After Sol declared, "I'm very good at comforting people," an even heavier silence settled over the classroom.
Yuji Itadori looked as though he had swallowed something the wrong way, his expression caught between confusion and the unspoken question, Are you really good at comforting people?
Megumi Fushiguro's lips twitched almost imperceptibly before he returned to his usual stoic expression, though the helplessness in his eyes only deepened.
Nobara, meanwhile, rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and shot Sol a glare that clearly labeled him an idiot.
Gojo Satoru burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking without the slightest attempt to hide his amusement.
"Wow, what a reassuring statement, Sol!" he said, clapping dramatically. "Go on then. Your teacher is looking forward to seeing your comforting skills."
Completely unfazed by the skeptical atmosphere, Sol rose from his seat and walked toward Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara.
His steps were steady, his face unreadable, while his dark red eyes carefully examined each of them.
He stopped in front of Yuji first.
Yuji instinctively straightened his back, a hint of nervousness creeping onto his face.
"Itadori," Sol said evenly, "your frontal combat ability is respectable, but your tactics are too predictable. That makes it easy for opponents to dictate the flow of battle."
"When facing complex cursed techniques or Domain Expansions, you lack reliable countermeasures. Thanks to Sukuna, your physical abilities greatly surpass those of an ordinary person, but you're nowhere near using that strength efficiently. Your cursed energy control is crude and incredibly wasteful. During the Shibuya Incident, your overall performance was poor."
Yuji froze.
"..."
He opened his mouth to argue, only to realize everything Sol had said was true.
But... what does any of that have to do with comforting me?
Sol then turned toward Megumi.
"Megumi Fushiguro, wielder of the Ten Shadows Technique. Your cursed technique possesses tremendous potential, yet you've barely scratched the surface of it. Your combat decisions rely too heavily on fixed patterns, and your shikigami rarely work together effectively. Divine Dogs, Nue, Great Serpent, Max Elephant, and Rabbit Escape should function as a coordinated force, not isolated summons."
"As for summoning Mahoraga, that was an outright disaster. Without outside intervention, you would have died from the technique's backlash. Your close-quarters combat remains a clear weakness, and you depend too much on your shikigami for protection."
Megumi's fingers curled slightly.
His face turned noticeably paler, and his lips pressed into a thin line.
He already knew every flaw Sol listed, but hearing them laid out so bluntly, especially in front of everyone else, was deeply humiliating.
...You're the reason I had to summon Mahoraga in the first place.
Finally, Sol faced Nobara.
She had already prepared herself for criticism, glaring at him as if daring him to say something she disliked.
"Nobara."
His gaze shifted to the hammer and nails in her hands.
"Your Resonance technique is highly versatile, but its effectiveness depends heavily on both the medium and your cursed energy output. Against opponents with exceptional durability or enemies that lack a conventional physical body, its effectiveness drops significantly."
"You also lack reliable mid to long-range options. Your footwork isn't flexible enough, making you vulnerable against faster opponents. Most importantly, you allow your emotions to dictate your decisions during battle, which causes you to lose sight of the bigger picture."
He paused.
"Use your brain more."
Nobara's face instantly turned bright red.
The joints in her clenched fists cracked.
"Hey! You bastard!"
Gojo laughed so hard he nearly slid off the podium.
Holding onto his sunglasses, he could barely speak through his laughter.
"Hahaha... So this... this is your version of comforting? Truly... unique! I'd say it's incredibly effective. Just look how red their faces are after being comforted!"
Yuji was flushed with embarrassment.
Megumi's ears were red despite his pale face.
Nobara was red with pure anger.
Sol observed their reactions and concluded that his method had worked.
Back in the Monster Association, this was exactly how he had trained monsters. They had always looked much more motivated afterward, and any form of motivation was a positive result.
"Recognizing your weaknesses is the first step toward becoming stronger," Sol concluded. "You all have plenty of room to improve."
With that, he calmly returned to his seat and sat down as though he had simply finished a routine combat evaluation.
Yuji lowered his head and muttered quietly,
"...He's not wrong... but somehow I feel even worse now."
Megumi closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath.
As harsh as Sol's emotionless criticism had been, it revealed his weaknesses and future direction far more clearly than empty words of encouragement ever could.
Accepting it, however, was another matter entirely.
Nobara continued glaring daggers at the back of Sol's head.
One day," she whispered to the other two, "I'm carving 'If you can't speak properly, then shut up' onto his handsome face with my nails."
Gojo finally managed to stop laughing.
After pretending to wipe away nonexistent tears, he clapped his hands.
"Alright, alright. Sol's way of comforting people is... admittedly a little extreme, but everything he pointed out is important. Those are exactly the issues we'll be addressing during our upcoming special training."
His gaze swept across the classroom before stopping on Sol.
"If we're doing special training, we'll need an appropriate location," Gojo said thoughtfully. "The training grounds at Jujutsu High won't survive your antics, especially a certain someone's."
He tilted his head toward Sol with a grin.
Sol lifted his eyes.
A faint glimmer flashed within his dark red pupils.
"I know a suitable place."
Yuji immediately leaned forward.
"Where? Is it some secret training base you know about, Sol?"
Megumi and Nobara also looked at him curiously.
After everything that had happened during Shibuya, none of them underestimated Sol's strength or mysterious background anymore.
Gojo raised an eyebrow, a playful smile spreading across his face.
"Oh? Now you've got my attention. Let's hear it."
"Another world," Sol answered simply.
"Another world?!"
Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara shouted in unison, disbelief written across their faces.
Gojo, however, looked even more excited.
"World travel? That's far more interesting than any cursed technique. So how do we get there? Do we need a special cursed technique or some kind of cursed tool?"
Sol shook his head.
Deep within his consciousness, the familiar blue system panel quietly appeared.
"No preparation is necessary."
Silently, he issued a command.
Infinity Castle.
In the next instant, the space beneath the group twisted violently.
Whoosh!
An overwhelming sensation of weightlessness washed over everyone as the scenery around them blurred into streaks before rapidly reforming.
"Whoa! What is this?!" Yuji shouted, instinctively grabbing Megumi beside him.
Megumi's face turned pale. He did his best to remain composed, but the tension in his clenched fists gave him away.
Nobara gripped her hammer tightly, treating it like her only source of stability.
Gojo, meanwhile, spread his arms wide with a grin.
"Now this is fun! Spatial transportation? I like it!"
Only Sol remained perfectly still, as though the violent fluctuations in space had nothing to do with him.
A few moments later, the sensation of weightlessness vanished.
Everyone felt solid ground beneath their feet once again.
===
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