Yukinoshita’s Method of Correction [18]

“...AAAAAAHHHHH!!!” Hiratsuka Shizuka grabbed her already messy hair and made it worse. “That damn brat! I swear, I don’t care if I have to use force—I’m dragging him to the hospital myself!”

“With his physical capabilities, I doubt it would be that easy,” Yukinoshita Yukino calmly noted. “It might even backfire.”

“Damn it…” Hiratsuka gnawed on her thumb, frustrated. “Is this what he really wanted all along? Using selfless acts to cover up self-harm…”

“There’s no need to deny his altruism just because of his motives. No matter the reason, the fact remains—he helped people.” A certain smug, schadenfreude-laced smile flickered through Yukinoshita’s mind. “If anything, having such a motive... makes him all the more like the Higashigumo I’ve come to know.”

Hiratsuka lit another cigarette. “Still, I can’t just sit around and do nothing…”

“Actually, sensei—your obliviousness may have been just right.”

“…Excuse me?” Hiratsuka blinked.

Wasn’t that her line, as the teacher?

Wait no, that’s not something a teacher should be told, either.

“If you had realized too early, you’d have interfered,” Yukinoshita said as she waved away a curl of smoke. “And that likely would’ve worsened his condition. Your earlier inaction allowed him to transition smoothly into his current, more stable state.”

“‘Stable,’ huh?”

“When was the last time he got seriously hurt?”

Hiratsuka thought back. “Around… two or three months ago?”

There hadn’t been any major injuries since. Just minor scrapes, nothing requiring hospitalization.

The last incident she clearly remembered was when he’d gotten hurt stepping in for someone during a scuffle.

With Hiratsuka’s confirmation, Yukinoshita was able to validate her theory. “He’s already completed his ‘confirmation’ of his physical condition. That’s why he was willing to stay in the Service Club.”

“I thought my brilliant guidance finally got through to him…” Hiratsuka muttered.

“So is he all right now?”

“Not quite.” Yukinoshita’s tone sharpened. “He’s started a new phase. Or rather—continued his previous one. Now he’s trying to confirm the state of his mind.”

She had found the root of the problem.

“Unlike with the body, it’s harder to repeatedly damage the mind in a short time. So he needs other people to help him do it. Through that process, he can better feel his own existence. Which leads directly to what he told you…”

Hiratsuka stubbed out her cigarette with force. “‘I enjoy watching other people’s lives fall apart.’”

“His performative habits are born from inner emptiness. He can’t even confirm his own presence—so he mimics others, tries to wrap himself in formality to give himself shape.” Yukinoshita was finally unraveling the logic behind Higashigumo’s behavior. “His instinct to flee comes from being closed off. He’s like an egg—surrounded by a hard shell, only able to absorb warmth from outside. He’s waiting for the moment when the chaos inside finally takes form, so he can break the shell that’s trapped him…”

Her voice faded, and the cold clarity in her eyes dimmed.

Hiratsuka immediately noticed. “Yukinoshita?”

“…I’ll need to revise the correction plan going forward.” She composed herself again. “Thank you, sensei, for the information.”

Hiratsuka packed up the medical files and absence slips. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”

...

“About Yukinoshita?” Hiratsuka flicked out another cigarette and set it to her lips. “What made you ask that all of a sudden?”

“She’s a bit stubborn,” Higashigumo Sugi replied, recalling how Yukinoshita had stormed off earlier. “I thought one win would be enough to help her realize her own flaws. But instead, it seems like I triggered her defiant streak.”

“Oh, so you’re trying to learn more about her to come up with a better strategy, huh.” Hiratsuka fiddled with the cigarette box. “I thought maybe you’d gone too far when you beat her, and now you’re scared of revenge so you’re prepping early.”

“Win or lose, it’s all part of correcting her.” Higashigumo picked up a lighter from the table. “The original strategy had limited effect. Naturally, it needs adjustment.”

“Now that you mention it... she has taken real initiative lately.” Hiratsuka gave him a nod of approval. “Correction seems to be working.”

“But it’s only just begun.” He lit her cigarette, then flicked the lighter, letting it spin between his fingers. “I need more intel.”

“You’ve probably heard some things about her family already.” Hiratsuka exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Her father’s the president of a construction firm and also serves as a prefectural assemblyman. Their family’s pretty well-off.”

“Huh?” Higashigumo frowned. “I thought local government officials couldn’t simultaneously serve as representatives for companies that do business with local municipalities.”

“You know about that?” Hiratsuka looked at him in surprise, then sighed. “Right. You have been running around in adult society.”

“Her father married into the family, didn’t he?”

“Bingo.” Hiratsuka gave a short laugh. “It’s a family-run business that pivoted into politics. Officially, her mother’s the company president, but it’s the same either way.”

“Got it.” Higashigumo nodded slowly. “A political-business family network. Her mother handles the company, but to the outside world it’s seamless.”

“That’s the gist.” Hiratsuka took another drag. “Also—she’s got an older sister.”

“Let me guess.” Higashigumo’s voice turned wry. “Exceptionally accomplished?”

Hiratsuka nodded firmly. “In every possible way.”

“She the heir?”

“The one and only. Handles nearly all external affairs on behalf of the family.”

“No wonder…” Higashigumo began placing himself in Yukinoshita’s shoes.

If he were the second-born son of a prestigious family—

Nope. Couldn’t imagine it at all.

Still, he now understood the core of Yukinoshita Yukino’s struggle.

From childhood, whether by others or by herself, she had constantly been compared to her older sister.

And based on the results Hiratsuka described…

She had lost. Badly.

“She’s not all theory. She’s failed so many times that she wants to prepare until there’s no risk of failure.” Higashigumo finally saw the through-line of her behavior. “It’s not that she’s unwilling to act—it’s that she refuses to act without certainty.”

The lighter spun faster between his fingers. His thoughts were becoming razor-sharp.

“She’s like an egg, too. All of her past defeats have hardened into a shell. And now, after all that failure, she’s learned to stay quiet, gather strength, and wait for the right moment—before she dares to even touch the walls she’s sealed herself behind…”

His voice faded. The lighter slowed in its spin.

Hiratsuka noticed the change in his expression. “Higashigumo?”

“I think I know what I need to do now,” he said, quietly. “Thanks for telling me all that, sensei.”

Hiratsuka stubbed out her cigarette and gave him a smile. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”

---

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!