I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 77

 

After having lunch, setting my alarm, and taking a short nap on the small bed, I woke up in a daze at 2 o’clock in the afternoon to the melodic sound of the alarm.

 

“Umm…”

 

Somewhat unwillingly, I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and looked around the room, which had become much quieter than before. I silently repeated to myself, “I shouldn’t sleep too long during the afternoon nap, or else I’ll lack energy in the afternoon,” while letting out a big yawn.

 

It seemed like… the rain outside had stopped? I got up from the small bed and walked to the window, drawing back the curtains.

 

Outside, the entire city was soaked from the rain. I could see a few rows of houses across the street and a construction site where workers with helmets were sitting on large stones, smoking and chatting.

 

In the alleyway below the window, two orange cats were glaring at each other, fur standing on end, and it seemed like a conflict was about to erupt.

 

The rain had indeed stopped. However, even though it wasn’t raining anymore, the sky outside was still overcast, and there was no sight of the sun. It felt like the rain had stopped, but not entirely. This kind of weather usually persisted for most of the day until the sun pierced through the clouds, baking the earth and drying up the rainwater, and then… it would be the arrival of full-fledged summer.”

 

Summer is coming, and with it, a variety of delicious fruits like watermelon, strawberries, bayberries, and lychee will become plentiful.

 

“Meow!”

 

Just as I was about to close the window and return to my room, there was a noticeable commotion below the window. The orange cat on the right side of the window arched its back, with its fur standing on end, making some unintelligible threatening sounds.

 

I recognized this cat as one of the cats that the property management of the three nearby buildings allowed to roam freely. It often used to roll over and be affectionate in the ground floor lobby, apparently because tenants had complained about too many mice in the rental property a year ago, so the management had decided to keep this cat. However, it didn’t really serve the purpose, as this cat generally only cared about the mice on the first and second floors, it was too lazy to go any higher.

What’s interesting is that the property manager of the three buildings is named Yang Kun, the same name as a famous celebrity. People in the tenant group affectionately call him “Yang Ge” (Brother Yang).

 

“Meow! Meoww!! ”

 

Facing the orange cat on the left, which was likely a newcomer, the property manager’s cat showed its fearless spirit, calling out “Meoww!! ” while using a hissing and threatening tone.

 

This seemed like it was going to be a noisy dispute for at least half an hour.

 

I decided not to get involved in the cat fight outside the building. Instead, I yawned, closed the window, and returned to my bedroom, neatly folding the small blanket on the bed.

 

I felt like… it was time to replace my pillow, blanket, and mosquito net. They’ve been in use for several years. My blanket and pillow are the most basic kind, bought from a nearby grocery store for less than a hundred yuan when I rented this place. The mosquito net is an “Indian teepee” style I ordered online and spent a long time assembling.

 

If I were really moving in the next few days, it didn’t seem necessary to take these things with me. I thought about selling them to a scrap collector. With this in mind, I, still in my nightgown, walked to the full-length mirror in the living room. I used a small comb to tidy up my somewhat messy hair, then washed my face and brushed my teeth.

 

After unlocking the bright screen of my new phone, I opened a delivery app. Clothing stores, women’s clothing stores… I found what I was looking for. Within a three-kilometer radius of my Wujia apartment, there were eight women’s clothing stores. I eliminated the big-brand, expensive ones, those with delivery times over 40 minutes, those with high delivery fees, and those offering overly provocative styles. I finally settled on a clothing store specializing in casual women’s fashion.

 

The clothes in this store looked quite nice, and most of the reviews were from nearby high school and college students. The reasons for negative reviews were mostly trivial. Most importantly, this store’s style was more compatible with my current preferences, unlike the others, which either offered sexy outfits with pointed high heels or more “trendy” styles like ripped jeans. There were several mini-dresses in the store, mostly one-pieces and pleated skirts. Considering the outside temperature, I immediately excluded the one-pieces from my shortlist.

 

Then, my gaze fell upon a set on the first page of their shop with a “New” label, named “Comic Master.”

 

A beret, a hoodie paired with a pleated skirt, and round-toed casual shoes.

