Having made up his mind, Mahito acted immediately.
First was contacting Mei Mei and Ui Ui.
It was simpler than he had imagined because Mei Mei is a thorough money-supremacist; as long as you pay, everything is negotiable.
After a single call from Kinji Hakari, Mei Mei agreed to bring Ui Ui to the meeting.
Of course, business is business; Kinji Hakari wasn't working for Mahito for free either, he wanted his own benefits.
"New Human"—that was his benefit.
He hoped to become a New Human.
According to Mahito, a "New Human" is a species akin to a "Half-Cursed Spirit."
New Humans possess all the advantages of a Cursed Spirit but do not lose their physical bodies.
Once one becomes a New Human, there is no need for eating, nor is there any more metabolism.
All energy requirements can be replenished from the Cursed Energy permeating the atmosphere.
Even if one suffers a fatal injury, as long as they don't die on the spot, they can slowly recover over time.
Most importantly, immortality.
By becoming a New Human, one automatically obtains "immortality."
This is the ultimate pursuit of kings and generals, yet it is the most basic thing for a "New Human."
So, what is the price?
The price is mental exhaustion.
Even if the physical body can maintain immortality, can the human spirit withstand it?
This is something even Mahito cannot say for certain.
But of course, one could call that being oversensitive; you've already attained immortality, yet you fear mental exhaustion?
As Mahito put it—
"With coffee and a computer, an otaku can live until the end of the world. Are you worse than an otaku? Mental exhaustion? Where would that come from?"
Incidentally, due to Mahito's influence, Kinji Hakari has started to enjoy reading manga.
With a cup of coffee and a computer, he too could live until the end of the world.
Finally, Mei Mei and Ui Ui met with Mahito a week later.
Their meeting place was a cafe.
Since it wasn't a weekend, the cafe was very quiet, with only a few scattered customers.
One customer who looked like a college student was hunched over a table writing a thesis; the atmosphere was peaceful.
At that moment, Mei Mei pushed open the door to the cafe.
Mahito immediately raised his hand and shouted with a wide smile, "Here, over here!"
A nearby waiter had to intervene: "Sir, please be quiet."
"Sorry, sorry, I just got too excited."
Mahito apologized with a helpless look and hands pressed together.
"So he is the Lord of Curses." Mei Mei looked at Mahito.
Mahito was still wearing that white shirt, with his long white hair flowing.
His eyes, one gold and one blue, shimmered slightly under the cafe lights.
Though he was a Cursed Spirit, Mei Mei had to admit he had a high bridge to his nose, spirited eyes, slender eyebrows, and no small scars on his face.
He was as clean as pure snow, handsome enough to make any woman's heart flutter.
His expression was relaxed, a natural smile that didn't show teeth, both elegant and quiet.
As long as he didn't speak, he was a beautiful sight.
Unfortunately, once that mouth opened, it was like a beautiful scene hit by a storm—arrogant and begging to be punched.
This feeling... yes, exactly like Gojo Satoru.
This is a beautiful man just like Gojo Satoru.
Mei Mei brought Ui Ui before Mahito.
Beside Mahito sat Kinji Hakari, looking bored.
Seeing Mei Mei, he raised a hand in greeting.
"You finally made it. I was getting impatient. Now that my job as the middleman is done, I'm leaving..."
Before Kinji Hakari could even finish, Mahito immediately interrupted:
"Kinji has already become a 'New Human' now. He is the sincerity I've brought. Look, look, no side effects at all, right?"
"...I say, I'm technically your subordinate, aren't I? Is that human-trafficker tone really okay?"
Come to think of it, when did he start calling me Kinji?
When we first met, he called me Hakari-san, then after a fight, he called me Hakari.
Now, a week later, it's Kinji.
Is the next step calling me 'Kin-chan' like Kirara does?
Kinji Hakari thought this guy was way too overfamiliar, but he didn't object to the name.
This was the reason Mei Mei had rushed over.
"New Human."
This group destined to take the world stage appeared before Mei Mei's eyes.
If this King of Curses wasn't lying, this alone could earn Mei Mei more money than she could spend in several lifetimes.
Even though Mei Mei knew contacting him was a dangerous choice, she still couldn't help but come in person and bring Ui Ui.
Because of her money-supremacy principle, she couldn't ignore this invitation.
Despite the risk, she chose to come.
With Ui Ui there, they could leave instantly if they encountered danger.
Mahito's request was very simple.
"Just by touching my skin and my sister's skin, you'll give us two New Human slots... Are you serious?"
Ui Ui stared at Mahito and asked bluntly.
Mei Mei and Ui Ui sat across from Mahito.
Without a waiter coming over, two cups of coffee and some desserts were already placed before them.
It seemed Mahito and Kinji Hakari had been there for a while and had politely prepared the drinks.
Mei Mei lightly touched the coffee; it was still warm, the temperature just right—as if he had timed their arrival perfectly.
"That's right, simple, isn't it? Just let me touch your skin, and I'll give you two 'New Human' slots. Whether you use them yourselves or sell them to others is up to you. It's quite a deal, isn't it?"
Mahito smiled, his voice ethereal like willow catkins, like a dolphin making a clear sound in the distance.
Mei Mei admired the Lord of Curses' face, then looked at the impatient Kinji Hakari.
"So this is... a New Human," she whispered.
If there was anything different about Kinji Hakari from before, there was only one thing.
On Kinji Hakari's shoulder, a small Salamander lay limp.
The Salamander had tiny wings on its back, two horns on its head, and was covered in fine scales, looking like a baby dragon.
It was this tiny baby dragon that emitted the same Cursed Energy fluctuations as Kinji Hakari.
A Shikigami? A clone? A technique effect?
No, it should be different.
It was almost like—
"Kinji Hakari, that's 'you', isn't it?" Mei Mei looked at him with interest.
Not a "clone," but a "half-self."
Kinji Hakari's brow twitched, and he laughed.
As he grinned, the baby dragon simultaneously opened its eyes and grinned as well.
"...Mei Mei had to admit, this scene was somewhat startling."
Mahito explained from the side:
"Compared to Cursed Spirits, human souls are harder to change."
"If a forced change is made, it's very likely to cause significant side effects."
"In terms of soul resilience, human souls really can't compare to Cursed Spirits."
"This is probably because humans have physical bodies for protection, so the soul's defense has become lax because of it."
"Unfortunately, to perform New Humanization completely without side effects, even I can't do it in one step."
Despite saying something regrettable, Mahito's expression was quite self-satisfied.
Mei Mei could understand why.
This is actually quite easy to deduce.
Since Cursed Spirits have no physical bodies, their souls and spirits are exposed to the outside for a long time.
To maintain their own stability, their souls must be extremely resilient.
Therefore, Cursed Spirits are better protected against attacks targeting the soul than humans.
Attempting to precisely manipulate a human soul to grant it immortality must be a hundred times more difficult than doing so for a Cursed Spirit.
In fact, in the original work, Mahito also bluntly stated that compared to humans, a Cursed Spirit's soul is more resilient, while a human's soul is very fragile and can die if one is not careful.
Yet, Mahito still managed to do it, which is indeed something to be proud of, even arrogant about.