Yukinoshita’s Method of Correction [7]

Even though Yukinoshita Yukino moved as gently as possible, the tension in her sore muscles still made her brows furrow.

“Yukinoshita-san...”

Yuigahama Yui looked on nervously. “Are you... not feeling well? If you’re not up to it, I can come back another time—”

“I’m fine.”

Yukinoshita’s voice grew colder the moment she sat back down, and she immediately shot Higashigumo Sugi a scathing glare.

The pointed glance didn’t escape Yuigahama’s notice. She blinked, then rapidly glanced back and forth between the two of them, eyes wide in astonishment. Her face turned red with visible speed.

“Ah... um... I...”

Her eyes darted around like a mouse fleeing a cat’s pounce—until they landed on the pole in the middle of the room. And from that moment, they didn’t budge.

“This is...?”

“It’s for training,” Higashigumo said casually, gripping the pole and executing a clean clutch flag. “Like this.”

“Wow... that’s amazing!”

Yuigahama couldn’t help but clap.

“It’s also dangerous,” Higashigumo added pointedly.

“If you try it unprepared, you might land right on your butt. And then, every time you sit down... it’ll hurt—pfft!”

Yukinoshita’s icy gaze could’ve frozen a volcano. “And then you’d have some sadistic creep laughing at your pain.”

“It’s kinda...”

Yuigahama’s eyes sparkled. “Kinda fun!”

Yukinoshita: “Hm?”

“No no, I didn’t mean your fall!”

Yuigahama flailed her hands in a panic.

“I meant—the atmosphere here. It’s kind of... lively? Like real friends, y’know? Like, ‘If you fall, I’ll help you up... after I stop laughing.’ That sort of vibe!”

“This club isn’t fun,” Yukinoshita replied icily. “And your misunderstanding is rather irritating.”

Higashigumo beamed. “And I didn’t even help her up. Also, I haven’t laughed enough yet.”

“Ah... I-I see...”

Yuigahama wisely chose not to push further. “So, um... Hiratsuka-sensei said this club could help students with their problems...?”

“Yep, yep.”

Higashigumo leaned forward, visibly eager. “Got something weighing on you...?”

“The Service Club offers assistance,” Yukinoshita interjected coldly.

“Whether your problem is resolved or not depends entirely on you.”

“Huh?”

Yuigahama tilted her head. “Is there a difference?”

“It’s the difference between giving a person a fish and teaching them how to fish,” Yukinoshita explained.

“Volunteer work should empower people to help themselves—not simply hand them solutions. I can’t promise your problems will be solved, but I will do my best to help you gain the tools to solve them.”

“That sounds... really impressive!”

Yuigahama’s face lit up with the expression of “I totally get it now, even though I absolutely don’t.”

“So,” Higashigumo cut in bluntly, “what’s your problem?”

“I... I lost my plushie...”

Her hair fell over her cheeks, casting shadows on her expression.

“It’s not something expensive, but... it was a handmade gift from a friend in the handicrafts club. It meant a lot—it’s a symbol of our friendship.”

Higashigumo’s voice softened. “Friendship during youth is precious. I understand how you feel. Even if your friend wouldn’t mind, the guilt can eat at you. Don’t worry, I’ll help you find—”

“Actually... I already found it.”

Yuigahama pursed her lips. “But the person who has it... won’t give it back.”

“I see.”

Higashigumo leaned back in his chair. “Then we can just get a teacher involved, or I’ll talk to them myself.”

“Huh?”

Yuigahama blinked.

She wasn’t surprised by how quickly he came up with a solution—but by the fact that, in the span of a sentence, the warmth in Higashigumo’s tone had cooled noticeably.

“Higashigumo-san.”

Yukinoshita glanced at him like he was the human equivalent of garbage.

“Must you always rush to steer someone’s feelings, only to grow disappointed when the problem turns out to be easily solved? That won’t help fix your warped personality, nor will it reflect well on the Service Club.”

“Negative emotions need an outlet. Pain, frustration... once you vent, you’ll feel better,” Higashigumo shot back, glancing her way.

“But if you keep everything bottled up, even a stiff face from muscle soreness might get misread as being cold or gloomy.”

Yukinoshita’s expression darkened further. “If getting a teacher or friend involved were that easy, Yuigahama-san wouldn’t have come here in the first place. Seems someone’s already forgotten yesterday’s lesson about seeing past appearances.”

“You can’t talk about ‘seeing the essence’ if you’re not looking at the right problem.”
Higashigumo crossed his arms.

“The immediate issue here is Yuigahama-san’s distress. If we handle it properly, maybe we’ll even surpass your usual armchair theorizing.”

Lava-hot irritation and glacier-cold disdain clashed in the tight space of the clubroom. Steam thickened the air like a pressure cooker ready to blow.

In the middle of this volcanic tension, Yuigahama blinked her wide eyes.

“You two... get along really well!”

Yukinoshita & Higashigumo: “Hm?”

“Um, I mean... normal friends are polite, right? But really close friends bicker like this all the time...”

Her voice trailed off under their stares. “...Aren’t I right?”

“To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings...”

Yukinoshita lowered her lashes coolly.

“Yuigahama-san, please continue. What kind of plushie was it? When did you lose it? How did you find it? And what complications followed? The clearer your explanation, the better I can tailor my advice.”

“O-Okay!”

Yuigahama straightened up reflexively. She pulled out her phone—decorated with an explosion of glittery stickers—and brought up a photo.

“This is the plushie.”

It was palm-sized, heart-shaped, handmade from fabric, with delicate embroidery and soft tulle frills. Clearly one-of-a-kind.

“It was tied to my backpack, but two days ago the string broke. I retraced my route and ended up running into Sagami Minami—she’s in my class. I asked her if she saw it and she said Sato—he’s in the crafts club—picked it up. So I went to ask Sato. I saw my plushie in his bag, but... he said he hadn’t seen it...”

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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!