 

Wow… I felt that this combination was so cute, fresh, and beautiful.

 

I clicked on this combination named “Comic Master.”

 

In this combination, there were a total of five pieces of clothing: a particularly cute sky-blue beret with many small flowers embedded in it. By zooming in on the image, you could see that the design of this hat was very delicate. Next was a hoodie with a matching color to the beret. The hoodie had long sleeves, and the overall color scheme was primarily sky-blue and white. It had some sketches of blue skies and white clouds on the chest, as well as some artsy patterns. There was a large pocket on the stomach, and I believed that anyone who saw this hoodie for the first time would probably sense that it was created with elements of “artistic style.”

 

Leaving aside everything else, I really liked this hoodie, and it seemed like it could also be worn by guys, although it leaned slightly towards a more delicate style.

 

In addition to the hoodie, this outfit also included a light blue pleated skirt. The skirt was a single-color style, so light blue that it was almost indistinguishable from white. I had never worn a skirt before and wasn’t sure if this color counted as a good design, but judging from the store model’s photos, it seemed pretty nice. In simple terms, it was a very fresh, somewhat androgynous, delicate hoodie paired with a pleated skirt. If it were for guys, you could probably replace the pleated skirt with shorts.

 

Apart from the beret, clothing, and skirt, this set also included matching socks and shoes. The socks seemed like standard women’s cotton ankle socks with two blue rings at the opening. As for the shoes…

 

If we say the beret and hoodie lean towards a more neutral style, these little shoes are definitely “girls-only.” At first glance, I could tell that they were girls’ shoes. They had a very cute design, with a round overall shape, only two colors (blue and white), somewhat resembling sneakers. There was also a small bow on the top of the shoe. The available sizes in the store ranged from 33 to 39.

 

How about trying to buy this entire set? I selected all the clothing in this “Comic Master” set on my phone screen and checked their respective prices.

 

The beret was 35 yuan, the smallest hoodie was 79 yuan, the smallest pleated skirt was 39 yuan, and the shoes in size 33 were 85 yuan. Adding the socks for 15 yuan, it totaled 253 yuan. However, the store offered a discount package price of 245 yuan, and there was also a coupon for 3 yuan off on orders over 199 yuan, plus free shipping, bringing the total to 242 yuan…

 

Seems reasonable, right? The problem is that all my clothes are wet, including the shoes and socks. If I hadn’t planned ahead and bought three sets of underwear, I would probably have to buy a set of children’s underwear or use a small heater to dry my clothes. This women’s clothing store sells clothes, skirts, socks, and shoes, and it’s most cost-effective to buy them together. Otherwise, after placing this order, I’d have to go find a shoe store to buy shoes and socks separately.

 

Socks are no big deal, but shoes are harder to find. I recently measured my foot size, and it’s around 21 centimeters, which corresponds to a size 32. However, buying shoes one size larger than my actual size should be fine, especially since these shoes are of a casual style and can easily be adjusted if they are a bit loose.

 

“Hello, may I ask if you are the store owner? I would like to place an order for the ‘Comic Master’ set from your shop and have a few questions to inquire about.”

 

To be on the safe side, before clicking “purchase,” I first contacted the store through the food delivery platform. After all, it’s better to be cautious when spending over two hundred yuan.

 

“Hi! I’m here! ?(^?^*) What questions do you have, dear?”

 

In less than ten seconds, the store owner responded to my message.

 

“I noticed that the smallest size for your clothes is XS, and online recommendations suggest that people wearing size XS should be between 150 to 155 cm in height. Can I wear it if I’m 140 cm?”

 

“Yes, you can, but it might appear a bit larger.”

 

“Is there much variation in the shoe sizes? I have a foot size of 32.”

 

“That’s fine, you can order the size 33. My 10-year-old daughter also has a foot size of 32, and it fits her perfectly.”

 

“Great, thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome… Are you also buying it for your daughter?”

 

“Uh… something like that.”

 

“I understand.”

