Yukinoshita’s Method of Correction [14]

Yukinoshita Yukino’s pale lips pressed into a thin line. She shifted in her seat—subtly, almost imperceptibly.

“…That was mean.” As if to dispel some phantom sting, she flicked her long hair over her shoulder.

“How did you know I’d concede?”

“I didn’t,” Higashigumo Sugi blinked innocently. “That was to resolve a different doubt I had.”

Yukinoshita stared at him. She said nothing, but her meaning was clear:

Go on.

“Hiratsuka-sensei said you’re an outstanding student. But how outstanding, exactly? I wanted to find out.” Higashigumo elaborated slightly on what he’d said before.

“If you were that sharp, then you'd hear my question, reverse-engineer my line of reasoning, realize your own oversight—and concede.”

“And if I hadn’t realized it?”

“Then no harm done on my end… originally.” Higashigumo sighed. “But then you had to tack on an extra condition.”

“If you can do it, I’ll count it as you winning twice.”

And Hiratsuka Shizuka had agreed, too.

“Honestly, I got a bit nervous. Good thing you folded pretty fast.” He tilted his head, clearly curious.

“I figured you might catch on, but not that quickly. How’d you do it?”

Yukinoshita lowered her lashes. “Your question reminded me of a type of request I’ve received before—relationship consultations.”

“Relationship consultations?” Higashigumo paused. “You know, with the way you talk, I kind of assumed I was your only friend.”

“Before you go defining us as friends,” Yukinoshita’s cheeks puffed slightly, “let’s first define what counts as a friend.”

“Alright, alright. I get it. The people who came to you for love advice weren’t your friends.” Higashigumo pictured something quite familiar.

“Hostile takeover? No… more like a ‘protective consultation.’”

In business, a protective takeover refers to acquiring shares in another company to protect its interests—often when there’s overlapping business and potential conflict. Rather than compete, a company buys into the other to reduce risk.

Yukinoshita’s gaze stirred faintly. “And your reasoning?”

“No one asks someone who’s clearly better than them in every way for relationship advice. It’s useless—they can’t apply anything you say. Especially when the gap is huge.”

Higashigumo spaced his hands apart, palms facing each other.

“I had a friend who once asked this playboy-type guy for advice on how to meet girls. The guy told him to just ask for their number. My fri—I mean, he never succeeded. Not even once.”

Yukinoshita’s lips twitched into a smile. She was starting to understand the pleasure Higashigumo took in telling such stories.

“Setting aside your little personal anecdote…”

“It was my friend.”

“Setting aside your idiotic friend’s anecdote…” Yukinoshita smoothly corrected.

“Hey, easy on the personal attacks,” Higashigumo grumbled.

“Heh.” Yukinoshita gave a soft laugh.

“Your assessment was accurate. Their ‘consultations’ were really just strategic maneuvering. They wanted me to know who they were into. If someone in your circle knows your crush and still goes after them, they’ll get kicked out of the group like some shameless homewrecker.”

Higashigumo nodded, adding, “Even if the target confesses first, you’re not supposed to accept. Otherwise, same result—ostracized.”

“I’ve had enough of those consultations-that-aren’t-really-consultations. So when you asked that question, the answer was obvious.” Yukinoshita crossed her arms.

“Sagami only regarded the owner of the plushie as a rival. Which means the person she likes is someone who treated the plushie’s owner as their girlfriend. For someone to tell Sagami they’re the boyfriend of the plushie’s owner, they’d have only one reason—to take the plushie. So Satou, who ended up with the plushie, is the one Sagami likes. And he likes the owner of a similar plushie.”

Higashigumo raised a brow. “Why a similar plushie?”

“When you saw the two plushies side by side, your first instinct was to ask if there was any other evidence. That means, to you, the differences weren’t significant—unlike for me and Yuigahama.” Yukinoshita paused.

“The same might apply to Satou. And the other piece of evidence came from you as well. You returned from the Crafts Club with so much confidence—so clearly, you found something decisive. But how did you identify they were in a relationship so quickly?”

Higashigumo gave a straightforward answer. “When I spoke to Kaori as the supposed client, Satou was the most visibly hostile.”

Yukinoshita raised her right hand and lightly pressed a curved index finger to her lips.

“Even so, that could still be one-sided. Satou might just have a crush on her.”

Higashigumo chuckled. “When someone suddenly finds themselves the center of attention, their first instinct is to look at the person they care about.”

Of course, that behavior could also indicate mutual feelings that hadn’t yet turned into a relationship.

But if it were mutual, Satou wouldn’t have kept the plushie without returning it.

“Subconscious reflexes… I see.” Yukinoshita gave a small nod and straightened her posture, dropping her hands to her lap.

“This time, you win… twice. Name your demand.”

“Your judgment and your solution were correct.” Higashigumo shook his head. “Let’s call it a draw.”

“…‘Call it’?” Yukinoshita’s gaze turned icy. “A win is a win. A loss is a loss.”

“…Then let’s not say twice.” Higashigumo compromised. “Just one win.”

“One is one. Two is two.” Yukinoshita’s eyes narrowed, her tone sharp as glass.

“Don’t make me repeat something that simple.”

“Alright then…” Higashigumo paused, then revised his tone carefully.

“I order you to finish the strawberry yogurt I gave you.”

That should be a safe enough request.

Yukinoshita glanced at the already-empty drink container.

“Afraid I’ll be too harsh when it’s my turn to win next time? Just so you know, I won’t hold back. I’m not like you—I can take a win or a loss.”

So you’re saying I can’t, huh?

“You asked for it.” Higashigumo stood up with theatrical flair.

Yukinoshita clutched the collar of her uniform—still neat and spotless—with both hands and glared at him warily. “W-What are you doing?”

“Obviously…” Higashigumo smiled cheerfully, “…I’m going to issue my victory command—exactly as I please.”

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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!