The sound of her heels echoed faintly off the stone walls as Mei Mei descended deeper into the underground facility. The hallway was cool and dim, lined with enchantments and reinforced charms embedded into the architecture.
It didn't look like a prison, not in the conventional sense. It was cleaner, quieter, and far more secure. Only someone like Gojo Satoru could have arranged something like this without needing to consult the Elders first.
At the bottom of the stairs stood a door shaped from cursed steel, held shut by two talismans that shimmered softly with layers of barrier spells. Mei Mei pressed her palm to the lock and allowed a faint pulse of her cursed energy to seep into it.
The seals unlatched with a low hiss.
Inside, the space widened into a circular room carved from dark rock. Candles flickered from mounted sconces, casting long shadows across the floor. At its centre stood a figure she had only recently begun to understand more.
Mahito.
He wasn't restrained. There were no chains, no cursed ropes or bindings. But the air in the room itself was thick with silent pressure. It was just the cursed energy naturally revolving out of the Special Grade Curse inhabiting the space.
Even so, it was controlled. Precise. The room was not a place designed to punish but to contain.
He turned as she entered, his purple eyes catching the candlelight in a way that made them glow faintly. His face was the same as always, boyish, almost carefree, but there was a subtle difference now. A certain open confidence that she had seen him restrain prior.
"Mei Mei," he said, voice laced with curiosity. "Didn't think you were the type to check on 'prisoners'."
"I'm not," she replied, closing the door behind her. "But you're not just any prisoner. You're also a business partner..."
Mahito's grin widened slightly. "I like the sound of that."
She stepped into the room without hesitation, her large axe resting lightly against her shoulder. "Gojo is still negotiating with the Elders. Until then, you're a... temporary guest."
Mahito tilted his head, mock-innocent. "Guest. That's a nice way of putting it."
Mei Mei did not smile. "Make no mistake. If you lose value, or betray your word, this facility becomes your tomb."
"I believe you," he replied without flinching. His smile made it clear that he didn't feel any fear. "But I meant what I said to Gojo. Hanami was a fanatic. She would have destroyed Yuji and the rest. And unlike some of my former... colleagues, I can think for myself."
Her gaze remained steady. "That's why I'm here."
"To test me?" Mahito asked, arms spreading lazily. "Go ahead, we may as well dance too~ I've been training every day since I got here."
Mei Mei adjusted her grip on the axe. "Good. I want to see it. Just how safe my investment is."
With a flick of her wrist, her cursed energy flared, axe already rippling outward, aiming to slice Mahito in two.
"Oh, so I'm a 'treasured' investment now?~"
The humanoid special grade curse didn't move. But his soul answered in kind, immediately separating, bending right around MeiMei's axe blade.
She squinted, undeterred, as she swiped, changing the trajectory of her blade.
Mahito's body reformed immediately, he raised his arm with a smile, his forearm reinforced with tightened muscles, bone and Cursed Energy.
The blade was immediately deflected by his reinforced forearm, flesh shifting slightly to absorb the blow.
He twisted, responding with a strike of his own, his hand extending like a whip, which she parried cleanly.
Or she thought she did, the whip immediately wrapped around her axe's handle and torso, swiping once more and throwing her away, into a nearby wall.
She couldn't help but sweat a bit; she could tell he didn't apply as much force as he could have.
He had always felt dangerous to her, but now that she was witnessing him in battle, she felt even more so.
'Among modern sorcerers, I wonder how many can even stand up to him at this point?'
She immediately dashed back in, wanting to find out more. Mahito smiled, his eyes only on her as a crow under her control rushed in from outside the cell and barrier.
Its body exploded with Cursed Energy, its beak pointed squarely at his back, while MeiMei's axe headed straight for his face.
'Interesting way of fighting... I guess when it comes to martial arts, she does surpass the version of me from my past life.'
But she was not fighting a human right now. She was not fighting 'Markus'. She was facing Mahito.
In an instant, his body bent like paper, head bending outwards to the side, while his torso bent at an odd angle to avoid the rushing crow.
MeiMei scowled when seeing him dodge, but his next action was even harder to anticipate.
