The attacker who had thrown the dagger felt his pupils shrink. His face twisted with disbelief and horror.
For a brief moment, everyone froze.
The fighting came to an abrupt halt.
Only Hoshizuki Hikari, still trembling with fear, instinctively turned toward the doorway.
At some point, Sol had appeared there.
His gaze was cold as he looked into the room.
Raising his right hand, he made a slight downward motion toward the horrified attacker.
"Bang!"
An invisible force slammed into the man like a falling mountain.
His body crashed to the floor without warning, producing a heavy thud that made the room tremble slightly.
He didn't even have time to scream.
Blood seeped from his mouth and nose as he immediately lost consciousness.
The last remaining attacker was utterly shaken by the impossible scene. His movements faltered for an instant.
Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro seized the opportunity.
Itadori drove a powerful punch into the man's abdomen while Megumi's Divine Dogs sank their teeth into his calf.
The attacker cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor.
Moments later, he was fully restrained.
The battle was over.
The bedroom was left in disarray.
Hoshizuki Hikari, Natsukawa Haruka, and Sora Mirai huddled together, still visibly shaken as they watched the aftermath.
Breathing heavily, Itadori and Megumi checked the unconscious attackers.
Nobara approached the three idols and reassured them.
"It's okay. Everything's been handled."
Hoshizuki Hikari, however, never took her eyes off Sol.
The scene she had witnessed moments earlier was burned into her memory.
It was him.
It had to be.
That incomprehensible power could only have come from him.
Sol stepped into the room and glanced at the unconscious men scattered across the floor.
"Megumi, contact Ijichi and have him deal with this."
"Understood."
Megumi immediately pulled out his phone.
Not long afterward, hurried footsteps and voices echoed through the hotel corridor as the drugged bodyguards gradually regained consciousness and the situation began coming to light.
Upon receiving the call, Kiyotaka Ijichi arrived with a team of auxiliary supervisors at remarkable speed.
When he saw the scene, he immediately broke into a cold sweat.
He repeatedly apologized and assured them that a full investigation into the attackers and their method of infiltration would begin immediately.
The three idols were moved to another secure room to rest.
Their manager rushed over as soon as he heard what had happened. His face was pale as he repeatedly thanked Sol and the others.
As dawn approached, the night's turmoil finally came to an end.
According to Ijichi's preliminary investigation, the attackers were all specially trained ordinary people rather than Jujutsu Sorcerers or Curse Users.
However, the equipment and chemicals they carried contained traces of cursed energy.
It was obvious that someone connected to the jujutsu world was operating behind the scenes.
More importantly, the targets had clearly been Hoshizuki Hikari and her companions.
After suffering two attacks in such a short period, both the idols and their management company were thoroughly alarmed.
All remaining promotional events scheduled in Tokyo were canceled.
They decided to return directly to Osaka later that day.
Before departing, Hoshizuki Hikari approached Sol once more to express her gratitude.
When no one was paying attention, she discreetly slipped him a note containing her personal contact information.
Her expression was complicated as she spoke quietly.
"If you ever come to Osaka, please make sure to contact me."
Sol glanced at the note, casually tucked it away, and nodded.
On the drive back to Tokyo Jujutsu High in the auxiliary supervisor's vehicle, Itadori finally voiced a thought that had been bothering him.
"Being an idol is pretty dangerous, isn't it?"
"Seriously," Nobara agreed. "I didn't expect them to be targeted like that. But Sol, that thing you did last night, crushing the dagger from a distance, was amazing. How did you do it?"
Megumi also looked toward Sol with clear curiosity.
Watching the scenery rush past outside the window, Sol replied casually.
"Just a small trick."
Since he clearly had no intention of explaining further, nobody pressed the issue.
Still, after everything that had happened, their understanding of Sol's strength had become both deeper and more uncertain.
Back at Tokyo Jujutsu High, life appeared to return to normal.
Training.
Classes.
Rest.
Gojo Satoru had yet to return, so most first-year lessons continued under the guidance of other instructors.
Itadori, Megumi, and Nobara trained harder than ever.
The incidents at the mall and hotel had made them painfully aware of their current limitations.
As for Sol, he continued acting as both observer and occasional mentor.
Whenever he offered advice, it was direct and precise, often identifying the core weaknesses in their fighting styles and Cursed Techniques.
The three benefited greatly from his guidance.
Several peaceful days passed.
Then Gojo Satoru finally returned.
That afternoon, after training, Itadori received a message from Hoshizuki Hikari.
She once again thanked them for their help and explained that they had arrived safely in Osaka. Their company had strengthened security measures, which had helped ease her concerns.
At the end of the message, however, she added something else.
It looked as though she had spent a long time deciding whether to mention it.
[Starlight: Mr. Itadori, could you please help me contact Sol? I know this might sound strange, but lately I keep feeling as if someone is watching me. It doesn't feel like a fan. It's a very unpleasant feeling. The company checked for bugs and hidden cameras but found nothing. Maybe I'm just being overly nervous?]
Itadori immediately showed the message to Sol.
After reading it, a faint glimmer flashed through Sol's dark red eyes.
It seemed the people behind the attacks had not given up.
One failure.
Then another.
Rather than discouraging them, it might have strengthened their determination.
From Tokyo all the way to Osaka.
Interesting.
Sol put away the phone and looked at Itadori.
"Reply to her. Tell her to stay alert and avoid being alone whenever possible."
"Got it."
Itadori quickly sent the response.
Nobara leaned closer.
"What now? Those creeps still aren't giving up?"
Megumi frowned.
"Repeated harassment and attacks against ordinary people don't really match the higher-ups' usual methods. If they considered someone a threat, they'd generally deal with it directly."
He paused before continuing.
"This feels more like the work of certain Curse User groups."
"How so?" Itadori asked.
Megumi's expression grew serious.
"Some Curse Users target specific people for special purposes. They stalk them, terrorize them, and exploit their fear. Sometimes it's for creating Cursed Objects. Sometimes it's for rituals. Negative emotions can be useful for certain cursed techniques."
Sol nodded.
Megumi's theory was highly plausible.
As popular idols, Hoshizuki Hikari and her group naturally attracted enormous emotional attention from fans.
That made them ideal targets for certain twisted techniques.
"So what do we do?" Nobara asked. "They're in Osaka now. We can't exactly go over there and protect them around the clock."
Itadori looked equally concerned.
===
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