I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 99
The snow-white, soft, and fragrant knee-high socks, emitting a faint scent of new clothes, were gently rolled up. I extended my foot, reaching into the soft abyss between the socks. With both hands holding the edges of the socks, I pulled them up along the delicate and smooth ankles and calves until reaching the middle of the thighs. I fastened the already prepared garter belt, adjusted the angle to make the strap fall on the skin right in front of the thighs. In the bathroom, I picked up the other sock and repeated the previous actions.
After putting on the white suspender stockings, I roughly adjusted the garter belt around my waist and the wrinkles on the socks in front of the mirror. I ensured that the entire pair of socks perfectly adhered to the skin of my legs. After confirming that there were no major issues with the lower half of my body, I changed into a sanitary napkin and underwear, and then put on the maid outfit and round-toe shoes.
Before long, a petite figure appeared in the mirror – fair-skinned, with rosy cheeks on a small face, clear and spirited eyes, and twin ponytails styled like a young maid.
Because this maid outfit had a certain waist-cinching and skirt-fluffing effect, coupled with the body created directly from Miss Grim Reaper, which was a very typical manga protagonist’s inverted triangle figure, both the slender waist and the graceful curves of the legs perfectly adhered to the golden ratio aesthetics. Even I couldn’t help but be moved when looking at myself.
“Um…”
I tried to speak in front of the mirror, “Hello, Master.”
My voice… how should I put it? If intentionally raised a bit, with a “youthful” state of mind, it’s quite similar to the tone of the protagonist Noel in “Celestial Method.” But if toned down a bit, it’s like Chino Kafuu in “Is the Order a Rabbit?”—that lazy, not-so-bright feeling of a silly loli. However, in normal conversation without pretense, it’s like the little princess in “Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle.”
Is it somewhat similar to the voice line of Inori Minase, the “loli specialist” voice actress? But not exactly the same.
After roughly identifying my usual vocal range, I cleared my throat and faced the mirror, putting on a “very stern” expression: “You baka! pervert!”
No… there’s completely no sense of fierceness.
Is it because of the Japanese language?
I took a deep breath in place —
“You blockhead, melon kid, silly babe, dimwit…”
“…”
Why does it still lack that flavor? It feels like no matter how I scold, with my current voice, it comes off as more like a cute act…
So, when I scold Miss Grim Reaper with this demeanor, does she feel this way too?
Or perhaps… is all of this intentional on her part?
Well… even if I look like this now, I indeed don’t have much intimidation factor against others.
I moved around a bit in place, lifting the legs covered in white thigh-high socks, tapping the rounded toes of the small leather shoes on the floor, hitting and pulling them back.
When watching various internet celebrities or popular Weibo bloggers cosplay, I always try to avoid wearing white socks. This type of sock particularly tests the shape and thickness of the legs, and it’s not suitable for those who are a bit on the heavier side.
Most ordinary people have some muscles in their thighs and calves, and white stockings tend to accentuate this part, making the legs appear thicker overall. On the other hand, black stockings don’t have this drawback. In fact, they come with a built-in “slimming” effect due to their dark color.
However, even if I wear white thigh-high socks now, you can’t see how much flesh is on my legs. The contours of my thighs and calves seem to have been drawn by an artist in one go—a very graceful curve, and anyone who sees these legs would probably have a first reaction of… slender, lacking muscles, definitely delicate, the type that needs care, like a little loli.
Moreover, the matching shoes for this outfit are also the type with rounded toes, making the feet look very small. Wearing this outfit and pairing it with that loli voice, it’s true that I just can’t seem to appear threatening in any way.
Facing a maid like this, I feel like even if I accidentally dropped a plate, not many customers would be bothered by it. If it were me, seeing this little girl fall, my first reaction would probably be to go forward and help her up rather than worrying about my own dinner.
“I always feel like I’ve been played by that Miss Grim Reaper or the Manager.”
Taking the rabbit backpack from the side, I walked out of the bathroom, and the small leather shoes made a “clatter” sound on the wooden floor.
