Qiu Xiaoshuang left without a word.

Her shadow stretched long under the moonlight.

The Training Dummy tore its gaze from her fading figure. Snapping back to attention, it began scouring the grassy field.

After a while, it spotted a girl slumped inside a wooden crate, half-buried in tall grass, drifting in and out of sleep.

*Hmmph.*

The Dummy shuffled forward, gripped the girl’s shoulders, and shook her awake.

“Emperor. She’s gone.”

“Huh?” Luo Yu jolted from a nightmare. “What happened?”

“Qiu Xiaoshuang has left.” The Dummy repeated.

“Crap! Sorry—I dozed off. Way too tired.” Luo Yu rubbed her eyes fiercely, shaking her head to clear the fog. “Missed everything.”

*Hmm.*

Once somewhat alert, Luo Yu stiffened. She glared up at the Dummy’s wooden face. “Hey! Robot! Did you chase my girlfriend back for me or not?”

“Ah, well…” The Dummy scratched its wooden head, words failing it.

“You didn’t bring Xiaoshuang back?” Luo Yu’s brow furrowed. Her heart skipped a beat.

“…Hmm.”

Watching the Dummy sit silently, knees hugged to its chest, Luo Yu’s tiny fists clenched.

“Useless piece of junk!” She cursed, punching the Dummy’s chestplate—

—and instantly swollen her own hand.

“Emperor!” The Dummy grabbed her injured hand, fumbling for bandages in its chest cavity. Luo Yu yanked free.

“You’re such a useless piece of junk! Promised to win Xiaoshuang for me, then scared her off? Seriously?!” Disappointment weighed heavy in her voice.

“Ah, this…” The Dummy froze mid-thought.

“Wait—I saw you fighting Xiaoshuang earlier!” Luo Yu’s anger flared. “You’re a two-meter-tall robot bullying a girl? Where’s your gentlemanly grace?”

The Dummy wiped nonexistent sweat from its brow. “Emperor, she’s a Witch wielding Great Magic. One slip, and she’d flatten this whole area.”

“I don’t care! You’re *my* robot. Your combat level’s lightyears beyond mine—even this invincible Emperor wouldn’t recklessly attack cute, delicious girls!”

“…”

“Anyway, Robot.” Luo Yu’s tone turned grave. “I’m deeply disappointed. Your EQ and IQ are still too low. Not up to *my* standards. You must learn from me more, understand?”

“Strive to be as excellent as me someday.” She added.

The Dummy bobbed its head rapidly. “Yes, yes! Absolutely!”

“…Why do I feel you’re mocking me?” Luo Yu tensed, sensing something off. She shook her head and sat cross-legged beside it. “Forget it. My fault.”

Back-to-back, her head resting lightly on the Dummy’s shoulder.

“This wood is *so* bumpy. When’ll you upgrade to human form?”

Wiggling restlessly, Luo Yu grinned. “Hey Robot—what if I gave you an anime-style bishoujo skin? Sound good?”

“…”

“Emperor. I’ll be completely scrapped soon.”

“You lack imagination! Don’t you wanna be a silver-haired beauty?” Luo Yu huffed.

“Demonic God creations have no gender.” The Dummy shook its head, steering the topic away. “By the way, Emperor—I must say: I’m not ‘Robot.’ I’m merely a Training Dummy for Demon Kind combat drills.”

Luo Yu nodded. “Got it, Robot.”

The Dummy: “…”

Time flows like a maiden’s crimson tide—agonizing while present, achingly missed once gone.

Just as the Dummy prepared to power down from inactivity, soft sobs sounded behind it.

It whirred back to life. Turning, it saw Luo Yu clutching her twin tails, weeping uncontrollably.

“Waaahhh… Waaahhh… I can’t live like this! I’ll kill myself… Sob… Waaah…”

Luo Yu was completely shattered.

The Dummy pulled tissues from its hollow chest. Its wooden fingers dabbed at her tears—

—but the tears only multiplied. When the last tissue vanished, the crying hadn’t stopped. It could only watch helplessly.

“I got dumped again… Waaah… Another breakup. Life’s meaningless now…”

“Emperor. Didn’t you go through this before?” The Dummy stayed perfectly still. “You’ll get used to it. There’ll be many more.”

Luo Yu: “…”

She angrily threw crumpled tissues at the Dummy’s face, wiped her nose on her sleeve, and mumbled: “But Xiaoshuang was different. She’s the only girl in this academy who didn’t beat me up after I stole her underwear.”

The Dummy: “…”

“I told you, Robot—you know I’m a transmigrator with an invincible cheat skill, right?” Luo Yu smacked the Dummy’s head.

“Emperor, you’ve rambled about this broken record over three hundred times.”

“Ahem.” Ignoring the jab, Luo Yu’s eyes sparkled with nostalgia. “Since I transmigrated here, I’ve planned my love life since age three. After entering this academy, I confessed to every pretty girl I liked. Not one succeeded. Not. One.”

The Dummy gently rubbed her head. “Emperor, with your personality? Start by *not* stealing underwear.”

“But I wasn’t like this in my past life! I had girlfriends!” Luo Yu shook her head, recalling glory days. “Listen, Robot—I was a total heartthrob back then. Even the class beauty confessed to me!”

“Oh?”

“Heh.” Luo Yu’s eyebrows lifted smugly. “I almost lost my V-card too, if not for that accident…”

“What accident?”

“Sigh.” She sighed heavily. “I was clearing Genshin Impact resin during class. The class beauty saw me. She got furious… dumped me.”

“Ah… that.”

“Seriously! What did Genshin ever do to her?” Luo Yu fumed. “Later, she sold all my game accounts online. Used the money to book hotel rooms with her new boyfriend. Was I *that* unforgivable?”

“I think… this had nothing to do with Genshin.”

“Whatever. Past life, present life—same story.” Luo Yu flopped onto the grass, gazing at the stars. Her voice drifted upward: “Girls’ hearts are such mysteries~~~~”

“Emperor… have you ever considered you’re also a lovely, precious girl? Try caring for yourself more.”

“What’s that got to do with me?”

Luo Yu sprang up, striking a dramatic pose. “I still think girls reject me because my fame’s too low! My battle merits aren’t glorious enough!”

“…”

“And that Headmistress—what’s he hiding? He was a Lower Demon in his youth! Must’ve used shady tricks to climb ranks.” Luo Yu stroked her chin, analyzing. “Perfect. This month’s princess wedding—you need status to attend. No way a Lower Demon gets in. Right, Robot?”

“Emperor, you’re brilliant! So clever!” The Dummy wasn’t listening. It simply kept rubbing her head, encouraging.

“Ah! Stop that!” Luo Yu squirmed free, hands jammed in her pockets. “What I’m saying is—our next move means visiting that old coot first.”