Chapter 2: Tea Talk and Tea Tales

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In the courtyard, the excessively bright moonlight made this small world clear and vivid, illuminating the two figures—no, two demons—before it.
“Hello, my name is Hana.”
Having recovered from her shock, Hana introduced herself to Sesshōmaru, her fluffy white tail swaying anxiously from side to side, betraying her nervousness.
Meeting her two-dimensional idol for the first time.
With a childlike appearance, roughly around ten years old, Sesshōmaru stood about a meter away, his expression cold and indifferent. A faint aura of wind and snow surrounded him, like ice that never melted, emanating a chilling presence.
It was plainly visible that he was not pleased.
Ignoring the voice beside him entirely, Sesshōmaru’s gaze naturally fell upon the pool in the courtyard. His crimson-gold beast eyes, bathed in moonlight, were distant and icy.
He glanced briefly, hands folded within the sleeves of his kimono, his fluffy tail hanging naturally, showing no interest in the other’s intentions—let alone responding to the introduction.
Since becoming a demon, his senses had sharpened; Hana clearly caught the faint scent of cold plum blossom on him, which lent a subtle, cool tone to the night air.
Her eyes fixed on his cold, aloof face; when she met those crimson-gold eyes, she froze instantly.
She had no doubt that if she said another word, she’d hear, “Trash. Keep talking and I’ll kill you.”
Perfect—that was so Sesshōmaru.
Her excitement at meeting her idol instantly deflated; the illusion was shattered.
With the other party still showing some patience, Hana decisively gave up on communicating, quietly resigning herself to being a mascot and letting her mind wander.
From Ms. Takahashi’s interview, she learned that Sesshōmaru’s prototype was a Shiba Inu.
And Shiba Inus are notoriously stubborn dogs that walk in straight lines only, with strong self-awareness. They go out for a walk in any weather, even during typhoons, and tend to be aloof, disliking being touched by strangers.
The more Hana thought about it, the more hopeless it seemed.
Stubborn, aloof, with strong self-awareness—wasn’t this exactly Sesshōmaru’s true nature?
Before the story began, Sesshōmaru was a thoroughly domineering great demon who only walked in straight lines and killed anyone who blocked his way without mercy.
Early on, he looked down on weak humans and half-demons, cold, ruthless, and indifferent; but when encountering Inuyasha, he would become surprisingly talkative.
In short—
Sesshōmaru was undoubtedly Hana’s two-dimensional male idol.
But what does “two-dimensional male idol” mean? It means a man is only lovable when he’s a flat character on paper. When a two-dimensional idol becomes a three-dimensional man, people tend to avoid him.
No matter how handsome his face is, Hana felt he was only to be admired from afar, not touched or toyed with.
Most importantly, the Sesshōmaru before her was not his youthful form but a child of about her own age, more like the young boy version that appeared at the start of the manga.
Could it be that Sesshōmaru was still a child? Hana’s expression flickered, hesitant to speak.
Could she ask his age? Would she be killed for it?
Sesshōmaru naturally sensed her curious gaze but had no interest in responding. He sat cross-legged under a tree in the courtyard, his fluffy tail resting on the grass, moonlight gently spilling over.
Silver hair, aloof and proud, exquisitely beautiful, and fluffy.
Having just kicked him off her two-dimensional male idol list, Hana immediately reinstated him in her heart.
A cold, silver-haired, fluffy figure—how could anyone resist!
…
Under the eaves, two powerful demons sat, their aura deep and vast.
The scent of peach blossom wine drifted about as Ling Yue Xianji and Yunji, two long-unseen demonesses, chatted freely.

