens and puppies would do something that foolish, right?

Anyway, I’m a grown man who’s lived for over twenty, almost thirty years. I still have the right level of vigilance. Even if I look like a little girl now, it’s not like I’d be so out of touch as to casually eat someone else’s food from the ground. Besides, picking things up from the ground and eating them…

Never mind. The security guard was just being kind, and I don’t need to stoop to his level.

Feeling a little frustrated, I took my rabbit backpack from the other end of the conveyor belt and walked over to the stairs, climbing up without delay.

“Building 2, booths 67 and 68…”

After checking the information on my phone, I touched the high-tech sensor door in front of me and entered the convention hall.

The space was almost as big as a soccer field, filled with booths and billboards. In the center, there was a large stage. This convention was said to have invited several famous dancers from “Tongmeng Net” to perform and host activities. Some phone and game companies also came for promotion, offering early access codes for mobile games. I wasn’t particularly interested in these events. My luck had always been terrible, so unless the odds were a guaranteed win, such activities held no more appeal to me than usual.

Booth 67… where was it again?

Honestly, this anime convention on the second floor of the exhibition center felt like a larger-scale anime flea market to me. You could find a bit of everything nearby: clothing, light novels, dakimakura (body pillows), figurines, game merchandise… I even spotted some food stalls selling instant noodles, drinks, and spicy snacks, all with anime girl illustrations on their packaging, and the prices were multiplied by two.

What were all these food items: “Ganyu’s Cocogoat Milk,” “Amiya’s Vegan Donkey Meat,” “Duskblade Swordsman Boneless Chicken Feet,” and “Dasima Flying Mantou” – what did they even mean?

The most vexing thing was that the stalls weren’t laid out in a straightforward manner. Stall 1 was next to 23, which was next to 9, and many stalls didn’t even display their numbers. It took me a while to find the “Honeydew Bun Booth,” and I asked several vendors who claimed to be temporary workers but didn’t know the layout.

“Little girl, can I take a picture?”

Though it wasn’t packed with people at eight or nine in the morning, anime conventions in a big city like Shenzhen never felt too empty. As I was walking, two guys approached me with cameras, asking, “Are you cosplaying as a character?”

Did I look like I was cosplaying?!

“Ah… I’m sorry, I’m not cosplaying.”

Out of politeness, I gave the two guys a small smile and quickly changed the subject. “Do you happen to know where Booth 67 and Booth 68 are?”

“Booth 68? I know Booth 69, it’s over there.”

The guy on the right pointed to a booth in the corner, which seemed to be selling dakimakura. “You can check over there for Booth 68.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Imitating the demeanor of a well-behaved anime girl, I slightly bowed to the two guys and didn’t wait for their response. I quickly jogged in the direction they pointed me to.

Booth 69… here it was.

Indeed, this was a booth selling dakimakura pillows, and they were selling that succubus pillow.

“Fluffy Milk Maug,” “Lilim”… and so on.

“Hello, may I ask…”

Summoning my courage, I approached the owner of this shop. “Where is Booth 68?”

“Ah? Booth 68?”

The shop owner, a bespectacled young man who looked like a stereotypical otaku, was a little taken aback when he saw me. Then he pointed to a booth not far away in a corner. “It’s over there. The Honeydew booth, the one selling books, right?”

“Alright, thank you.”

“No problem. Little girl, would you like to buy a dakimakura? We’re having a special event today, and you can enter a lucky draw with any purchase.”

“No, thank you. It’s not good for my health…”

“……”

Continuing along the haphazardly arranged booths without any standard organization, I finally found the legendary “Honeydew Comic Booth.” I surveyed the storefront and saw a girl with twin ponytails, presumably the same one I saw earlier in the other shop, dozing off while hugging what looked like the “Lilim” dakimakura. Her head bobbed up and down like a little bird pecking at seeds, a half-awake, half-asleep expression on her face.

“Hello?”

I approached the booth. “Is this the Honeydew Novel Network booth?”

Actually, I didn’t need to ask. The various physical light novels displayed in the shop, along with discount coupons and the Honeydew girl on the banner above the shop, already confirmed the shop’s identity. However, basic etiquette was still necessary.

“Ah… ah?”

Upon hearing my voice, the only girl in the shop who was dozing off with a dakimakura opened her eyes. She looked a bit confused as she glanced around and then fixed her gaze on me, who was only two heads taller than the counter.

“Are you… here to buy books? The owner isn’t here, and I’m just… oh… just looking after the shop.”

She yawned loudly after saying this. “Why don’t you sit and… read some books…”

“No, I’m here to sign a contract. My editor said that I could find the person watching the shop. She left the contract here.”

With the idea of “sign the contract and leave,” I took out my phone and opened my QQ profile. “My author ID is ‘Uncle Loves Loli.'”

“Ah? You’re Uncle Loves Loli?”

The girl, who had been drowsy just moments ago, suddenly woke up. She took my phone and looked at the QQ number on the screen with disbelief.

“I… I was your previous editor.”

After looking at it, the girl returned the phone to me and said softly,

“I’m Ai Luodi, the editor from Yae-Do.”