Inuyasha: A Different Kind of Dog General

"Of course!"

Youyouzi's eyebrows curved, and she raised her hand and patted her chest lightly. The trembling mountain seemed to emphasize the weight of her words.

"I have the final say in the entire underworld!"

Youmeng stood there in a daze, scratching her head unconsciously, causing a few strands of her silver hair to stick up.

She blinked and tilted her head in confusion - when did Lady Youyouko become so powerful?

"Youmu, it's time to go!"

Youmu looked up and saw Youyouko looking back at him with a faint smile. Her cherry-colored eyes were shining with a familiar, excited light, as if she saw a table full of delicious food.

Youmu couldn't help but shrink her neck. She was very familiar with this expression -

Every time the head of the family showed such an expression, it meant that she had to be busy in the kitchen.

………………

The castle tower on the mountain's edge.

An endless stream of servants brought plates of exquisite food into the house.

Douya leaned against the green bamboo table, his bony fingers lightly touching his chin, his eyes wandering between the voraciously eating Youyouko and the uneasy Youmu.

The former was happily squinting his eyes and enjoying the meal, while the latter was so nervous that he even held the chopsticks, his cheeks already flushed red.

"Is this the reason why you came to my place to eat so much?"

"Y-yes! Lord Inu Taisho!"

Youmu suddenly straightened her back, and her voice was as clear as a good student whose name was called by a menopausal head teacher.

This sudden response startled Youyouko so much that she choked on the dumpling in her throat. She blushed and waved her hands around, but Youmu had already handed her the freshly squeezed juice smoothly.

The movements were so skillful that it was heartbreaking. It was obviously not the first time he had dealt with such a situation.

“Phew—saved!”

Youyouzi tilted her head back and drank the juice in one gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh from her throat.

She narrowed her eyes and looked at Youmu who was helping her calm down. Suddenly, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and puffed out her cheeks.

"Yo--Dream--" Youyouzi dragged out the last syllable of her voice for a long time.

"We have to be polite when dining. We shouldn't make sudden loud noises, okay?"

(It was Youyouko-sama who was wolfing down her food, what a terrible way to eat!)

Youmu pouted and shrank back onto the cushion like a bullied puppy.

She picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of tamagoyaki, and chewed it in small bites, occasionally stealing a glance at her master from under her bangs - the aggrieved look on her face made Dou Ya laugh.

"Sir Inu Taisho, please don't laugh at Youmu in your heart."

Yuyuko turned her gaze towards Touga again, emphasizing Youmu's sovereignty, "I'm the only one in the world who can bully this little guy."

"I'm rude."

Dou Ya suppressed his smile, sat up straight and picked up the wooden chopsticks.

Seeing Youyouzi eating with such relish just now made even his host feel hungry - the way he gobbled up the food in no time at all was even more appetizing than any other delicacies.

Just as Douya took a bite of the delicious fish, Youyouzi had already finished the last grain of rice.

She gracefully picked up the white towel on the table and wiped the corners of her lips. Her oily lips shone with a crystal clear luster under the morning sun.

After having a good meal and a good drink, Youyouzi finally regained the demeanor that a daughter of the Saigyouji family should have.

"Your Excellency, General Inu."

Youyouzi suddenly covered half of her face with a folding fan, leaving only a pair of smiling eyes exposed.

The ink-stained butterfly on the fan trembled slightly as she tilted her head, as if it would flap its wings and fly away in the next second.

"We've violated the rules of the netherworld and brought Masako back to the living world. Saying 'eating to your heart' is a bit too formal, isn't it?"

(You're breaking the law knowing it!)

(What happened to the promise of "You have the final say in the entire underworld"?!)

Youmu, who was standing by, almost couldn't hold the bowl and chopsticks in her hands - the delicious food gave her the illusion that it was her last meal before execution.

(Damn it, I have to eat more before I die!)

Youmu turned her grief and anger into appetite, and the chopsticks in her hand danced out afterimages.

The fierce aura of the rice eater was actually showing a tendency to surpass that of her own master - until Youyouzi's butterfly fan lightly tapped on her little head.

"You--Dream--"

The folding fan twisted gracefully between his fingertips. "A gardener from the Saigyouji family should chew food with a rustling sound like falling cherry blossoms, not a smacking sound like a hungry tiger."

The silver-haired girl, her mouth full of grilled fish, puffed out her cheeks and nodded.

"Wait a minute. Although the City of Mountain Teeth may not have much else to offer, it only has an endless supply of delicious food."