 

Wow, so a 10-year-old daughter can wear the same clothes and shoes as me? After ending the conversation with the store owner, I couldn’t get the words “10-year-old daughter” out of my mind. Here I am, a grown man in my late twenties, and now I’m comparing my body size to that of a 10-year-old child?!

 

Will I keep growing? Will I at least gain some height? I started to feel a bit uneasy. While I no longer expect to regain my muscular body, can’t I at least grow taller? Right?

 

With a sense of frustration, I selected all the items and submitted the order.

 

“Waiting for the store to accept the order…”

 

“The store has accepted the order and is assigning a delivery rider…”

 

I estimate that this order, barring any surprises, will take at least 20 minutes to be delivered. I placed my phone on the table and returned to my bedroom, roughly checking the items in this room.

 

I signed a yearly lease for Wujia Apartment, which was later extended on a monthly basis. When I first arrived, I signed a one-year rental contract with a two-month deposit. After the initial year, it became a monthly payment arrangement, and I’ve been paying rent month by month ever since. I’ve already paid the rent for May, and regardless of when I move out, whether it’s on May 6th or the last day of May, the outcome is the same, I won’t be able to get that money back.

 

The two-month deposit is 1,700 yuan, and the lease agreement states that the deposit will be refunded after deducting water fees, cleaning fees, and furniture wear and tear costs. Over the past two years, I’ve estimated the water fees to be around three to four hundred yuan. If I have to move out, I don’t expect them to charge me for cleaning and sanitation. Nowadays, most landlords are like this. If they can withhold the deposit, they will. Even if a corner is a bit dirty, they’ll claim they need to hire a cleaning lady to charge you fifty or a hundred yuan. Especially with capital-backed youth apartments, getting your money back from a capitalist is nearly as hard as reaching the heavens.

 

So, considering the water fees over the years (I’ll overestimate it at 500 yuan), plus a generous estimate of 200 yuan for cleaning fees and sanitation fees, let’s assume the property management is the villain and charges an extra 100 yuan. That totals 800 yuan. After moving out, I should be able to get back around 900 yuan…

 

But it still feels like a loss. I just paid 850 yuan in rent a few days ago, and now, if I move out, I won’t even get 1,000 yuan. Isn’t this all a waste of time?

 

The most frustrating part is that I’m currently a young girl with no friends in real life. I can only ask someone for help when it comes to moving. It’s going to be a significant expense.

 

However, my current situation is that I have to move and find another place to rent. Most people living in the youth apartment are young adults. What if there’s a drunk knocking on my door today, a troublemaker causing a scene tomorrow, and someone else losing control the day after tomorrow? In the past, as an uncle, I would never be a target for these people. But now that I’ve become a young girl, relying solely on a fake “big brother,” if someone discovers my tricks like leaving shoes outside the door or clothes by the window, or finds out that there’s only one person living in the apartment, I could be in danger.

 

Life is always changing like this, isn’t it? By the way, can I ask Miss Grim Reaper for help when moving? Her ability to move things would be incredibly convenient for moving. You wouldn’t even need a car, just open a rift and move everything through it. If I were Miss Grim Reaper, I probably wouldn’t even need to work for money. I could start a moving company and become rich in a couple of years.

 

“My old clothes, student ID, meal card… What’s this? Oh, an honor certificate from participating in a club activity in college. It looks like I can throw these away.”

 

After circling my room and realizing there wasn’t much I absolutely had to take with me, I returned to the living room. The small dining table has some sentimental value to me, so I can take it to my new rental place. As for the kitchen appliances like the rice cooker and oven, many of them are quite old. I’ll see if I can sell them, and if not, I can give them to a scrap collector or, like the previous tenant, leave them downstairs for someone in need.

 

Upon closer inspection, it seems like there isn’t much I must take with me. Just my computer, phone, and the new underwear, clothes, and shoes. That’s it.

 

I should start clearing out the unwanted items in advance. Once the clothes arrive, I’ll go out to get a new phone number and update all my online information, including Alipay and my bank account. Anything I can’t update, I’ll transfer the money to the new accounts. Then, I’ll visit the café and Ai Luodi’s house.

