When Lijie told the male student named Xiaoer about Lulumiya’s situation, Lulumiya, who was drawing nearby, caught a subtle but distinct connection from their conversation.
On the surface, it seemed as if Xiaoer owed Lijie many favors and was helping her out of obligation.
But in reality, Xiaoer was definitely secretly in love with Lijie.
His eyes held a shy hesitation whenever he spoke to her—“wanting to look but afraid to be noticed” by others around them.
Furthermore, he obeyed Lijie’s words without question.
The moment Lijie said that Lulumiya was someone she cared for and needed Xiaoer’s help, he immediately agreed without hesitation.
In contrast, Lijie’s attitude was telling.
At first, Mia thought Lijie hadn’t noticed Xiaoer’s crush.
But seeing how excessively enthusiastic he was—even pulling out a chair for Lijie when she sat down—and yet Lijie behaved as if she didn’t see any of it, it was clear she had long known about Xiaoer’s feelings but was deliberately pretending not to.
Thus, Lulumiya came up with a fitting description for Xiaoer.
Simp.
Thanks to this realization, Lulumiya unlocked the second title in Xiaoer’s title list, besides 『Devoted Admirer』.
“Lulumiya, why are you laughing so much? Is there something on my face?”
Walking along the road, Xiaoer asked with a smile.
Obviously, anyone with the “Simp” title stamped on their forehead would be laughed at, right?
Lulumiya thought to herself but kept her face bright and sweet, looking utterly charming.
“I think Senior Xiaoer is very sunny. When you grow up more, you’ll definitely become the academy’s heartthrob.”
“Me? A heartthrob? Haha, someone like me who can’t even speak clearly has nothing to do with being sunny.”
He said this modestly, but his expression was full of joy, and his steps grew a little bigger.
Clearly, Lulumiya’s insincere compliment made him feel quite pleased.
Introverted boys like him were easy to please; most of them rarely received praise.
So when a stranger complimented them, it sparked a lot of goodwill.
And then, they got taken advantage of.
Of course, not physically.
If a beautiful girl you just met suddenly got close like that, it either happened in a fantasy world or there was some ulterior motive. Lulumiya belonged to the latter.
“I really mean it!”
Lulumiya stepped forward quickly, staring seriously at Xiaoer’s face.
“A man as kind-hearted as Senior Xiaoer can’t be found anywhere else in the academy. If it were someone else and they heard that a poor little girl wanted to ask for help, they’d definitely avoid me. But Senior Xiaoer and Sister Lijie are both good people. No wonder you get along so well.”
“Is… is that so? I just helped a little. Lijie is the truly kind one.”
Xiaoer’s honest face flushed red, and he scratched his head awkwardly.
“Also, don’t keep calling me senior. Lijie and I joined the academy just one month earlier than you. Although we’re a few years older, we’re all in the same class. By the way, I heard you and Lijie had some disagreement before?”
“A small misunderstanding. Sister Lijie has already forgiven me.”
She’d now been addressed simply as “Mia.”
Being reincarnated as a cute little girl definitely had its advantages.
“Is that so? It’s good that the misunderstanding is cleared up. Lijie told me you took a punch from Ye An and got hurt, and can’t move your hand. Since she asked me to look after you, I wouldn’t let you suffer again even if it meant crossing Ye An.”
A flash of indignation appeared in Xiaoer’s eyes.
“But Ye An is a noble, and Senior Xiaoer is outnumbered. It’s better not to stir up trouble.”
“What’s so great about her!”
Xiaoer’s voice grew louder, attracting glances from passersby.
He quickly lowered his voice, covering his mouth to continue.
“Lijie explained that you were bullied by that workshop owner, Lyon, and don’t know much about academy affairs. Actually, us commoner students get approached by many great families before graduation. People like Ye An are only important right now.”
Yes, this matched the original memories well.
Lulumiya nodded inwardly.
The Kingdom of Oenheim revered magic; those who could wield it were generally respected.
So as long as one’s magic skill was high enough, even commoners didn’t have to kowtow to nobles.
What followed was a casual, intermittent chat as Lulumiya took the opportunity to observe her surroundings.
Since being transported to this other world, she hadn’t really taken in the culture properly.
It was late autumn, and a chill hung in the air on the streets, but not everyone could afford long clothes.
About two-thirds of the people wore short shirts and shorts.
Their clothes were generally made of rough linen, visibly coarse to the eye, in colors of gray, black, or natural linen hues.
