Yukinoshita’s Method of Correction [8]

When Yuigahama Yui didn’t continue, Yukinoshita Yukino followed up coldly on her earlier explanation.

“Does anyone else, aside from you, have the same plushie?”

“It was handmade by my friend Kaori from the Crafts Club. Only she has one that’s kind of similar,” Yuigahama replied, pulling up a photo on her phone. In it, a smiling girl held a nearly identical plushie. “But the embroidery is different.”

Higashigumo Sugi glanced at the photo. Not much of a difference.

“Any other proof?”

“Uh-huh.” Yuigahama swiped to another photo.

“Once, Sabure—he’s my dog—bit it, and it left two little holes right here and here... I saw those same marks on the one in Satou’s bag.”

A lot of names had just been thrown around. Higashigumo organized them in his head.

Yuigahama Yui’s friend from the Crafts Club: Kaori.
Another Crafts Club member: Satou.
Yuigahama’s classmate: Sagami Minami.
Yuigahama’s dog: Sabure.

Kaori gave Yuigahama a plushie.
Sagami saw Satou pick it up.
Sabure left bite marks.
Yuigahama, the rightful owner, identified the plushie in Satou’s bag—
But Satou denied ever seeing it.

Gifted by Kaori. Bitten by Sabure. Witnessed by Sagami. Lost by Yuigahama.

So, clearly, the problem was—

“Yuigahama-san. The problem lies with you,” Yukinoshita stated, voice cool and crisp.

“You’re aware of that too, aren’t you?”

Higashigumo blinked. “Huh?”

“Higashigumo-san,” Yukinoshita said with a smile that lacked all warmth, “I’m already doing my best not to look at the dumb expression on your face. Please put some effort into not speaking like a dumbass either.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I gaze at the mountain with admiration, and the mountain gazes back.”

“Reflexive escapism,” Yukinoshita said flatly. “If you’re going to argue, address my logic—not my tone. Your correction is going to be... a long-term project.”

She turned to Yuigahama. “Yuigahama-san.”

“Yes!”

The girl straightened reflexively.

“You have more than enough evidence to prove ownership of the plushie,” Yukinoshita continued, her gaze sharp.

“You could demand it back directly. You could ask Sagami to testify. You could ask Kaori for help. You could get a teacher involved. Why have you done none of these?”

“Well... I think Sagami-san’s in kind of a bad mood lately...”

Yuigahama lowered her head. “So I didn’t want to bother her.”

Higashigumo remembered that Yuigahama had looked uneasy when she first mentioned Sagami. A momentary flicker—but he’d caught it.

Years of workplace survival had honed his skills in reading the room. No high schooler’s microexpression would escape him.

“Kaori and Satou are both in the Crafts Club. I don’t want to cause tension between them. And it was a gift from Kaori. If she found out I lost it...” Yuigahama bit her lip.

“If a teacher got involved, it would just blow up... Higashigumo-san?”

Noticing the strange smile on his face, she instinctively shrank back.

“Hm?”

He blinked innocently. “Something wrong?”

“You’re just... scaring me with how obviously you’re enjoying this,” Yukinoshita sighed.

“Does someone else’s anxiety really make you that happy?”

“Worrying over something small like this... that’s youth,” Higashigumo said with a serene smile.

“Makes the corpse feel warm again. Even the livor mortis fades.”

Compared to the scheming and manipulation of adult life, these little troubles—born of sincerity and kindness—dragged him straight back into the soft-focus memories of school days.

The rustling of pages. The warmth of sunlight through the windows. The cool breeze through the hallway. Fragmented memories stitched together into a nostalgic dreamscape.

Of course he was smiling.

“If you’re not going to actually help,” Yukinoshita muttered, giving him a look like she was staring at a cadaver, “at least stop causing trouble. Rest in peace.”

“If I don’t help, then it really is just schadenfreude,” Higashigumo said, standing up and cracking his neck.

“As thanks for the good vibes, I’ll handle this one.”

Before Yuigahama could even respond, Yukinoshita cut in. “And your plan?”

“Getting the plushie back while being considerate of everyone’s feelings? Easy.”

Higashigumo brought his fingers together, forming a pinching gesture.

“I’ve got a magician friend. Learned a few tricks from him. I can just... slip it out without anyone noticing—”

“Steal,” Yukinoshita summarized.

“Recover,” Higashigumo corrected. “Restoring it to the rightful owner.”

“N-no! That’s not okay!”

Yuigahama frantically waved her hands.

“I’ve got another friend who’s great at reclaiming what’s his.” Higashigumo nodded, shifting tactics.

“We wait until after school, pick a quiet spot, grab his bag, dump everything out—”

“Robbery,” Yukinoshita translated.

“Retrieve,” he countered. “A tactical recovery.”

Yuigahama was even more flustered. “That’s even less okay!”

“I also have a friend who’s great at gaining people’s trust.”

Higashigumo’s eyes gleamed.

“We prep a little, then say the school’s doing a new behavioral evaluation for university admissions—”

“Deception,” Yukinoshita said bluntly.

“Diplomacy.” He smiled. “Restoring harmony.”

Yuigahama looked like she was about to cry. “I-I really don’t think that’s a good idea...”

“I thought you were just a social misfit,” Yukinoshita sighed, massaging her temples.

“But clearly, if left unchecked, you’re a menace to society.”

“I... I think I’ll just try to figure something out myself,” Yuigahama muttered, dazed. “There has to be... some way...”

“This is exactly what worries me,” Yukinoshita said, folding her hair neatly behind one shoulder.

“Not just that I have to fulfill Yuigahama-san’s request—but that I now also have to fix this club’s reputation.”

Her voice cooled further. “Fortunately, I can address both problems at once. Yuigahama-san, since entering high school... you’ve gotten a lot cuter.”

“Huh!?”

Yuigahama’s face turned crimson. “N-no way... Why would you suddenly say that... Y-you too!”

“I’m not like you.”

Yukinoshita placed a pale hand over her chest, serene as a snow queen. “I’ve always been cute.”

---

T/N: SUREEE

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!