“What a cute outfit.”
Lu Xinjian was still in his original position, tapping on the laptop keyboard. When he saw me approaching, he showed a surprised expression. “Is this… a maid outfit? I’ve seen a female protagonist in an anime wear something similar.”
“Yes, it’s a maid outfit.”
I nodded, “Uncle, you actually watch anime?”
Although Lu Xinjian is the “founder” of Yae-do, it doesn’t mean he has to understand the realms of “2D” and “anime.” Most capitalists don’t delve too much into understanding the projects and content under their control. They are mainly concerned with whether a project is profitable and how to make it more lucrative.
Just like most employees of game companies don’t necessarily play their own games, bosses managing 2D projects might not know much about 2D culture, and the CEO of a novel website may not read novels. I have always believed that middle-aged uncles like Xinjian, who have daughters, probably don’t read novels much and have little knowledge of 2D culture.
Bosses are always thinking about how to make the company more profitable, how to manage employees on a daily basis, whether a project is profitable or not, and if the company is public, they also consider shareholders’ interests and stock market conditions, and so on.
Moreover, Lu Xinjian is not the true “boss” of Yae-do in the real sense. His company originally dealt with computer accessories, and he only entered the novel field when novels gained popularity. He set up a subsidiary, registered Yae-do Novel Network, and the boss of Yae-do Novel Network is someone else. Lu Xinjian is his “boss.”
However, Lu Xinjian recognizing the maid outfit and even mentioning having seen it in an anime surprised me a bit.
There is quite a generational gap between our generation and theirs.
I’ve seen more than once on forums or bulletin boards where some older individuals upload pictures of little girls wearing school uniforms (JK) or Lolita-like clothing taken on the street. They accompany it with posts like, “Why are today’s little girls so obsessed with foreign things? Why do they wear foreign clothes? Are they unpatriotic?” Subsequently, there are intense arguments with fellow users in the comments, with some fiercely opposing those who support wearing “foreign clothing,” calling them “traitors to the country who lack patriotism.” These arguments can go on for thousands of comments.
The current situation is… individuals from Lu Xinjian’s generation, some of them strongly dislike the current “2D culture.” They particularly reject what they see as “strange and exotic” costumes, such as those worn in cosplay and JK Lolita at comic conventions. They consider these as outliers. Additionally, a significant portion of them falls into the category of “I don’t like it, but I don’t care what you do.” For instance, many parents take the stance of “I don’t like this kind of thing. Don’t influence my child. As long as they don’t get addicted and it doesn’t affect their studies, do whatever you want. I don’t want you to introduce it to me, I won’t look.”
Parents like Lu Xinjian, who are relatively open-minded, are indeed less common.
“Look, why wouldn’t I look? I watch quite a bit, like in the Yae-do fan community. I check out popular anime.”
After scrutinizing me for a moment, Lu Xinjian revealed an “I see” expression, “So, this outfit is Rem’s, right? From ‘Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World.’ Yae-do was quite into this book’s style for a while.”
“Style?”
“It’s about resetting, starting over, isekai, magic, and the like, especially the themes of resetting and starting over, combined with an invincible, face-slapping plot. This is known as the ‘simulator genre’… Didn’t Ai Luodi mention it to you?”
“No.”
I felt a bit awkward, “I was quite casual at that time, and writing was just a part-time job for me.”
“No problem, you’re probably doing part-time work now too, right?”
Lu Xinjian flipped the screen of the laptop on the table toward me, then opened a few pictures. “This is my daughter.”
I leaned in, “So cute!”
The girl in the pictures didn’t seem very old, with a fair complexion that gave off a somewhat sickly impression. She had a slender figure, not very tall, and kept long hair. Her demeanor leaned towards the “melancholic girl” type, but she was undeniably cute.
“This is her wardrobe.”
Subsequently, Lu Xinjian opened another folder, showing me the various clothes in the wardrobe.
“This set, Black Flame Beast. And this one, Bengal Cat.”