 

The café’s brochure stated that they offer food and accommodation packages. If this café is indeed related to “Tongmeng” temporarily staying in their staff dormitory shouldn’t be a big problem. At least in terms of safety, a proper company dormitory is certainly better than the youth apartment in the urban village.

 

“Hello, your package.”

 

I quickly dealt with the things that needed cleaning in the room and, after about half an hour, my phone on the table rang.

 

“Hello.”

 

I wiped my hands and answered the call, “As mentioned in the notes, you can leave the items at the door of room 301 on the third floor.”

 

“Just leave it at the door?” The delivery driver seemed a bit concerned. “What if someone takes it, and then you complain about me?”

 

“That won’t happen. My… uh, my big brother is on his way.”

 

“Okay, I’ll leave it at the door.”

 

After hanging up, I skipped to the front door in the living room and looked through the peephole. Not long after, a young man in a delivery uniform placed the items outside the door, raised his phone as if taking a picture, and then walked away.

 

“Ding-dong!”

 

Shortly after, my phone displayed a picture and a message from the delivery driver: “Photo.jpg I left it here for you.”

 

I replied with a “good,” waited for about ten seconds in front of the peephole, and then opened the door at lightning speed to bring the bag inside.

 

Let me see… the hat, clothes, little dress, shoes, and socks are all here, no problem.

 

Back on the sofa, I began to unpack the contents of the large bag one by one—

 

A blue beret… seems a bit too big and has that new clothes smell.

 

The sweatshirt was nicely packaged, and upon unwrapping it, it didn’t have a strong odor, but the size does feel a bit big.

 

The little dress is very soft and has a zipper. There are two small pockets on the side, which seem handy for carrying a wallet and keys.

 

The shoes have a strong smell of rubber and leather. They look just like the pictures – round-toed, with a thick sole and a bow on the front. They feel lightweight and give off the impression of something a child under ten would like. Considering they cost only 80 yuan, the smell is a bit strong, but it’s tolerable.

 

Well… at least it’s not underwear. I have a lot of things to do in the afternoon, so I’ll just wear this outfit when I go out. I’m likely to sweat in it during the afternoon, so I can wash it in the evening.

 

Worth mentioning is that perhaps due to a promotion or for new customers, the store sent me an extra pair of socks and two small cherry hairpins.

 

After confirming that the newly received clothes are in good condition, I unwrapped all the packaging and took off my little bunny nightgown.

 

The sweatshirt doesn’t need much explanation. It’s like a boy’s clothing, and I simply put it on. Just as the store manager said, this XS-sized top, suitable for girls around 155 cm, looks a bit oversized on me. The hem of the shirt can completely cover my underwear when it’s relaxed. In a completely relaxed state, the sleeves cover more than half of my hands.

 

As for the skirt… I guess it’s worn like this?

 

After checking the structure of the pleated skirt, I figured out how to put it on. I pulled down the side zipper of the skirt, then lifted one foot to step into it from below. I then zipped it back up so that the skirt would stay in place around my hips.

 

Well, it looks fine.

 

I glanced at my lower half, and my face grew warm. My body is very petite and slender, with a narrow waist, but my hips seem slightly wider relative to the rest of my body, making this little skirt fit just right.

 

It’s just… a bit empty down there, and it feels a little strange.

 

I tried putting my new phone in the skirt pocket and taking it out, adjusting the direction of the pleated skirt.

 

This… it’s not that I want to wear a little skirt. It’s mainly to get used to the feeling of this clothing in advance, making it easier to wear and shoot videos in the coming days.

 

My emotions are quite complex right now.

 

On one hand, I’ve been an “Uncle” for several years, and subconsciously, I still see myself as male. When I put on women’s clothing, I experience a contrasting feeling like “a big man wearing women’s clothes and being shy,” and I’m especially afraid that others will see me in women’s clothing. But this petite body, with a slightly rounded chest and distinct differences from a male figure in the lower half, constantly reminds me, “You’re a girl now, there’s nothing wrong with wearing women’s clothes.”

 

The juxtaposition of two completely different physical sensations left me with mixed emotions. Moreover, this outfit leans more towards a “cute” and “fresh” style, intensifying its feminine charm. Just the thought of going out dressed like this made my heart beat faster.

