Having made up his mind, Mahito acted imdiately.
First was contacting i i and Ui Ui.
It was simpler than he had imagined because i i is a thorough money-supremacist; as long as you pay, everything is negotiable.
After a single call from Kinji Hakari, i i agreed to bring Ui Ui to the eting.
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 beco 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 becos a New Human, there is no need for eating, nor is there any more tabolism.
All energy requirents can be replenished from the Cursed Energy perating the atmosphere.
Even if one suffers a fatal injury, as long as they don't die on the spot, they can slowly recover over ti.
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 ntal exhaustion.
Even if the physical body can maintain immortality, can the human spirit withstand it?
This is sothing even Mahito cannot say for certain.
But of course, one could call that being oversensitive; you've already attained immortality, yet you fear ntal 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? ntal exhaustion? Where would that co 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, i i and Ui Ui t with Mahito a week later.
Their eting place was a cafe.
Since it wasn't a weekend, the cafe was very quiet, with only a few scattered custors.
One custor who looked like a college student was hunched over a table writing a thesis; the atmosphere was peaceful.
At that mont, i i pushed open the door to the cafe.
Mahito imdiately 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." i i looked at Mahito.
Mahito was still wearing that white shirt, with his long white hair flowing.
His eyes, one gold and one blue, shimred slightly under the cafe lights.
Though he was a Cursed Spirit, i i 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, handso 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.
i i brought Ui Ui before Mahito.
Beside Mahito sat Kinji Hakari, looking bored.
Seeing i i, 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 imdiately interrupted:
"Kinji has already beco 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?"
Co to think of it, when did he start calling Kinji?
When we first t, he called Hakari-san, then after a fight, he called Hakari.
Now, a week later, it's Kinji.
Is the next step calling 'Kin-chan' like Kirara does?
Kinji Hakari thought this guy was way too overfamiliar, but he didn't object to the na.
This was the reason i i had rushed over.
"New Human."
This group destined to take the world stage appeared before i i's eyes.
If this King of Curses wasn't lying, this alone could earn i i more money than she could spend in several lifetis.
Even though i i knew contacting him was a dangerous choice, she still couldn't help but co in person and bring Ui Ui.
Because of her money-supremacy principle, she couldn't ignore this invitation.
Despite the risk, she chose to co.
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.
i i and Ui Ui sat across from Mahito.
Without a waiter coming over, two cups of coffee and so desserts were already placed before them.
It seed Mahito and Kinji Hakari had been there for a while and had politely prepared the drinks.
i i lightly touched the coffee; it was still warm, the temperature just right—as if he had tid their arrival perfectly.
"That's right, simple, isn't it? Just let 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.
i i 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 sa 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?" i i 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.
"...i i had to admit, this scene was sowhat 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 beco lax because of it."
"Unfortunately, to perform New Humanization completely without side effects, even I can't do it in one step."
Despite saying sothing regrettable, Mahito's expression was quite self-satisfied.
i i 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 ti.
To maintain their own stability, their souls must be extrely 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 tis 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 sothing to be proud of, even arrogant about.
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