Scrolling down the photos one by one, Lu Xinjian introduced his daughter, who was wearing what seemed to be Lolita clothing, on the screen. “Alice Academy, Frosting Sweetheart…”
I instinctively asked, “Are these the names of the clothes?”
“Yes, my daughter really likes them. She only went up to the second year of junior high. She didn’t have the chance to take the high school entrance exam before she got hospitalized. After that, she was basically shuttling between the hospital and home. When her heart condition worsened, she would undergo a small surgery in the hospital, use some instruments, take medication. When she felt better, she would come home for recuperation. It’s been a cycle.”
Lu Xinjian sighed, “When my daughter is alone at home, she even struggles to go up and down the stairs. She can’t do much, so she stays at home every day, helping with some household chores or chatting with friends online. When she sees clothes she likes, she asks me to buy them. That’s how we’ve accumulated so many.”
“In addition to these, there’s also this type.”
Closing the pictures on the screen, Xinjian opened another folder containing many photos of his daughter wearing JK sailor uniforms and traditional Chinese clothing.
“These are called sailor uniforms or JK uniforms, and this one…”
I chimed in, “Hanfu.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Xinjian was somewhat surprised, “You know about it too?”
I nodded, “Three Pits Girl (????)[1].”
Three types of clothing, three different communities.
Whether it’s JK uniforms or Lolita Hanfu, they all fall under the category of “obsessions” because they can be quite expensive. If you casually buy a few sets for occasional outings during holidays, it’s fine. The problem arises when you fall into the “obsession” and feel the need to buy every new set you come across.
The psychology of these girls is actually similar to online collectors. Many games now incorporate “collecting” elements, such as in-game fashion. Even if there’s already a nice set for everyday use or when fighting monsters, some players still feel the urge to collect every new fashion set they release. Whether it’s a color variation or a rehashed design, collectors will buy it all. I don’t care if it looks good or not; if it’s released, I must collect it.
Similarly, the [Three Pits Girl] follow the same logic. When there’s a new Lolita dress, they buy it. When there’s a new style for JK uniforms, they buy it. They jump into all three obsessions simultaneously, and their wardrobes end up filled with clothes.
It’s worth noting that clothing like Lolita outfits, especially the slightly more expensive and authentic ones, can cost over a thousand yuan per set. Buying a set every time a new one is released and remembering the name of each outfit… I can only say that Lu Xinjian is quite doting on his daughter.
“Yes, yes, Three Pits. Xinmeng mentioned that term too.”
Under my gaze, Lu Xinjian smiled happily. “You two could become good friends.”
To this, I could only smile and say, “Perhaps.”
I knew the term Three Pits Girl because, in the past, when I wrote novels, I had searched and learned about this community. At that time, I was still an older guy, so even if I understood what JK and Lolita were, I couldn’t wear them. I certainly didn’t have the courage to try “cross-dressing.”
Now that I’ve transformed into a little loli, dealing with someone like Yin Xiamo, a millennia-old witch, is possible. However, trying to connect with a genuine young girl, especially one who has been living a reclusive and solitary life for several years… I’m really not sure if I can find common ground with her.
“All right, I won’t waste any more of your work time.”
Amidst the sound of guests coming and going in the restaurant, Lu Xinjian picked up the menu on the table. “Where’s the fried chicken you mentioned just now? I didn’t see it.”
“The second floor is the area for bubble tea, coffee, and desserts.”
I pointed to a nearby counter, “If you want to have a meal, it’s on the first floor.”
“Can I have my meal on the second floor?”
Lu Xinjian asked in a negotiating tone, “I’ll just take your signature fried chicken, a cola will do. Cut the fried chicken in half, I’ll take it home for my daughter to try. I’m not quite used to the atmosphere of the young people on the first floor.”
“Sure, feel free to order whatever you like, since you’re a regular.”
I took out a pen and paper, “So, that’s two and a half portions of the signature fried chicken and a cola?”
“Yes.”
“This is your order, please wait a moment.”