The hems and cuffs were worn and patched.
Their skin was dark, hair dry and tangled, looking like they hadn’t bathed in a long time—a perfect fit for Lulumiya’s stereotype of medieval people.
In contrast, the cobblestone streets were relatively cleaner.
Although merchants lined both sides and pedestrians mingled with horse-drawn carts, making the noise so loud it was hard to hear nearby conversations, at least there were no terrifying incidents like someone shouting and having filth thrown down from windows.
This gave Lulumiya a sense of civilization.
Besides that, the entire city’s sky was shrouded in a faint, translucent purple magic array.
From her observations, these arrays were supported by eight towering obelisks standing throughout the city, probably serving as a protective barrier against external threats—a distinct magical world flavor.
As Xiaoer continued walking, Lulumiya arrived near a much quieter cluster of stone buildings.
This place was far from King’s Avenue; the wide, stone-paved streets turned into narrow dirt paths, some barely wide enough for three people to walk side by side.
On one side of the street, women were washing clothes by the river, and the air was tinged with an unpleasant stench.
Occasionally, Lulumiya could hear coughing from elderly residents inside the houses and the sounds of women cooking.
Besides that, groups of children played on the street; having several kids per family seemed common.
What excited Lulumiya most was seeing clergy members dressed in their ecclesiastical robes.
They wore black-and-white garments adorned with symbols of the Istrel Church.
The radiant glow of their healing magic when tending to the wounded made them stand out like beacons in the gray and black-toned slums.
She’d only seen such scenes in manga before.
“Mia, do you really like the church?”
Xiaoer asked curiously, noticing where her gaze lingered.
No, I only like the nuns in the church.
Lulumiya thought silently.
Of course, she wouldn’t say that aloud.
The Kingdom of Oenheim was a church state, and she certainly didn’t want to be branded a lecher and burned at the stake.
“Well, since Mia is a magical automaton, it’s reasonable for you to have affection for the church,” Xiaoer offered as an excuse.
“Huh? Why’s that?”
“Don’t you know? It’s said the first king founded the Kingdom of Oenheim with the help of the God-Made Angel, a miracle brought to this world by the Water Great Spirit, Lady Istrel. Since that powerful God-Made Angel is essentially a magical automaton, the people of Oenheim have always felt a closeness to magical automatons and Lady Istrel.”
At this point, a hint of reverence appeared in Xiaoer’s eyes as he looked at Lulumiya.
“I’ve heard for a long time that Lulumiya is the ‘magical automaton closest to the God-Made Angel.’ Meeting you today confirms you’re truly extraordinary. The magical automatons I’ve seen before didn’t look as human as you.”
Lulumiya almost choked on her saliva.
Do you even know how to talk?
You’re the one who doesn’t look human.
At that moment, she suddenly understood why Lijie pretended not to notice Xiaoer’s affections.
Before long, Xiaoer stopped in front of a yard filled with wooden furniture.
This place was some distance from the stone building cluster they had passed, with wild grass growing along the dirt road, making it look especially remote.
Most of the furniture in the yard was unfinished, and there was a sparse amount.
The air smelled sharply of raw wood. One glance told Lulumiya this was a small workshop without even apprentices, clearly quite different in scale from modern workshops with defined roles and collaboration.
“Father, I’m home.”
“What’s all the noise? There’s a guest today.”
A middle-aged man with a square face and a full beard opened the gate.
His voice was filled with impatience, but that lasted only a second.
When he saw the girl with enormous horns and dazzling silver hair standing next to Xiaoer, looking as cute as a porcelain doll, his eyes immediately widened, almost popping out of their sockets.
Lulumiya quickly switched to a sweet voice, lifted the sides of her skirt, and politely introduced herself.
“Hello, uncle. My name is Lulumiya, and I’m Xiaoer’s classmate. Everyone at the school praises your craftsmanship. Today, I’m here to ask you to custom-make a device.”
Please don’t mess this up; my life depends on this.
Lulumiya silently prayed.
She soon got her answer.
“Oh, a customer! Sorry, sorry. Come in and sit down. Custom orders are no problem as long as you have clear requirements. How soon do you need it?”
“Is two days possible?”
“Two days? No.”
Xiaoer’s father rejected without hesitation.
Not even a little extra time?
Lulumiya gritted her teeth.
“How about three days?”
“Three days? Also no. Don’t say three days, even a week is impossible.”