A flicker of pride surfaced within Gojo Satoru.
He had never imagined his teaching was so effective that someone could grasp everything after a single explanation. More than pride, however, he was genuinely astonished by Sol's talent.
Suddenly, he grabbed Sol by the shoulders and shook him vigorously.
"You little monster! What exactly are you? Hahaha! This is incredible! This year's first-years are seriously amazing!"
To Gojo, Sol was a once-in-a-generation treasure.
Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki had long since gone numb from shock. The only thing they could do was stare at Sol as though he had descended from another world.
Megumi Fushiguro took a deep breath, silently looked away, and focused on reviewing the theory Gojo had just taught.
Comparing yourself to someone like Sol was simply asking for frustration.
Gojo circled Sol twice, examining him like a collector who had just discovered a priceless artifact.
"It's decided! Sol, you're officially my number one observation target... no, that sounds wrong. My number one student! At this rate, you might catch up to your teacher sooner than I expected!"
The positive energy in Sol's hand faded away.
He showed little reaction to Gojo's excitement or his classmates' disbelief.
"Okay."
During the remainder of the lesson, Gojo became even more enthusiastic.
Every few minutes he would call Sol forward to demonstrate something.
Without exception, Sol replicated each technique perfectly.
Sometimes, his execution was even more efficient than Gojo's original demonstration.
By the time class ended, Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi all looked mentally exhausted.
"Alright!" Gojo announced cheerfully. "That's enough for today! Make sure you review everything properly, especially you three."
He pointed directly at Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi.
Then he looked at Sol.
"Sol, come with me for a minute."
Sol followed him into the hallway.
This time, Gojo's expression was noticeably more serious.
He rubbed his chin while carefully studying Sol from head to toe.
"Honestly, Sol, your talent is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen."
"Your Cursed Technique seems to be physical enhancement, but your understanding of Cursed Energy and your learning speed are completely absurd."
After a brief pause, he continued.
"Besides strengthening your body, does your technique have any additional effects? Does it specialize in strength, speed, durability, or something deeper?"
Sol had already prepared an explanation.
"It provides overall enhancement. My learning ability also seems to be affected."
He casually attributed his extraordinary comprehension and analytical abilities to an additional effect of his technique.
"Overall enhancement, including learning ability..."
Gojo thoughtfully repeated the words.
"No wonder."
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
"On paper, it sounds simple. But the growth potential is incredible. That's fantastic."
He firmly patted Sol on the back.
"Keep working hard. I'm really looking forward to seeing how far you can go."
Sol nodded.
"I will."
After that, he turned and left.
Gojo watched his departing figure, a smile slowly forming on his face.
"Overall physical enhancement combined with a ridiculous learning ability..."
He chuckled.
"I really found a treasure."
His mind immediately began racing.
The physical test results that shattered expectations.
The effortless mastery of Cursed Energy control.
The ability to learn Reverse Cursed Technique after a single demonstration.
At this point, calling Sol a genius felt inadequate.
This was something entirely different.
"A once-in-a-hundred-years talent? No, that's underselling it."
Gojo grinned.
"This is a monster."
In his imagination, he could already see the future.
Sol defeating powerful curses.
Sol dismantling the rotten traditions of the jujutsu world.
Sol standing alongside him at the very top.
"It's settled!"
Gojo slammed a fist into his palm.
From the excitement on his face, he looked like a proud father showing off his child.
"From today onward, Sol becomes my highest-priority student! Proper training, proper guidance, proper protection!"
He laughed.
"I want him to become even stronger than me. Well, at least strong enough to give me a good fight."
Completely immersed in his fantasy of raising the ultimate prodigy, Gojo never stopped to consider what kind of existence Sol truly was.
"First things first, a customized training plan."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Although..."
His expression suddenly froze.
"The fundamentals."
A long silence followed.
"No, wait."
He frowned.
"His fundamentals seem even better than mine."
Gojo stood there in disbelief.
A teaching crisis had appeared.
For the first time in his life, he was facing a problem he had never expected.
His student might actually be running out of things for him to teach.
A few seconds later, he snapped his fingers.
"No problem!"
His confidence returned instantly.
"Combat experience."
"That's it."
"I'll send him on missions."
The more he thought about it, the more perfect the idea sounded.
"He can experience different cursed spirits, different techniques, and different combat situations."
"With his learning ability, he'll probably copy everything after seeing it once."
Gojo paused.
"Actually, he'll probably improve it too."
The image forming in his mind became increasingly appealing.
Sol effortlessly clearing missions while he relaxed nearby with snacks in hand.
Perfect.
"That's the plan!"
Gojo snapped his fingers again, completely satisfied.
Humming an off-key tune, he headed toward the faculty office while planning the future development of his prized student.
Meanwhile, Sol returned to his room.
After closing the door behind him, the outside noise disappeared.
He walked over to the window.
The setting sun hung above the distant mountains, painting the landscape in shades of gold and orange.
Gojo's reaction had unfolded exactly as expected.
The talent Sol displayed was more than enough to attract attention and resources.
Not that he particularly needed either.
Still, since he intended to complete the main quest, he could treat everything as part of a game.
One question remained.
Would pulling Sukuna directly out of Yuji's body and killing him count as completing the objective?
He didn't know.
It wasn't important right now.
Whenever Sukuna appeared, Sol would simply deal with him.
As for Gojo's talk about nurturing and protecting him...
A faint smile appeared on Sol's face.
It was an unusual experience.
Throughout his life, people had either feared him, envied him, or treated him as something dangerous.
Being viewed as a gifted student who needed guidance was surprisingly refreshing.
The next morning, practical combat training began.
Inside the dojo, the students gathered in the center of the training area.
Gojo lazily stretched before explaining the rules.
"Today's lesson is sparring."
"We'll use it to understand each other's fighting styles and Cursed Techniques."
His grin widened.
"Try not to seriously injure your classmates."
Then he shrugged.
"Though with me here, that would be pretty difficult anyway."