After writing “Signature Fried Chicken – Half * 2, Cola” on the dedicated order paper, I tore off the note and handed it to Xinjian. With a stack of photocopies in hand, I headed downstairs.
“Wow! There really is a maid here!”
“Just like the picture, so cute!”
As soon as I, dressed in a maid outfit, descended the stairs, I instantly attracted the attention of a large group of people. Suddenly, a wave of discussions and praises surrounded me.
“Is this a proper café? With white stockings?”
“What are you thinking? This cute little sister, sponsored by Tongmeng Net, part of a government project. How can it not be official?”
“The environment is really nice, and you can pet cats, plus such a cute maid sister to admire…”
“Maid sister, when will my steamed chicken be ready?”
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, I gestured toward the service counter not far away and used a cute tone as much as possible, “The specific time is displayed over there, or you can check the small screens on your tables.”
This thing was demonstrated to me by Ouyang Xue during yesterday’s recruitment. It seems to be a high-tech gadget sponsored by Tongmeng Net, connected to the control computer in the kitchen, and the output is displayed on the large screen at the top. It can precisely mark the progress of each customer’s order, much like tracking the delivery of takeout.
For example, if a customer sits at table 18, orders a cola and fried chicken, and places the order through scanning the QR code, the small screen in the middle of table 18 will display information like “Fried chicken: Chef is preparing ingredients / Cola: Maid 1 is on her way to pick up the order / Fried chicken: Currently cooking carefully, estimated completion time 15:33 / Cola: Maid 1 has picked up the order and is rushing over.”
The cost of these small screens in the center of the dining tables is not expensive, they just need to display Chinese characters and numbers. As for the large screen on the central workstation, it’s more luxurious. Besides showing the most recently completed orders, it can also play advertisements and musicals.
For example, at this moment, the large screen is playing the exclusive music “Neeko, the Curious Chameleon” of the League of Legends champion “Neeko the Curious Chameleon.” The screen is displaying various exquisite wallpapers of Neeko, creating an atmosphere in the entire café as if lizards hiding in a tropical rainforest or chameleons of the family Chamaeleonidae are leisurely napping.
The most absurd part is that Ouyang Xue has also implemented features like “tipping” and “tips” in this system. Customers can give a tip with their chosen name to the entire shop or tip a specific maid anonymously. Different tips come with different broadcast voices and exclusive music visuals.
“Thanks to user MikuNakano for tipping Maid Nuo’er 100,000! Fire Voucher!”
As I walked toward the kitchen, I heard the sound of customers giving tips behind me.
Goodness, Manager Ouyang Xue is truly a genius. Entering the kitchen, I saw Ouyang Xue exchanging words with Yin Xiamo.
“Just spread these seasonings on the chicken, set the time in the machine, and you’re good to go.”
“I… I really can’t.”
“You don’t really need to cook, it’s just frying chicken. Frying chicken and steaming chicken are almost the same. Just put the seasonings and let the machine heat automatically.”
“I can’t learn…”
I quickly walked over, asking, “What happened?”
“She says she can’t make fried chicken.”
Ouyang Xue looked a bit troubled, “It’s strange. I should have explained it clearly. Nuo’er, didn’t you try it? It’s not difficult…”
“Not difficult, but for her, perhaps… quite challenging.”
I quietly whispered in Ouyang Xue’s ear, “She once burned clams.”
“Clams? What clams?”
Ouyang Xue looked puzzled, “Are you talking about those seashell things?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t those usually used for making soup? Are you talking about razor clams or spotted babylon snails?”
“Just regular small shells, or maybe oysters? Anyway, the ones used for making soup.”
“Seriously?”
Ouyang Xue became even more puzzled, “Even if it’s oysters… the shells are thick, and there’s a lot of juice inside. Just add some minced garlic and heat it, and you can eat it. How could that thing be burned?”
“Anyway, let’s just not let her learn to cook.”
I sighed, “Or you can leave the cooking part to me.”
Ouyang Xue seemed unwilling to give up, “You’ll be very tired that way. Frying chicken and steaming chicken are not difficult at all, especially now with machines doing most of the work.”