 

This should be decent, right? I stood up from the couch, lowered my gaze, and pulled the sweater down a bit. Since it was a bit oversized, the sweater covered more than half of the pleated skirt. However, due to the similar color scheme of the two pieces of clothing, it didn’t look too out of place from my perspective.

 

Finally, the shoes and socks… I mean, these round-toe casual shoes with a butterfly bow are just too cute, right? They are practically the ultimate weapon for a cute and fresh look. Compared to the chunky white sneakers I bought before, these round-toe casual shoes feel much lighter. Even though they are slightly larger in size, they are soft on the feet, and apart from feeling a bit of extra space inside due to the larger size, they are genuinely worth it.

 

Once I changed into the clothes, the skirt, and the shoes, I stood in front of the mirror—so cute! If wearing neutral clothing last time made my heart race, then looking at the little girl in the mirror right now was like landing a critical hit.

 

Indeed, girls wearing skirts and not wearing skirts are two completely different beings. The little girl in the mirror right now has soft, flowing hair, curious big eyes, a simple and fresh light blue sweater on the upper body, a pure and cute pleated skirt on the lower body, slender and fair legs beneath the skirt, all paired with a pair of adorable round-toe casual shoes—simply…

 

I put on the beret.

 

Wow! I can’t take it anymore, even I can hardly stand it. I feel that with my current appearance, I don’t need to buy any school uniforms, loli outfits, or cosplay outfits to gain popularity. I could mimic those mainstream and tacky online streamers, shoot a short video for a few seconds with my face partially obscured by the phone, add some trendy but cliché music, and I might easily get hundreds of thousands of views.

 

Okay, enough of that. I’m ready to go. By the way, is it still raining outside? Since I’m not wearing my nightgown anymore, I don’t feel as averse to the “outside world.” I just opened the living room door and walked out, extending my little hand out of the window in the corridor to test the size of the raindrops.

 

“Meowww!”

“Meow!! Meow!!”

 

The two orange cats from earlier, I don’t know when they moved to the bottom of this building, are still glaring at each other and speaking their incomprehensible “cat language,” which gives me a headache.

 

I stared at the cats below who were making a fuss. Maybe it was because I had put on new clothes and just woken up, and my mood was pretty good. I leaned out and said, “Meow~”

 

Did you hear that? Cats should meow like this, not keep saying “Meoww!!, Meoww!!” all the time!

 

“Meow~”

 

I imitated the impression of a kitten’s meow and said to the two cats in the alley corner below, “Meow~”

 

Well… I hope this doesn’t count as being cute, does it?

The cute loli voice that came out of my throat brought me back to reality in an instant.

I looked left and right, and it seemed like no one heard me. That’s good.

 

“Meow?”

 

To my surprise, the two orange cats below who heard my call instantly looked terrified and puzzled. They exchanged glances and then, with a “whoosh,” they both ran off to the left and right.

No way, am I that scary?

 

Seeing the two cats run away, I felt a bit dejected and returned to my room. I routinely prepared the things I needed for going out—water, an umbrella, a power bank, and so on—and put them in my bunny backpack, which I slung over my shoulder.

 

“I hope Miss Grim Reaper is not tricking me by saying that the ID can be used.”

 

After locking the door to the rental house, I went downstairs and left the alley, heading to the nearest mobile service store.

 

“Hello, I’d like to get a new mobile SIM card.”

 

Perhaps it was the location, but this store was quite small, and there was only one store clerk, a woman in her thirties.

 

“Getting a SIM card?”

 

The store clerk looked a bit surprised when she saw me, but then it seemed like she recalled something.

 

“Are you getting it for your mom or dad?”

“No, I want to apply for a new phone number.”

 

To avoid any misunderstandings, I directly showed her my ID.

 

“I’m an adult.”

 

The store clerk nearly spat out her tea upon hearing this.

 

“Is this for real?”

“You can check it.”

 

I handed over my ID impatiently.

 

“I just bought a new phone and need a new number.”

“I can’t believe it. Hold on a moment.”

