Yukinoshita’s Method of Correction [23]

“Still so full of energy today, I see.” Yukinoshita Yukino covered her mouth with a yawn and stretched her arms out wide. “Looks like I underestimated your stamina. Even after reading all that, you’re still so lively.”

Her slender frame arched with the stretch, giving her uniform a graceful curve.

Watching Yukinoshita Yukino stretch like that, she really did look just like a cat basking in the sun.

“Sounds like you had a pretty rough time reading,” Higashigumo Sugi said, feeling an almost irresistible urge to put a pair of cat ears on her. “Don’t tell me you actually read the whole thing in one night?”

“That’s right. I haven’t stayed up late in ages, and I’ve never read anything like this before.” Yukinoshita rubbed her soft cheeks. “It was a grueling process. I don’t think I could ever enjoy it.”

“Hmm?” Maybe it was because she’d just woken up, but Yukinoshita seemed a little slower than usual. Still, she caught the key point. “So, from the sound of it, you haven’t finished reading it yet?”

“I was actually going to ask why you felt the need to finish it.”

“It’s a Service Club request.” Yukinoshita’s gaze sharpened. “Of course I have to take it seriously.”

“Guess you really haven’t read many light novels.” Higashigumo pulled over a chair and sat down. “The whole point of a light novel is that it’s an easy read. If I couldn’t get through it, that’s on him, not me.”

“Stopping as soon as you hit a problem is just irresponsible,” Yukinoshita said, rising from her chair to stand over him, her gaze severe. “If you keep acting like this, the Service Club’s reputation will only get worse.”

“On the contrary, what really hurts the club’s reputation is someone like you forcing yourself to finish,” Higashigumo stood up as well, going from being looked down on to looking down. “Didn’t you say yourself it’s better to teach someone how to fish, rather than just give them a fish? If you’re trying to point out every single flaw in Zaimokuza’s work, you’re just robbing him of the chance to discover those problems for himself.”

“My motto is not an excuse for you to slack off.” Yukinoshita stepped forward, increasing her intimidation; her icy stare was reminiscent of Snape unleashing Sectumsempra on Harry Potter.

“Laziness is the ladder of human progress.” Higashigumo matched her step, waving a hand above Yukinoshita’s head. “And as of now, the difference is clear.”

“Guh…” Yukinoshita rose up on her toes. “Success isn’t determined by outward appearance. Even if you’re going to judge by physique, you should use a relative metric and consider overall balance—”

Just as the two of them locked eyes in stubborn confrontation, a bright voice rang out.

“Yahallo~” Yuigahama Yui burst in, beaming. “Higashigumo, Yukino-chan—w-wait, I didn’t see anything!”

Yukinoshita was up on her tiptoes, letting Higashigumo pat her head!

So… so cute!

Let me get another look.

When Yuigahama, who had instinctively averted her eyes, glanced back, Higashigumo and Yukinoshita had already separated.

“Next time, knock before coming in,” Yukinoshita said, returning to her seat. “And I think I’ve told you before—your misunderstandings are really unpleasant.”

“I was going to ask what you thought of the manuscript,” Higashigumo gave Yuigahama a once-over, taking in her radiant energy. “But seeing how lively you are, I doubt you got very far.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you two! Why are you both ganging up on me all of a sudden?” Yuigahama pouted. “You two actually get along really well, don’t you?”

“It’s fine if you didn’t finish,” Yukinoshita cut in, not wanting Yuigahama’s imagination to run wild. “Just one of us reading it is enough.”

“I didn’t get very far either,” Higashigumo added offhandedly, but his words, when stacked with Yukinoshita’s, felt oddly pointed, so he tacked on, “It’s not your fault.”

“Now you’re both comforting me…” Yuigahama was completely baffled by their shift in attitude. After thinking for a bit, she came to a conclusion: “So you two must really be close, huh.”

Higashigumo & Yukinoshita: “… …”

Knock knock knock.

“I have arrived, as promised!” Zaimokuza Yoshiteru called out as he strode into the room, dropping into a chair with dramatic flair. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his already bulky frame seeming to swell further with confidence. “Well then, let me hear your impressions.”

Speaking of impressions… Higashigumo tried to recall what the story was about.

Put simply, it was set in some unnamed city, with mysterious organizations and superpowered people with memories from past lives skulking about at night. Then, an utterly average boy discovers a hidden power inside himself, and proceeds to defeat enemy after enemy in rapid succession.

“I’m sorry,” Yukinoshita, for once, seemed a bit awkward, as if she found it hard to speak. “I’m not very familiar with this kind of story.”

“No problem.” Zaimokuza clearly expected that. “What I want is a layperson’s perspective—please, go ahead.”

Higashigumo looked at Zaimokuza with a bit of pity.

If Yukinoshita is allowed to say whatever she wants…

“All right.” Yukinoshita drew a breath. “It was extremely boring. Reading it was almost painful. I have to say, this was even duller than I could have imagined.”

Zaimokuza looked like he’d been physically struck, nearly falling out of his chair.

Higashigumo sighed.

Yeah… saw that coming.

“C-could you at least tell me where it was boring? So I can use it as a reference…” Zaimokuza barely had the will to keep up his act.

“For starters, your grammar is a complete mess,” Yukinoshita said, flipping through the manuscript. “Why do you keep using inverted sentences? Do you even know how to use prepositions? Didn’t you learn this in elementary school?”

“T-that style just flows better…” Zaimokuza mumbled, desperate. “It makes the reader feel more connected…”

“‘Feeling connected’ only works if the sentences are actually correct. If you can’t make yourself understood, it just frustrates people.” Yukinoshita turned a few more pages. “Also, all your furigana are wrong. How did 【幻红刃闪】 end up with the reading ‘Bloody Nightmare Slasher’? Where did ‘Nightmare’ even come from?”

“T-that’s just a stylistic thing! All the recent superpower battle series have weird furigana like that…”

“Only if people can actually understand it,” Yukinoshita said sharply. “Do you actually want people to get your story? Oh, and by the way, the plot was way too predictable—there wasn’t a single surprise. Also, why does the heroine start undressing in that scene? There’s no logical reason at all…”

“Wait, there’s a scene like that?” Higashigumo rifled through his own copy. “Why didn’t you say there was something so exciting?”

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This is a fan translation of 雪之下的矫正方式 by 微凉温热 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!