Land of Demons The third day after the incident ended.
On the mountain behind the shrine, on an open grassland.
Ning Xue stood there, his hands Hand Seals, Chakra surging.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Bang--!"
Huge white smoke exploded accompanied by a familiar popping sound.
In the smoke, the huge figure slowly emerged.
"...Fujiwara Clan boy, you finally think of me?"
Snow Wolf's rich voice came from the smoke, with obvious dissatisfaction.
"What about the promised double? I've been waiting for three days! Three days!!"
The smoke dissipated, and the majestic figure of Snow Wolf was fully revealed.
His silver-white hair sparkled in the sun, his body was as big as a hill, and his blue eyes were filled with the words "you owe me".
Then, it saw the person standing behind Ning Xue.
Shion.
At this moment, the Land of Demons miko lady is raising her head, her eyes are wide open, and her mouth is open in an "O" shape.
"Such... such a big dog!!!"
she blurted out.
The whole place was quiet for a moment.
Snow Wolf's expression froze instantly.
Ning Xue clearly saw something broken in Snow Wolf's blue eyes.
"... Dog?"
Snow Wolf's voice became dangerous, as deep as if it was squeezed out from the depths of his throat.
"Little girl, who do you think is the dog?"
Shion blinked, not noticing the danger signal at all. Instead, he enthusiastically walked around to the side of Snow Wolf and looked up at its fluffy tail.
"Wow! The tail is so big! It can even move!"
"..."
Snow Wolf's tail froze.
It was indeed swinging leisurely, but now it is parked in mid-air, not knowing where to put it.
"Fujiwara Clan's boy!"
Snow Wolf turned his head suddenly and glared at Ning Xue.
"Who is this little girl?! Why didn't you tell me in advance that an outsider was here?!"
Ning Xue looked at this scene, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
It's a subtle arc between helplessness and fun.
"She is the witch from Land of Demons." He paused, "She is my employer, and she also pays for it."
Snow Wolf was stunned for a moment.
"Reward?"
Its eyes fell on Shion and looked up and down.
"Just this little girl? What kind of reward can she give?"
Shion heard the contempt in its tone and immediately became unhappy.
"Hey, big dog, what do you mean?"
"How many times have I said it! I am a wolf! I am a wolf!!!"
Snow Wolf's roar caused the surrounding leaves to rustle down.
Shion was startled by the sudden roar and subconsciously hid behind Ning Xue.
But she quickly stuck her head out again and retorted unconvinced.
"Wolves are also canines! Canids, do you understand? They are a type of dog!"
"You--!!!"
Snow Wolf was so angry that the hair all over his body stood up, and his huge body trembled slightly with anger.
It has lived for so many years, and no one has ever dared to call it a dog in front of it!
"Little girl, do you believe that I swallowed you in one gulp?!"
Shion shrank his neck, but his mouth was still hard.
"You... you don't dare! Fujiwara will beat you up!"
Snow Wolf suddenly turned his head to look at Ning Xue.
Ning Xue stood there expressionless, without any expression.
But the silence itself is an expression.
"..."
Snow Wolf Take a deep breath and try to calm yourself down.
Not as knowledgeable as a little girl.
It is the noble Snow Wolf Clan.
Not a dog.
Definitely not a dog.
"That..."
A weak voice came from the side.
Snow Wolf turned around and saw that there were several guards.
Ashitaba was sent to help deliver food.
Each of them was carrying a huge wooden box on their shoulders, and they were standing there tremblingly, their faces pale.
Obviously, the quarrel just now frightened them badly.
"This is... Miko-sama asked us to send it..."
The leading guard carefully placed the wooden box on the ground and opened the lid.
Suddenly, a strong aroma of meat spread out.
Snow Wolf's nose moved.
Huh?
This is...
It looked around.
In the wooden box, there are rows of marinated steaks neatly stacked.
Each piece is as thick as an adult's arm, alternately fat and thin, and the meat is fresh and tender. It looks like it's top quality at first glance.
"This..."
Snow Wolf's eyes lit up.
"This is just the first batch."
Shion came out from behind Ning Xue, put his hands on his hips and said proudly.
"There are five more boxes in the back.
If it's not enough, ask someone to give it away."
Snow Wolf was stunned.
Five boxes?
It looked at the box full of steaks, and then at Shion's proud face, and suddenly felt... this little girl didn't seem to be that annoying after all.
"How about it, big dog?" Shion raised his chin, "Is it enough for you to eat?"
Snow Wolf opened his mouth and wanted to say, "I am a wolf, not a dog," but the strong smell of meat kept entering his nose, making the words stuck in his throat and unable to come out.