Douya looked at the two adorable foodies, a gentle smile in his voice.

"Your Excellency Youyouzi's care for the Dog Clan is something we will always remember. Please feel free to speak up if you can."

"That's what you said."

Youyouzi narrowed her eyes, and Douya became a little nervous when she stared at him.

“I want delicious food all year long!”

"……what?"

Douya's canine ears suddenly stood up, and a huge question mark seemed to materialize above his head.

He subconsciously rubbed his ears to confirm that he had heard correctly, "It's not about attacking Hell and overthrowing Yama's rule... nor is it about asking me to help you dominate the underworld and become king..."

His katana-sharp eyebrows knitted together in confusion, Douya asked again, "Just... food?"

"That's right!"

Youyouzi smiled so much that her eyebrows curved into crescents, and she gave Douya a thumbs up to express her affirmation.

As if she suddenly remembered something, she quickly raised her index finger and added.

"We also need an excellent chef who can cook. We can't let Youmu work too hard."

Youmu, who was eating, suddenly looked up, with two grains of rice stuck to the corners of her mouth. Her emerald eyes instantly sparkled with tears, "Youyouko-sama!"

The feeling of being touched lasted only a moment, and Youyouzi continued, "Besides, Youmu's cooking is too ordinary, not as delicious as the ones from the West."

Youmu immediately put on a sad face like a fox - it was her fault for holding out hope for Lady Youyouko!

Dou Ya looked at the master and servant and felt like a fool for being so on high alert just now.

………………

In the golden wheat fields outside the south city, Ling Yue was walking along the ridge with Mrs. Masako.

The morning sun dyes the wheat ears into flowing gold, and the layers of wheat waves rise and fall with the wind, like the breath of the earth.

Masako stopped unconsciously and lightly touched the heavy ears of wheat with her fingertips - the full grains pressed against her palms, carrying the warmth of the sun.

"These..." her voice trembled, "were all cultivated by my people?"

Ling Yue smiled without saying anything, just raised her hand and pointed into the distance.

Looking in the direction she pointed, beyond the endless wheat plains, there were more golden terraces spreading along the mountainside, as if they were covered with scales.

The farmers harvesting turned into black dots, appearing and disappearing in the waves of wheat.

Masako's eyes were red.

She still clearly remembered those years covered with frost and snow - the despair of the tribesmen who wrapped themselves in animal skins and wandered in the dead woods for days but could not even hunt a hare.

Later, with the rise of the Dog King, the dog tribe gradually had opportunities to develop.

Now, in this surging golden ocean before our eyes, every ear of wheat is heavily burdened with the weight of life, the foundation for the reproduction of a clan!

"Mother."

Ling Yue gently lifted Mrs. Masako's trembling hand, and the dog's ears revealed light golden fur in the morning light.

"Last time you came and left in a hurry. This time, take a good look. The dog tribe today is very different from what it was when you were here!"

The rustling of wheat waves startled a group of white-bellied tits, which fluttered into the blue sky, their wings passing over large fields of ear-forming crops.

"Sister Lingyue!"

A clear girl's voice came from the depths of the wheat waves.

Ling Yue looked in the direction of the sound, only to see the densely packed ears of wheat suddenly part, and Mei's petite figure emerged from among the ears of wheat.

The girl was tiptoeing through the wheat field, with a few golden wheat husks stuck to the ends of her hair.

"Ah! It's Mrs. Masako."

When he ran closer, Mei suddenly recognized the beautiful woman standing next to Ling Yue - she was the wife of the Dog King whom he had met at the wedding before.

She hurriedly tried to bow, but before she could even bend her knees, she was embraced in an embrace that smelled of gardenia.

Mrs. Masako's slender arms were unexpectedly strong. Mei's cheek was pressed against the hydrangea-embroidered collar of her dress, and she could hear a muffled laugh coming from her chest.

"You still need to pay attention to these empty formalities in the wheat field. Be careful not to get tickled by the wheat ears."

(Mrs. Masako is also a good person.)

Mei quietly raised her little face and met Masako's smiling eyes.

The pupils reflected the morning light, the wheat waves, and his own small reflection.

"Mei, what are you busy with?"

Masako's fingertips brushed through the girl's hair, picking off a few naughty wheat husks.

"I'm using Qi to test new varieties!"

Mei held up a particularly full ear of wheat, and the morning light filtered through the grains, casting honey-like spots on her face.

A pair of amber eyes were sparkling and full of vitality.

"Sister Lingyue knows."