Zombieman led the three students through a wide, brightly lit corridor. Along the way, Hero Association staff members and heroes occasionally glanced at them with curiosity, though everyone respectfully kept their distance.
Itadori was fascinated by the floating cleaning robots, while Megumi Fushiguro focused on the intricate energy flow diagrams lining the walls. Nobara occasionally reached into her pocket, lightly touching the bottle of glowing liquid Allie had given her.
"Headquarters has seven underground training levels," Zombieman explained in his usual steady tone. "Each floor is designed to simulate specialized environments suited to different combat abilities."
He continued, "Given your unique abilities, you may find the fourth floor's energy manipulation adaptation field and the fifth floor's extreme environment resistance field particularly useful."
As they walked, they arrived at a massive circular observation platform. Beyond the railing stretched a seemingly bottomless shaft, from which a low hum of energy echoed upward.
Itadori leaned over the railing and stared into the depths.
"It's so deep! What's down there?"
"One of headquarters' primary power cores," Zombieman replied. "It is also one of our highest-level restricted areas. No one may enter without authorization from Mr. Sol or Miss Tatsumaki."
At the mention of Sol, Nobara finally lowered her voice.
"Did you seriously not notice? Everyone here treats Sol with incredible respect, even the S-Class heroes..."
Itadori scratched the back of his head.
"Superalloy Darkshine-senpai was really enthusiastic. He taught me a ton of training methods!"
He had completely missed her point.
Standing beside them, Megumi spoke calmly.
"His position here is far beyond what we imagined."
His eyes drifted toward several staff members in the distance, who respectfully bowed toward the direction Sol had gone.
"'The ruler of this world' isn't just an exaggeration."
Nobara nodded repeatedly and was about to continue when the passage ahead suddenly glowed with a soft blue light.
A gentle electronic voice echoed through the corridor.
"Mr. Zombieman, Lord Sol has instructed you to escort the guests to the Seventh Training Ground for a basic adaptation assessment."
"Understood."
Zombieman acknowledged the instruction before turning back to the students.
"It seems Mr. Sol has already arranged your schedule. The Seventh Training Ground is our highest-specification simulated battlefield. Please prepare yourselves."
When they arrived, they found Gojo Satoru already lounging comfortably in the observation area with a cup of an oddly colored drink in hand.
"Yo." He grinned, casually swirling the cup. "The desserts here are surprisingly creative. Their energy system is completely different too. Pretty interesting."
At the center of the training field stood Sol and Tatsumaki.
Tatsumaki floated with her arms folded across her chest. She appeared to have just finished speaking with Sol, and a faint blush still lingered on her face.
Aside from a slight redness near the tips of his ears, Sol looked perfectly composed.
His gaze swept across the three students.
"The training facilities here are capable of bringing out your full potential. You'll be training here for the time being."
After a brief pause, he added,
"The energy systems may differ, but the fundamentals of combat remain the same. Focus on improving yourselves and don't waste this opportunity."
Itadori immediately straightened.
"Yes! We'll work hard!"
Megumi and Nobara also nodded without hesitation.
Sol said nothing further. Instead, he looked toward Tatsumaki.
"Let's go."
"Hm."
A faint green glow enveloped Tatsumaki as her telekinesis lifted her effortlessly into the air. She floated toward the exit first.
Sol followed behind her, and before long, both disappeared into the corridor beyond the training ground.
The remaining group exchanged glances as the atmosphere quietly shifted.
Moonlight poured through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows of Tatsumaki's apartment.
Standing by the window, Sol gazed silently over the orderly city skyline. His crimson eyes reflected the countless lights stretching across the city below.
Tatsumaki floated over to the sofa with two dolls she had picked up along the way and carefully arranged them beside her.
After a brief silence, she spoke.
"Hey."
Her voice was quieter than usual.
"How long can you stay this time?"
Sol turned toward her.
"It depends. Things on the other side aren't completely finished yet."
Tatsumaki quietly hummed in acknowledgment.
Unlike usual, she didn't complain.
She drifted to the refrigerator, retrieved two cans of drinks, and tossed one toward him.
"Don't expect me to keep handling all those mountains of paperwork every time you disappear."
Her tone remained awkward, but it lacked its usual sharpness.
Sol caught the chilled can.
"Thanks for your hard work."
Silence settled over the apartment once more.
Tatsumaki took a sip from her drink, stealing occasional glances at Sol as though she wanted to say something but couldn't quite find the words.
Eventually, she set the can down and looked directly at him with her emerald eyes.
"How long are they staying at the training grounds?"
"They're only here because I stopped by on my way back. I'll take them with me when I leave."
She gave another quiet hum, accepting the explanation.
Crossing her arms, she looked him over.
"And you? Since you're finally back, you're dealing with all those overdue reports yourself this time. Don't even think about dumping everything on me again."
She tried to sound as impatient as always, but the end of the sentence softened almost imperceptibly.
"I'll leave them to Child Emperor, Psykos, and Muzan from now on. You've done more than enough."
His words brought another stretch of silence.
Moonlight cast long shadows across the floor while the city lights shimmered quietly beyond the windows.
Tatsumaki's folded fingers tightened briefly before relaxing.
She floated back to the sofa, hugged a cushion against herself, and muttered softly,
"...At least you have some sense."
A moment later, she abruptly tossed the cushion aside, rose into the air, and headed toward the bedroom.
"I'm taking a shower."
Without looking back, she added,
"Figure the rest out yourself."
The bathroom door clicked shut, and before long, the faint sound of running water echoed through the apartment.
Only then did Sol move.
He walked over, picked up the cushion Tatsumaki had thrown aside, and placed it neatly back where it belonged.
For a moment, he quietly looked around the familiar apartment.
Finally, he walked over to the sofa. Though it was a little short for someone of his height, he sat down without complaint.
It was clear he had silently accepted that the sofa would be his bed for the night.