"... it's okay."
In the end, it could only hold back this sentence.
His tone softened significantly.
Shion smiled.
"Then let's eat!"
She waved her hand and signaled the guards to move over the remaining wooden boxes.
One box, two boxes, three boxes...
When six boxes of steaks were neatly placed in front of Snow Wolf, it couldn't take its eyes away at all.
"This... are these all for me?"
There was actually a hint of uncertainty in its voice.
"Yes." Shion nodded matter-of-factly.
"I said it was a reward.
Although I originally planned to only pay Fujiwara's share, seeing that you defeated Mōryō's men and cooperated so well, I thought I would also thank you."
She knelt down, picked up a steak from the box, and waved it in front of Snow Wolf.
"Eat, you're welcome."
Snow Wolf looked at the piece of steak, and then at Shion's smiling face.
Then, it made a decision that went against its ancestors.
It lowered its head and carefully rolled the piece of meat steak into its mouth with its tongue.
"Click."
As soon as you bite into it, the meat juices explode in your mouth, and the perfectly marinated flavor instantly sweeps your entire mouth.
Snow Wolf's eyes suddenly lit up.
Delicious!!!
It no longer cared about the image, and just started to feast on the pile of meat steaks.
"Click click click click..."
The sound of chewing is endless.
Shion squatted next to it, holding his chin in his hand, watching it eat with a smile.
"Slow down, slow down, no one will compete with you."
Snow Wolf had no time to pay attention to her and continued to work hard.
But while eating, it suddenly felt something gently stroking its hair.
It raised its head and found Shion reaching out to touch its head.
"Be good, be good, eat slowly."
Snow Wolf's chewing movement froze.
It has lived for so many years and has never had its head touched like this.
Even that brat Ning Xue has never been like this!!!
And it is the noble Snow Wolf Clan!
It should be angry, it should roar, and it should let this little girl know the difference between superiority and inferiority!
"Eat more, there's not enough."
Shion's voice is soft and smiling.
Her hand continued to stroke Snow Wolf's head gently, her movements as gentle as touching a real dog.
Snow Wolf was frozen there, with half of the unswallowed steak still in his mouth.
It should resist.
It really should resist.
But that hand... feels quite comfortable to touch.
And this steak is really delicious.
"Well..."
It whined vaguely, and then continued to eat.
No resistance.
The guards in the distance looked at this scene with their eyes almost popping out.
"Then... is that the Snow Wolf that was roaring just now?"
"How do you feel... really turning into a dog?"
"Don't talk nonsense! Be careful if you are overheard!"
"But... look at that tail..."
Everyone looked around and saw Snow Wolf's big fluffy tail swaying slightly unconsciously.
Once, twice, three times...
Ning Xue stood aside, watching this scene with a somewhat complicated expression.
He wanted to laugh.
But he endured it.
He was afraid that if he laughed, he would be rejected by Snow Wolf.
"Your Excellency Fujiwara."
Ashitaba came to him at some point and asked in a low voice.
"Senior Snow Wolf... is he always like this?"
Ning Xue was silent for a moment.
"... No."
he said.
"Usually pretty fierce."
Ashitaba fell into silence as he looked at Snow Wolf, whose head was being touched by Shion and whose tail was wagging.
This... is called evil?
He didn't know what to say and could only watch silently.
After a while.
More than half of the six boxes of steaks have been destroyed by Snow Wolf.
It ate until its belly became round, but it was still trying to stuff it into its mouth.
"Okay, okay, don't eat." Shion patted its head, "It won't be digested if you eat too much."
Snow Wolf raised his head, and there was actually a hint of grievance in his blue eyes.
"There's more."
Shion said with a smile.
"We'll continue eating tomorrow."
Snow Wolf's eyes lit up again.
It licked its lips and lay down contentedly.
Shion leaned against its furry side and sighed comfortably.
"So soft..."
Snow Wolf stiffened for a moment.
But soon, it relaxed.
Well, this little girl... really knows how to enjoy it.
The guards in the distance were completely numb.
They looked at the majestic Snow Wolf, lying on the ground like a big dog at this moment, letting the miko-sama lean on her, and even actively adjusted her posture to make her lean more comfortable.
"Am I dazzled?"
"You're not dazzled, I saw it too."
"So... that senior Snow Wolf was really subdued by the miko-sama?"
"... Probably."
Ning Xue stood there, looking at the scene of a man and a wolf living in harmony, and was silent for a long time.
Then, he shook his head slightly.
On this day, senior Snow Wolf learned what "real fragrance" means.
I also learned what "it feels so good to have your head touched".
Although it will never admit it.