5. A Pleasant Scent

Their gazes met.

That pair of cold, emotionless beastly eyes reflected her face.

Hua Mi shuddered, feeling the same thrill of horror one might experience when being targeted by a giant bird of prey.

This is it—

What do you do when you get caught red-handed while harassing Sesshomaru?

Urgent, help needed online.

Seeing Sesshomaru’s expression become increasingly inscrutable, Hua Mi quickly pulled her hands away. "I didn't do anything!"

She clamped down hard on her own restless tail, her expression so sincere she might as well have been raising her hand to take an oath.

In every sense of the word, she did not want to be turned into a dead snake by Sesshomaru.

The white dog, currently in the midst of his transformation, used his tail to pin hers down, then raised a paw and, with calm and swift movements, held her firmly in place.

Hua Mi thought: It's over. Demons are destined to die, but dying at the hands of one’s idol is a bit pathetic for a snake.

Sesshomaru "ravaged" her head relentlessly until her hair was a tangled mess. Finally, showing a sliver of mercy, he released his paw, looked away, his gaze sweeping past her face before turning toward the sky.

"...I'm not dead?" Hua Mi was stunned.

Was the price for harassing Sesshomaru just having her hair messed up?

This she could definitely handle!

She looked toward the white dog with renewed interest, but noticing his expression was off, she followed his gaze upward.

Perhaps because the transformation was nearing its end, the previously invisible barrier now shimmered with the iridescent texture of a transparent soap bubble, clearly visible before her eyes.

Sunlight pierced directly through the barrier shrouding the ancient tree, revealing a dark, gloomy sky. As the wind picked up, it carried a thick, foul stench.

The sky—

There was something up there.

Hua Mi flicked out her forked snake tongue, capturing molecular information. The scent became clearer; a turbid, rotten odor was being carried in by the wind.

"...It’s demons," she said.

Her playfulness vanished, her slit pupils narrowing into thin lines, and her expression turned cold.

She lifted her head and straightened her body, her snake tail sliding off the white dog. She could sense thousands of demons surging toward them.

A demonic tide.

The white dog undergoing his transformation glanced at her indifferently.

Hua Mi turned to look at him.

Golden beastly eyes locked with pale blue eyes.

Both were filled with coldness and detachment.

Even in his beast form, Hua Mi clearly felt Sesshomaru’s disdain, as if he were saying: [If you want to escape, get lost.]

"You can't fight while in the middle of a transformation, can you?" Hua Mi spoke, her gaze lingering on the white dog, whose beautiful fur had been left in disarray by her snake tail.

"..." Wait, so he had messed up her hair earlier as retaliation?

How childish!

Distracted for a second, Hua Mi immediately straightened up.

If he were capable of fighting, he certainly wouldn't have let her snake tail run wild on him. This meant that Sesshomaru, like her, was currently unable to move.

Realizing this, Hua Mi crossed her arms and said righteously, "If I leave, what will happen to you?"

A flicker of surprise crossed the white dog’s eyes.

He didn't think for a moment that the creature before him could withstand tens of thousands of demons.

Obviously, those demons were attracted by the bloodline of a Great Demon, so they would never let them go; Sesshomaru understood this well.

Every inch of a Great Demon was a rare, enhancing delicacy for lesser demons, and for Great Demons like them, who had only just undergone their first transformation, they were an even rarer treat.

A strength that had not yet fully matured was all the easier to hunt.

But even so—

The white dog bared his fangs, and his arrogant voice rang out, "Heh—I, Sesshomaru, have no need for pity."

It wasn't human language, but Hua Mi could understand it.

As expected of Lord Sesshomaru; even in this life-or-death moment, he could remain so calm.

She ignored his words. After all, this was Sesshomaru, a cold and ruthless Great Demon. If he had said, "Please, protect me," Hua Mi would have thought he had lost his mind.

A Great Demon as proud as Sesshomaru—if she had said to him, "I'll protect you," it would surely have been taken as a provocation.

But give up on Sesshomaru, this golden ticket?

After turning it over in her mind, Hua Mi felt no guilt in her heart, assuming a look of deep, focused affection: "Actually, I fell in love with you at first sight, so I can't just leave you and run away. I’ve decided that even if I die, I will die with you."

Just kidding. How could Sesshomaru die? He was the Great Demon who would beat up the protagonist Inuyasha hundreds of years later, the undeniable second male lead created by Rumiko Takahashi. On the contrary, if she left Sesshomaru, she would likely be killed by the demons herself.

Leave? Leaving was out of the question.

Having calculated her odds, Hua Mi wore a flawless, ladylike smile. Unfortunately, paired with the soft white curves revealed as she leaned forward, her beautiful, smooth collarbone, the intense scent emanating from her as she moved closer, and that vivid, alluring face—plus the little tail wagging to and fro—she didn't look like a "good" demon at all.

"..." A flash of suspicion crossed Sesshomaru’s eyes.

If this were the four-hundred-year-old Sesshomaru, he would have easily seen that the woman before him was spouting nonsense.

But unfortunately, the Sesshomaru of this time was only a little over two hundred years old, having just finished his transformation, and he lacked the ability to discern a woman's lies.

"Believe me, I really love you." Adhering to the impulsive confessions one makes to a 2D idol, Hua Mi didn't feel a shred of guilt, her words filled with a mix of tender devotion and righteous justification.

She truly did love Sesshomaru. Back in the day, to buy merchandise, she had forced herself to spend only 300 yen a day on food for an entire month just to afford a figure worth 18,000 yen.

