"Tonight, we'll take turns on watch," Sol announced. "Itadori will take the first half of the night, and Megumi the second. Nobara and I will be ready to assist at any time."
"Understood!" the three replied in unison.
After the incident at the mall, none of them had any objections to Sol's arrangements.
As the night deepened, the city gradually fell silent. Only the neon lights continued their tireless glow across the streets.
Itadori sat cross-legged on the living room carpet, doing his best to stay awake during his shift.
The neighboring suite had long gone dark. The three idols appeared to be asleep, while the bodyguards stationed in the hallway continued their routine patrols and shift changes.
Everything seemed peaceful, almost enough to make the dangers of the day feel unreal.
Later, Megumi Fushiguro woke on schedule and took over from Itadori. He settled into the living room, his shadow subtly shifting at his feet, ready to summon his Divine Dogs at a moment's notice.
Nobara rested in her room.
Sol remained in his own bedroom with his eyes closed, though he wasn't asleep. His senses continuously monitored the surrounding area like an invisible surveillance network centered on the hotel.
Around three in the morning, the quietest hour of the night arrived.
Suddenly, Sol opened his eyes.
At nearly the same moment, a faint thud came from the neighboring suite. The sound was heavily muffled by carpet, as though something heavy had collapsed onto the floor.
Immediately afterward, an eerie scent began seeping through the ventilation system into both suites. It was faint and almost impossible to detect, carrying a strangely hypnotic quality.
The substance was not cursed energy. It was a specialized chemical agent mixed with a weak cursed aura, capable of inducing deep unconsciousness. It was highly effective against ordinary people and could mildly affect Jujutsu Sorcerers as well.
Outside, the expected sounds of the bodyguards changing shifts never came.
Megumi Fushiguro immediately rose to his feet. He had noticed the anomaly as well. The faint sweetness lingering in the air made his head feel slightly heavy.
Holding his breath, he called out sharply.
"Something's wrong!"
The bedroom doors of Nobara and Itadori opened almost simultaneously. Though both had been awakened abruptly, their combat instincts immediately pushed away any remaining drowsiness.
Sol appeared silently in the living room.
His gaze shifted toward the ventilation duct.
His fingers moved slightly.
The strange scent that had been spreading through the rooms suddenly seemed to be seized by an invisible force. The gas was violently dragged back toward its source, accompanied by a faint cracking sound somewhere inside the neighboring suite.
The scent vanished instantly.
"Something happened next door," Sol said calmly as he headed for the wall separating the suites.
Megumi and the others followed immediately, cursed energy surging through their bodies as their last traces of sleep disappeared.
Rather than using the door, Sol stopped before the shared wall connecting the two living rooms.
He extended a finger and lightly traced a line across the surface.
The solid wall parted silently, opening as smoothly as butter beneath a hot blade. A perfectly clean passage large enough for a person appeared without producing dust or noise.
Through the opening, the neighboring suite came into view.
Three men dressed as hotel maintenance workers stood frozen in the living room. Breathing filters covered their faces, and one unconscious bodyguard lay at their feet.
They clearly had not expected their target's wall to suddenly open.
Nor had they expected their carefully prepared gas to fail so completely.
For a brief moment, they simply stared.
From deeper inside the suite came faint sounds of struggling and muffled cries.
Sol stepped through the opening.
His movement was so fast that none of them could react.
Three muted impacts echoed through the room.
The disguised intruders collapsed instantly.
Their eyes bulged from their sockets. Blood seeped from their noses and mouths as they crumpled to the floor without a single cry. It looked as though each had been struck by a speeding truck.
Megumi, Itadori, and Nobara entered through the opening.
Seeing the aftermath, all three felt their hearts tighten slightly.
Sol's methods were always brutally efficient.
"Bedrooms!" Megumi shouted as he rushed toward the source of the commotion.
Itadori and Nobara followed close behind.
Sol remained where he was.
His senses expanded throughout the suite.
The threats in the living room and hallway had already been neutralized.
Two remained inside the bedrooms.
They were attempting to restrain Hoshizuki Hikari and Natsukawa Haruka, pressing anesthetic-soaked cloths over their mouths and noses.
The bedroom door burst open under Megumi's kick.
Inside, two more men wearing maintenance uniforms and breathing filters were struggling to subdue the two idols, while Sora Mirai huddled in a corner, pale with fear.
"Let them go!" Itadori roared.
His fist surged with cursed energy as he charged forward.
The attackers were clearly well-trained.
Reacting immediately, they abandoned their targets and turned to confront the students.
One barely blocked Itadori's punch with an arm twisted into an unusual angle.
The other drew a gleaming dagger and thrust it toward the advancing Nobara.
Megumi's shadow spread across the floor.
His Divine Dogs emerged with a growl and lunged forward.
The cramped bedroom exploded into chaos.
The intruders fought with surprising skill. Their techniques were disciplined, and their coordination was excellent. They also seemed familiar with Jujutsu Sorcerers, favoring close-quarters combat and weapon attacks designed to pressure cursed energy users.
For a moment, Itadori and Megumi found themselves tied up by their opponents.
Nobara was forced onto the defensive against the poisoned blade.
In the corner, Sora Mirai squeezed her eyes shut in terror.
Meanwhile, Hoshizuki Hikari seized the opportunity to break free. She stumbled backward, her face pale as she watched the battle unfold.
Then the attacker wielding the dagger suddenly revealed a vicious smile.
After forcing Nobara back with a feint, he flicked his wrist.
The dagger shot through the air like a venomous serpent.
Its target was not Nobara.
It was Hoshizuki Hikari.
The sudden attack caught everyone off guard.
"Watch out!" Nobara shouted.
Itadori and Megumi were still occupied and unable to intervene.
Hoshizuki Hikari watched the blade racing toward her throat.
The cold glint rapidly filled her vision.
Fear stole her breath.
Her mind went blank.
Then, just centimeters from her neck, the dagger stopped.
It halted as though it had struck an invisible wall.
The room fell silent.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, the steel blade began to twist and crumble from the tip backward.
The cursed weapon folded in on itself like a fragile wafer being crushed by an unseen hand.
A moment later, the entire dagger disintegrated into fine metallic powder and drifted to the floor.
Not a single sound accompanied the process.
The sight was utterly bizarre.