His legs immediately shot forward at an odd angle, almost turning into snakes as they coiled around her body and joints, rendering her immovable.
In that very moment, she felt vulnerable, especially as she was in the way of her own technique.
She had already used her binding vow, the crow could not be stopped... Or so she thought.
And just before the beak could pierce her torso and injure her gravely, Mahito's arm, untransformed, reached out for it and grasped.
It was a smooth motion; Mahito had managed to telegraph the bird's movements easily enough despite its speed. And the body of the crow burst like a soap bubble.
"Hmm? Pretty dangerous ability... I was expecting you to be able to stop it, my bad~"
The exchange lasted only moments before they separated again, breath steady.
"So that's your curse technique... Manipulation of the soul? You really were taking it easy with me, huh?" Mei Mei said.
"Wouldn't wanna ruin that pretty face~" He replied. "Consider it my way of investing in the future~"
She gave him a cold look. "Hmph. Who'd expect a Curse to also be a sweet talker? If I didn't know you're on our side already, I would have thought you were trying to gain something..."
That made him laugh. "And what if I still am?~"
His snake-like legs uncoiled from around her joints, allowing her to breathe freely as she finally slung her axe back over her shoulder.
"Not that I would, as my tastes are a bit on the younger side, but do you even have the means, curse? We were pretty close just now, I didn't feel much~" She had no issue teasing him back as she shot down his playfulness.
But that didn't discourage Mahito, as he knew exactly what her tastes were.
"Oh trust me, everything about my body is adjustable," he said with a knowing smile, his posture changing ever so slightly. Not in a grotesque or overtly lewd way, but enough to suggest he had studied her more than she liked.
MeiMei raised an eyebrow, being completely taken aback.
She had no clue why the curse in front of her decided to take a younger form. She usually kept such preferences private, after all.
But the confidence he displayed, as well as the knowing look in his eyes, made her uncomfortable.
But she had always been business-oriented. She quickly composed herself, coughing a bit before signalling that playtime was over.
"Anyway... Why did you kill Hanami? Her information is worth even less now," she asked finally.
His smile faded, just a little. "Because she was going to kill them. Yuji. Todo. That Nanami guy.
Also, you already sold the information about her. If the Elders refuse to give the last parts of the payment because Hanami is no longer a threat, it would look bad on them."
"The Elders are sneaky old bastards. But you're right, they care more about face than anything else. Also, don't pretend that you cared about them."
"I cared enough to know they didn't deserve to die like that~ I just did what I wanted in the moment, no need to put that much thought into it~"
Mei Mei let that answer settle. Her gaze narrowed slightly as her white bang settled over her face. 'He is starting to sound more and more like Gojo...'
"You think the Elders will approve of my deal with Gojo?" Mahito asked, sitting on the floor across from her, legs crossed. "Let me fight as a weapon for humanity?"
"They'll need convincing. But Gojo knows how to get exactly what he wants."
Mahito looked at her thoughtfully. "And you? Do you think I'm worth keeping alive?"
"That depends," Mei Mei said. "If your loyalty is as flexible as your flesh, then no. But if you're as smart as you seem, then maybe."
He leaned back on his hands. "Well, I'm smart enough to know when someone is judging my worth."
"And?"
"And I don't mind being judged so openly~ Not if it's you."
Her expression barely changed, but for a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "Careful. I don't mix business with play."
"Then I'll just have to be very useful," Mahito said, flashing a grin.
Silence stretched for a moment, but it was not uncomfortable. The candlelight danced between them, throwing long shadows against the walls. Somewhere in the far-off corners of the facility, the air vent hummed low and steady.
"You'll likely be tested soon," Mei Mei said at last. "By the elders. If you fail, there won't be a second chance."
"I don't plan on failing."
"Good," she said, standing. "I'll be back when I have news."
She turned toward the door, but paused just before opening it.
"Mahito."
"Hmm?"
"If anything about my tastes ever gets out of this room... I will kill you myself."
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Noted."
She left without another word, but as the door closed behind her, Mahito chuckled softly to himself.
"Interesting woman," he murmured.
The flame from one of the candles near him flickered, casting his face half in shadow.
And he returned to his training, alone once more.