Insectoids: The Job of the Males

Chapter 21

Who?

Translated by boilpoil
Edited by boilpoil

Zhou Luoluo is already waiting outside the door the next morning, when Cheng Zhaoci hasn’t even had breakfast. Quick questioning reveals that the excited Zhou Luoluo hasn’t eaten either, rushing over as soon as he’s awake.

Great, time to cook for two. Even ignoring Zhou Luoluo’s male status, he’s still a minor, and even a year younger than Cheng Zhaoci.

“Did you tell your editor you’re a male when meeting with the editor today?” Zhou Luoluo asks while chewing bread, making his voice muffled, “where are you going to meet?”

“Male? Is that necessary?” Cheng Zhaoci replies, “and he said a store called ‘Capital Meat Specialists.'” The name sure is quite down-to-Earth, in the sense that it really feels Terran.

Though Zhou Luoluo seems less appreciative of the name overall, “that’s no place for male insectoids to dine!”

“Why not?”

“Why not, you ask?!” Zhou Luoluo explains, sounding defeated, “since your editor doesn’t know you’re male, he’ll have booked somewhere with delicious food; delicious food means it’s full of customers – full of shemales and demis. Do you know how much trouble we males are in for if we go there?”

Cheng Zhaoci tries to imagine it by referencing the extremely passionate shemale soldiers when he first came to the Capital planet, “yeah, I suppose.”

“Then tell your editor to change the location now!” Zhou Luoluo yells.

“It’s fine,” Cheng Zhaoci is still nonchalantly continuing his lunch, “just wait and see.”

Wait and see? What? Zhou Luoluo doesn’t understand, but he will soon enough.

After Cheng Zhaoci has finished his breakfast, he gets a change of clothes – a black shirt and long black jeans. Slightly messy black hair brushed to the side to show the forehead cleanly. Without a smile, his slanted eyes are cold and sharp. It’s completely different from the ‘noble gentleman’ look that’s the vogue on the Capital planet right now.

Put simply, handsome and even sexy, sexy enough that he could just go to a brothel and sit there, but he also has a pretty damned imposing aura that would reject most advances.

A cold and slightly gloomy look, that would remind one of a vampire, if this world had something like vampires.

“Holy moly! What in the world is this?!” Zhou Luoluo is blabbering out loud, “oh my goodness, oh my very goodness, wow!” He feels dangerous, merciless, and so damned cool!

Cheng Zhaoci then continues the charade by walking up to Zhou Luoluo with a cold face, and grab the stunned Zhou Luoluo’s chin with his fingers, while pretentiously saying, “the only ones receiving flirts are the good little males like you. I’ll have my peace,” he was received so passionately by the shemale soldiers only because they had his more lively nature figured out.

“AAAAAH! I can!” Zhou Luoluo once again erupts in his unique high-pitched scream, “fuck! You’re so fucking handsome! Come gimme a kiss!” He flails his arms open wildly and pretends to kiss; a clear joke on both parties involved.

‘Clank.’

That is the sound of a glass falling to water. The wildly screaming Zhou Luoluo and the pretentious Cheng Zhaoci both turn to find Meng Yuele just having entered the room, his hands shaking unsteadily, and looking at them in disbelief, “I, I’ll remember to knock next time.”

Then he turns around to run, as if he’s being chased by some terrible monster.

Cheng Zhaoci “…”

“I think he’s misunderstanding,” says Zhou Luoluo.
“I think you’re right,” Cheng Zhaoci and Zhou Luoluo quickly separate while clearing their throats and looking away from each other.

“Let’s go,” Zhou Luoluo gets up like nothing has happened, “it’s almost time, right?”

“Yes,” Cheng Zhaoci goes back to pretending to be unapproachable.

Li Jiu is ready to leave in the editor’s office of the website in question.

“Going to sign another contract, are we?” His colleague stretches; he’s also a demi, but with his hair dyed a rather fabulous green, “where will you meet?”

“Capital Meat Specialists,” Li Jiu adjusts his fake glasses, “I heard it’s popular with shemales.”

The green-haired demi seem excited all of a sudden, “Capital Meat Specialists?! Let me tag along too! They make damned good food!”

Another of their colleague chimes in, “really? Going to scare his contractee off?”

“It’s probably fine. Shemales are pretty nice, what, you thought he’s another demi?”

Shemales do the fighting while demis have more artistic pursuits. So often, if there’s a problem, shemales would fight, but demis are the ones coming up with schemes worthy of a whole TV drama.

The green-haired demi slaps the desk unhappily, “what are you trying to say? Demi-phobic, are you? Huh?”

Demis are generally viewed as more pleasing to the males, as their more comparatively petite forms are much more likeable to them compared to the best fighters that are the shemales.

“I really want to see BombIn too!” The demi starts throwing a tantrum, “really really really! I want to know why the third chapter of the little zombie isn’t out yet! It’s been a week, a whole week! Why?!”
“And also, I must know whether he’s a creepy type or uncaring type!” The demi is dragging Li Jiu’s pants now, “let me go with you! Let me!”

Li Jiu fails to rescue his leg, and, watching the demi’s fake crying, just says, “fine, you can tag along.”

The demi instantly sits upright again, but Li Jiu continues, “but you can’t say anything. Especially if BombIn doesn’t look attractive. Don’t show a disappointed face either.”