“I know…”
I glanced at Yin Xiamo beside me, “Let me handle her cooking duties. How did the interview go? Is she okay with the maid role?”
“That’s not a problem.”
Ouyang Xue sighed, “She’s very humble. I had her try delivering a meal just now, and she was quite efficient and worked hard. It’s just that she doesn’t know how to cook, which is a bit…”
“She might have some psychological issues…”
I winked playfully, “Let’s be understanding.”
Yin Xiamo not knowing how to cook is probably more of a psychological barrier, I guessed.
Some people are like this, they can do and learn things, but there’s an internal resistance or some past trauma.
In the dreams of these past few days, the little demon gives me the impression of being the kind of character who follows along waiting for a free meal.
Either she grew up as a demon and never knew the concept of “cooking,” or she once tried to cook and it turned into a disaster. In a world with magic, if this little demon didn’t control the heat well while cooking, and a crowd of people gathered around a large pot waiting for the meal, she might have resorted to a “Explosion!” explosive magic directly into the fire, turning the surroundings into a flat land. After being scolded by the hero for months, she might have been left with psychological trauma.
Of course, I think a more likely reason she can’t cook is the hero. From childhood to adulthood, the hero has always taken care of the little demon. When the little demon was still a child, she might have considered “having someone cook for her” as a form of maternal care. In her perception, if she learns to cook herself, she might lose this “motherly care” in the future. As a result, she might instinctively resist cooking, yearning to always have this “care.” Subconsciously, this resistance might have turned her into someone who messes up cooking every time.
Or, more dramatically, if we stretch our imagination further, the hero’s death might be related to the little demon’s “inability to cook”? Otherwise… I find it hard to believe that someone who has lived for over six thousand years can’t do such a simple thing.
Nowadays, frying chicken and steaming chicken are really, really simple. You don’t even need to prepare the seasonings, just apply the ingredients, make sure they marinate, throw them into the machine, set the time, and you’re done. As a grim reaper, Yin Xiamo cannot be incapable of learning, the only possibility is that she is resisting learning.
But since everyone has already discussed it to this extent… what can I do? If she doesn’t want to cook, then she doesn’t want to cook. I can handle it.
“Oh, I understand.”
Seeing me say this, Ouyang Xue nodded, cleared her throat, and said, “In that case, you two can discuss the cooking matters yourselves.”
After that, Ouyang Xue waved to Yin Xiamo and said, “Let the chef handle the cooking in the future. You can be in charge of delivering meals and cleaning up the cats in the shop. The salary is as we discussed earlier, a basic salary of 4000 yuan, plus commissions and the standard five insurances and one fund. Is that okay?”
Yin Xiamo nodded, “No problem.”
“Ding dong! Table 28 and 36, the ‘Medicinal Herb Steamed Chicken Half’ dishes are ready, begin delivery.”
During our conversation, the steamed chicken machine nearby opened its cabinet with a “ding” notification sound, releasing a scent of chicken and Chinese herbs. Clear announcements accompanied by the overhead speaker filled the air.
“Oh, by the way, there’s this too.”
As I prepared to deliver the meal, Ouyang Xue took her own bag, pulled out a small sign from it, brought it to my chest, and pinned the sign with prominent words “Head Maid” and “Nuo’er” to my chest. She then took out a Bluetooth headset with cat ears and placed it on my head. She found the power button next to the earpiece and pressed it with a “click.”
“Hello, hello?”
Taking the walkie-talkie from the table, Ouyang Xue looked at me. “Can you hear me?”
I nodded, “Yes.”
“If you’re worried about not hearing delivery messages, you can wear this headset. It’s also connected to the café’s main computer via Bluetooth.”
Ouyang Xue explained, “Every time there’s a meal to be delivered or a customer somewhere needs to buy cat food, cat snacks, or play with the cat, there will be a notification.”
“Do we have dedicated programmers or engineers in our store?”
I was astonished, “This whole system would cost a lot of money if bought directly, right?”
