"Itadori!"
Nobara rushed forward.
"What happened to him? Where's Sukuna?" Megumi Fushiguro asked tensely, scanning the surroundings. Yet the overwhelming presence of the King of Curses had vanished completely, as though it had never existed.
Sol steadied the unconscious Itadori and replied calmly, "The King of Curses is very strong and not easy to deal with, so I temporarily suppressed him. He'll be fine once he wakes up."
Megumi and Nobara fell silent.
Not easy to deal with?
Temporarily suppressed?
Did he even hear what he was saying?
Megumi couldn't help recalling what had happened at Tokyo Jujutsu High not long ago. Even Gojo-sensei had seemed relaxed while suppressing Sukuna, but never to this extent.
Gojo-sensei at least used powerful Cursed Techniques and flashy movements.
Sol had simply tapped Itadori's forehead.
It didn't feel like he had confronted the legendary King of Curses. It felt more like he had calmed down a noisy child.
Nobara stared at the unconscious Itadori, then at Sol's composed expression.
"What kind of monster are you, anyway?"
Sol ignored the question and adjusted his grip on Itadori.
"Let's leave. The mission target has been eliminated, and Sukuna's Finger has been dealt with."
His tone remained steady, as though he had merely finished a routine errand.
Megumi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
He glanced at the completely dispersed traces of Cursed Energy around them, then at the unconscious but steadily breathing Itadori.
"Okay. Mr. Ijichi is waiting outside."
The countless questions in his mind remained unspoken.
The power Sol had displayed far exceeded anything Megumi understood about Cursed Techniques, physical enhancement, or even natural talent.
The effortless destruction of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
The casual suppression of Sukuna.
None of it was something an ordinary jujutsu sorcerer should have been capable of.
But now was not the time to ask.
Nobara finally shook off her stunned expression and stepped forward to help support Itadori.
"Let's go. I don't want to stay in this awful place for another second."
The three of them carried Itadori back the way they had come.
The return journey was unusually quiet.
The low-level Cursed Spirits that had once infested every corridor were gone. With the destruction of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit and the removal of Sukuna's Finger, only empty, decaying hallways remained.
Before long, they passed through the Curtain and stepped back into the sunlight.
Kiyotaka Ijichi, who had been anxiously waiting outside, immediately noticed them.
His face turned pale when he saw the unconscious Itadori.
"Itadori! What happened to him? Was he attacked by a Cursed Spirit?"
"He's fine. Just exhausted and asleep," Sol said, cutting off his panic.
He carefully laid Itadori in the back seat of the vehicle.
"Asleep?"
Ijichi blinked in confusion.
After examining Itadori more closely, he found his breathing steady, his complexion healthy, and even heard a faint snore.
The boy looked completely fine.
Relief instantly washed over him.
"That's great. Truly great!"
He patted his chest before quickly asking, "How did things go inside? The Cursed Spirit?"
"It was a Special Grade Cursed Spirit," Megumi reported. "It's been exorcised."
"Exorcised?"
Ijichi froze.
A Special Grade Cursed Spirit was no small threat.
Still, seeing all four students return safely, he decided not to press further.
"Good. Very good. You've all worked hard. I'll take everyone back to Tokyo Jujutsu High immediately."
The vehicle soon departed from the oppressive juvenile detention center.
The ride back was quiet.
Ijichi focused on driving.
Nobara stared out the window at the passing scenery, still processing everything that had happened.
Megumi rested with his eyes closed, though the tension in his expression made it obvious his thoughts were far from settled.
Sol sat beside Itadori, making sure he wouldn't be jostled around by the movement of the car.
His gaze remained calmly fixed ahead.
Only when they were nearing Tokyo Jujutsu High did Itadori finally wake up.
"Ugh..."
He rubbed his eyes and sat upright.
"Huh? How did I fall asleep? Is the mission over? What happened to the Special Grade Cursed Spirit?"
His usual energy was already returning.
Seeing him fully recovered, Nobara punched his shoulder lightly.
"You idiot. You almost scared us to death. You actually ate that thing."
"Huh?"
Itadori blinked.
Then his memories returned.
His face immediately turned pale.
"Oh right! I ate the Finger! Then Sukuna came out again, didn't he?"
He quickly checked his body.
"I didn't do anything, did I? Sol! Is everyone okay?"
"It's fine," Sol replied. "Everything's been resolved."
"Resolved?"
Itadori's eyes lit up.
"You handled it, didn't you, Sol? You're amazing! I knew I was right to trust you!"
He seemed completely unaware of just how dangerous the situation had been.
Instead, he looked genuinely excited by his friend's strength.
Megumi watched Itadori's carefree smile.
He wanted to say something, but ultimately held his tongue.
Perhaps that simple, straightforward nature was exactly why Itadori could bear Sukuna's existence.
The vehicle eventually came to a stop at the mountain gate.
After getting out, the four students watched Ijichi drive away to report the mission.
Standing at the foot of the stone staircase leading to Tokyo Jujutsu High, Itadori stretched and yawned.
"Ah! Finally back! Even though I slept for so long, I'm still exhausted!"
"It was a Special Grade mission," Megumi said.
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Sol once again.
Sol appeared not to notice.
"Let's go."
He was already climbing the steps.
Not long after they started ascending, a familiar figure suddenly appeared ahead of them.
"Yo! You're back pretty quickly!"
Gojo Satoru waved with a grin.
His gaze swept across the group before lingering briefly on Itadori and Sol.
"Looks like nobody lost an arm or a leg. Mission accomplished?"
"Gojo-sensei!"
Itadori immediately brightened.
"We ran into a Special Grade Cursed Spirit and Sukuna's Finger! But Sol handled everything! He's ridiculously strong!"
"Oh?"
Gojo lowered his sunglasses slightly, revealing his brilliant blue eyes.
A spark of interest appeared in them as he looked at Sol.
"A Special Grade Cursed Spirit, huh? And Sol took care of it? Tell me more."
Nobara quickly summarized what had happened.
She deliberately skipped over the most unbelievable parts, including Sol's effortless destruction of the Special Grade and the ease with which he had suppressed Sukuna.
Instead, she described it as a difficult battle where all four of them worked together before Sol found an opening to exorcise the Cursed Spirit.
Afterward, Itadori swallowed the Finger, Sukuna briefly manifested, and Sol managed to suppress him.
Even with the details toned down, Gojo listened with obvious interest, occasionally nodding as she spoke.
===
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