Sol's hand remained resting over Hoshizuki Hikari's, while his cold gaze stayed fixed on the imposter.
"Stage costumes?" he said emotionlessly. "The residual Cursed Energy inside doesn't smell anything like fabric."
Hoshizuki Hikari's face immediately paled.
She pulled her hand back and took a step away, staring at the clothing rack in shock and disbelief.
A vicious gleam flashed through the disguised courier's eyes.
Realizing his cover had been blown, his left hand shot toward his waist with startling speed.
Sol was faster.
He never moved his feet.
Only the index finger of the hand that had been resting on Hoshizuki Hikari's hand twitched slightly.
Buzz.
An invisible yet overwhelming force descended instantly.
It felt like a massive hydraulic press crashing down with perfect precision.
Crack!
The faint sound of breaking bone echoed through the hallway.
"Ugh...!"
The imposter let out a muffled cry.
His wrist twisted into an unnatural angle as it fractured. At the same time, an immense force slammed him face-first into the floor. Blood immediately poured from his nose, and several teeth shattered against the tiles.
He struggled desperately to lift himself up.
It was pointless.
The pressure pinning his back to the ground was so overwhelming that he could not even move a finger.
Without support, the clothing rack began to tip over.
Sol casually reached out with his free hand, steadied it, and set it upright.
The entire exchange lasted only a moment.
The bodyguards stationed at the door had barely processed what happened before it was already over.
They stared at Sol in stunned disbelief, then at the intruder lying helplessly on the floor.
Instinctively, their hands tightened around the weapons at their waists.
Cold sweat ran down their backs.
Hoshizuki Hikari covered her mouth as her heart raced.
Looking at Sol's tall figure standing before her, she couldn't forget the sharp decisiveness of his actions.
It was intimidating.
Yet at the same time, it filled her with an indescribable sense of security.
Sol didn't even spare the man on the ground another glance.
"Contact the company and verify this delivery," he said. "Then notify the police and the people responsible for handling incidents like this."
Naturally, he meant personnel from the jujutsu world. He had no interest in dealing with such trivial matters himself.
"Y, yes!"
The bodyguards hurriedly pulled out their communicators.
Only then did Sol crouch slightly.
With a casual flick of his finger, Telekinesis tore open the fabric at the back of the attacker's collar.
A strange black Cursed Mark was revealed.
The mark had only just appeared and was already beginning to fade.
"Another self-destructing Cursed Technique?"
A trace of faint sarcasm entered Sol's voice.
Dark red energy flickered at his fingertip before vanishing.
The Cursed Mark disappeared instantly.
The possibility of the attacker destroying himself was completely erased.
Afterward, Sol stood up and looked toward Hoshizuki Hikari.
"Go back inside. They'll handle the rest."
She glanced at the motionless attacker, then at Sol's composed expression.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded and obediently returned to the apartment.
Sol gave the subdued attacker one final glance before following her inside.
The door slowly closed behind them, shutting out the remaining commotion.
Inside the apartment, Sora Mirai and Natsukawa Haruka hurried over.
"Hikari-nee, are you okay?"
"What happened out there?"
Hoshizuki Hikari shook her head.
"I'm fine. Thanks to Sol."
Her expression grew complicated as she looked at him.
"Was it another attack targeting us?"
"Yes."
Sol walked over to the sofa and sat down, as though he had merely stepped outside to throw away some trash.
"The method was a little more sophisticated than last time, but not by much."
His casual tone diluted much of the tension hanging in the room.
Sora Mirai lowered her head.
"Will these people ever stop?"
Natsukawa Haruka glanced nervously toward the entrance.
"Could there be more of them?"
"Not for now."
Sol picked up the book he had been reading earlier.
"After failing this badly, they'll stay quiet for a while."
The certainty in his voice was reassuring.
The three girls visibly relaxed.
The remainder of the day passed peacefully.
Morita rushed over to deal with the aftermath.
Police officers and personnel from Window soon arrived as well, taking away both the unconscious attacker and the so-called stage costumes that secretly contained a curse.
Security around the apartment was upgraded yet again.
By evening, the fading sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and bathed the living room in warm orange light.
Perhaps to ease the atmosphere, Hoshizuki Hikari turned on the stereo and played several of their group's practice tracks.
The cheerful music quickly dispelled some of the lingering gloom.
Sora Mirai and Natsukawa Haruka unconsciously swayed along to the rhythm.
Looking at the sunset outside, Hoshizuki Hikari suddenly spoke.
"Sol, do you ever find us troublesome?"
Sol raised his eyes from his book.
"No."
The answer was immediate and straightforward.
"But we keep getting caught up in things like this."
"That has nothing to do with you."
Sol closed his book.
"I actually don't mind dealing with things like this."
To him, these minor nuisances were little more than entertainment while he waited for more important events to unfold.
His tone remained composed, carrying neither arrogance nor indifference.
Instead, it reflected the confidence of someone who never viewed such threats as a problem.
The answer visibly reassured Hoshizuki Hikari.
Sora Mirai and Natsukawa Haruka, who had been secretly listening, seemed equally relieved.
"Mr. Sol!"
Unable to contain herself, Sora Mirai leaned forward with sparkling eyes.
"The way you stopped that bad guy earlier was incredible! Just like a superhero in a movie!"
She enthusiastically mimicked his actions.
The result looked more adorable than intimidating.
Natsukawa Haruka remained silent, but her gaze toward Sol was filled with curiosity and a subtle sense of dependence.
Sol looked at them.
The invisible pressure that usually surrounded him seemed slightly less pronounced.
"Just routine handling."
He had no interest in discussing his abilities further.
At that moment, another knock sounded at the apartment door.
Morita entered with a mixture of relief and lingering fear on his face.
Several stern-looking men in suits followed behind him.
They were clearly senior company officials sent to assist with the aftermath.
Among them were likely members of Window and other jujutsu-related personnel.
However, they were tactful enough not to disturb Sol.
Instead, they quietly coordinated with Morita and the head of security, efficiently resolving the remaining issues.
The next two days were unusually peaceful.
The sensation of being watched vanished completely.
Even the lingering low-level Cursed Spirits that occasionally wandered nearby seemed to disappear, making the atmosphere around the apartment feel noticeably lighter.
Under the careful protection of their manager and assistants, along with the security provided by Sol's presence, the members of Star of Light gradually returned to their usual energetic selves.
===
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