I had been to many upscale restaurants before and worked there as well, encountering various intelligent ordering systems. However, I had never seen such an intelligent and user-friendly automated restaurant, especially with meal tracking and the tipping system. These features could easily be patented.
“It might not cost a lot, I’m not sure.”
Ouyang Xue took a sip of the soda beside her, “I spent more than two months on it. I would go home, take a shower, start coding, and sleep when tired. I just finished it yesterday.”
“You… cough, you made it?!”
“Yeah, what’s wrong?”
Ouyang Xue raised her head, “The basic point-of-sale system can be coded with C#. As for the advertising on the main console and some scripts, we need to use JavaScript and HTML since this thing requires internet access…”
Oh, my dear manager, how should I describe you…?”
I cautiously asked, “Manager, did you study computer programming before?”
“I self-taught for a while.”
Ouyang Xue, with a weary appearance, said, “I had to. A qualified logistics management team leader has to learn everything… Don’t ask too much for now. The number of customers is increasing. Let’s get to work.”
“Alright…”
The next step was to attend to the nearby anglers and the college couple customers, busy and bustling.
“Nuo’er? Is Nuo’er your real name or a nickname? It’s quite cute.”
“Maid sister, I want to take a picture! With the little cat, let’s start with 20 shots!”
“Your shop seems high-end, and the dishes don’t seem expensive. There are almost no tourist attractions nearby. Can it survive?”
“Should you consider adding a new service? Like this steamed chicken, Nuo’er, how about helping us shred it? Hand-shredded chicken, and we’ll pay extra.”
“…”
As expected, the number of people coming to the café on the second day was significantly higher than the first day. Many customers specifically came from afar to see me, the ‘super-duper exquisite and cute maid sister.’ From their conversations, I learned that my appearance in a maid outfit gained popularity online due to the ‘outdoor streamer’ incident from the past two days.
The mushroom-shaped “cafe” here also gained popularity. Faced with so many customers, I had to use various “skills” from my time as an author to deal with them as best as I could.
An author is also a server, an author serves readers. Now, as a maid, it’s only natural to serve the customers who come to the cafe. Since there was no contract, my companion, Yin Xiamo, had to take care of the cat living area, feeding the cats and cleaning up cat hair, which somewhat lightened my workload.
“…”
After 7:30 in the evening, the number of customers dining in the cafe decreased. Exhausted and sweaty, I, wearing knee-high socks in the air-conditioned room, lay back in the massage chair just like yesterday.
“Tired?”
Yin Xiamo walked over at some point, holding something that resembled a lollipop. “Want to give this a try?”
“I’m not a child anymore.”
Seeing the green “lollipop,” I just smiled. “I don’t like these.”
“This is a special toy, not meant for eating.”
Yin Xiamo brought the “candy” to my nose. “Take a sniff, what does it smell like?”
I instinctively took a deep breath—
Hmm…
A faint grassy scent, a hint of mint-like freshness, and then a bit… of a strange sense of pleasure? I don’t know why, but I felt a sudden surge of excitement in my brain the moment I smelled it. Even my heartbeat, which had slowed down due to the all-around massage chair, sped up significantly.
“What is this?”
Feeling my body gradually getting excited, I asked in confusion, “It’s not some illegal substance, is it?”
“Nope.”
Under my somewhat reluctant gaze, Yin Xiamo put away the green ‘lollipop’. “This is catnip.”
“What?”
“I mean, it’s a cat treat made from catnip. I brought it for you with the approval of the manager.”
Yin Xiamo tapped me on the head with the green lollipop, making a “ding” sound, like coaxing a little cat. She had a mischievous expression—
“So… do you feel anything?”
“……”
……
TL Notes:
[1]?
“????” (s?n k? n? shào) refers to three different types of fashion:
?? (hànfú): traditional Chinese clothing, often associated with the Han dynasty.
JK?? (j?k? zhìfú): Japanese school uniform, often associated with schoolgirls.
??? (luól?t?): Japanese lolita fashion, characterized by its sweet and innocent appearance.?