I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 54

?Forwarded Message?

?Forwarded Message: Loli Editor from Yae-Do, a true loli?

?Forwarded Image?

?The closed Yae-Do Novel Website has been resurrected and they’ve even hired a new loli editor, too cute!?

…

One morning, in less than three hours, the news of “Yae-Do Editorial Department hiring a loli editor” began spreading like a virus in various author and novel groups.

Even though I was sitting inside the Yae-Do booth and had hardly attended any serious customers, I could always see my photos from various novel groups, some even as a complete series.

There were pictures of me being obediently seated in a small chair, showing only half of my head, pictures of me trying to look cute while holding a milk tea, pictures of me peacefully reading a book, and pictures of me gazing lazily at the visitors at the comic convention…

Some of these photos looked like they were taken with a mobile phone, some appeared to be the product of professional cameras, and some even seemed to have been touched up with filters, making me, who already had good skin, appear somewhat unreal.

What was even more outrageous was that these people started spreading several different versions:

?Yae-Do hired a loli editor, looks really familiar, rumored to be a former “fudanshi” (male fan of BL manga).?

?At the Yae-Do booth, both of these are boys, as my friend told me.?

?The photo was taken by my classmate, this cute loli from Yae-Do is actually a boy.?

Online news is always like this, people tend to enjoy spreading rumors, and they are willing to share those that seem “outrageous.” If a girl only appears cute, most people would probably just glance at it and close the window. But if you accompany it with the text, “Are guys even more beautiful than girls now?” the speed of sharing these pictures will definitely skyrocket.

?Uncle! Where’s the uncle? Uncle, come out quickly, your favorite loli is here.?

?Uncle, did you receive the notification about Yae-Do’s revival? They’ve also hired an exceptionally cute loli editor, I saw it in other groups.?

?Is this loli around 1.5 meters tall? Why does it feel like the counter is taller than her??

Even in my own readers’ group, which only has around a hundred members, there were several veterans who forwarded the pictures. They rarely discussed things other than games and they crazily mentioned me as the group leader.

?I got it, the pictures are saved.?

In the end, I, who was somewhat annoyed by being mentioned, casually replied in the group, “I’m good.”

?Aren’t you an author? See if you can get the contact information for this editor.?

?Uncle, come on! Let’s have a forbidden love affair.?

?Could this loli editor be Ai Luodi??

“…”

“Little one, how do you feel?”

At 1 PM, the editor Tuzi from the Honeydew booth across the street came over and asked, “How many books have you sold?”

“I sold eight books and some merchandise.”

I gestured towards the empty bookshelf nearby and said, “But it seems like they don’t like to browse books. They just ask me to fetch them, and then they pay.”

To be honest, if I were to go to a comic convention for fun, I probably wouldn’t buy any books either. Where is a comic convention anyway? A gathering place for otaku? A holy land for the anime and manga community? A location for cosplay?

Let’s consider it from another perspective. If I were a somewhat well-off, sociable, and mildly interested in the anime and manga world kind of otaku, what would I be going to a comic convention for? Of course, it would be for the young ladies.

For those with less noble intentions, they’d bring a camera, take pictures of the girls, try to get their contact information, or wait for events at the convention where their favorite girls would perform on stage and take pictures to remember the moment.

For those without such intentions, they’d discreetly take photos with their smartphones and buy a few souvenirs.

And then there are those who go with friends or good buddies who share the same interests, casually walking around and enjoying the convention on weekends and holidays. There are also fans of a particular internet celebrity or company product within the convention, who attend specifically to support their idols.

For example, if I often watch a certain girl on video streaming websites dancing to anime songs, and I’m a fan of hers, and she’s performing at the comic convention, I’d definitely come to support her.

Or perhaps I’m a die-hard fan of a particular video game, and the game’s developer is at the convention hosting events and selling merchandise. If I have a collector’s streak, I’d certainly come to check it out.

The problem is, what do Yae Do and the Honeydew shop have to offer? Books? Merchandise? Or Miss Shina, who just made her debut and hasn’t yet gained a following?

I haven’t heard of anyone being a die-hard fan of a novel company.

We’re in the age of the internet, with plenty of online novel platforms, and a multitude of people writing books online. You can easily read novels on your phone. Why would I bother going to a comic convention to buy physical books?

Because I’m a web novel author myself, I’m very familiar with this industry, and I know about two big lies here: “If an author releases a physical book, I’ll definitely buy it” and “You write novels online? What’s your pen name? I’ll go give you a tip or a gift.”