If that wasn't love, what was?

The white dog looked at her expressionlessly.

Hua Mi blinked, maintaining a calm, steady gaze.

Her snake tail rested on the white dog’s back, sweeping over his fur every so often, only to be swatted away mercilessly by the dog’s tail.

Not expecting to be rejected, the snake tail froze, standing straight up like a thin antenna, before nudging over again, aggrieved, only to be pressed down by the dog’s tail once more.

This went on repeatedly.

Finally, thanks to the tail’s "sycophantic" persistence, it finally managed to entwine with the fluffy canine tail.

The heavy atmosphere was broken.

Hua Mi couldn't believe this was her own tail; it had absolutely no regard for its owner's dignity.

Those two bickering tails were filled, inside and out, with a sense that they had both lost their minds.

Hua Mi looked at Sesshomaru with a subtle expression, as if to say: So, you can't control your tail either.

Realizing his tail was acting out of his control, Sesshomaru’s pupils deepened, and the breath he exhaled instantly melted the leaves on the ancient tree. His posture suggested he was even more annoyed by this than by the news of the impending attack by the rabble.

The white dog bared his teeth, his sharp fangs emitting a chilling coldness, his beastly eyes stained with murderous intent.

Feeling guilty, Hua Mi silently averted her gaze.

"I can't control my tail; it might be because I love you too much." With earnest words, Hua Mi looked at Sesshomaru sincerely, trying to save her snake tail’s reputation.

Lizards can drop their tails to survive.

She had never heard of a snake’s tail growing back after being chopped off, so to avoid becoming a tail-less snake, Hua Mi scrambled to make excuses.

If he weren't unable to move right now, she was certain Sesshomaru would have cut her tail off directly.

Seeing her tail intertwined with his own.

Unlike the amateur Hua Mi, the white dog, who understood the implication of the intertwining, was overcome with embarrassed rage: "Shut up!"

He then turned his head away, adopting an arrogant, "out of sight, out of mind" posture.

Shy, he must be shy! Hua Mi was deeply convinced. Tsundere, she understood that.

The sky turned a gloomy, grayish white.

The demonic power in the air grew thicker. It wasn't the plum blossom scent of Sesshomaru, nor the citrus scent she carried, but a thick, putrid stench, like a sewer that hadn't been cleared for years.

Damp, foul, disgusting.

She hadn't fully finished her own transformation either, though she was slightly better off than Sesshomaru and could use a portion of her demonic power. Hua Mi silently covered herself with her aura to block out the stench.

She turned to look at the white dog.

She tried to detect any sign of discomfort on his furry face. Canine senses were always sharp, but Sesshomaru didn't seem affected.

As expected of Lord Sesshomaru; when it comes to playing it cool and being tsundere, I only submit to Brother Sesshomaru.

She leaned in and used her demonic power to envelope Sesshomaru as well; the stench faded significantly.

The white dog lifted his eyelids, showing neither acceptance nor rejection.

Tsk tsk tsk, not refusing, not accepting, not explaining—classic scumbag behavior!

"Hey—" She leaned close to the white dog's head, coiled the part of her snake tail below her abdomen into a spiral, sat gracefully atop it, and tentatively leaned back against the fur ruff around the white dog's neck.

She leaned in with caution, watching the white dog’s behavior tentatively.

Fortunately, Sesshomaru didn't swat her away.

Hua Mi coughed lightly and asked in a low voice, "Um, how long can the barrier hold?"

"Twenty years." Being in the middle of a transformation, even waking up this long was his limit. After answering, he returned to his sleeping posture.

"Ah, only—twenty years!?" Hua Mi’s voice rose sharply. Her mindset was still that of a human; what was there to worry about in twenty years?

All the Plan A, B, and C scenarios she had flashed through her mind were discarded. Why was she in such a rush with twenty years left...

Perhaps in twenty years, she would have finished her transformation, ready to punch little demons and kick Sessh—oh, no, cough, cough. In short, with twenty years to go, Hua Mi wasn't worried at all.

Well, the mental state of a modern young person is just this laid-back.

Excited, Hua Mi eagerly prepared to discuss things with Sesshomaru, only to see the white dog close his eyes.

The white dog had fallen back into a deep slumber; he needed to overcome his inability to move before the rabble appeared.

She huddled next to him, and he didn't react, so she boldly leaned against the fur ruff at his neck. It felt like Sesshomaru hadn't rejected her? Could it be that her confession of love had touched him?

Hua Mi was the type of demon to take a mile when given an inch. Seeing the white dog didn't refuse, she stared at his soft, fluffy dog ears and reached out, restless.

Taking advantage of his lack of attention, she pinched his drooping, furry ears, and then—

Well, unsurprisingly, she was nearly bitten.

Seeing those gaping jaws, Hua Mi pulled her hand back, her heart racing with lingering fear.

"Do you want to die?" the white dog asked, gazing at her indifferently.

Startled, Hua Mi lowered her eyes. Her tone softened, and while she was still spouting nonsense, her expression was sincere enough: "Your scent smells so good, I couldn't control myself."

Saying "your scent smells so good" to a demon is, for all intents and purposes, equivalent to saying "I want to sleep with you."

The white dog paused. His cold gaze swept over her seemingly sincere face, and he let out a sharp, mocking scoff: "Heh—"

He rested his head on his front paws and ignored her further.

Hua Mi thought: Why did she feel like Sesshomaru’s look was a bit strange?