 

The store clerk took my ID, looking puzzled, and swiped it on a nearby reader. Then, she rapidly entered some information into her computer.

 

“You’re really an adult now?”

 

Half a minute later, the store clerk looked at me in disbelief, examining me from top to bottom.

 

“You were born in 2003… Oh my! You must be… Did you not eat well when you were little?”

“I did like to eat.”

 

I quickly changed the subject, “So, can I get a phone card?”

 

“If your ID is genuine, then you definitely can.”

 

The store clerk repeatedly compared the photo on my ID with my appearance at the counter.

 

“Regular number or a special one?”

“Just a regular number is fine.”

 

“Wait a moment…”

 

The store clerk rapidly typed on the keyboard and, as she continued, tried to gather information: “Are you in college, young lady?”

 

“You could say that.”

 

“Your skin looks so good. What kind of skincare do you use?”

 

“I… um…”

 

After more than twenty minutes, I received the new SIM card. I inserted it into my phone, replacing the one that belonged to the “Yin Shiren” with “SIM 2”.

 

That was about it.

 

With my new phone number, once I moved to my new place and left behind my old things, it would be like bidding farewell to the past “Yin Shiren.”

 

Next, I would take a bus to the Nanqi district, visit the Maid Café, and wait for my editor, Ai Luodi, to finish work. Then, I’d go to her place and check out the 500 yuan rent. I felt like I could save some money this month.

 

“Hey, Cutie~”

 

Just as I walked out of the store, a familiar girl’s voice from beside me made me shiver all over.

 

It was the Miss Grim Reaper.

 

“Why are you acting like a ghost?”

 

I turned my head to look at her, still dressed in her black windbreaker, fully covered. I asked curiously, “Is your injury from this morning better?”

 

“Can’t kill me.”

 

The Miss Grim Reaper flashed a smile that sent shivers down my spine. “But more than that, I think you might be interested in this video…”

 

With that, she pulled out an old phone from somewhere and opened a particular file.

 

“Meow~”

“Meow~”

 

That was…

Ahhhh, how did she…

 

The video appeared to be from some kind of camera, and it showed the scene where I had just been playfully mimicking the cats outside the building.

 

Wait a second, did there used to be a camera outside my door? And she saw it?

 

After watching the video for a few seconds, I instinctively asked, “Are you spying on me?”

 

“Well, you can’t really call it spying.”

 

The Miss Grim Reaper maintained her mysterious smile. “Your body belongs to me, so adding some security devices to protect my property isn’t wrong, is it?”

 

What do you mean, calling surveillance cameras “security devices”?! Wait, no, what’s the deal with “your body belongs to me”? I’m not your plaything!

 

“You know… if I were to share this video with your readers or post it in the apartment tenant group, along with your novel’s name and pen name… what would happen, I wonder?”

 

The Miss Grim Reaper’s clear face displayed a devilish expression. “I’m sure the lovely Miss Yin Nuo’er wouldn’t want something like that to happen, would you?”

 

Realizing that I might be cornered once again, I twitched at the corner of my mouth. “What do you want?”

 

“I heard from Ai Luodi that you’re planning to move, currently looking for a place to rent… You’re planning to apply for a job at the café as a maid and then move in with her, right?”

 

Huh? My voice quivered. “Ai Luodi’s tenant who moved in there a long time ago and has a strange personality is you?”

 

“My little pet is quite clever.”

 

“I’m not a pet!”

 

“Then… a little maid?”

 

“Isn’t that pretty much the same thing?!”

 

“Anyway, if you don’t want this video to go public, you’d better move here in the next few days.”

 

The Miss Grim Reaper regarded me as if I were some kind of prey. “It will save me from having to look for you every day.”

 

“I…”

 

I felt helpless. “Can I refuse?”

 

“So it’s okay if I share the video in your reader group?”

 

“…”

 

“Miss Grim Reaper.”

 

“What is it, Cutie?”

 

“I think you should stop being a Grim Reaper and become a demon. It suits you better.”

 

“Thanks for the compliment. In my original world, I was from the demon race.”

 

“……”

 

……