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Hana was curious about their conversation but knew she wouldn’t overhear a thing.
From the start, the two had treated her and Sesshōmaru like shooed-away children, grudgingly left to “play in the mud” in the garden.
Hana looked up at her own mother, then at Ling Yue Xianji sitting opposite.
She longed to sigh but feared catching Sesshōmaru’s sharp gaze, so she tried to remain quietly invisible, silently praying to Ms. Takahashi for protection.
Drowsy and yawning, Hana turned to look at Sesshōmaru, sitting stiffly.
His face still bore baby fat yet was exquisitely handsome, the purple crescent moon mark on his forehead faintly glowing in the moonlight. Even as a child, he exuded an unapproachable coldness.
For safety’s sake, Hana silently hugged her fluffy tail tightly and curled up on the lawn, decisively choosing to sleep.
The idol was handsome, but she felt she didn’t stand a chance with him.
By the way, what era was this exactly? Had the leopard cat been banished? Had Lord Inu and Princess Izayoi gotten together? Judging by Sesshōmaru’s appearance, probably not.
Lost in chaotic thoughts, Hana felt drowsiness wash over her. She wrapped herself in her tail and felt her head heat up.
Oh no, was she about to become smarter?
She didn’t know how long she had slept when a sudden sensation of floating startled her awake.
She saw a close-up of an exquisitely beautiful face—her mother’s.
Clutching her fluffy tail, Hana blinked and tentatively said, “...Good morning?”
It was obvious from Yunji’s expression that she was displeased.
The moon was veiled by clouds, and vision dimmed. Hana wasn’t fully asleep when her mother tossed her to Ling Yue Xianji.
Surrounded by the scent of cherry blossoms and fluffiness, Hana’s body, more honest than her mind, nestled into the soft fur.
Ling Yue Xianji looked down at the squirming child in her arms, a faint smile curling her lips as she gently grasped the nape of Hana’s neck, determining her fate.
“Then I shall take you with me.” The elegant and beautiful demoness spoke slowly, her cold voice matching Sesshōmaru’s aloof temperament. “Say your goodbyes to your mother.”
Hana: ???
What was going on?
She’d only been out a moment and was already being sold off? Hana was shocked and confused.
Was she being abandoned? Or, according to some typical melodramatic plot, was she betrothed to Sesshōmaru? Hiss—if it was the latter, Hana felt she might as well commit ritual suicide right now.
She had absolutely no intention of winning over Sesshōmaru!!!
The idol was only attractive when he was a two-dimensional character!
“Mom—” hugging Ling Yue Xianji’s fluffy tail, Hana turned to her mother and launched a tearful attack. The gentle and caring mother glanced coldly and mercilessly said, “Put that away.”
Swiftly wiping away her tears and playing the obedient, sensible child, Hana asked, “Can I stay?”
“No. Wait until the transformation finishes, then come back.” Without mercy, Yunji rejected her, moving her finger. A pinkish-white pearl golden ring appeared on Hana’s previously bare neck.
Transformation?
Great, another unfamiliar word.
What about bloodline inheritance? Why didn’t she have it? Was she a fake? Hana hesitated, wanting to ask but afraid to speak.
Ling Yue Xianji placed a hand on Hana’s head, rubbing her ears gently. It was a bit itchy but also pleasant; Hana nestled her head under the palm, yielding to the bliss and naturally enjoying the strokes.
If the setting were different, she might have even purred like a cat.
Yunji wore an expression of reluctance and disbelief, clearly unwilling to admit this was her daughter.

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Ling Yue Xianji’s hand paused, then casually scratched under Hana’s chin. This time, Hana completely lost control, feeling as if she were floating on a soft cloud, purring softly.
A clear but still gentle voice sounded in her ear: “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to return in a hundred years.”
“...” A hundred years? Hana abruptly snapped out of her bliss.
What?!
She was going to be gone for a hundred years!?
Did demons have such a wild concept of time? She imagined that in a hundred years, the weeds on the yellow earth would be three meters tall. Giving up the pleasure of cuddling, Hana hesitated, glancing at her mother, hoping she might be allowed to stay.
Obviously, staying was impossible.
She was taken away by Ling Yue Xianji, who had transformed into her original form. When lifted to the sky tens of thousands of meters high, feeling the biting wind, Hana instinctively clung tightly to Ling Yue Xianji’s neck.
Even as a demon, she was afraid of dying.
“Oh my, what a cute girl.” Ling Yue Xianji, now in the form of a white dog, smiled slightly and looked at Sesshōmaru, who was also in white dog form but significantly larger.
“What do you think, Sesshōmaru?”
Though soft and fluffy in white dog form, Sesshōmaru’s voice was even colder than a cool guy’s. He glanced at her and said the first words of the night with clear enunciation: “Useless.”
“...” Perfect, that was so Sesshōmaru.
This was how a fan disses her idol after dropping fandom.
Hana looked up at the white dog. The wind almost made her face freeze, but she was undeterred and blurted out, “Aunt Ling Yue Xianji is moving in a straight line with an initial velocity of 200 m/s and acceleration of 300 m/s². What is her velocity at the end of three seconds?”
Sesshōmaru: ?
Not only did Sesshōmaru turn to look at her, but Ling Yue Xianji did too.
Without an ounce of guilt for teasing the white dogs, Hana smirked: “Doesn’t big brother Sesshōmaru know?”
Sesshōmaru narrowed his eyes.
In fact, the purer the demon’s bloodline, the more knowledge they needed to learn. Besides the innate power and knowledge from bloodline inheritance, they had to study many new things.
Even as a demon, one must be a cultured noble.
Seeing Sesshōmaru not answer, Hana, in a somewhat cheeky tone, hugged Ling Yue Xianji’s fluffy scarf tightly, her fox tail wagging rapidly. “Don’t tell me big brother Sesshōmaru doesn’t like studying?”
“...” Sesshōmaru said nothing, but his murderous glare was uncontrollable.
His mouth opened wide, showing fangs, saliva dripping with corrosiveness.
Hana’s eyes met those crimson-gold beast eyes.
Good, she was sure now—Sesshōmaru really wanted to eat her.
Playing the “I don’t fight if I can’t win” card, Hana hugged Ling Yue Xianji softly and weakly: “Auntie, does big brother Sesshōmaru not like me?”
As long as she looked like a cute child, she saw no problem in acting this way. Using a sweet, coquettish tone, she played the green tea essence steadily: “Did I make big brother Sesshōmaru angry?”
“Big brother Sesshōmaru, please don’t be mad. I won’t ask next time.”
Sesshōmaru: ...
Great, now he wanted to eat the fox.