The little boy nodded timidly and pointed outside. "J...just on the street behind us."
"Let's get him out of here first," Nobara said as she stood up. She gave Sol another searching look but chose not to ask further questions.
She held the little boy's hand. "Don't wander into places like this again, alright?"
The three of them retraced their steps and left the building.
The afternoon sunlight felt almost blinding after the darkness inside.
Outside, Satoru Gojo and Megumi Fushiguro were waiting nearby. Gojo had somehow already bought ice cream. He casually ate one while handing another to Megumi, who accepted it expressionlessly without taking a bite.
"Oh? Finished already?" Gojo said lightly as he watched them walk out with the child. "And you even saved someone along the way?"
"A little kid got trapped inside and got targeted by a Cursed Spirit," Nobara explained while nudging the boy forward slightly. "The main curse has already been exorcised."
"Well done." Gojo grinned and ruffled Yuji's pink hair before glancing at Sol and Nobara. "Nobody got hurt, right?"
"Of course not!" Yuji proudly puffed out his chest.
"It was nothing serious," Nobara said with a snort.
Sol simply gave a small nod.
Behind his blindfold, Gojo's Six Eyes carefully scanned the three of them, lingering on Sol for a brief moment.
Back inside the building, he had sensed an incredibly short but abnormal fluctuation. Now, however, everything around Sol felt unnaturally stable again.
Gojo tilted his head slightly but said nothing.
Instead, he turned toward the little boy with his usual carefree smile. "Alright, little guy, big brother will take you home."
After dropping the child off safely, Gojo stretched lazily.
"Alright, practical training complete. Even if our sightseeing trip got ruined."
"There wasn't any sightseeing to begin with!" Yuji and Nobara complained at the same time.
"Then we'll replace it with good food!" Gojo clapped his hands dramatically. "I know an amazing sushi restaurant nearby. Teacher's paying today!"
"Sushi?" Yuji's eyes lit up instantly. "Seriously? Let's go!"
"Now you're talking," Nobara said, immediately more interested.
Megumi sighed quietly, clearly used to Gojo's impulsive behavior.
Sol simply followed behind the group without comment.
The sushi restaurant was nearby, a small traditional shop with an old-fashioned atmosphere.
There weren't many seats inside, but the place was spotless. Gojo greeted the owner casually before leading the students to the counter.
"Order whatever you want today," Gojo declared proudly. "Teacher's treating you."
Yuji immediately grabbed the menu.
"Tuna belly, sea urchin, sweet shrimp!"
Nobara leaned in beside him.
"Salmon belly and grilled eel!"
Megumi glanced at the menu briefly before ordering a simple salmon roe sushi set.
Sol scanned the menu and picked a few standard sushi dishes.
While waiting for the food, Yuji excitedly talked about the fight earlier, mostly praising Nobara's Cursed Technique.
Nobara looked pleased, though her attention occasionally drifted back toward Sol.
"Hey, Sol," she finally said, nudging him lightly with her elbow. "That move earlier, was it really just speed?"
Sol lifted his teacup and took a sip.
"Pretty much."
"But still..." Nobara frowned slightly, clearly unconvinced.
Gojo suddenly wrapped an arm around Sol's shoulder with a grin.
"Nobara, everyone has secrets. Maybe Sol just happens to be especially good at dealing with that type of Cursed Spirit."
He gave Sol a dramatic wink despite the blindfold covering his eyes.
Sol glanced at him calmly.
He could already tell Gojo had noticed the massive amount of cursed energy hidden within him.
Nobara pouted but eventually gave up pressing the issue.
The sushi arrived quickly afterward.
Everything was fresh and delicious. Yuji practically looked euphoric while eating, praising every bite loudly.
Nobara also stopped worrying about Sol for the moment and focused on the food.
Megumi ate quietly as usual.
Sol's movements remained composed and unhurried.
Meanwhile, Gojo casually observed all four of his students, a playful smile constantly resting on his face.
After the meal, Gojo paid the bill and checked the time.
"Alright, today officially ends here. Let's head back to Jujutsu High so you can settle into your dorms. Classes start tomorrow."
By the time they returned to Tokyo Jujutsu High, the sunset had already dyed the sky orange.
Gojo stopped in front of Yuji and Nobara's dorm rooms.
"These are your rooms. Everything you need is already inside. Get some rest tonight and meet at the training ground tomorrow morning."
Then he looked toward Sol.
"Sol, come with me for a second."
Sol silently followed him into the dorm corridor.
Gojo leaned casually against a pillar, though the playful smile on his face faded slightly.
"So," he said, "how far does your physical enhancement actually go? You surprised Nobara pretty badly back there, so it can't just be simple reinforcement, right?"
His tone sounded curious rather than forceful.
Sol stayed silent for a moment.
The identity and Cursed Technique assigned to him by the system still required believable details, but giving complicated explanations would only attract more attention.
And attention was troublesome.
Right now, he only wanted to quietly observe the potential of this world.
After all, this world would eventually belong to him.
The greater its potential, the more useful it would become.
So instead of explaining, Sol chose the simplest option.
He casually stepped closer and lightly patted Gojo's shoulder like a friend reassuring another friend.
"It really was just a little faster, Teacher," Sol said calmly.
The moment his hand touched Gojo's shoulder, an unimaginably subtle mental force slipped into place.
It carried traces of divine correction, something far beyond this world's understanding.
Rather than forcefully erasing memories, it gently overlaid them, quietly influencing Gojo's short-term thoughts and suppressing his investigative curiosity.
Gojo's body paused for the briefest instant.
Behind the blindfold, his pale blue eyes lost focus for less than a second.
Then the questioning look on his face disappeared completely, as though it had been softly wiped away.
"Hahaha, fair enough," Gojo said casually. "It's normal for rookies to have unique talents. Still nowhere near my level though, so keep working hard."
He grinned and patted Sol's shoulder in return.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Get some rest, and don't be late tomorrow."
Gojo shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away while humming badly off-key, seemingly having forgotten the entire reason he called Sol over in the first place.
Sol quietly watched him disappear around the corner.
Good.
That saved him from unnecessary trouble.
===
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