“I promise! I do!” He’d probably have sworn to god if the insectoid society had a ‘god.’

Li Jiu arrived much earlier than the scheduled meeting, since he’s worried the artist won’t be able to find his booked seat, especially with how big the Specialists’ restaurant is. They’ve ordered stuff after sitting down.

“Cai Lu, make sure to keep your mouth shut,” Li Jiu is warning the demi again.

Li Jiu knows Cai Lu doesn’t actually mean to offend anyone when he speaks, having been his colleague for a long time. In fact, he’s pretty simpleminded and straightforward, but which only exacerbates the cruelty of the words he speaks. Oftentimes, he’d make an honest and asinine comment and bring the whole mood down.

He’s a good friend who’d be the first to help you out in a bind, but his words also draw a lot of ire. God knows how many of the company’s employees would rather he had layers of tape covering that shitty mouth. Honestly, if he isn’t good at heart and generally helpful, he might have been beaten to death a long time ago.

“It’s fine! Even if BombIn looks like his face just got trampled on by a mecha, I’d be able to find somewhere to praise,” Cai Lu makes a grand promise, “I’ll talk about how great his drawing techniques are and how he can mix colours really well!”

Both Li Jiu and Cai Lu’s promise are largely a result from guesses at BombIn’s appearance, which is based off of a rather plausible sounding analysis online.

It says that since BombIn’s protagonist is a shemale with a jarring scar, and the male lead is a male insectoid – well, at least he appears male – who follows the protagonist’s every word to the letter, it’s quite clear it is a dream fantasy for the artist. So one can imagine the artist is someone who isn’t handsome, and has not dated a male – or perhaps never so much as seen one – and that’s why the comic is this way.

Well, although the tone makes it sound like the analyser is despising BombIn’s ‘unsavoury’ mind, but he also freely admitted to being a fan. Apparently the art and story is too nice, and the little zombie king is too cute to ignore.

“You know there are also those who say he’s a shemale soldier. Remember the exciting fighting scenes of the first chapt-aw!” Cai Lu quickly shuts his mouth as he watches two males enter the restaurant.

One has long hair with white clothes, big and lively eyes. The other is, well, tall and imposing, looking quite distant and unapproachable.

Both seem to be looking around for something.

“You only have your editor’s photo? You didn’t send him yours?” Zhou Luoluo asks. Cheng Zhaoci is apologetic, “uh, I forgot. He didn’t ask me so I forgot to send.”

They’re talking in a whisper so the shemales can’t hear them clearly. Although a rather eerie silence has taken over the chatter soon enough.

“Oh man! I really want to go chat them up! Li Jiu, see you for the day, I’m going to hang out with males!” Cai Lu doesn’t dare turn to face the males he wants to date, though, and is just moving his eye around rapidly.

“Say it out loud if you’re really that brave, dummy,” Li Jiu sounds pessimistic, “and also, just forget it. That male in black looks very difficult to handle. You don’t want to land yourself in trouble.”

“But he’s so, so, so handsome!” Trying to scream with a whisper has just made it sound like wheezing instead, “why would males come here? Two at the same time?” Wouldn’t males usually go to male-exclusive restaurants?

“I don’t know, but stop looking. You’re going to get sued for harassment,” Li Jiu has his head lowered and locked dead on the electronic menu on the desk so no one can see him.

Zhou Luoluo has looked around, but can’t see the insectoid on the photograph anywhere, and whispers, “is he even here? Where is he? I can’t see him! This restaurant is too big, oh crap, they’re making me have goosebumps the way they’re looking. Help!”

“Wait, let me see,” Cheng Zhaoci gets his holodeck to ask if the editor is here yet and which talbe they’re at.

Li Jiu, who’s trying to bury himself under the desk, sees the message, and says, “BombIn says he’s here.”

“Eh?” Cai Lu looks over at the entrance to see a shemale entering. Slightly overweight, and frozen in place, not able to avert his eyes from the two males in front of him. He’s not exactly ugly, but he doesn’t look too muscular. The appearance is generally fine, but he isn’t too much different from how Cai Lu imagined BombIn might look.

Cai Lu and Li Jiu share a glance, and Li Jiu nods, “he’s at the door. I think that’s him.”

“Here! BombIn! Here!” Cai Lu gets up to wave, and yells loudly like he’s trying to keep his spying on the males earlier a secret.

“There!” Zhou Luoluo immediately sees the waving Cai Lu with his eye-catching green hair, “no wonder I didn’t see them! Look, it’s the one I thought was sleeping just now!”

Cheng Zhaoci also sees them; the one wearing fake glasses is the editor who’s sent him his 3D portrait. He pulls up his business smile and walks over, “hello! Sorry we didn’t see you earlier.”

“Huh?!” Cai Lu has frozen in place. Li Jiu’s eyes are bulging.

Then Cheng Zhaoci sits down opposite them, and Cai Lu gasps while whispering, “we called out to BombIn, why are the males coming here?”

Li Jiu also shakes his head slightly in disbelief. He does not know. He does not understand. He does not comprehend.

“I’m BombInMyPants,” Cheng Zhaoci extends his hand towards Li Jiu. It’s quite embarrassing to say that ID out loud, really, “um, you must be editor Li, right?”