Unless it’s one of those top-tier novels that earn millions of dollars a year, releasing a physical book for web novels often results in a loss. Printing costs may not even be recouped.

“You actually sold so much?”

In the bustling convention hall, Editor Tuzi adeptly moved aside the staff exit barrier next to the shop and then glanced at Editor Ai Luodi, who was napping in her chair. “Over at my booth, I only sold two Honeydew Maid pillows and two books. The convention was more lively in the first couple of days, but the later days were mostly about events and exiting.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Little one, have you done something similar before? You seem quite adapted to this.” Editor Tuzi, who had entered the shop, picked up her phone from the small table at the back of the store.

“Are you hungry? Let’s grab a meal together. After eating, Ai Luodi can take over… Little Ai, you’re okay, right?”

“Eh? Yeah…” Ai Luodi, who had shifted her attention from her phone screen, yawned. “No problem.”

“Alright.” Editor Tuzi waved to me. “Let’s go.”

I quickly got up and followed her.

“The food here might be on the mild side.” As we descended the stairs next to the shop, heading towards the first-floor cafeteria in the convention center, the editor Tuzi in front of me started a conversation like an enthusiastic older sister. “But there’s a window that specializes in cold dishes, and you can add chili there… Do you like spicy food?”

“It’s alright.”

I nodded and said, “I don’t mind.”

I don’t know if it’s the influence of this little girl’s body, but my dietary habits have undergone a slight change compared to my previous middle-aged self. I tend to prefer sweets, have a taste for milder flavors, and am not particularly fond of heavily spiced or extremely flavorful foods. It’s not that I can’t handle them, but I just lean towards milder flavors when compared to dishes with lots of chili or strong flavors.

As we made our way to the “cafeteria” with the editor Tuzi, my phone in my pocket started vibrating. I lit up the screen, and it was a call from “Marisa’s Iron Butt.”

“Sorry, may I pick up the phone?” After asking for a permission to the editor in front of me, I pressed the answer button.

“Nuo’er? Are you working at a comic convention?” The voice on the other end, which belonged to Jiang Wei, sounded quite curious. “I’ve seen your photos in many QQ groups, and they all say you’re a boy. I tried to debunk it, but no one believes me.”

“It’s okay, if they think I’m a boy, let them think that way.” I replied calmly. “Did you and Pipi receive the payment yet?”

“Not yet, but Mr. Lu said that the website merger issue has been resolved, and they’ll be paying it together with the monthly payment.”

At this point, Jiang Wei suddenly changed his tone, “Can you tell me whether you’re working as an editor, in the backstage, or in an operational role? Or is it a temporary job? Be honest, were you kidding when you said you were 12 years old?”

“It’s a temporary job. I can’t be an editor, my education is quite low,” I said.

I moved my phone to my other ear and commented, “Asking a girl about her age is quite impolite, you know?”

“Haha, alright, I won’t ask anymore. But they must be paying you a lot, right?”

“It’s quite good.”

“A while ago, I saw your photos circulating in various groups. The more it spread, the more outrageous it got. I felt something was off, so I traced it back to the source. The person who originally posted the pictures had a QQ number that belongs to the Honeydew team, meaning this promotion was probably planned by them, not a coincidence.”

Jiang Wei sounded concerned, “You might have been used by them, but the promotional effect is indeed remarkable. It has brought a lot of traffic to Honeydew and Yae-Do. Many people near Shenzhen City and even some internet celebrities seem interested in checking it out.”

Ah, it’s pretty much what I expected. Actually, way back when the owner of Yae-Do, Lu Xinjian, offered me a daily wage of 1,000 yuan, I had a hunch that they might use me for marketing.

After all, my current appearance and figure… even I found them extremely tempting. With just a little packaging and claiming that I’m the “Mystery Editor of Honeydew,” sharing it in various author and reader groups, it would definitely attract a bunch of authors and book-starved readers who want to submit their works.

In the end, it’s not a big deal. Marketing is something every company does. I got the money, and the website got the traffic – it’s a win-win.

Moreover, I am already an author for Yae-Do and Honeydew. If the marketing is successful and the website’s traffic increases with more readers, there’s a chance that my subscription count might go up, resulting in higher income.

“No problem.”

Thinking about this, I said to Jiang Wei over the phone, “It’s not bad like this.”

“It’s good that you can see it that way,” Jiang Wei replied, sounding relieved.

“In the afternoon, Pipi, Jituto, and I will go over there to see you, and then we’ll head back. What flavor of crispy shark do you want for the box I owe you?”

“……”